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THE OBAMA DUPLICITY AND DOUBLE STANDARD IS EASY-TO-SEE

DemocratDonkey

The Obama Administration successfully destroyed and/or stonewalled documents that were subpoenaed by various Congressional Oversight committees investigating potential wrongdoing in the Fast and Furious gun-running scandal that saw guns transferred to Mexican drug cartels and used to murder both Mexican and American cities; the IRS scandal which saw a president interfere in a presidential election by curtailing opposition fund-raising, Benghazi where military hardware was being transferred to radical Islamic terrorists; and the various other violations such as the Clinton violation of the Espionage Act, the selling of the Secretary of State’s office for personal gain, and the rampant lying about Obamacare.

Obama's people couldn’t wait to deliver documents to Congress when it was to their advantage …

Obama Officials Made List of Russia Probe Documents to Keep Them Safe

Obama administration officials were so concerned about what would happen to key classified documents related to the Russia probe once President Trump took office that they created a list of document serial numbers to give to senior members of the Senate Intelligence Committee, a former Obama official told NBC News.

The official said that after the list of documents related to the probe into Russian interference in the U.S. election was created in early January, he hand-carried it to the committee members. The numbers themselves were not classified, said the official.

The purpose, said the official, was to make it "harder to bury" the information, "to share it with those on the Hill who could lawfully see the documents," and to make sure it could reside in an Intelligence committee safe, "not just at Langley.” Source: Obama Officials Made List of Russia Probe Documents to Keep Them Safe - NBC News

When it mattered, the Obama crew hid the documents …

E-mail: Military Offered to Send Rescue Team to Rescue Benghazi Victims

 

Defense Secretary Leon Panetta offered to send a military team to the U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya as it was being attacked by terrorists on September 11, 2012, a newly-released e-mail reveals.

“After consulting with General Dempsey, General Ham and the Joint Staff, we have identified the forces that could move to Benghazi,” Jeremy Bash, Panetta’s chief of staff, wrote in an e-mail to Hillary Clinton’s senior aides that evening. “They are spinning up as we speak.”

“Assuming Principals agree to deploy these elements, we will ask State to procure the approval from host nation,” Bash wrote in the message. “Please advise how you wish to convey that approval to us.”

The e-mail renews questions about why State Department and CIA employees in Benghazi were not rescued the night of the attack. And it contradicts later testimony by Panetta and General Martin Dempsey, then-chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who told a Senate panel that it was impossible to deploy military assets to the city.

It’s not clear how Clinton’s team replied, but Panetta told the Senate Armed Services Committee in 2013 that “time, distance, the lack of an adequate warning, [and] events that moved very quickly on the ground” prevented him from sending a rescue team. Dempsey made a similar point in the same hearing. 

“This is the middle of the night now, these are not aircraft on strip alert,” he said. “They’re there as part of our commitment to NATO and Europe. And so, as we looked at the timeline, it was pretty clear that it would take up to 20 hours or so to get them there. . . . It was the wrong tool for the job.”

Judicial Watch, a conservative watchdog group, obtained the e-mail as part of a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit. “The Obama administration and Clinton officials hid this compelling Benghazi e-mail for years,” Tom Fitton, the group’s president, said in a Tuesday statement. “The e-mail makes readily apparent that the military was prepared to launch immediate assistance that could have made a difference, at least at the CIA Annex. The fact that the Obama Administration withheld this e-mail for so long only worsens the scandal of Benghazi.”  Source: Benghazi Scandal: Email Shows Military Offered to Rescue Benghazi Victims | National Review

Who is going to investigate Panetta and Dempsey for perjuring themselves in Congressional Testimony? And, what about General Ham?

Here was part of the story – bat was it true …

It appears that both President Obama and Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta gave orders to do everything in our power for those stricken in Benghazi ... but that order was mishandled by General Carter Ham, who for reasons unknown, decided to send support to Tripoli and not Benghazi.

Ham was in overall command of military forces when the September 11, 2012 terrorist attacks were launched on the American consulate and CIA annex in Benghazi, Libya. Congressman Trey Gowdy who led the Congressional investigation into the attacks stated that Carter Ham acknowledges that he altered President Obama and Defense Secretary Leon Panetta's order to deploy to Benghazi to rescue American personnel, and redirected the deployment to Tripoli, Libya instead. <Source>

Speaking of General Carter Ham, it appears that the General was relieved of command under suspicious circumstances; widely believed for challenging either the President or the President’s advisors when it came to sending aid to the stricken Americans. It should also be noted that “Navy Rear Admiral, former commander of the USS John Stennis Strike Group, Rear Admiral Charles Gaouette was mysteriously relieved of duty, and all the brass will say is he is ‘under investigation’ for, get this, ‘inappropriate leadership judgment.’" <Source>

Bottom line …

Clinton alone destroyed thousands of government documents, so who is mentioning that at a time when President Trump is under attack? But, then again, other than President Ronald Reagan, the GOP has lacked the cojones to go after their ideological enemies or wrongdoing involving progressive socialist democrats.

While it is unlikely that President Trump has the guts to pursue the Obama Administration, it is theoretically possible Congress will act in the best interests of “We the People.” But don’t hold your breath.

-- 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

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INTERNET PRIVACY: ARE THE POLITICIANS AND JURISTS PROTECTING YOUR RIGHTS OR FEATHERING THEIR OWN NESTS?

Once again, we can plainly see the big money interests at play in our government. Why else would President Trump, other than laziness and a lack of understanding of our Constitution, allow the large internet providers to capitalize on your thoughts as manifested through your web searches?

America

If Donald Trump should allow Senate Joint Resolution 34 to become law, all of the largest Internet Service Providers will be granted the power to use your online actions – especially searches – to create profiles and dossiers that can be sold for cold hard cash to the government, foreign intelligence sources, or advertisers trying to persuade you to buy their goods and services. Like a library where your borrowed book history is protected by law, there are no such guarantees for internet searches. Imagine what my profile must look like considering the amount of political scientific, and medical information used to research this blog? And, imagine if some prosecutor wanted to use that search information to prove prior knowledge or premeditation to support criminal charges? Unlikely now, but who knows what may happen in the future as algorithmic and predictive policing is implemented to deal with rising crime rates?’

Within days of Congress repealing online privacy protections, Verizon has announced new plans to install software on customers’ devices to track what apps customers have downloaded. With this spyware, Verizon will be able to sell ads to you across the Internet based on things like which bank you use and whether you’ve downloaded a fertility app. <Source>

A political flake is driving the legislation …

Jeff Flake (R-AZ) is the driving force behind the legislation.

“This joint resolution nullifies the rule submitted by the Federal Communications Commission entitled "Protecting the Privacy of Customers of Broadband and Other Telecommunications Services." The rule published on December 2, 2016: (1) applies the customer privacy requirements of the Communications Act of 1934 to broadband Internet access service and other telecommunications services, (2) requires telecommunications carriers to inform customers about rights to opt in or opt out of the use or the sharing of their confidential information, (3) adopts data security and breach notification requirements, (4) prohibits broadband service offerings that are contingent on surrendering privacy rights, and (5) requires disclosures and affirmative consent when a broadband provider offers customers financial incentives in exchange for the provider's right to use a customer's confidential information.” <Source>

And it appears that the co-sponsors include some of the most conservative members of Congress such as Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX), Senator Mike Lee (R-UT), Senator Rand Paul (R-KY), and a host of others who can be seen here.

Bottom line …

And for those who are wealthy enough to purchase privacy, look for a rise in fake accounts, look for “opt out” fees for those who do not want their searches exposed to the public, and look for proxy services – especially from outside of the United States -- who will do your searches in a secure manner to further hide your identity.

We are so screwed.

-- steve

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“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

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MARK CUBAN FOR PRESIDENT 2020: THE ACID TEST

MARK-CUBAN-POLITICAL-APPRENTICE

By all accounts, Mark Cuban is another bloviating billionaire who has managed to create a successful business life from scratch. He appears to be a fairly likable guy, a fast-learned, and someone who is willing to take advice in a constructive manner without going ballistic.

But the acid test …

Mark Cuban is far from a constitutional conservative, and any death blow to his presidential aspirations should begin and end with his support of Hillary Clinton. While it is true that Cuban had a love-hate relationship with Donald Trump, mostly from piggybacking off Trump’s success with the Celebrity Apprentice, that is no excuse for knowingly supporting a candidate who clearly violated national security and allegedly sold her office for personal gain. Stunningly bad judgment that precludes him from my list of suitable presidential picks. Ironically, Cuban created “Cyber Dust,” an instant messaging application that helps people avoid creating a record of their messages.

Mark Cuban is getting more serious than ever about politics — and in the age of Trump, the political world is starting to notice

In private, Mark Cuban has started discussing his role in national politics with his family. He told Business Insider, for instance, that he spoke with loved ones about his decision to campaign on the trail for Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. "We discussed how much of a threat I believe Trump to be," Cuban said in an email. "We discussed why it was important to me to get involved — that if I could have an impact and didn't try, it would have left me guessing forever."

And, as Cuban said, his family feels "like we started on the right path" to "have a platform and voice for the future." Cuban, 58, is a self-made billionaire businessman and the owner of the Dallas Mavericks. And he seems more serious than ever about running for president.

With Trump's improbable rise to the presidency, there's been no shortage of ultrawealthy, prominent business people rumored to be considering a run of their own in 2020. There's Oprah Winfrey, Mark Zuckerberg, Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz, and Disney CEO Bob Iger, all of whom have fed the idea that Trump could face a fellow executive in his prospective 2020 reelection bid. But no nonpolitician has put him or herself out there quite like Cuban.

Read more at Mark Cuban is getting more serious than ever about politics - Business Insider

If you look closely at the list of business people in the article, you will see that they are all wealthy and successful in their chosen fields. None has proven political knowledge. And, all seem to be squishy, touchy-feely progressive socialist democrats. Cuban’s statement that he would love to be a Republican if it weren’t for the Republican party is a clear statement about his beliefs.

On Tuesday, Cuban sent out another of his patented blasts to his followers on Cyber Dust, the private-messaging app he created.

[OCS: Ironically, Cuban created Cyber Dust to add a layer of privacy to personal messages – coincidently after a fierce battle with the Securities and Exchange Commission over alleged insider trading. He won. But, he now has created a platform for politicians and other evildoers to hide their machinations from law enforcement and intelligence agencies.]

‘I would prefer to be a Republican,’ he wrote. “Even though he disagrees with them on most social issues, Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban wants to be a Republican. He says he wants smaller, smarter government. There’s just one problem, though: The Republican party is simply a mess.

[OCS: It appears the Republicans have traditionally been more welcoming to the ideologically impure that the Democrat Party that demands and enforces party purity.

That Cuban disagrees with the GOP on most social issues, means he is more likely to continue the big entitlement programs and giveaways. Every politician claims they want a smaller, smarter government – yet it never gets done because they are motivated more by the the big-money special interests than principle.

Yes, the GOP may be a mess, but the Democrat Party is a disaster. They lost the House, the Senate, the Presidency, Governorships, and local politicians with their ideological nonsense that is more Marxist than American.]

The Republicans have a much bigger problem that will crush them in every Presidential election until this changes.

The Republican Party requires that all their Presidential candidates Conform to Consensus.

[OCS: This is a demonstrable falsity. If that were literally true, Mitt Romney would have been the President; or after Romney's defeat, Jeb Bush would now be the President of the United States. Trump did not conform to any known consensus and simply went his own way – and won. A clear indication that the American people have lost faith in traditional politicians and their malignant political parties.]

If you don’t agree with every platform of the party not only are you called a RINO, a “Republican in Name Only. You are considered unelectable in primaries and become a source of scorn on Fox News

[OCS: Not every politicians agrees with or supports every plank in the party platform. And, only those who are indistinguishable from progressive socialist democrats are labeled RINOs.]

That’s a problem.

Leaders don’t conform to the consensus. They create consensus to their vision and goals.

[OCS: The very process of political compromise presents its own consensus. And, while a President can demonstrate vision and leadership, he requires a consensus in the Congress to pursue his agenda.]

Leaders don’t change their positions mid debate. They welcome scorn from the masses because it creates the opportunity for dialogue. ‘'

[OCS: Leaders change their positions whenever new information arrives. What they don’t change is their core values. Hopefully, American values, not European socialist values.]

Leaders don’t look backwards to condemn what has already been done, they look forward to create a better future.

[OCS: Politicians run on the past and this statement only illustrates Cuban’s political inexperience and naiveté.]

Leaders are not dogmatic. They are principled and know that change is never easy, but when it’s necessary, they must lead.

[OCS: Politicians are pragmatic and do what they must to gain and maintain power. Many leaders are not principled, they are self-serving and corrupt. Adherence to the Constitution is dogmatic because it lays down principles that are incontrovertibly true. Principles like unalienable rights and the limitations that should be imposed on a federal government to prevent tyranny.

Yes, leaders must lead. But, one must closely question – in what direction and why?]

The Republican Party does everything possible to discourage leadership.

They want dogma.

They want conformity.

They want to conserve their romanticized past.

[OCS: Cuban certainly doesn’t have a firm grasp on history. A not so romantic past, where the democrats were the party of slavery, segregation, Jim Crow laws, and an anti-civil rights movement. It is not “their” romanticized past the GOP wants to preserve, but the past of principled politicians like Ronald Reagan.]

That’s a shame. I wish they wanted to conserve the best of what America is today and find a leader that can take us to new places that make our future better.

[OCS: Much of what you see today, especially in government, is dysfunctional and not worth preserving. What is worth preserving is Americanism and American Dream. You don’t find many people trying to break into other countries. You do not find a more compassionate people – willing to spend their blood and treasure to help others become free from tyranny. And, certainly you should not find politicians who are openly anti-America, racists, or openly consorting with our enemies.]

The same message applies to many Democrats, Cuban wrote, “but I don’t want to be a democrat.”

[OCS: Of course he doesn’t want to be a democrat. Maybe he wants to be a Bernie Sanders, an actual communist who hides behind the liberal or progressive label. Saying whatever might be necessary to sound mainstream while entertaining radical ideas for the nation.]

<Source>

Don’t get me wrong; I am not saying Mark Cuban is a bad guy. I am saying that he is what’s wrong with America today – where billionaire bullyboys and political know-nothings are elevated by their celebrity and name recognition into an office they are fundamentally unqualified to hold.

What is the purpose of a political party if they do not enforce adherence to their party’s platform. And nobody suggests that a president needs to embrace every aspect of the platform itself.

Cuban is the very definition of a post-party politician who wants to pick-and-choose his political positions and portray himself as a populist – and that’s what we do not need, a weathervane president who governs by the results of polling.

Bottom line …

The country does not need another wealthy political amateur that is likely to repeat all of the mistakes made by amateurs. It is one thing to believe in a vision; it is something quite different to engage in perpetual combat with an opposition party that is seeking to destroy you. If anything, we need a candidate who is a constitutional conservative, someone who knows how the political animal functions, and most of all, has core values that will benefit the American people.

We are so screwed.

-- 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

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FORGET REFORMING ISLAM, START BY REFORMING THE DEMOCRAT PARTY

steve-art

Whoops, I was thinking again …

One of the key reasons the Democrats are so bad for this country lies in their adoption of Marx's idea that life is a zero-sum class struggle between the oppressors -- anyone not on the left -- and the oppressed class of victims. If one class gains, other classes lose. Hence their preoccupation with the equality of outcomes rather than the equality of opportunity. And, the idiotic idea that mutual mass suffering is preferable to having a class that is more powerful or wealthier than another.

Thus we find everyone reduced to being an unexceptional collective of population units that need to be managed by an elite, enlightened intelligentsia for their own good. This is the rationale behind population control, the politically correct way of saying "eugenics" and controlled breeding. This is the rationale behind accreting power by managing real or imagined scarcity. And, this is the rationale for revolution; to allow the elite to take their reins of power without first having made living conditions better -- promising a utopia that cannot exist as it is counter to human nature and the inevitable corruption of power. Where the powerful must use increasing totalitarianism to keep from sparking another revolution when the elite cannot deliver on the unrealistic story of mass deliverance. Witness: Cuba, Russia, China, Venezuela, and of course, North Korea.


Whatever the progressive socialist democrats propose, it must conform to the Marxist dicta that the act and the perception of the act must justify itself by its service to the higher political goal of Marxism itself. Thus, these ignorant morons are willing to burn down the big house to make the neighborhood more equal. And, that's how you tell that progressive socialist democrats are losers: the wealthy, the powerful, now being insulated from the actions of their supported politicians, points to the house on fire and yells "burn baby burn" unmindful that their gates and guards will not protect themselves from the mob when they learn that they have been betrayed by those they admire.

The progressives need to support the fiction of a perpetual class struggle in America, even if it means they must import their own underclass from other countries and sanction their existence instead of calling them illegal aliens.

Bottom line ...

The progressive socialist democrats have become as self-destructive as those who spawned the revolution that gave us Cuba -- 90 miles off the coast of the United States and light-years from a beneficial self-perpetuating society. But it is not all their fault. The mainstream media feathers it nests with pretense and politics, learned at progressive-dominated educational institutions. The GOP tags meekly along, fearful that bold action will deny some of their most powerful politicians a seat on the gravy train. They put self before the nation and political slavery before freedom.

We are so screwed.

-- 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

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THERE COMES A TIME WHEN SOME IN THE DEMOCRAT PARTY NEEDS TO BE CHARGED AS CRIMINALS AND THE MEDIA AS CO-CONSPIRATORS ...

TRUTH

I cannot believe that all of the scandals associated with executive branch agencies under the Obama Administration had simply disappeared like the redacted pages of the Barrett Report that were halted by three Senators when it appeared that Bill and Hillary Clinton had compromised the Department of Justice, the FBI, and the Internal Revenue Service in covering-up the Henry Cisneros scandal. Those three Senators, all Democrats, (John Kerry, Dick Durbin, and Bryan Dorgan) attached a rider to an unrelated legislative bill – ostensibly to protect “innocent” citizens that were mentioned in the report, but were not charged with any crime. There were no leaks by Republicans to the media – and the mainstream media seemed unconcerned that some of our premier agencies may have been politically compromised.

Now we are facing much the same thing under the Obama Administration where a number of “innocent” citizens were allegedly caught in surveillance operations by the various intelligence agencies. It appears that the surveillance was ordered under a Democrat administration and targeted the GOP campaign of Donald Trump. Unlike the information contained in the Barrett Report, it appears that the information was widely disseminated with no redactions to a wide audience – including the people at the White House – where it was leaked to the mainstream media. At least one career, Michael Flynn, has been destroyed and the entire Trump Administration placed under a cloud of suspicion.

Meanwhile, the FBI, under the Clinton Administration could not seem to find wrongdoing with any of the scandals and provided Hillary Clinton with a pass on a clear violation of the Espionage Act as well as acts that should be investigated and prosecuted for public corruption.

Now we are finding out that the while the intelligence may have been collected legitimately, the release of the unredacted information to the media or anyone else is a felony. Moreover, we are now learning that the intelligence may have had nothing to do with the primary Democrat allegations of possible collusion between the Russian Government and the Trump campaign and transition team.

Of course, the media refuses to investigate a scandal that rises above the original issues and actions in the Watergate Scandal – especially when it involves several high-profile journalists and their organizations who have no legal protection against felonies committed when disseminating this information.

The GOP wussies are so afraid of their shadow and the upcoming 2018 congressional election cycle that they refuse to hold the progressive socialist democrats accountable for their actions.

Bottom line …

When is the GOP going to develop the cojones to stand up to the Democrats and play hardball? The Democrats are threatening a decent man, Judge Neil Gorsuch, who is eminently qualified to assume a position on the Supreme Court while the Republicans are trying to make a deal with the Democrats to allow Gorsuch to assume his position on the bench.

When are we going to admit that some of our premier agencies need a thorough cleaning to remove the political partisans and career bureaucrats with a political agenda?

The mainstream media, enshrined in the United States Constitution, also needs to understand that they are about to totally and completely destroy their credibility now and forever with their partisan nonsense. Donald Trump may be many things, a lazy blowhard billionaire bully boy with little or no fundamental understanding of the Constitution, history, or world affairs; but he is far from the clear and present danger presented by the corrupt progressive socialist Democrats and their mainstream media cohorts.

We are so screwed.

-- 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

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OCS: SCIENCE AND POLITICS

science

“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

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CHELSEA CLINTON TRYING SO HARD TO REMAIN RELEVANT, ACT LIKE IVANKA TRUMP ...

cc

But once a corrupt progressive socialist democrat, always a corrupt progressive socialist democrat …

cc-t

Bottom line …

Stupid is as stupid does. Correlation is not causation. This is the kind of political junk science that has corrupted the climate sciences. And, if you follow the fool’s logic to the extreme: you need to reduce cow farts and pig manure to reduce the incidence of diabetes.

We are so screwed.

-- 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

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ARE AMERICAN COMPANIES SELLING OUT TO OUR ENEMIES IN THE NAME OF PROFIT?

bd

Here is a story about the Chinese company Huawei attempting to have AT&T certify their “Kim mobile phone chipset” for use on the AT&T network. Possibly leading to the sales of Huawei-based communications devices in the United States.

So I could not help wondering why would we allow the use of foreign chips produced by one of our economic, if not military, enemies who just happens to be a trading partner. Considering what happened with the Stuxnet virus aimed at Siemens’ process controllers, what would keep the Chinese from hiding the same type of functionality in domestic phones? Phones that could damage the network and deny Americans communications during a natural disaster or other emergencies?

As first reported by the web site The Information, Huawei is trying to work out a deal with AT&T, one of the largest U.S. carrier, but talks have barely begun. The Chinese manufacturer is in the early stages of having AT&T approve its proprietary Kirin mobile phone chip set for use on AT&T's network, according to a person familiar with the situation.

Still, AT&T has yet to accredit Kirin and is frequently approached for such approvals, which are not always granted. Even if the chips are approved, Huawei would have to negotiate full terms and conditions for AT&T stocking its phones, a next step that's yet to begin.

Both companies declined to comment.

Source: AT&T Testing Huawei Smartphones for Network Compatibility | Fortune.com

Spy Software Found Preinstalled on Lenovo, Huawei, and Xiaomi Smartphones

Malware that can listen to calls, track users, and make online purchases was found pre-installed on smartphones from Chinese companies including Lenovo, Huawei, and Xiaomi. The latest findings, from German cybersecurity company G DATA, add to a growing list of similar spying software found on smartphones from Chinese companies. <Source>

Is America handing our enemies the keys to the kingdom?

In technology, this web of international "coopetition" is particularly prevalent. One of the weirder cases is antivirus software, which is often made in the very countries we're particularly concerned about when it comes to malware.

Kaspersky Labs, for example, which produces one of the most popular antimalware products in use here in America, is made by a company with deep ties to Russian intelligence operations. Huawei bought out Symantec's stake in a joint venture -- a joint venture that led to Huawei gaining access to much of Symantec's antivirus code.

This all brings us back to a Huawei-built smartphone sold to America's most ardent Google users.

While ZTE and Huawei deny any charges of enabling backdoors in their networking hardware, even Congressional investigators felt that there was a reasonable suspicion that the Chinese hardware makers are building in easy-access espionage portals into their hardware. In fact, there was rare bipartisan support of a possible ban on Huawei hardware.

With President Trump’s “buy American” theme, why not bring the manufacturing of chipsets back onshore and build our own phones? Qualcomm is a local company (San Diego, California) and I would much rather have a Qualcomm chipset my phone than a Chinese one.

Bottom line …

It will ultimately be up to the consumers whether of not they are willing to compromise our economy and national security for a cheap mobile phone. And, when will American individuals and companies stop selling-out to those who do not wish us well?

We are so screwed.

-- 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

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AMERICAN HEALTH CARE ACT -- DONALD TRUMP: RECKLESS FOOL OR A "CLOSER?"

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Today, the American people won the battle but lost the war. It appears that Paul Ryan pulled the GOP healthcare initiative because he lacked Republican support and no Democrats were willing to jump the aisle to take up the slack. So the likely consequences are that the American people won the battle by keeping a bad bill from being considered, but lost the war because it appears that the GOP may let Obamacare implode and hang it on the Democrats in the upcoming 2018 congressional election cycle.

While Trump’s people will spin this as a Trump triumph and point to his genius, the truth is far different. The GOP had no real plan other than to repeal and revise the existing Affordable Care Act. Where are the seasoned hands like Newt Gingrich who can actually develop good legislation and get it through Congress?

Actuarial viability: what the pundits and politicos do not seem to understand …

I keep hearing the pundits and politicos comparing the difficulty of purchasing health insurance with the ease of purchasing auto insurance; even citing the state mandate that you must have auto insurance as well as be a licensed driver.

This is pure crazy.

Driving is not an unalienable right nor is it granted by the Constitution of the United States. It is a privilege that is controlled by each state who have decided to engage in interstate reciprocity for those traveling across state lines.

Likewise, health care is not an unalienable right nor is it granted by the Constitution. The federal government has no legal mandate for imposing health care insurance on any individual and, again, it is a state matter. Other than health and safety standards, the federal government has absolutely no business dictating terms to insurers, their insured, or the physicians and facilities that render health care to individuals.

Furthermore, the market dynamics are quite different. While everybody pays into the auto insurance pool, few use all of the benefits. The auto plans are not only actuarially sound, they generate tremendous profits for the insurers and their stakeholders – including their overpaid executives – and provide enough money for those massive advertising campaigns.

With health insurance, most people will request a payout as they age. The likelihood that a person will require some form of health care is significantly greater when compared with the much smaller risk of auto insurance. Therefore, health insurance can never be actuarially sound without massive risk pools driven (pardon the pun) by healthy premium payers over long periods of time.

Historically, the government creates chaos, confusion, waste, fraud, and abuse …

The federal government has never been able to successfully manage any large-scale policy without introducing exorbitant waste, fraud, and abuse – complete with the political corruption of the lobbyists who purchase politicians and their votes. Look at any military hardware program, and you can see the entire process play out. Or, better yet look at the military health care system, military health care insurance for dependents, and the health care given to Native Americans by the federal government. Beyond the waste, fraud, and abuse, you encounter the chaos and rank incompetence.

Bottom line …

With the progressive socialist democrats and their sycophantic mainstream media, no GOP healthcare plan will be portrayed in a positive light. Trump can bloviate all he wants, but the real leadership is likely to come from inside Congress and not the White House. Unless Ivanka Trump and her husband Jared Kushner suddenly become health care experts. The only positive for Trump was his initial spin: the threat to abandon Obamacare reform unless the American Health Care Act passes.

Let see if Trump and Congress make a muddle out of tax reform? And to all the schmuck progressive socialist democrats who are celebrating this "no vote" as a victory, when the hell are you going to put aside partisan party politics and do something for the American people?

We are so screwed.

-- 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

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REPUBLICAN COWARDS WANT TO JOIN THE PROGRESSIVE CLIMATE CHANGE MOVEMENT

As we approach the 2018 congressional election cycle, many Republicans are losing what little courage they had in the first place and trying to make themselves more acceptable to the liberals in their districts. Amazingly blurring any real difference between the parties and standing for nothing.

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Republicrats …

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Republican environmental groups want to temper Trump on climate change

President Donald Trump's outspoken doubts about climate change and his administration's efforts to roll back regulation to combat it have stirred a sleepy faction in U.S. politics: the Republican environmental movement.

The various groups represent conservatives, Catholics and the younger generation of Republicans who, unlike Trump, not only recognize the science of climate change but want to see their party wrest the initiative from Democrats and lead efforts to combat global warming.

[OCS: First, the Catholic Church may have moral influence with its followers, but their positions on scientific matters have not been all that great since the days of Galileo. Mostly because they want the science to bolster Church policy and agenda. Furthermore, the present leader of the Church is a confirmed socialist who grew up under heavily Marxist rule in Argentina.

To wrest the issue and initiative from the progressive socialist democrats is to further their agenda and to bring about a European-style socialist democracy that is slowly eroding our capitalist underpinning.]

Conservative green groups such as ConservAmerica and republicEn, along with politically neutral religious groups such as Catholic Climate Covenant and bipartisan groups such as the Citizens Climate Lobby, have ramped up efforts to recruit more congressional Republicans to work on addressing climate change since Trump's election.

[OCS:  These are not politically-neutral groups, they are front groups for international socialism and represent the same type of socialist and communist infiltration as we see in other environmental causes. They are considered bi-partisan because some “useful idiots who happen to be Republicans” have bought their hogwash.

Far Left Catholic Group to Provide Inserts in Church Bulletins on Pope’s Global Warming Junk Science -- A far left group Catholic Climate Covenant will provide inserts for church bulletins this week and is e-mailing out suggested homilies to priests. <Source>]

Conservative environmental advocates promote what they call "free enterprise" solutions to climate change, like a carbon tax. That stands in contrast to the approach of liberal environmentalists under former President Barack Obama, who backed bans on certain kinds of oil drilling and regulations aimed at discouraging petroleum use.

[There is no such thing as “free enterprise” solutions as long as the government is controlling the show, handling the money, and telling Americans how to live their lives. The last thing the environmentalists want is low-cost energy because that runs counter to their de-growth initiative of population control, lowering standards of living, and engaging in massive wealth distribution.]

But whatever their differences, the conservative groups say they have an important role to play.

"Conservatives now have a chance to earn back the trust of Americans on environmental issues," said Alex Bozmoski, director of strategy for republicEn. "They can lead in a completely different direction that actually grows the economy while cutting greenhouse gasses."

[There are few conservatives in Congress and few in the Executive Branch. So to invoke conservatism is both false and misleading.

You cannot win the trust of Americans with perverted junk science that does not acknowledge the basic science of climate change and suggests that man’s activities can neutralize or reverse natural climate change cycles, the Sun’s energy output in all spectral bands, cosmic rays, the Earth’s position relative to the Sun, The Earth’s precessional and rotational dynamics, the Earth’s plate tectonics and vulcanology, the deep ocean currents, and the greatest greenhouse gas of all: water vapor. It the progressives believe that Miami, Florida will be inundated, let them cancel all new building, build in a more environmentally sound area, and bulldoze existing structures in the inundation zone. Yeah Right! That man can do – but would be unwilling to do. In fact, if faced with the prospect of bulldozing coastal areas from Manhattan to Malibu, one might find the scientific findings changing overnight.]

The activists' efforts have not swayed anywhere near a majority yet on Capitol Hill. Only 20 or so of the 237 Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives have spoken out on climate change this year. But they hope to build a big enough bloc in Congress, or enough influence at the White House, to temper Trump's agenda.

Urged on by a coalition of conservative and religious groups, including the Catholic Climate Covenant, a handful of additional Republicans have also signed a congressional resolution pledging to address climate change.

[OCS: By all means let’s address climate change; starting with an investigation in to the handling of scientific data, funding for one-sided reports, and the various other matters that have been hidden from the public such as the fanciful scenarios based on flawed computer models using dodgy data.]

The resolution was non-binding, but it represented a direct challenge to Trump's climate stance, a high-profile signal of dissent within his party.

[OCS: the dissent is being produced by the progressive socialist democrats and their fake news cohorts who want people to believe socialism is the new normal.]

<Source>

Bottom line …

“America was not built on fear. America was built on courage, on imagination and an unbeatable determination to do the job at hand.” ~ Harry S. Truman

It used to be that Democrats were honorable Americans who loved their country and differed with the Republicans on fiscal responsibility and how social policy is implemented. In the years since President Lyndon Johnson, the Democrats have been less about America and more about globalism – including massive wealth redistribution, population control, de-growth, reducing America’s standard of living and fundamentally changing the culture and nature of America to accommodate progressive socialist democrats. And, the Republicans have become gutless wonders who are afraid of their own shadow, especially the professional politicians who are all about themselves rather than the country and constitution to which they pledged their allegiance.

Take the politics out of science, redress the grievances that have corrected climate-related science and then have an open and honest dialogue with those of opposing viewpoints.

Until then, we are so screwed.

-- 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

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