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Global Warming: Tell a lie often enough and it becomes the modern truth ...

How much longer is the world going to listen to that lying hypocrite, Al Gore, spewing specious scientific hypotheses and trying to explain away obvious flaws in the political scam that is global warming?

“We Can’t Wish Away Climate Change”

“It would be an enormous relief if the recent attacks on the science of global warming actually indicated that we do not face an unimaginable calamity requiring large-scale, preventive measures to protect human civilization as we know it.”

There is little or no physical proof that what Al Gore says is true. Only the output of crude computer models which may have flawed assumptions, poor programming and heavily manipulated input data. A digital representation of the analog message “Repent, the end of the world is near.”

A plea for energy dependence from the former Vice President and democrat party representative who fought energy independence for decades?

“Of course, we would still need to deal with the national security risks of our growing dependence on a global oil market dominated by dwindling reserves in the most unstable region of the world, and the economic risks of sending hundreds of billions of dollars a year overseas in return for that oil. And we would still trail China in the race to develop smart grids, fast trains, solar power, wind, geothermal and other renewable sources of energy — the most important sources of new jobs in the 21st century.”

The answer, of course, is clean, sustainable, cost effective nuclear energy – which has been fought by the socialists, leftists and communists to deny the United States further ability to develop nuclear weaponry and thus maintain its status as a superpower.

Gore attempts to explain away the ongoing controversy over errors and revelations of malfeasance or worse …

It is true that the climate panel published a flawed overestimate of the melting rate of debris-covered glaciers in the Himalayas, and used information about the Netherlands provided to it by the government, which was later found to be partly inaccurate. In addition, e-mail messages stolen from the University of East Anglia in Britain showed that scientists besieged by an onslaught of hostile, make-work demands from climate skeptics may not have adequately followed the requirements of the British freedom of information law.

Gore conveniently forgets that the IPCC claimed that their publication was “peer reviewed” and representative of a “consensus” of thinking on global climate issues. The peer review process is designed not to verify, corroborate or lend credence to the submitted article, but to prepare it for publication by eliminating the obvious errors and omissions that would be recognized by the author’s peers; as well as to improve the article’s understandability, readability and clarity. Obviously not something the IPCC’s report really achieved. 

Many of the errors were known prior to the report’s publication and ignored in order to maximize media attention. And as we have seen from the released emails, the peer review process was covertly subverted by threats and coercion, implied or real, by some of the top climate scientists in the world.

As for the “make work” aspect of the Freedom of Information requests, perhaps someone should tell Gore that science is supposed to be open and aboveboard. That many of the articles appearing in the journal featured science that could not be verified or replicated due to the lack of access to the underlying data and/or programs which manipulated the data. Again, the emails show a pattern that deliberately obstructed the release of the underlying data. Partly to cover the fact that the data was either cherry-picked to produce a given result or that the original datasets had gone missing and couldn’t be produced. And partly to avoid an open and honest debate which would have shown that some of the assumptions and manipulative techniques were significantly flawed.

Another big lie about “the consensus” …

“But the scientific enterprise will never be completely free of mistakes. What is important is that the overwhelming consensus on global warming remains unchanged. It is also worth noting that the panel’s scientists — acting in good faith on the best information then available to them — probably underestimated the range of sea-level rise in this century, the speed with which the Arctic ice cap is disappearing and the speed with which some of the large glacial flows in Antarctica and Greenland are melting and racing to the sea.”

Yes, there will always be procedural errors in science, hence the scientific method which calls for an open and free exchange of scientific data, findings and methodology. So, by the very nature of the scientific process, the science is not settled.

And about that consensus, many of the IPCC members contributed or reviewed only part of the submitted works. Many of these panel members are more political representatives of their respective organizations than they are working scientists. And it should be noted that many scientists have been forced into silence due to the demands of their institutions (which were receiving multi-million dollar grants from governments and foundations) and the peer pressure of some of their fellow scientists who threatened to impair their access to data, computing time, publication opportunities and to participate in the overall program.

Attempting to explain away an obvious Winter cold streak …

“Because these and other effects of global warming are distributed globally, they are difficult to identify and interpret in any particular location. For example, January was seen as unusually cold in much of the United States. Yet from a global perspective, it was the second-hottest January since surface temperatures were first measured 130 years ago.”

If Gore was honest, he would simply say that the weather, whether local or global, does not tend to indicate anything as the timescales demanded for climate trends are measured in hundreds, if not thousands of years. And that the short-term temperature rise – since we may be still recovering from the last ice age – is statistically and practically irrelevant to the discussion of global climate change. It also helps to remember that:

One, we do not know much more than the climate appears to be cyclical and we do not know its periodicity nor its maximum/minimum amplitude;

Two, we do not know where in the cycle we may be;

Three, we do not know the optimum global temperature of the Earth;

Four, our historical temperature measurements are deeply flawed given the nature of the instrumentation, their placement and their interpretation over time;

Five, we do not know if our measurements will allow us to measure any significant change to the weather that would not be overshadowed by the inherent variability of the phenomenon itself. It helps to understand that we are speaking of tenths of a degree in global temperature fluctuation over yearly periods.

Six, scientists openly acknowledge that the Earth has been hotter, colder, with more CO2 and less CO2 – and in periods where man’s influence was non-existent;

Seven, scientists acknowledge that the Sun’s output, our orbital path, the Earth’s precession and rotational dynamics, the volcanic activity and plate tectonics, the oceans depth and currents are all likely to have significantly greater effects than a minor greenhouse gas such as CO2. In fact, the mechanism of the premier greenhouse gas, water vapor, is still poorly understood – but it appears to be a self-regulating feedback mechanism.

Eight, the rise in the CO2 concentration, rather than being the cause of global warming, appears to be caused by the warming of the oceans and the rise in CO2 levels lags the rise in temperature, often by 600 or more years;

And nine, the weather researchers do not discuss the benefits of a warmer climate and greater carbon dioxide concentration to provide a balanced and objective presentation.

Demonization of the contrary view …

“Similarly, even though climate deniers have speciously argued for several years that there has been no warming in the last decade, scientists confirmed last month that the last 10 years were the hottest decade since modern records have been kept.

“The heavy snowfalls this month have been used as fodder for ridicule by those who argue that global warming is a myth, yet scientists have long pointed out that warmer global temperatures have been increasing the rate of evaporation from the oceans, putting significantly more moisture into the atmosphere — thus causing heavier downfalls of both rain and snow in particular regions, including the Northeastern United States. Just as it’s important not to miss the forest for the trees, neither should we miss the climate for the snowstorm.”

Notice that Gore wants to characterize those who believe differently by using the pejorative “deniers,” instead of the more benign “skeptics.” The clown does not realize that science is a skeptical process – continually testing the  status quo. This term, usually associated with the abhorrent term “holocaust” denier marks the depths to which Gore must sink to make his argument.  

Forget about Gore’s attempt to explain a cold January and concentrate on the fact that a significant number of global measurement stations were deliberately omitted from research results – only 1 station out of a hundred or more of existing stations was used to report all of the arctic temperatures above Canada. Other stations were found to be inappropriately located where they reported not on legitimate temperature readings, but were influenced by man-made interference such as air-conditioning, heat-absorbing asphalt, etc.. These stations measured nothing much more significant than the “heat island” effect of urban populations – and raised the apparent temperatures used to calculate so-called global warming.

Science according to the Goracle …

“Here is what scientists have found is happening to our climate: man-made global-warming pollution traps heat from the sun and increases atmospheric temperatures. These pollutants — especially carbon dioxide — have been increasing rapidly with the growth in the burning of coal, oil, natural gas and forests, and temperatures have increased over the same period.”

So it is Al Gore’s intention to allow the gross pollution to continue by allowing the polluters to buy government and private indulgences to continue their polluting ways rather than clean up the air, water and land pollution they spew forth. All costs of these indulgences to be borne by the ratepayers and the general public. Governments profit by becoming larger, exerting more centralized control and raising taxes. Gore and his buddies profit by selling and trading these pollution credits. The special interests profit because they can raise their rates and/or receive government subsidies and grants from the taxpayer’s hard-earned funds.  And the thought that some forest in lower crapistan can serve as the basis for these credits is ridiculous; especially as people continue to suffer and die from the local pollution. Even if all industrial activity were to cease this very moment, we would not know the effects on the climate for 600 to 1000 years, if ever. We will be dead and the fruits of our labor secure in the government’s coffers or in the hands of the heirs to the present day robber barons.

“Almost all of the ice-covered regions of the Earth are melting — and seas are rising. Hurricanes are predicted to grow stronger and more destructive, though their number is expected to decrease. Droughts are getting longer and deeper in many mid-continent regions, even as the severity of flooding increases. The seasonal predictability of rainfall and temperatures is being disrupted, posing serious threats to agriculture. The rate of species extinction is accelerating to dangerous levels.”

Gore, the dumb son-of-a bitch, is so stupid as not to realize that the storms are more influenced by the cyclical warming and cooling of the oceans and its current flows than pollution and its effects.

Though there have been impressive efforts by many business leaders, hundreds of millions of individuals and families throughout the world and many national, regional and local governments, our civilization is still failing miserably to slow the rate at which these emissions are increasing — much less reduce them.

And in spite of President Obama’s efforts at the Copenhagen climate summit meeting in December, global leaders failed to muster anything more than a decision to “take note” of an intention to act.

What efforts – flying in to give a speech on the way to pick up an unearned Nobel Peace Prize awarded by a group of socialists hoping to diminish the world influence of the United States and pick the pockets of its taxpayers?

“Because the world still relies on leadership from the United States, the failure by the Senate to pass legislation intended to cap American emissions before the Copenhagen meeting guaranteed that the outcome would fall far short of even the minimum needed to build momentum toward a meaningful solution.”

If this wasn’t such a blatant ploy to screw the United States, and the benefits to Europe were clearly demonstrable, the EU would have taken independent action like they have done many times in the past.

“The political paralysis that is now so painfully evident in Washington has thus far prevented action by the Senate — not only on climate and energy legislation, but also on health care reform, financial regulatory reform and a host of other pressing issues.”

Al Gore, ever the democrat/socialist seeking to push a toxic far-left political agenda on Americans. One could imagine Gore, if elected, being a tad moderate than President Obama.

“This comes with painful costs. China, now the world’s largest and fastest-growing source of global-warming pollution, had privately signaled early last year that if the United States passed meaningful legislation, it would join in serious efforts to produce an effective treaty. When the Senate failed to follow the lead of the House of Representatives, forcing the president to go to Copenhagen without a new law in hand, the Chinese balked. With the two largest polluters refusing to act, the world community was paralyzed.”

China is not an honest player in world politics and remains fundamentally at odds with our political system. They cannot be trusted, either as an ally or trading partner. To believe that they would diminish their sovereign interests to benefit the world is ludicrous and unbelievably naive.

Moving from climate to the real goal: the domination of socialism …

Why would Al Gore deviate from his message of global warming into the realm of socialism if it was simply a matter of settled science supported by the consensus of scientists?

The decisive victory of democratic capitalism over communism in the 1990s led to a period of philosophical dominance for market economics worldwide and the illusion of a unipolar world. It also led, in the United States, to a hubristic ‘bubble’ of market fundamentalism that encouraged opponents of regulatory constraints to mount an aggressive effort to shift the internal boundary between the democracy sphere and the market sphere. Over time, markets would most efficiently solve most problems, they argued. Laws and regulations interfering with the operations of the market carried a faint odor of the discredited statist adversary we had just defeated.”

If Gore weren’t so damn stupid, he would have realized the global financial crisis had its roots in government intervention in free-market policies – and that his democrat buddies were corruptly complicit in bringing the world to economic disaster.

This period of market triumphalism coincided with confirmation by scientists that earlier fears about global warming had been grossly understated. But by then, the political context in which this debate took form was tilted heavily toward the views of market fundamentalists, who fought to weaken existing constraints and scoffed at the possibility that global constraints would be needed to halt the dangerous dumping of global-warming pollution into the atmosphere.

Socialist playbook: demonizing big business …

“Over the years, as the science has become clearer and clearer, some industries and companies whose business plans are dependent on unrestrained pollution of the atmospheric commons have become ever more entrenched. They are ferociously fighting against the mildest regulation — just as tobacco companies blocked constraints on the marketing of cigarettes for four decades after science confirmed the link of cigarettes to diseases of the lung and the heart.”

The science has not become clearer and clearer … it has become more murky because as we learn more, we begin to realize how much more there is to learn. Demonizing all of business with the taint of the tobacco industry is disingenuous. First, the government, with all of their medical knowledge, did not outlaw killer tobacco. And second, they screwed the American public – both on health issues and in the wallet, by applying increasing taxes which served only to fuel government excesses and not alleviate medical impacts as was once imagined.

Socialist playbook: playing the class card … 

Simultaneously, changes in America’s political system — including the replacement of newspapers and magazines by television as the dominant medium of communication — conferred powerful advantages on wealthy advocates of unrestrained markets and weakened advocates of legal and regulatory reforms. Some news media organizations now present showmen masquerading as political thinkers who package hatred and divisiveness as entertainment. And as in times past, that has proved to be a potent drug in the veins of the body politic. Their most consistent theme is to label as “socialist” any proposal to reform exploitive behavior in the marketplace.

Gore is truly an asshat. Most of the mainstream media slants definitely left and has given a pass to those leftists in government and their wacky political policies. Gore appears to be speaking of a small minority of media outlets in cable television and talk radio who actually give their critics a chance to respond and make their point. If the left really had a superior message and a product – instead of continual whining – Air America would not be in bankruptcy.

Socialist playbook: use their laws against them to subvert their causes …

“From the standpoint of governance, what is at stake is our ability to use the rule of law as an instrument of human redemption. After all has been said and so little done, the truth about the climate crisis — inconvenient as ever — must still be faced.”

The democrats speak of social justice, economic justice and people’s rights as if everyone was a victim and did not receive an equal opportunity to achieve – rather than a guaranteed right to achieve. Look at Gore’s privileged upbringing and draw your own conclusions. I think he is a sniveling coward that typifies the far-left “do as I say, don’t do as I do” limousine liberal.

The wrong existential threat is identified …

“We have overcome existential threats before. Winston Churchill is widely quoted as having said, “Sometimes doing your best is not good enough. Sometimes, you must do what is required.” Now is that time. Public officials must rise to this challenge by doing what is required; and the public must demand that they do so — or must replace them.”

The existential threat to our nation is not global warming, it is corrupt and complacent politicians seeking to perpetuate their political power, line their pocketbooks and tell us all how to live as the ruling (not governing) class. Churchill was right, we need to purge our government and their advisors of people like Al Gore and his fellow travelers.

Bottom line …

Al Gore is a lying scumbag who will do or say anything to pursue his agenda of self-interest: money, power and self-aggrandizement as the savior of the planet. A man who lacks the balls to debate knowledgeable skeptics and hides behind a phalanx of security guards which control media access. The Barack Obama-style media control program.

If you believe in global warming, fine. Base it on verifiable facts delivered by honest brokers, not emotion. If not, continue raising your concerns.

-- steve

Reference Links:

Op-Ed Contributor - We Can’t Wish Away Climate Change - NYTimes.com


“Nullius in verba”-- take nobody's word for it!
"Acta non verba" -- actions not words

“Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance.”-- George Bernard Shaw

“Progressive, liberal, Socialist, Marxist, Democratic Socialist -- they are all COMMUNISTS.”

“The key to fighting the craziness of the progressives is to hold them responsible for their actions, not their intentions.” – OCS

"The object in life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane." -- Marcus Aurelius

“A people that elect corrupt politicians, imposters, thieves, and traitors are not victims... but accomplices” -- George Orwell

“Fere libenter homines id quod volunt credunt." (The people gladly believe what they wish to.) ~Julius Caesar

“Describing the problem is quite different from knowing the solution. Except in politics." ~ OCS


WEAPONS OF MASS DISTRACTION

I have reached my saturation point. Riled by O’Reilly, hammered by Hannity, besieged by Beck and  lambasted by Limbaugh. Each presenting different views of the same underlying phenomenon – governmental malfeasance, corruption and complacency. With O’Reilly and Hannity, we see an recirculation of  Fox’s paid consultants pontificating on the issues of the day – balanced by various other talking heads with an opposing view. Not really solving problems as they help to profitably fill the 24/7 broadcast day.

Enough …

I am tired of endlessly watching the near real-time chronicling of President Obama’s foibles and the actions of his deeply flawed appointees. Or the endless reactions of the opposing politicians who are more party to  the problems than the solutions.

Enough …

The tea party movement is exactly what it seems; an uprising of the normal people who are fed up with their government at the local, state and federal levels. Nothing more nor less. Of course, there are those who are beginning to investigate how they can harness this growing disaffection to advance their own political agenda.

Enough …

Truth-be-told, both parties are filled with liars, cheaters and others who act only in their own self-interest. Both parties claim to be for smaller government, lower taxes, a better economy and the curtailment of waste, fraud and abuse in both the government and private sector. Yet, over the years nothing has been done. The inner cities are still cesspools of decay, crime and corruption. Minority populations are exploited and lied to by their own leaders and the government – useful only when it comes to staged media events and at the ballot box. Somehow their leaders seem to be above it all, siding with the majority of manipulators and throwing scraps to their respective communities.

Enough …

I am going to reduce the time I spend watching cable news, listening to talk radio, reading politically-oriented newspapers and magazines. I am not giving up, I am just moderating the flow of distracting information which keeps all of us so bound up in the minutiae of the on-going battle that we lose sight of the goal: providing a decent lifestyle for ourselves and our families.

Bottom line …

I am going to think more about what we are about to do in 2010. Already in California, I can see the main candidates running for the governorship and to replace Senator Barbara Boxer are flawed people who seem to be in the same mold as their predecessors. Nothing new here. No bold initiatives. Same old. Same old.

Perhaps, I will be pleasantly surprised. Perhaps the Republican Party will find their balls and put forth a party platform that makes sense, both fiscally and socially. An agenda that normal people can adopt without becoming one of the religious crazies or conspiracy theorists.

Perhaps the democrats will throw out their crooked representatives and clean their own house. Returning to American values rather than trying to become the party of perpetual power and moving the party towards socialism to satisfy their far-left base.

But, all-in-all, I have very little hope that any of this will happen. While the people send millions to help candidates, the special interests are spending tens of millions. It is a sucker play. And I hope that I am not the sucker.

We will see what happens tomorrow.

-- steve


“Nullius in verba”-- take nobody's word for it!
"Acta non verba" -- actions not words

“Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance.”-- George Bernard Shaw

“Progressive, liberal, Socialist, Marxist, Democratic Socialist -- they are all COMMUNISTS.”

“The key to fighting the craziness of the progressives is to hold them responsible for their actions, not their intentions.” – OCS

"The object in life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane." -- Marcus Aurelius

“A people that elect corrupt politicians, imposters, thieves, and traitors are not victims... but accomplices” -- George Orwell

“Fere libenter homines id quod volunt credunt." (The people gladly believe what they wish to.) ~Julius Caesar

“Describing the problem is quite different from knowing the solution. Except in politics." ~ OCS


Senate Report indicts global warming researchers and the EPA's reliance on flawed science

I can imagine that the global warming scientists are trying desperately to tweak their assumptions, programming and data to produce models which show the plateau of global temperature and its subsequent decline … so once again they can point to their models and claim that they are valid as representations of future climate outcomes. Followed by a new set of dire predictions and a call for a political solution to the problem which enlarges government, raises taxes, rewards the special interests and further curtails our liberties.

Perhaps they will do their magic by simply adding back enough overlooked temperature measurement stations to create the desired result.

Of course the real answer to the analysis of global warming, global climate change or the impacts of weather-related population and economic dislocations is to start with “honest brokers” without a self-serving hidden agenda and a neutral funding source that does not demand fealty to a political system.

There is no way we can let the current crop of weather researchers re-build the observational data. They have a biased agenda to restore funding to their institutions and reclaim their tattered reputations. Even the peer-review process in climate journals cannot be trusted as they were either complicit in putting forth a biased agenda or were ignorant of the manipulation of those outside their immediate sphere of influence. Both which produced suspect “peer-reviewed” literature and brought formerly reputable journals into the realm of distrust.

Interesting reading …

The Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works has  released a report titled, "‘Consensus' Exposed: The CRU Controversy." The report covers the constantly erupting controversy surrounding the University of East Anglia's Climatic Research Unit’s (CRU) emails, programming, datasets and documents that were published by a whistle-blower; apparently from materials prepared in response to a United Kingdom Freedom of Information request.

According to the Senate Committee … 

“The emails were written by the world’s top climate scientists, who work at the most prestigious and influential climate research institutions in the world. Many of them were lead authors and coordinating lead authors of UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reports, meaning that they had been intimately involved in writing and editing the IPCC’s science assessments. They also helped write reports by the United States Global Change Research Program (USGCRP).”

“The CRU controversy and recent revelations about errors in the IPCC’s most recent science assessment cast serious doubt on the validity of EPA’s endangerment finding for greenhouse gases under the Clean Air Act. The IPCC serves as the primary basis for EPA’s endangerment finding for greenhouse gases.”

“Instead of moving forward on greenhouse gas regulation, the Agency should fully address the CRU controversy and the IPCC’s flawed science.”

“The scientists involved in the CRU controversy violated fundamental ethical principles governing taxpayer-funded research and, in some cases, may have violated federal laws.”

“In addition to these findings, we believe the emails and accompanying documents seriously compromise the IPCC-backed ‘consensus’ and its central conclusion that anthropogenic emissions are inexorably leading to environmental catastrophes.”

“An independent inquiry conducted by the UK’s Information Commissioner has already concluded that the scientists employed by the University of East Anglia, and who were at the center of the controversy, violated the UK’s Freedom of Information Act.

“Another independent inquiry, headed by Sir Muir Russell, is investigating allegations that the scientists in the CRU scandal manipulated climate change data.”

“In our view, the CRU documents and emails reveal, among other things, unethical and potentially illegal behavior by some of the world’s preeminent climate scientists.”

Quite an indictment of the leading proponents of climate change research and the political agenda which serves their own self-interests.

Will it sway the Obama Administration?

However, it is unlikely that the Obama Administration will acknowledge the truth and attempt to use these flawed findings to enlarge government, raise taxes and implement a command and control structure over all producers and consumers of energy. In this manner they provide for the perpetual control of political power and severely curtail the freedoms of all American citizens. Complicit in this charade are the media who often turn a blind eye to the Obama Administration and the special interests who will turn billion dollar profits from the artificially created “cap and trade” marketplace. Something that would make those who were prosecuted for ENRON-style manipulation look like mere children. 

Listen to Senator James Inhofe as he releases the report …

In spite of a rather inarticulate presentation by Senator Inhofe, he makes a serious charge against the  EPA who is pursuing the clear and present danger of a socialistic “command and control” centrally-planned political system which is destined to destroy our current economy; and possibly our nation.

In fact, the EPA’s action is an attempt to do an end-run around the Congress and administratively pass rules and regulations rather than facing a straight up and down vote on the climate control issue. In fact, the entire action could be challenged on the basis of the Executive Branch of Government usurping the Constitutional legislative function of the Congress.

Bottom Line …

The good citizens and taxpayers of the United States, and specifically in the State of California, should be well aware that public policy based on flawed science is threatening to destroy the fabric of our nation – and our formerly golden state – and rewards those who have perpetrated the biggest scam in the history of the world. Belay that, the second biggest scam in the history of the world, the first being the Islamic religion as the religion of peace.

We need to stop this madness and elect honest brokers who will represent “we the people” rather than their own self-interests and those of their “special interest” friends.

Above all, we should target the corrupt democrats who have brought us to this tipping point and those complicit republicans who have enabled their actions. We need a return to Reagan-style conservatism before this nation devolves into a third-world nations, run by puppets bought and paid for by the oligarchs.

Read the report yourself and decide for yourself whether or not the current crop of politicians are selling us out to the special interests – and quite possible hostile foreign special interests.

-- steve

Reference Links:

‘Consensus’ Exposed: The CRU Controversy | United States Senate Report


“Nullius in verba”-- take nobody's word for it!
"Acta non verba" -- actions not words

“Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance.”-- George Bernard Shaw

“Progressive, liberal, Socialist, Marxist, Democratic Socialist -- they are all COMMUNISTS.”

“The key to fighting the craziness of the progressives is to hold them responsible for their actions, not their intentions.” – OCS

"The object in life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane." -- Marcus Aurelius

“A people that elect corrupt politicians, imposters, thieves, and traitors are not victims... but accomplices” -- George Orwell

“Fere libenter homines id quod volunt credunt." (The people gladly believe what they wish to.) ~Julius Caesar

“Describing the problem is quite different from knowing the solution. Except in politics." ~ OCS


MULTICULTURALISM + MORAL EQUIVALENCE + POLITICAL CORRECTNESS = INCOMPETENCE + CORRUPTION + POLITICAL DOMINANCE

It seems that the three of the most potent weapons of the far-left socialists are political correctness, multiculturalism and moral equivalency.  Many times hiding behind minority candidates who are not shy about playing the race card and labeling their opponents as bigots and racists.

Take a moment and recall the actions of those members of Congress, mostly democrats, who belong to the Congressional Black Caucus and Congressional Hispanic Caucus – who openly advocate, not for the entire population of the United States or even their own constituency – but those of similar race or ethnicity. By definition this is bigotry and racism!

Unfortunately, the mainstream media is often complicit in ruining the careers of those who challenge these “special” people – even knowing that they might be among some of the corrupt politicians in the land.

Well I am tired of watching corrupt politicians play on their color and ethnicity to push a Marxist ideology or a policy of personal and political corruption. Backed by shadowy handlers who call the shots and help themselves to the public treasury.

It’s time to stand up and call these people out. It doesn’t matter what a politician’s color, race or gender might be – especially if they are incompetent, complacent or corrupt. Or if theY are flat-out loons with very strange ideas and conspiracy theories.

It is not racist to say that a Black person is incompetent or is pursuing a self-interest agenda which reflects the general Marxist leanings of Black Theology – a Marxist trick to create a new class of victims in their struggle for the mythical utopia of “social justice.”

In any event, their constituencies should be reminded just how corrupt and out of touch these politicians are – explaining that politicians on both sides of the aisle claim that they are for eliminating waste, fraud and abuse and support community values – until you realize that nothing has really changed in years except the political power and profits of the politician and their special interest friends.

Amazingly enough, members of the Black clergy who should know better, gravitate towards these false prophets and sell out their congregations for “walking around money” and the promise of minimal support. Ask yourself, with all of the religion, time, effort and government money – why was the war on poverty not won? Why do inner cities, especially those controlled by the democrats, remain cesspools of crime, corruption and special interests? Could it be that those in government have siphoned off much of the money to enlarge government, pay-off worker’s unions with outrageous salaries, benefits, retirements and onerous work rules? The greatest burden on government today is their pension obligations and the need to feed the special-interest beast. Corruption and incompetence abound at all levels.

Could it be that the power structure has enabled an entire race of individuals to shirk their responsibilities as citizens and as fellow human beings. Destroying the family unit and producing males who simply impregnate every willing female to create the largest group of government dependent citizens in our nation's history? Stiffiling individualism and achievement. Allowing for second-rate education, general lawlessness and a lack of discipline within the community? Deliberately encouraging people to remain separate and apart, in language, custom, dress and manner -- to avoid assimilation into a much larger group of responsible citizens? And all to pursue the political power and profits that come with managing large groups of government-dependent citizens? Make no bones about it -- there are significant profits to be made in crime; mostly by those who criminalize behaviors and reap the rewards of prosecuting people. No wonder the democrats are called the party of lawyers -- everything is about creating the conditions which make Americans wrong and dependent on the government.

The time has come for citizens to speak up. To call a spade a spade. (No racial inference here). To tell these legislators who seem so self-important that they do not reflect the views of the country and to sit down and shut up!

Who does Obama think he is? With a marginal victory – comprised mostly of those who were disaffected with the Bush Administration, the Blacks who wanted to pursue an historic opportunity, the unions and other democrat constituencies who believed that Obama was malleable enough to pursue his far left agenda, Obama does not represent America or Americans. He is a symptom of their malaise – not a solution to their problems. Especially by taking the United States further left towards socialism and big brother government controls.

And what of the democrat Congress who has told the American public to shut up and go along for the ride. The corrupt majority leaders, Pelosi and Reid, are even willing to sacrifice weakened members of their own party in order to achieve what they believe will be their crowning achievement: a perpetual democrat government in control of every facet of our nation and your life.

It is time to speak up. To shout I am mad as hell and will not take it any more. To tell these clowns to stuff their healthcare initiative and go away. Their healthcare has little or nothing to do with health. It is about perpetuating political power and controlling the purse-strings.

Well, I for one, suggest that you come to your senses and see where these so-called leaders are leading us – right to hell in a handbasket.

Call them and tell them their time is up. There is no reason why we should let multiculturalism, moral equivalence and political correctness bring our nation down to third-world levels. Obama might not think we are an exceptional nation and that is his right. But his grasp on history is majorly warped and wrapped up in his early teachings. We can no longer excuse his behavior. He may be the most articulate, telegenic, "cool" person on the planet -- but it is all a fascade to soothe the public into acting against their own best interests.

We do not need to give equal time to evil and certainly not to an artificial religion which has but one goal: global dominance and the death of all non-believers. We do not have to take care of every last person at the expense of destroying our current healthcare system. Yes, it needs repair -- but it must be repaired by "honest brokers" who do not cut deals with the very people they deamonize: the pharmaceutical industry, the medical equipment vendors, the insurance companies and others who will record windfall profits if Obamacare passes.

When the hell are we going to get off our collective asses, look at reality and call a spade a spade.

-- steve


“Nullius in verba”-- take nobody's word for it!
"Acta non verba" -- actions not words

“Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance.”-- George Bernard Shaw

“Progressive, liberal, Socialist, Marxist, Democratic Socialist -- they are all COMMUNISTS.”

“The key to fighting the craziness of the progressives is to hold them responsible for their actions, not their intentions.” – OCS

"The object in life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane." -- Marcus Aurelius

“A people that elect corrupt politicians, imposters, thieves, and traitors are not victims... but accomplices” -- George Orwell

“Fere libenter homines id quod volunt credunt." (The people gladly believe what they wish to.) ~Julius Caesar

“Describing the problem is quite different from knowing the solution. Except in politics." ~ OCS


OBAMA FOLLOWING SOCIALIST MODEL OF THE UNITED NATIONS TO USE HEALTHCARE AS A TROJAN HORSE TO BRING ABOUT "SOCIAL JUSTICE?"

We know that the United Nations has been accused of creating alarmist views on health and global warming to enlarge the scope of their own operations and to obtain additional funding and media attention. Many of their positions, such as those which relied on the linear extension of population growth to predict dire consequences failed to materialize. As did their positions on the avian flue, the swine flue and global warming. Operating from a viewpoint that can be appreciated by President Obama’s Chief of Staff, Rahm Emanuel, the United Nations created crises where none existed – and then attempted to advance their far-left political agenda based on the predictions of dire consequences which never materialized.

What can we learn from excerpts of a speech delivered on September 15th, 2009 in Copenhagen, Denmark by Dr. Margaret Chan who serves as the Director-General of the World Health Organization? An address to the Regional Committee for Europe’s 59th Session which received little or no media coverage in the United States.

It’s not about health and medicine … it is about health, medicine and politics …

“You laid the foundation for understanding the social determinants of health and tackling them through policies that valued social cohesion and protection as worthy political goals.”

Health problems are directly correlated with government spending and wealth …

“Old health problems resurged or became more apparent, especially when government health spending dropped.”

“What had previously been pockets of poverty, or pockets of problems, spanned entire countries. The close links between wealth and health came into even sharper focus.”

Healthcare reform: developing a rationale for increased government control …

“The consequences of unhealthy behaviours became more acutely visible, again forcing a look at the social determinants of health.”

“The region responded to these disparities in a true spirit of solidarity. Privilege was interpreted as responsibility. Resources were made available for direct support to countries.”

Of course, like the corrupt UN’s “oil for food and medicine” program, much of this support never reached the intended recipients but was diverted to corrupt dictators and others who gamed the system for political advantage.

“The agenda turned to weak health systems as a fundamental barrier to more equitable health outcomes, and tackled the need for reform. In so doing, health officials in this region took on what must be one of the most critically important and difficult challenges in public health today: health care reform. You did so with discipline and rigour.”

Healthcare reform is necessary for fighting economic downturns, climate change, and other crises …

“As you in this region have noted, strong health systems are essential for weathering current and coming storms, like the economic downturn, climate change, the influenza pandemic, and the many other global crises that our imperfect world is certain to deliver.”

Healthcare reform will be necessary for dealing with the economic downturn, climate change – and yes, medical issues should they really materialize. As  side note less people died of the avian and swine flu than did during a normal flu season. So much for the pandemic that never was.

Moving from healthcare to wealth redistribution …

“Ladies and gentlemen, let me quote from one of your documents. ‘Health authorities across Europe are concerned that the present economic system does not distribute wealth on the basis of values of solidarity and equity, thus hindering improvement in health outcomes.’”

Maybe socialist or communist health authorities are concerned about wealth redistribution, but the doctors themselves appear to be concerned with real patients and their ability to effectively treat and cure these patients – regardless of their social, financial or political status.

“Precisely. This is the heart of the problem. The report of the Commission on Social Determinants of Health, issued last August, includes one particularly striking statement. ‘Implementation of the Commission’s recommendations depends on changes in the functioning of the global economy.’”

“At the time, that statement raised some eyebrows. A review, published in The Economist magazine, praised the report’s ambitions but suggested that its attempt to correct global imbalances in the distribution of power and money was basically ‘howling at the moon.’”

How did the United Nations arrive at healthcare reform as a means to correct the global imbalances of power and money? Simple: they simply stated that healthcare reform demands “redistributive change.” And I wonder where we have heard that phrase before? Listen to any Obama speech and the rhetoric and meaning become crystal clear.

“A month later, the financial crisis hit the world like a sudden jolt, and hit the world where it hurts the most: money. Greed seeded the financial crisis, which sprang out of control as corporate governance and risk management failed at every level of the system.”

This is basically a lie. The financial crisis was created primarily by government policies which demanded that formerly responsible financial institutions take obscene risks by lending money to those who could not afford to pay their day-to-day obligations, let alone the hundreds of thousands needed to purchase a home. Threatened by the risk of an audit, increased regulatory interference in their businesses, prosecution for not providing loans to impoverished areas and other cudgels, the financial institutions played along with the government. The government’s own regulatory mechanisms were ignored or thwarted by those who saw a chance to accumulate political power by pandering to the special interests. Yes, corporate greed was a factor as was the creation and trading of gambling-like derivative securities. All of which could have been stopped cold by the government’s proper oversight and enforcement of existing laws.

“In a world characterized by radically increased interdependence among nations, mistakes made in one country or one sector are highly contagious. And the consequences are profoundly unfair. Developing countries have the greatest vulnerability and the least resilience. They are hit the hardest and take the longest to recover.”

“In a sense, the Millennium Development Goals are a corrective strategy. They aim to compensate for international policies and systems that create benefits, but have no rules that guarantee the fair distribution of these benefits.”

With the corrupt United Nations as the arbiter of what is fair and equitable and the conduit through which all funds flow?

“The Goals and the many new initiatives and instruments for improving health are badly needed and doing great good. But they do not address the root causes of the great gaps in health outcomes. The root causes lie in flawed policies. This conclusion, I believe, is one of the most important outcomes of the Commission on Social Determinants of Health.”

The death of capitalism and the rise of socialism …

“Some political analysts and academics are now predicting an end to the capitalist market model and point to signs that globalization is in retreat. We hear some sweeping conclusions: blind faith in the power of market forces to solve all problems has been misplaced.”

If the pointy-head academics and political analysts were honest and not pandering to their well-paying patrons, someone would have surely noticed that the free-market system and so-called “market forces” were not so free from the manipulation of the government. Men such as Representative Barney Frank, Chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, openly regarded institutions that held sway over the major portion of the nation’s mortgages like Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were actually instruments of government policy and thus should follow the dictates of the government’s enlightened politicians rather than operate in an unfettered commercial environment. After all, their market operations were guaranteed by the full faith and credit of the United States. So it is somewhat more than disingenuous to claim that faith in the power of market forces to solve all problems has been misplaced.

Looking toward the European model of political socialism …

“World leaders struggling to re-position the management of their economies have been advised to look to Europe for guidance. A well-managed welfare state is not the enemy of globalization. Instead, some say it is the saviour.”

A well-managed welfare state? Where in Europe do you have a significant population enjoying the benefits which are routinely available to all citizens of the United States? Where is their productivity? Has anyone noticed that the labor and trade unions have granted themselves a power almost equal to that of the government when it comes to imposing their will on certain European countries?

“As we know, the international policies and systems that govern financial markets, economies, commerce, trade, and foreign affairs have not operated with fairness as an explicit policy objective.”

“Too many models for development assumed that living conditions and health status of the poor would somehow automatically improve as countries modernized, liberalized their trade, and improved their economies. This did not happen.”

“Too many international systems have worked in ways that favour those who are already well off. In reality, gaps in health outcomes will be reduced, and health systems will strive for fairness only when equity is an explicit policy objective, also in sectors well beyond health.”

Human nature is not equitable or fair. In this model, pain and suffering is extended to all – sharing the sacrifice for those who are considered to be the ruling elite – people who are often corrupt, cruel and willing to use any means at their disposal to rule over others.

“Money makes the world go round. This will never change. But, as we have seen, market forces, all by themselves, will not solve social problems. The world needs to turn with a value system at its axis. We need this symmetry. If not, an already dangerous situation of vast imbalances, in income levels, in opportunities, and in health status, will only grow worse.”

The communist words of class warfare and victimization …

“Leaders in sectors with far more clout than health are making a similar point . At the April G20 summit in London, world leaders called for a fundamental re-engineering of the international systems to incorporate a moral dimension and make them responsive to genuine social values and concerns. They voiced a need to invest these systems with values like community, solidarity, equity, and social justice.”

Right out of the communist handbook: community, solidarity, equity and social justice. All charged words implying that the wealthy need to be penalized to provide for those of lesser fortune. All arranged by a benevolent governing group that is of the people. Yeah right!

“While this is welcome new thinking for world leaders, this is a familiar vocabulary for public health, dating as far back as the Declaration of Alma-Ata.”

Using the financial crisis to push a socialist/communist agenda …

“Today, a financial crisis and severe economic recession have encouraged world leaders to seek the kind of value system that primary health care has always represented. Perhaps this time around, in a world jarred awake by crises, some long-standing arguments will finally be heard.”

Healthcare as the Trojan Horse for infiltrating governments …

“Public health had no say in the policies that seeded the financial crisis or set the stage for climate change. But public health has much to say about the influenza pandemic, how it is managed, and how its impact can be reduced.”

“This is one occasion when heads of state and ministers of finance, tourism, and trade will listen closely to ministers of health. This is one occasion where the need for ‘health in all policies’ becomes readily apparent. This is one occasion when standard arguments about the need to build up fundamental health capacities in an inclusive way will ring true.”

“When privilege is interpreted as responsibility, we again see those values, like equity, solidarity, social cohesion and protection, that are at the heart of your contribution to better health, not only regionally but also internationally.”

Bottom line …

Through manipulation of the healthcare initiative, a government can secure further control over its institutions and its citizens in order to bring about social justice – a radical far-left plan of redistributive change that seeks to impose socialist values on a free society. Where government command and control systems are necessary to deal with the great issues of our time: healthcare, global climate change and the regulation of energy production and consumption. In essence, the government plans to control every facet of American life – starting with controlling your healthcare.

I cannot see a better case to declare President Barack Obama and the Congressional democrats a clear and present danger to our Constitution and our freedoms. Even as this is being written, the Obama Administration is planning to penalize those companies who do not provide healthcare to their workers and individuals who fail to purchase healthcare insurance from government-approved private or cooperative companies.

Here we have a high-ranking official in the United Nations sounding like Obama. Or is that Obama sounding like the UN official. It really doesn’t matter because both are sounding like the international socialist/communist party.

Time for a change. Vote the incumbents out of office and re-take our government before we reach the tipping point where a civil war is not only possible, but likely.

-- steve

Reference Links …

Should you wish to read the entire speech in context, including how to use the current flu pandemic as an initiator of political action, it can be found at:

WHO | Address to the Regional Committee for Europe (59th Session)

Millennium Development Goals 

Goal 1: Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger
Goal 2: Achieve universal primary education
Goal 3: Promote gender equality and empower women
Goal 4: Reduce child mortality
Goal 5: Improve maternal health
Goal 6: Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria,and other diseases
Goal 7: Ensure environmental sustainability
Goal 8: Develop a global partnership for development

(I wonder how Goal 3 plays in the Islamic World?)

Declaration of Alma-Ata

“The declaration highlighted the inequity between the developed and the developing countries and termed it politically, socially and economically unacceptable.”

Social determinants of health

  1. Income and social status
  2. Social support networks
  3. Education and literacy, i.e. health literacy
  4. Employment/Working conditions
  5. Social environments
  6. Physical environments
  7. Life skills
  8. Personal health practices and coping skills
  9. Healthy child development
  10. Biology and genetic endowment
  11. Health services
  12. Gender
  13. Culture

“Nullius in verba”-- take nobody's word for it!
"Acta non verba" -- actions not words

“Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance.”-- George Bernard Shaw

“Progressive, liberal, Socialist, Marxist, Democratic Socialist -- they are all COMMUNISTS.”

“The key to fighting the craziness of the progressives is to hold them responsible for their actions, not their intentions.” – OCS

"The object in life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane." -- Marcus Aurelius

“A people that elect corrupt politicians, imposters, thieves, and traitors are not victims... but accomplices” -- George Orwell

“Fere libenter homines id quod volunt credunt." (The people gladly believe what they wish to.) ~Julius Caesar

“Describing the problem is quite different from knowing the solution. Except in politics." ~ OCS


WTF: DEMOCRATS FUNDING HOUSING VIGILANTE GROUPS?

Imagine the United States government giving private non-law enforcement organizations in your community the funding to investigate and prosecute housing-related activities in any manner they deem is appropriate?

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Imagine the far-left democrat Administration attempting to use taxpayer funds to support non-profit “community” organizations that are known to generate significant voter support for the democrat party?

or

Imagine the United States government indirectly pressuring regulated financial institutions to make unsound loans to unqualified borrowers in order to avoid significant legal fees for charges brought by non-governmental organizations or being charged for civil offenses based, not on a government investigation, but the word of a third-party with a political agenda?

Think it can’t happen? Think again!

Government interference in the housing markets led to our current crisis …

One of the proximate causes of the mortgage meltdown that was a precursor to the near collapse of the United States economy was the lending policies that the Clinton and Bush administrations forced on the real estate and banking industry. By demanding that financial institutions make loans in depressed and disadvantaged areas or face audits, investigation and/or prosecution, many financial institutions were coerced into making unsound loans to borrowers who could not normally qualify for such loans. In addition, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac reduced their underwriting requirements for loans purchased from community sources and from subprime lenders. It got so bad that NINJA (No Income, No Jobs and No Assets) loans were made without formally assessing the borrower’s capability of repaying the loan. So-called “liar loans” by the industry were made on nothing more than the borrower’s representations – thus triggering a slew of “first or early payment” defaults which severely stressed the derivatives (mortgage backed securities) which used these loans as collateral.

How many complaints were settled out of court by lenders and landlords who found it cheaper to settle than to be found not guilty in a court of law? How many of these people pumped hundreds of thousands of dollars into non-profit organizations in the guise of purchasing training or other consulting services?

BOHICA: Bend Over Here It Comes Again …

HUD  (The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development) is announcing that they awarding $26 million in grants to third-party housing organizations to fight “housing discrimination.” Sort of outsourcing the type of enforcement activities that governmental organizations should be undertaking in-house.

According to HUD …

“The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development today awarded $26.3 million to 98 fair housing organizations and other non-profit agencies in 37 states and the District of Columbia to assist people who believe they have been victims of housing discrimination.”

“The grants announced today are funded through HUD’s Fair Housing Initiatives Program  and will be used to investigate allegations of housing discrimination, educate the public and the housing industry about their rights and responsibilities under the Fair Housing Act, and work to promote equal housing opportunities.”

“’In 2010, the fight for fair housing across America continues. The organizations we are funding are respected and trusted groups that emerged from a very competitive process,’ stated John Trasviña, HUD’s Assistant Secretary for Fair Housing & Equal Opportunity. ‘They will help HUD enforce the law and educate the public about their rights and responsibilities under the law.’”

Fair Housing: Fair to Who?

We could not help but notice that the Orange County Fair Housing Council, Inc. was to receive $185,200.00 in a PEI (Private Enforcement Initiative) grant to “investigate alleged housing discrimination, and enforce the Fair Housing Act and state and local laws that are substantially equivalent to the Act.”

About the organization …

“Founded in 1965, the Fair Housing Council of Orange County is a private non-profit corporation governed by a volunteer board of directors and an operating member of the National Fair Housing Alliance. Through comprehensive community education, individual counseling, mediation, and low-cost advocacy, the FHCOC works to eliminate housing discrimination and guarantee the rights of all people to freely chose the housing for which they qualify in the area they desire.”  <Source>

So why do I remember this organization?

Wasn’t this the same group that came down heavily on a homeowner who advertised an apartment on Craigslist claiming that the apartment was “well suited for professional adults” and “Perfect for 1 or 2 professionals?”

Let the Orange County Register tell the story …

"Unfair fight? State and local housing councils act as prosecutor, judge and jury against perceived discrimination. Critics see a conflict of interest."

"A few little words could cost Dan Bader a fortune."

"In 2006, Bader advertised an apartment for rent on Craigslist. He wanted $1,950 a month for the adjoining 480-square foot unit in back of his Newport Beach home. As an afterthought, he added, 'Well suited for professional adults' and 'Perfect for 1 or 2 professionals.'"

"Bad move."

"That fall, the state notified Bader that the Fair Housing Council of Orange County had filed a complaint against him for "possible discrimination" against people with children. That was a surprise because he says previous tenants had children. Bader eventually agreed to a meeting."

Combined, judge, jury and executioner...

"But when Bader arrived at the state Department of Fair Employment and Housing office in Los Angeles, he says he found a surprise: The council wasn't represented. Only bureaucrats were there."

Pay up or else...

“After an apparent expensive investigation; which featured a process server coming from Los Angeles to Orange County to personally serve the complaint, the review of numerous documents painstakingly provided by Bader, the embarrassing contacting  of old tenants and neighbors, Bader's actions were judged to be non-discriminatory.”

"Bader says two state employees told him the state had determined he does not discriminate, but the ads were still a problem. He says they told him the complaint would be dropped if he paid the council $4,000 for expenses and agreed to take five years of the council's landlord classes at an additional cost."

Not all is well within the council...

"The council's board is suing its CEO, D. Elizabeth Pierson, for allegedly interfering with a misuse of funds probe. And that probe, among other things, is looking into allegations that grant money was directed to fill other financial gaps in the agency."

Criminal intent, motive?

"’My conjecture is they needed money, so let's just start filing complaints,’ Bader said."

"I asked Pierson to comment on Bader's case, but she said she couldn't go into specifics because the case was pending. In an e-mail, however, she wrote that Bader's accusations ‘lack any basis in fact. Certainly DFEH would not participate in that sort of unethical conduct and I would never condone it.’"

"Strong words – but even weak ones can cost you."

“The agency that fights housing discrimination in Orange County is riddled with problems that may hinder its mission - including a former staffer who committed fraud and an oft-absent CEO who is feuding with board members over accusations of poor management.” <Source>

D. Elizabeth Pierson was actually placed on administrative leave and then her contract was not renewed. <Source>

Bottom line …

Is our government using taxpayer funds to fund non-profit organizations to act as housing vigilantes … apparently seeking not only justice for those who may have legitimate claims, but who may also be filing actions to extort money to fund their continuing operations?

How carefully are these organizations being monitored and are their agencies audited by a credible party? Are these audits made available to the public? Who is keeping these agencies honest and preventing innocent parties from harassment?

It is my opinion that both civil and criminal housing complaints should be handled by duly authorized governmental agencies acting within the law – rather than by private non-profits acting in some administrative capacity.

Does anyone remember that ACORN received a large portion of its funding from a hyper-politicized HUD? Enough said?

-- steve

Reference Links …

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)

FAIR HOUSING GROUPS: LEGALIZED EXTORTIONISTS?|One Citizen Speaking – April 2, 2008

News: Unfair fight? | bader, housing, fair, council, smith - OCRegister.com

Mismanagement charges roil fair housing agency|OCRegister


“Nullius in verba”-- take nobody's word for it!
"Acta non verba" -- actions not words

“Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance.”-- George Bernard Shaw

“Progressive, liberal, Socialist, Marxist, Democratic Socialist -- they are all COMMUNISTS.”

“The key to fighting the craziness of the progressives is to hold them responsible for their actions, not their intentions.” – OCS

"The object in life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane." -- Marcus Aurelius

“A people that elect corrupt politicians, imposters, thieves, and traitors are not victims... but accomplices” -- George Orwell

“Fere libenter homines id quod volunt credunt." (The people gladly believe what they wish to.) ~Julius Caesar

“Describing the problem is quite different from knowing the solution. Except in politics." ~ OCS


Obama Administration circumventing the Constitution: opening up all third-party databases to government and commercial scrutiny?

Can we trust our present government when it comes to upholding and defending the United States Constitution?

We are living in dangerous times, when a far-left White House and Congress is attempting to circumvent the Constitution of the United States and exert a command-and-control authority over our nation and its citizens. By creating legislation (healthcare, cap-and-trade) which allows political control over our economy, private enterprise and individual citizens.

So it is not a far-reach to imagine a scenario when a hyper-politicalized agency – answerable only the White House – steps beyond the bounds of the Constitution to spy on those whom it regards as a threat to gaining and maintaining political power.

So why am I not surprised to find the Obama Administration fighting in court for the right to openly identify and legally track every person with a mobile phone without the necessity of a “probable cause warrant?”

CNET News is reporting …

“Even though police are tapping into the locations of mobile phones thousands of times a year, the legal ground rules remain unclear, and federal privacy laws written a generation ago are ambiguous at best. On Friday, the first federal appeals court to consider the topic will hear oral arguments  in a case that could establish new standards for locating wireless devices.”

“In that case, the Obama administration has argued that warrantless tracking is permitted because Americans enjoy no "reasonable expectation of privacy" in their--or at least their cell phones'--whereabouts. U.S. Department of Justice lawyers say that ‘a customer's Fourth Amendment rights are not violated when the phone company reveals to the government its own records’ that show where a mobile device placed and received calls.”

Imagine a scenario where a hyper-politicized government agency wants to compile a list of people attending one of the tea party rallies? Or simply compile a list of supporters attending a friendly political rally. Under the legal theory being pursued by the government, Americans enjoy no reasonable expectation of privacy as it relates to their cell-phone locations, and tracking these locations is a legal activity not only for the government, but for private contractors who have contacts with the government or are pursuing a commercial venture.

The technology has existed for a long time …

enemy1b

“Not long ago, the concept of tracking cell phones would have been the stuff of spy movies. In 1998's ‘Enemy of the State,’ Gene Hackman warned that the National Security Agency has ‘been in bed with the entire telecommunications industry since the '40s--they've infected everything.’”

But it is absolutely true. CALEA, Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act, mandates “telecommunications carriers and manufacturers of telecommunications equipment modify and design their equipment, facilities, and services to ensure that they have the necessary surveillance capabilities.”

“Common carriers, facilities-based broadband Internet access providers, and providers of interconnected Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) service – all three types of entities are defined to be ‘telecommunications carriers’ for purposes of CALEA section 102, 47 U.S.C. § 1001 – must comply with the CALEA obligations set forth in CALEA section 103, 47 U.S.C. § 1002. See CALEA First Report and Order (rel. Sept. 23, 2005).”

For those who believe that the tracking system is rather imprecise, should consider that most modern phones contain a GPS (Global Positioning System) chip and that there are other sophisticated systems which can precisely triangulate your position – or consider how technology enables first responders to locate and respond to 911 calls for emergency assistance.

The electronic game changer …

While it is true that older laws may not be directly applicable to situations involving modern technology, it seems to me that the basic principles of the Constitution still hold true and that the law enforcement agencies, on the local, state and federal level, are tying to diminish these protections by claiming that the subject of an investigation has no reasonable right or expectation of privacy.

The Obama Administration appears hard at work trying to diminish our freedoms in order to promote their concept of a more totalitarian regime which features central planning and a centralized command and control procedure over our economy and our individual lives.

Privacy advocates are concerned …

"’This is a critical question for privacy in the 21st century,’ says Kevin Bankston, an attorney at the Electronic Frontier Foundation who will be arguing on Friday. ‘If the courts do side with the government, that means that everywhere we go, in the real world and online, will be an open book to the government unprotected by the Fourth Amendment.’"

The government always starts their arguments with a national security imperative, a law enforcement necessity to keep us safe or telling us “it’s for the children” … 

'No reasonable expectation of privacy'
In the case that's before the Third Circuit on Friday, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, or ATF, initially said it needed historical (meaning stored, not future) phone location information because a set of suspects "use their wireless telephones to arrange meetings and transactions in furtherance of their drug trafficking activities."

“U.S. Magistrate Judge Lisa Lenihan in Pennsylvania denied the Justice Department's attempt to obtain stored location data without a search warrant; prosecutors had invoked a different legal procedure. Lenihan's ruling, in effect, would require police to obtain a search warrant based on probable cause--a more privacy-protective standard.”

“Lenihan's opinion (PDF)--which, in an unusual show of solidarity, was signed by four other magistrate judges--noted that location information can reveal sensitive information such as health treatments, financial difficulties, marital counseling, and extra-marital affairs.”

Lenihan appears to be the type of judge we want safeguarding our freedoms. But apparently the Obama Administration believes that the judge’s judgement may be flawed.

“In its appeal to the Third Circuit, the Justice Department claims that Lenihan's opinion ‘contains, and relies upon, numerous errors’ and should be overruled. In addition to a search warrant not being necessary, prosecutors said, because location ‘records provide only a very general indication of a user's whereabouts at certain times in the past, the requested cell-site records do not implicate a Fourth Amendment privacy interest.’"

This is Eric Holder’s Justice Department which appears to be hyper-politicized as did the Department under Clinton and Bush.

“The Obama administration is not alone in making this argument. U.S. District Judge William Pauley, a Clinton appointee in New York, wrote in a 2009 opinion that a defendant in a drug trafficking case, Jose Navas, ‘did not have a legitimate expectation of privacy in the cell phone’ location. That's because Navas only used the cell phone ‘on public thoroughfares en route from California to New York’ and ‘if Navas intended to keep the cell phone's location private, he simply could have turned it off.’"

Expanding beyond communications issues …

"’The biggest issue at stake is whether or not courts are going to accept the government's minimal view of what is protected by the Fourth Amendment,’ says EFF's Bankston. ‘The government is arguing that based on precedents from the 1970s, any record held by a third party about us, no matter how invasively collected, is not protected by the Fourth Amendment.’"

A clear and present danger …

Do you, as a citizen of the United States, realize that much of your non-public personal information is held in third-party databases? And that these databases containing your medical, insurance and financial records would be open to the government and commercial entities if your right of privacy and due process is lost?

Bottom line: the government cannot be trusted …

The founding fathers recognized that governments have a way of turning tyrannical and enlarging the scope of their activities over time. If we allow the government unfettered access to third-party databases, we cede tremendous power to the government to interfere in our Constitutional rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

It appears to me that law enforcement is growing increasingly frustrated with Constitutionally-guaranteed  freedoms that prevent them from obtaining “easy to obtain” evidence without going through the hassle of applying for a warrant and showing probable cause. In fact, a number of recent cases have demonstrated that some law enforcement officials are willing to perjure themselves by falsely swearing to facts provided by so-called “confidential informants” who turn out to be criminals willing to say or do anything to obtain their release or lighten their sentences. In other instances information that resided in protected databases wound up being used for political purposes.

We cannot allow our government unfettered access to our non-public personal information, no matter who holds the information or how it may have been obtained. If the government cannot show a court reasonable probable cause, then they are either fishing for information to make their case or they are seeking to legitimize information which they have already obtained in an illegal and surreptitious manner.

It is now time to demand our privacy rights. It is now time to toss those who would violate our Constitutional freedoms out of office. It is our country and our lives that are at stake. It is time to take action. One need only note how the government, both the Congress and the White House have condemned the protests of ordinary citizens. An activity which is considered to be American as motherhood and apple pie.

It appears that we need to throw out all incumbents – especially the democrats and their Republican sympathizers before we find ourselves enslaved to a democrat political party that looks to Fidel Castro, Hugo Chavez as notable political leaders. Or hangs Che Guevarra posters in their campaign offices.

Forewarned is forearmed … Freedom is never free … it is now time to protect yourself, your family, your information and your vote.

-- steve

Reference Links ….

Feds push for tracking cell phones | Politics and Law - CNET News 

Homeland chief: Domestic extremism is top concern 

"Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano says terrorists who are U.S. citizens or live in the country legally and plot against the U.S. are just as big of a concern as international terrorists. She says that when she started as secretary a year ago, the focus was largely on international terrorists who want to harm U.S. interests. But in the past year, more of the violent extremism that has been seen overseas is showing up in the U.S."

Capture2-21-2010-9.02.32 PM
Cuban flag featuring Communist mass murder Che Guevarra hanging in Obama’s campaign offices. <Source>

“Nullius in verba”-- take nobody's word for it!
"Acta non verba" -- actions not words

“Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance.”-- George Bernard Shaw

“Progressive, liberal, Socialist, Marxist, Democratic Socialist -- they are all COMMUNISTS.”

“The key to fighting the craziness of the progressives is to hold them responsible for their actions, not their intentions.” – OCS

"The object in life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane." -- Marcus Aurelius

“A people that elect corrupt politicians, imposters, thieves, and traitors are not victims... but accomplices” -- George Orwell

“Fere libenter homines id quod volunt credunt." (The people gladly believe what they wish to.) ~Julius Caesar

“Describing the problem is quite different from knowing the solution. Except in politics." ~ OCS


Shining the Sun on the shady business of global warming ...

The making of a perfect scam …

Imagine a cause which benefits a multiplicity of constituencies: the government and its politicians, bureaucrats and their preferred special interests, the financiers on Wall Street and the evildoers who want to maximize their profit margins at the expense of their customers.

Imagine a cause that will be accepted and promoted by some people with an almost religious fervor, where the articles of faith may not be questioned in an penetrating matter without incurring derision and condemnation – and where any results of proposed programs may not be even measurable for hundreds or thousands of years. The making of a perfect scam?

Imagine a media, thought to be fair, honest, balanced and critical of government and private industries – either openly promoting the cause or, at the very least, not reporting the overwhelming negatives associated with the cause.

The perfect storm for a global scam which is rooted in corruption, complacency and special interest politics.

There is money to be made …

Newswise is reporting …

“Is Credit Stacking All It's Cracked Up to Be?”

“If you restore a stream, can you sell the individual environmental functions you restored separately? Carbon to one buyer, water quality to another, habitat to a third?”

What if that stream does not really enhance or detract from the effectiveness of the surrounding ecosystem and does not need to be restored? Is is likely that the political benefits and the commercial profit-motive will result in the ecosystem being disturbed and the stream “artificially” renovated for benefits that have little or nothing to do with nature? Will there be increasing competition to renovating streams? With the rules and regulations growing more complex and extreme in order to extend the political and commercial benefits of such renovation? Will certain companies specialize in stream renovation and attempt to influence increasingly powerful hyper-political bureaucrats with their lobbying activities – thus spreading additional corruption in government corridors?

What are the consequences of stream renovation? 

“While the controversial practice of  ‘stackingwetland, carbon and stream credits seems to benefit the public images of politicians as well as the pockets of the environmental credit community, there is very little hard data on its ecological or economic consequences.”

Like preserving the Sacramento Delta Smelt, certain indigenous rodents, butterflies and condors, other than the political and “feel good” consequences of such actions, it appears that these are “make work” and funding initiatives for organizations and institutions who are capitalizing on their subject-matter expertise to earn big bucks – all paid out of the taxpayer’s pocket. With little or no benefit to the ecosystem which is being artificially manipulated or mankind itself.

Another study?

“University of Kentucky geography professor Morgan Robertson, University of North Carolina's Martin Doyle and Indiana University's Rebecca Lave will be answering some tough questions about the $700 million-a-year industry.”

$700 million industry in creating, trading and using pollution credits to help the gross polluters continue polluting to wring additional profit out of their stinky plants without requiring expensive mitigation efforts. Money to the bottom line where it can be used to compute enhanced bonuses for executives who have done little or nothing to earn such merit awards. All costs being borne by the taxpayer or the ratepayer.

Are these the right people to do the study and are they free of institutional and political bias? 

“The National Science Foundation accepted the trio’s proposal, "The Emerging Commodity of Restored Streams: Science, Policy, and Economics in New Markets for Ecosystem Service Commodities" Feb. 4 and awarded the team $600,000 for further research.
"I’m extremely pleased that Drs. Doyle, Lave and I have been chosen to receive this grant," said Robertson. ‘We proposed something considerably more interdisciplinary than is usual, even for geography.’”  

“Doyle is a stream geomorphologist, Lave studies the practices of scientists and has a background in stream restoration and Robertson studies market-based environmental politics and wetland botany.”

A $600,000 project to see who will profit from green credits? 

“The research team will attempt to define the ecological, economic and political groups that truly profit from green credits. ‘A private industry has sprung up composed of people who restore streams in advance and then sell 'credits' to people who need to compensate for stream impacts,’ he explained.”

“In addition to questions surrounding the benefits of single environmental credit transfers, many environmental "bankers" offer multiple credits from a solitary restoration project. Robertson will determine if these businesses are double dipping.”

What a joke … 

"’This research is a vital part of the work that will ensure that such markets actually achieve environmental goals (such as reducing carbon), as opposed to simply generating profit for investors,’ Robertson explained.”

These pointy-head professors have no clue to the lengths at which marketers will game the system to exploit whatever advantage which will allow them to maximize the money stolen from the taxpayer’s wallets … and to the sheer gall exhibited when they loudly proclaim they are “restoring the planet” for mankind.


“The NSF grant will be jointly funded by the Geography and Spatial Sciences Program, the Geomorphology and Land-Use Dynamics Program, the Geosciences Program and the Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences Programs.”

It was a real challenge to write a grant that liberals would fund …

"’It was a real challenge to frame the research in a way that makes it through the various sieves that any competitive granting process imposes on ambitious work,’ Robertson said. "’These types of questions require the confluence of ecology, geomorphology and political study…and such intersections are where geography flourishes.’"

These types of questions require the confluence of chutzpah, bullshit and the idiocy of those who spend the taxpayer’s hard-earned money on nonsensical research which does not do anything other than to provide sustenance for institutions and researchers. The public and the taxpayer be damned.

Why the environmental movement is allowed to incentivize pollution control rather than simply identifying and punishing the polluters is beyond any rational reason. Why we need a $600,000 study of market dynamics is also foolish.

But then again, there goes the far-left environmentalists trying to use scientific studies (if that is what this could be called) to prove their points. The sad truth is that the pollution credit market is ripe for master manipulators and Wall Street Wizards – people who plan to create derivatives out of pollution credits much in the same manner that they created derivatives out of subprime mortgages. However, in this case, these people are literally selling smoke and mirrors.

We will follow this study and see exactly what the taxpayer received for their $600,000. However, before even reading the research, I am positive that the conclusion will include the need for further study and a request for additional funding.

-- steve

Reference links …

Is Credit Stacking All It's Cracked Up to Be?


“Nullius in verba”-- take nobody's word for it!
"Acta non verba" -- actions not words

“Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance.”-- George Bernard Shaw

“Progressive, liberal, Socialist, Marxist, Democratic Socialist -- they are all COMMUNISTS.”

“The key to fighting the craziness of the progressives is to hold them responsible for their actions, not their intentions.” – OCS

"The object in life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane." -- Marcus Aurelius

“A people that elect corrupt politicians, imposters, thieves, and traitors are not victims... but accomplices” -- George Orwell

“Fere libenter homines id quod volunt credunt." (The people gladly believe what they wish to.) ~Julius Caesar

“Describing the problem is quite different from knowing the solution. Except in politics." ~ OCS


An idea for Obama if he is serious about transparency and accountability ...

As a management consultant with a specialty in data processing, I know that there is a perfect solution to the issues of transparency and accountability.

The idea is not new and can be found in any decent accounting system.

It’s simply to display the budgeted amount against the actual amount spent and compute the deviation between the two. Yes, it is as simple as that!

Item Budgeted Actual Deviation
Defense      

… and if you want to go a little bit farther, add the comparison to the previous fiscal period.

Have you ever noticed that we can compute complex spatial relationships and orbits to send a man to the moon, yet we cannot seem to build an accounting system to track our national expenditures? With millions and billions of dollars going missing in the system on a routine basis. And with very few prosecution of the government’s agencies and their leadership for malfeasance in office.

With major companies, such as IBM, able to offer “off-the-shelf” hardware and software, why the government persists in using old computers and antiquated software is a political one. The Government, the politicians, the leadership and the bureaucrats know that transparency and accountability is the last thing they really want. How else can they avoid being tarred-and-feathered when the public really finds out how the government is spending the taxpayer’s money.

As much a fan of the non-partisan Government Accountability Office as I am, I realize that they can only note the problems with an agency’s systems and procedures. They cannot order changes and they cannot punish transgressions. While they may have the responsibility for exposing problems, they do not have the authority for mandating and supervising the fixes. It is sort of a shell game with everybody nodding and winking when the GAO auditors show up to question the very staff that is apparently committing revealing as little as possible lest they embarrass their leadership and their agency.

Bottom line …

The key is to do the right thing – over and over again – like a computer. Letting the chips fall where they may and punishing non-compliance. Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover and others can track millions of people, billions of transactions and balance their books. All with a global network featuring access to almost anyone. Yes, there are occasional problems, but nothing that cannot be resolved over time.

So what’s the problem … As with tracking visas (no pun intended) and passports, they do not want to know who might be here illegally – as it would upset someone’s political agenda. And I strongly believe the same applies to knowing where the money is actually going – and to whom.

-- steve


“Nullius in verba”-- take nobody's word for it!
"Acta non verba" -- actions not words

“Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance.”-- George Bernard Shaw

“Progressive, liberal, Socialist, Marxist, Democratic Socialist -- they are all COMMUNISTS.”

“The key to fighting the craziness of the progressives is to hold them responsible for their actions, not their intentions.” – OCS

"The object in life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane." -- Marcus Aurelius

“A people that elect corrupt politicians, imposters, thieves, and traitors are not victims... but accomplices” -- George Orwell

“Fere libenter homines id quod volunt credunt." (The people gladly believe what they wish to.) ~Julius Caesar

“Describing the problem is quite different from knowing the solution. Except in politics." ~ OCS


Disgusting: AARP plundering seniors to support democrat policy initiatives ...

First, AARP appeared to sell out senior citizens by promoting the Obama Administration’s healthcare initiative which would mandate a $500 BILLION reduction in Medicare programs (Primarily Medicare Advantage) and institute a “best practices” policies approach which would severely limit healthcare to senior citizens. All apparently to further the “for profit” part of AARP which sells insurance and other goods and services to senior citizens – using it’s non-profit foundation as its “propaganda” arm.

AARP does it again …

It makes me mad when AARP uses current events and demonizes the financial institutions to raise money that can be used by AARP to promote radical far-left democrat policies which may have a severe adverse impact on senior citizens.

AARP.org

Help us hold Wall Street accountable

The big banks are putting a lot of pressure on Congress to stop its plans for strong financial reform. We can't let Wall Street get its way.

AARP is running a full-scale grassroots campaign to help Congress rein in the kinds of reckless behavior that led to the financial crisis – and protect consumers.

What? The Congress and the government was the proximate cause of the entire financial fiasco.

1.  Legislation removing all previous safeguards that were designed to protect the public against another great depression were removed.

2.  Congress demanded that financial institutions and the large government agencies promote housing and financial programs to those who could not afford to purchase a car, let alone a home. By counting welfare payments as permanent income. By threatening financial institutions with audits, fines and penalties if they did not make unsound loans to almost indigent borrowers.

3.  The Administration, under Clinton, Bush and Obama, clearly abdicated their oversight of the financial world and allowed rampant fraud and greed to reign supreme.

4.  Both parties continue to take millions in legal bribes, I mean campaign contributions, and do the bidding of industry lobbyists.

To believe that the current legislative effort is any more than to provide cover against the growing anger of an outraged public is to be foolish and naive. These are the dung beetles that created the dung heap and to believe they truly want to reform a system which has provided for their personal, professional and political benefits is crazy.

You will notice that the democrats, the party of lawyers, has not said one word about reforming the current tort system which rewards trial lawyers with riches beyond belief. Much of it coming directly or indirectly right out of the  taxpayer’s pocket.

So why should we give money to AARP to support the very people who created the mess in the first place?

Here is AARP’s latest attempt to persuade seniors to give it money … 

Stephen,

When it comes to cleaning up Wall Street, the big banks aren't giving in without a fight.

And neither are we.

We need 2,500 donors to our large-scale Consumer Protection campaign by Feb. 28.

Make a donation today – and let's make sure Congress fights for us, not the big banks.

Get this: The same big banks that helped create the financial mess are now spending millions to prevent us from cleaning it up.

I'm tired of watching Wall Street get rewarded for bad behavior. AARP is launching a large-scale campaign to help make sure Congress stands up and enacts tough reforms that protect consumers.

But the big banks certainly won't let this happen without a fight.

We need 2,500 donors to our Consumer Protection campaign by February 28.

Make a $5 contribution and help us reach our goal so we can be sure we have what it takes to help hold Wall Street accountable.

Millions of Americans have lost their jobs or their life's savings in the financial crisis – all because Wall Street couldn't control its greed. We've spent billions in taxpayer dollars to bail them out. And now they want to continue to do business as usual, as if none of this ever happened.

It's got to stop. Congress is considering some basic reforms that would not only hold Wall Street accountable, but that would protect the Americans who play by the rules.

Our job is to make sure Congress doesn't cave to Wall Street's well-funded lobbyists. Help us take our grassroots advocacy straight to Capitol Hill, as we meet directly with key lawmakers and launch powerful ads to help pass needed and important reforms.

Make a donation by Feb. 28 – and help us ensure we can fight back against the powerful efforts to derail financial reform.

Without your help, the folks that got us into this mess just might be able to persuade Congress to look the other way on their bad behavior. Thanks for all you've done to make sure we win this fight.

Sincerely,

Barry Jackson
Senior Manager, Grassroots

What complete and utter bullshit. The democrats in Congress, as well as their Republican counterparts, are not interest in cleaning up the incestuous cesspool that is Wall Street. Not when so many members of Goldman Sachs and other so-called prestigious Wall Street firms are serving in high positions in the Obama Administration. And certainly not when members of Congress and the Obama Administration continually attempt to manipulate the mortgage marketplace through their Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac chicanery.

Truth be told, I believe that AARP is positioning themselves to receive large grants to provide educational outreach services to senior citizens and other more personal benefits that would accrue to AARP’s senior management.

Bottom line …

The non-profit AARP is nothing more than a shill for their for-profit enterprise. And that any and all donations received by AARP might be used to lobby for pro-democrat, pro-Administration policies which are anti-senior citizen.

Nobody asked me if I want AARP to support the corrupt democrats and the Obama Administration. Nobody asked me if I wanted AARP to support programs that cut healthcare to senior citizens and further screwed up their financial future.

Screw AARP and its senior leadership.

-- steve


“Nullius in verba”-- take nobody's word for it!
"Acta non verba" -- actions not words

“Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance.”-- George Bernard Shaw

“Progressive, liberal, Socialist, Marxist, Democratic Socialist -- they are all COMMUNISTS.”

“The key to fighting the craziness of the progressives is to hold them responsible for their actions, not their intentions.” – OCS

"The object in life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane." -- Marcus Aurelius

“A people that elect corrupt politicians, imposters, thieves, and traitors are not victims... but accomplices” -- George Orwell

“Fere libenter homines id quod volunt credunt." (The people gladly believe what they wish to.) ~Julius Caesar

“Describing the problem is quite different from knowing the solution. Except in politics." ~ OCS