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KNOW THY ENEMY: DEMOCRATIC SOCIALISTS OF AMERICA

commie-dem

There is little or no doubt in my mind that the progressive socialist democrats, aka the neo-Communist Party in the United States, has virtually no respect for the U.S. Constitution, except when it can be “interpreted” to advance their toxic and un-American agenda. So I thought that it might be of interest to know which candidates in office were endorsed by the DSA (Democratic Socialists of America) and the key points of their agenda.

The agenda…

Key Progressive Socialist Democrat “Signature” Agenda Items

 

** Single-payer health care – those that control the delivery of healthcare can exert significant control over the population of the United States and bring about the chaotic disruption that is said to lead to a revolution against capitalism and the installation of a more authoritarian (totalitarian) system of centrally-planned government.

** Campaign finance reform – controlling the messaging of the opposition by restricting campaign finance laws and by expanding controls over opposition messaging is a vital element of creating a permanent governing class.

** Living wage –- the so-called $15 (or more) minimum wage is little more than pandering to the vast hoard of illegal aliens (potential progressive socialist democrats) who need to support larger families while being employed with minimal skills.

** Affordable housing – one must house the voting poor and the hoard of illegal aliens who are capable of changing our culture and our economic system. Look for rapid development of centralized housing units (similar to the state-provided Russian apartments) and the disadvantaging of rural developments and the expansion of suburbia.

** Criminal justice reform – primarily the release of so-called “low-level” offenders back into the community and, most importantly, the restoration of their “voting rights” lost under felony convictions.

** Education – primarily continuing the flow of funding to teachers and their unions, even in the face of declining performance and the creation of yet another generation of functional illiterate who cannot function without a hand-held calculator or mobile computing device.

Additionally restrict any effort, such as charter schools, that might produce better-educated students with a grasp (horror) of history, civics, and useful occupational skills.

** Taxes – higher taxes to support bigger government and continue funding programs that are little more than wealth re-distribution schemes.

** Population control – a continuing emphasis on reducing population growth using a mixture of abortion, non-reproductive homosexuality, and discouraging the strengthening of the concept of a reproductive nuclear family.

Some of the key propositions on the ballot…

Locally Endorsed Ballot Initiatives

  • AZ – No on 305 – School Vouchers
  • CA – No on Prop 6 – Gas Tax Repeal
  • CA – Yes on Prop 1 – Affordable Housing Bond
  • CA – Yes on Measure L – Raise Anaheim City Worker Minimum Wage
  • CA – Yes on Measure O – Berkeley Housing Bonds
  • CA – Yes on Measure WW – Long Beach Fair Work Conditions for Hotel Workers
  • CA – Yes on Measure Y – Close Oakland Eviction Loopholes
  • CA – Yes on Prop 12 – Minimum Enclosure Size for Animals When Raised for Meat or Eggs
  • CA – Yes on Prop 2 – Housing for People w/ Mental Illnesses
  • CA – Yes on Prop C – Our City Our Home
  • CA – Yes on Measure P – Tax on Wealthy Berkeley Property Transfers
  • CO – No on Amendment 74 – Corporate Power to Sue Governments Over Laws That Affect Their Property
  • CO – Yes on Amendment A – Removal of Exemption to Slavery Prohibition for Criminals
  • CO – Yes on Prop 111 – Cap Payday Loans
  • CO – Yes on Question 2E – Democracy for the People
  • FL – Amendment 4 – Felon Re-enfranchisement
  • IL – Yes on – Lift the Ban on Rent Control (Non-Binding)
  • MA – Yes on 2 – Limit Corporate Election Spending
  • MA – Yes on 3 – Trans Non-Discrimination Protections
  • MA – Yes on 4 – Medicare for All (Non-Binding)
  • MD – Yes on Question E – No Baltimore Sewer Privatization
  • MD – Yes on Question H – Baltimore Fair Election Fund
  • MO – Yes on Amendment 1 – Clean Elections
  • MO – Yes on Amendment 2 – Medical Marijuana
  • MO – Yes on Prop B – Raise Minimum Wage to $12
  • OR – No on 103 – Ban Grocery Taxes
  • OR – No on 104 – “End Easy Taxes”
  • OR – No on 105 – Repeal Sanctuary State Initiative
  • OR – No on 106 – Ban Public Funds for Abortions
  • OR – Yes on 26-200 – Portland Campaign Finance Reform
  • OR – Yes on Measure 26-201 – Portland Clean Energy Fund
  • TN – Yes on Amendment 1 – Davidson County Community Oversight of Police
  • TX – Yes on Prop A – Affordable Austin
  • WA – Yes on Prop 2018-5 – Bellingham Affordable Housing Levy <Source>

The players…

OCASIO-CORTEZ

Nationally Endorsed Elected Officials

  • MD – Gabriel Acevero House of Delegates – District 39
  • MD – Vaughn Stewart House of Delegates – District 19
  • ME – Mike Sylvester State House – District 39
  • MN – Kara Gloe School Board, Moorhead
  • MT – Jade Bahr, State House – District 50
  • NY – Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez US House, NY-14
  • NY – Julia Salazar State Senate – District 18
  • PA – Elizabeth Fiedler State House – District 184
  • PA – Sara Innamorato State House – District 21
  • PA – Summer Lee State House – District 34
  • RI – Rachel Miller City Council, Providence – Ward 13
  • TX – Franklin Bynum Judge, County Criminal Court: Harris County 8
  • Locally Endorsed Elected Officials
  • CA – Dianna Reddy, Redwood City Council
  • CA – Eduardo Martinez City Council, Richmond, CA
  • CA – James Chang Rent Board, Berkeley
  • CA – John Selawsky Rent Board, Berkeley
  • CA – Justin Cummings City Council, Santa Cruz – At-Large
  • CA – Lorrie Brown City Council, Ventura – District 6
  • CA – Maria Poblet Rent Board, Berkeley
  • CA – Monica Montgomery, San Diego City Council – District 4
  • CA – Paola Laverde Rent Board, Berkeley
  • CA – Rachelanne Vander Werf, American River Flood Control District Trustee
  • CA – Sofia Rubalcava City Council, Ventura – District 1
  • CA – Soli Alpert Rent Board, Berkeley
  • CO – Julie Gonzales State Senate – District 34
  • DC – Beau Finley Advisory Neighborhood Commission 3C-04
  • DC – Dan Orlaskey Advisory Neighborhood Commission 1B-02
  • DC – Emily Gasoi Board of Education, DC Ward 1
  • DC – Matthew Sampson Advisory Neighborhood Commission 2B-01
  • DC – Ryan Linehan Advisory Neighborhood Commission 5D-01
  • DC – Todd Brogan Democratic State Committee – Ward 4
  • HI – Amy Perruso State House – District 46
  • MD – Marc Elrich County Executive, Montgomery
  • MI – Katie Scott Board of Commissioners, Washtenaw County – District 9
  • MI – Kristy Cooper District Library Trustee, Ypsilanti
  • MI – Rashida Tlaib US House, MI-13
  • ND – Ruth Buffalo, State House – District 27
  • NY – Emily Adams Democratic State Committee Member – AD 125
  • RI – Sam Bell State Senate – District 5
  • TX – Danny Norris Dept. of Education Trustee, Harris County – Precinct 1
  • TX – DaSean Jones Judge – 180th Criminal Court
  • TX – Julie Ann Nitsch Community College Trustee, Austin – Place 9  <Source>

 

Bottom line…

COMDEMS

Max Planck, the eminent Nobel-Prize winning physicist, posited that “A scientific truth does not triumph by convincing its opponents and making them see the light, but rather because its opponents eventually die and a new generation grows up that is familiar with it.” There is no doubt in my mind that the same can be said of political systems as illustrated by newer generations being educated, in reality – indoctrinated – by an academic world disproportionately populated and controlled by progressive socialist democrats.

We are majorly 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


CALIFORNIA OUTRAGE: GOVERNOR BROWN TRYING TO BURY A VOTER SCANDAL?

In California, a state ruled by a single party whose illegal and malignant actions on behalf of the progressive socialist democrats have brought decay and despair to millions of its residents, it appears that our current governor, Jerry Brown, is trying to bury a scandalous pardon of a fellow progressive socialist democrat who was convicted of felonious voter fraud.

rod-wright

Roderick Wright is another corrupt and crooked progressive socialist democrat who represented California's 35th State Senate district (including many predominantly Black neighborhoods in Carson, Compton, Gardena, Hawthorne, Inglewood, Lawndale, Long Beach, Watts, San Pedro, and Torrance) until he was forced to resign on September 22, 2014.

No stranger to “Black politics,” Wright was the District Director to the notorious Congresswoman Maxine Waters who is about to ascend to a dominant position on the House Financial Services Committee where she previously was to alleged to have used undue influence to secure favorable treatment from financial regulators on behalf of her husband, then associated with a technically insolvent bank.

A professional politician, he previously represented the 25th district from 2008-2012 and California's 48th State Assembly district from 1996 until he was term-limited in 2002.

In April 2010, the corrupt California Senate leaders secretly approved a $120,000 settlement of a sexual harassment claim against Wright.

In September 2010, the Los Angeles County grand jury unsealed an eight-count felony indictment against state Sen. Roderick Wright accusing him of filing a false declaration of candidacy, voter fraud and perjury beginning in 2007, when he changed his voter registration to run for the Legislature.

Wright was convicted of eight counts of voter fraud on January 28, 2014.

In September, he was sentenced to ninety days' confinement and banned from public office for the rest of his life.

 

I am surprised that he was convicted as the progressive socialist democrats have a historical pattern and practice of voter fraud. It appears that it is not so much the fact that Wright was sentenced to 90-days of “celebrity confinement with a near immediate release from custody,” but that he was banned from public office for the rest of his life and was to be considered a felon which precluded most post-slammer careers in finance and other potentially lucrative politically-related activities. 

Now comes California Governor Jerry Brown who removed all of the previous restrictions of Wright’s post-conviction behavior with a pardon on November 21, 2018. The impetus for the pardon appeared to be the fact that the disreputable California Legislature changed the law so that politicians no longer need to live in the district which they serve. Since Wright’s actions, post-facto, are now legal, the Governor was approached for a pardon.

So what are they hiding?

In response to a formal records request from the nonpartisan First Amendment Coalition to unseal records filed by the governor’s office,which include the pardon application and supporting letters from prominent people, it appears that the Governor’s Office has requested that the California Supreme Court deal the records relating to his pardon of former Senator Wright. The argument was that “confidentiality” is consistent with historical practice and is supported by state law. The truth is that many influential people do not want their names to be known as requesting clemency for a convicted felon associated with political crimes.

Peter Krause, the governor’s legal secretary told the Court that the records requested to remain sealed “contain highly sensitive, and potentially embarrassing materials" about the applicant as well as candid views of victims and prosecutors.

The attempt to shield these records from scrutiny under the “executive privilege” authority would enable any governor to hide criminal activities behind a shield of anonymity, thus depriving citizens of critical information needed for political decision-making.

Bottom line…

It is bad enough that voters have allowed a single-party to dominate California politics, but they openly condone fraud and deceit by elected officials. Let us hope that the California Supreme Court, packed with progressive socialist democrats, considers the public’s right to know about those who have been convicted of a political crime involving public policies.

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


WHICH TRUMP IS GOVERNING?

two-face-trump

 

One would think that Trump the businessman would abhor the heavy-handed use of governmental power against a private company that might increase production costs and degrades efficiency. However, like former President Obama, Trump the politician appears to have no problem with picking winners and losers to make a political point and play to his base. 

Trump threatens to slash GM subsidies after the automaker announced layoffs, factory closings

tt-1

 

One might expect extreme rhetoric from the President of the United Autoworkers Union, but not from the President of the United States.

However, the not-so-veiled threats continued in an interview with the Wall Street Journal.

GM’s Plan to Cut Jobs and Plants Draws Fire From Trump, Others

President presses GM CEO to stop producing in China and quickly replace Ohio factory tagged for closure

President Trump has continued to press U.S. companies to create jobs at home rather than abroad. Early last year, he took aim at GM for building a version of the Chevrolet Cruze in Mexico.

On Monday, Mr. Trump said he told Ms. Barra that she should stop making cars in China and open a new plant in Ohio to replace the one that is ending production.

“They better damn well open a new plant there very quickly,” Mr. Trump said in an interview with The Wall Street Journal on Monday, noting that he talked to Ms. Barra Sunday night.

I love Ohio,” Mr. Trump said. ‘I told them, ‘You’re playing around with the wrong person.’”

A GM spokesman confirmed the conversation took place but declined to respond directly to Mr. Trump’s comments.  <Source>

 

Bottom line…

Whatever President Trump is, he is not a constitutional conservative or free market capitalist willing to let the marketplace and competition determine the winners and losers. I can understand the President wants to protect workers, but interfering in a company’s non-regulatory private affairs is just a ruinous as former President Obama dictating change from the Oval Office which nearly destroyed our system of health care to extend coverage to a marginal number of  individuals who were suddenly placed on the welfare medical program known as Medicaid.

Considering that President Trump may be winging it like Obama, one hopes that his extra-constitutional behavior is held in check by the Congress and Judiciary in an example of the Founder’s concept of checks and balances.

Let us hope that Trump’s business advisory team explains the danger of playing winners and losers with the affairs of private companies and individual workers.

-- 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


THAT FREE STEAK AND LOBSTER DINNER CAN COST YOU THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS

DINNER

I continue to receive a number of offers for a free dinner at a premier restaurant if I am willing to listen to an investment pitch for annuities. Pretty much the same scammy methods used by the timeshare industry that held out portable televisions and other goodies in you were willing to sit still for a “presentation” that almost always ended in a “hard sell” pitch that would make car salesmen envious.

Annuities, a bad word unless you sell them or manage to beat the odds and live longer than your “actuarial lifespan.”

Annuities are an insurance product that is usually sold to retirees who are afraid that their lives will outlive their assets. Basically, you pay an insurance company a lump sum for a guaranteed payout in the future. The purchaser of an annuity only benefits if they live longer than projected by the actuaries, and lose if they die early. Salespeople are heavily compensated up-front, and annuity purchasers face heavy penalties if they attempt an early withdrawal.

The single question that can shut down any scammy pitch that provides up-front disproportionate rewards to the salesperson…

ARE YOU ACTING AS MY FIDUCIARY?

A sales representative with fiduciary duties is legally and ethically required to put your best interests before their own, even if their actions put them at a disadvantage. For a financial advisor with fiduciary responsibilities, this may mean telling you that the offered product has serious flaws and that you may be better served by purchasing another product that earns the sales representative little or no commission. Do not be fooled by a sales representative that explains that they are on salary and do not work on commissions – unless they are a fiduciary; you can be they are rewarded for their performance, possibly with monthly bonuses that called something other than commission.

Politics and money trump consumerism…

Once again the financial industry’s lobbyists have been hard at work to kill the Department of Labor’s so-called “Fiduciary Rule.”

The Department of Labor’s Fiduciary Rule significantly expanded the circumstances under which a salesperson is considered to be a “fiduciary” under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act or the Internal Revenue Code. The Fiduciary Rule was finalized in April 2016 and was originally scheduled to be phased in from April 10, 2017, to Jan. 1, 2018. As of June 21, 2018, the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals officially vacated the rule, effectively killing it. In a case brought by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the Financial Services Institute, and others, the Court ruled 2-1 that the rule was unreasonable and that the Department of Labor acted in an "an arbitrary and capricious exercise of administrative power." It will be up to the Department of Labor to appeal the ruling to the United States Supreme Court.

Bottom line…

Perhaps the best advice that can be given is from the Better Business Bureau who urges individuals to “investigate before you invest.” It takes a strong personality to tell a hard-charging salesperson that you want something in writing and will think it over. Presenting the deal to other “advisors” and letting them shoot it full of holes while they tout their products and self-interests.

Remember: ask if they are acting as a fiduciary and if they say yes, get it in writing on the company’s letterhead, signed by a corporate office (not the sales manager).

It’s your money, do not be ashamed to protect it from the financial vultures and sharks. Or as Mark Twain reminds us, "It is easier to stay out than get out."

-- 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


SURVEILLANCE STATE: GOOGLE, AMAZON, FACEBOOK AS PAID AGENTS OF THE GOVERNMENT?

The credit reporting companies, information aggregators, and advertising-driven companies like Google, Amazon, and Facebook are all commercial enterprises who can sell their information to the government, allowing the government to bypass any regulatory restrictions on the collection, storage, retrieval, and use of an individual’s personal information. And, best of all, YOU have given them permission to capture and use your information by just using their products or services under the ubiquitous one-sided “terms of use” agreement.

Is it a “smart home” or an electronic version of the all-seeing “panopticon,” originally a physical architectural form for a prison designed so that all parts of the interior are visible from a single point to allow continuous surveillance of those being watched?.

One need only consider the electronics built into so-called “smart televisions” that can monitor the individuals in the room, their activities to a limited extent, what they are watching and report the results to an unknown central server. Likewise, the iRobot floor-cleaning Roomba is capable of spatially-mapping the floor plan of your home and transmitting that information to an unknown central server. And, then there are the various voice-activated devices that can listen to your conversation, take selected actions, and then transmit that information to an unknown central server. It is not hard to imagine that the microphone contained in a smart thermostat could be turned into a surveillance device accessible by those with the keys to the kingdom or the government with an “administrative letter.”

And now comes another wrinkle from Google: Behavioral Monitoring and Reporting…

U.S. PATENT 1O,114,351
Smart-home automation system that suggests or automatically implements selected household policies based on sensed observations

[0072] By way of example, the high-power processor 20 and the low-power processor 22 may detect when a location (e.g., a house or room) is occupied (i.e., includes a presence of a human), up to and including whether it is occupied by a specific person or is occupied by a specific number of people (e.g., relative to one or more thresholds). In one embodiment, this detection can occur, e.g., by analyzing microphone signals, detecting user movements (e.g., in front of a device), detecting openings and closings of doors or garage doors, detecting wireless signals, detecting an internet protocol (IP) address of a received signal, detecting operation of one or more devices within a time window, or the like. Moreover, the high-power processor 20 and the low-power processor 22 may include image recognition technology to identify particular occupants or objects. 

[0220] In some embodiments, the received findings may control access to content 442 (e.g., Internet-based content, television content, allowed DVDs, etc.). For example, if the findings indicate that chores have not been completed and/or an excessive amount of content has been consumed, the household policy manager may restrict access to further content 442(assuming a household policy is implemented for such functionality). In some embodiments, access to content playback devices (e.g., a television 444 and/or computing device 446) may be restricted and/or allowed based upon findings. For example, when the findings indicate that chores have been completed, access to the devices 444 and/or 446 and/or content 442 may be granted.

[0222] The reporting/notification mechanisms and controlled devices mentioned above are provided merely as examples of how notifications may be provided and how devices may be controlled. The provided examples are not intended to limit the scope of notification mechanisms or controlled devices within the household. <Source>

It is not a stretch to consider intrusively monitoring your spouse, children, friends, business colleagues,  or even interrogating your garaged “smart” vehicle to provide a record of your comings and goings. All condensed into a report that makes the Constitution’s Fifth Amendment right against being compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against yourself. It should be worth noting that this provision does not mention “civil” cases nor are there any protections from nuisance lawsuits and demands for discovery materials.

Perhaps the situation can be best summarized by a GIF from an unknown source that is circulating on the internet…

amazon-listening

The coming battle over European-style privacy rights…

One might think that America, with its unique constitution and history of individualism, would be the first to attempt to codify the protection of an individual’s ownership of their information and restriction on unilateral terms of usage agreements that allow private companies to collect and use your information for their purposes.  

Facebook refuses to promise GDPR-style privacy protection for US users

Facebook is rolling out stronger privacy protections to users ahead of the introduction of Europe’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), but Mark Zuckerberg will not promise all future changes will apply to the company’s American users.

Although the initial tranche of changes, announced last week, will be available worldwide, Zuckerberg refused to commit to GDPR becoming the standard for the social network across the world.

His comments suggest that in some ways, American users will continue to find themselves with weaker privacy protections than their European counterparts.  <Source>

Bottom line…

There is little or no doubt in my mind that we will continue to be screwed by those who control our technology and possess the keys to the kingdom. As a side note: I am not allowing my Roomba to connect with my wi-fi network and will use the optional hand-held remote to communicate with the device using line-of-sight infrared signals. I will lose the ability to control my device remotely from my iPhone to schedule a periodic cleaning, but what the heck. Alternatively, some devices are switching to cellular-based systems which remotely transmit bursts of information periodically over the cellular network – over a system where the user has little or no control other to enter “airplane mode” or disable the device’s transmitter.

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


CLIMATE CHANGE IMPACTS IN THE UNITED STATES

The dirty little secret about climate change is not that the climate is changing as it has done since the formation of the Earth’s atmosphere, but that politics and money have thoroughly corrupted institutions, scientists, and projects that purport to find meaning in naturally-occurring chaotic systems with a degree of certitude that supports draconian freedom-denying public policies and wealth redistribution.

CLIMATE-IMPACT

1. Overview and Report Findings

Climate change is already affecting the American people in far reaching ways. Certain types of extreme weather events with links to climate change have become more frequent and/or intense, including prolonged periods of heat, heavy downpours, and, in some regions, floods and droughts. In addition, warming is causing sea level to rise and glaciers and Arctic sea ice to melt, and oceans are becoming more acidic as they absorb carbon dioxide. These and other aspects of climate change are disrupting people’s lives and damaging some sectors of our economy.

[OCS: This is literally true. Weather, the short term manifestation of climate, has always affected mankind. And extreme events have always proven to be disastrous, disruptive, and dangerous. But the real question is whether or not these events are simply part of the natural climate cycle and evidence suggests that the Earth has been hotter, colder, with more and with less atmospheric carbon dioxide.

For those who want to conflate and confuse the issue by saying storms are more dangerous and costly, one might want to consider factors such as the increasing population density, the cost or replacement structures using modern materials, and the failure of zoning laws and building codes for buildings in known hazardous areas. There is abundant proof that many so-called extreme weather events are linked to cycles and oscillations rather than “climate” per se. One merely needs to look at ENSO (El Niño-Southern Oscillation) to see how these cycles affect weather patterns.

According to the National Weather Service, ENSO “is a recurring climate pattern involving changes in the temperature of waters in the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean. On periods ranging from about three to seven years, the surface waters across a large swath of the tropical Pacific Ocean warm or cool by anywhere from 1°C to 3°C, compared to normal.

This oscillating warming and cooling pattern, referred to as the ENSO cycle, directly affects rainfall distribution in the tropics and can have a strong influence on weather across the United States and other parts of the world. El Niño and La Niña are the extreme phases of the ENSO cycle.”]


Climate Change: Present and Future

Evidence for climate change abounds, from the top of the atmosphere to the depths of the oceans. Scientists and engineers from around the world have meticulously collected this
evidence, using satellites and networks of weather balloons, thermometers, buoys, and other observing systems. Evidence of climate change is also visible in the observed and measured
changes in location and behavior of species and functioning of ecosystems. Taken together, this evidence tells an unambiguous story: the planet is warming, and over the last half century, this warming has been driven primarily by human activity.

[OCS: One might reasonably expect the planet to warm as we exit an ice age and enter an interglacial period. And as for the second part of the statement, about warming driven primarily by human activity, this is a big lie. To discount the effects of natural activity: the Sun’s solar energy output in all spectral bands, the production of extraterrestrial cosmic rays, the Earth’s position relative to the Sun, the Earth’s rotational and precessional dynamics, the Earth’s vuclanology and plate tectonics, the deep ocean currents, and the greatest self-regulating greenhouse gas, water vapor, is nonsensical and ludicrous.’'

Challenge any scientist to show you evidence of man’s climate signal amid the noise of climate’s natural variability. The fact that we cannot directly detect or measure such a signal means that we are reliant on deeply-flawed computer models with incomplete or incorrect assumptions and highly-massaged data.

models-vs-datasets

Change the observation time of day (TOBS) and see what happens…

global-warming-adjustments

Ask about the the cause of the hiatus in global warming…

no-warming-18yr3mo

Look at the sparsely-spaced observation points and inappropriate sites of temperature instrumentation. Ask why temperatures are reported as anomalies against an artificial baseline of 30 years which is not even a blink of an eye in considering geologic or climate time scales? ]

The graph the assessment authors do not want you to see…

Look at the blue lines denoting the release dates of the Climate Assessments against the background of data freely available from NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) which has been accused of fudging data toward a warming bias in present measurements and a cooling bias in earlier observations to enhance the apparent rate of change. Pretty much a demonstration of the natural variability of climate. Not exactly the footprint or precursor of a planetary emergency. And remember these are temperature anomalies – deviations from the artificial 30-year base line and not actual temperatures.

noaa

 

 

There is nothing new under the Sun…

If you think that the idea of global warming, greenhouse gases, and problems with fossil fuels is new and originated by Dr. James Hansen and his computer models, you might want to consider the work of Swedish scientist, Nobel Laureate, and a major contributor to the concepts of physical chemistry, Svante Arrhenius.

Arrhenius recognized in 1896 the benefits of a warmer Sweden and considered greenhouse gases, positing that doubling the atmospheric carbon dioxide might raise the temperature by approximately six degrees Fahrenheit. He also suggested that it might take 3,000 years of burning fossil fuels to double atmospheric carbon dioxide and “We would then have some right to indulge in the pleasant belief that our descendants, albeit after many generations, might live under a milder sky and in less barren surroundings than is our lot at present."

Bottom line…

Are you willing to surrender your nation’s sovereignty and your personal freedoms on the chance that there might be significant climate change in hundreds or thousands of years? Are you willing to enter a form of involuntary servitude to allow the fruits of your labor to be re-distributed by politicians to others in order to gain or maintain their political power? Are you willing to believe political, not scientific, organizations like the United Nations’ IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) who cherry picks select scientific findings and then uses them to justify a political agenda?

The truth is that the climate is changing, but the one invariant in the equation remains political corruption. There is a significant probability that the next planetary emergency (eliminating asteroid strikes, extreme solar events, and pandemics) might be a  retreat to a glacial period as the natural consequences of “reversion to the mean temperature.”

This report, like most other reports, is funded by the government and was compiled by people who have a significant interest in maintaining their positions, funding, prestige and subject to enough peer pressure to turn a lump of coal into a diamond.

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


THE RIGHT TO REMAIN UNMOLESTED BY RELIGIOUS ZEALOTS

dnd

With all the talk about the constitutional protection of religion, perhaps we should be reminded of the human right to remain unmolested by religious zealots regardless of how friendly and sincere they might be. 

I am not speaking about the Mormons on a mission, the Jehovah's Witnesses with their bible tracts, the orthodox Jewish Lubavitchers, the Scientologists with their “personality tests,” or even the malignant Islamicists who want you to convert or die. Not even the idiots who risk their lives to infiltrate places like North Korea to spread “The Word.”

I am speaking of those who believe it is their “duty” to enter “forbidden” primitive areas to bring their brand of religion to the indigenous people.

In particular, John Allen Chau, a 26-year-old “missionary” from Vancouver, Washington State, paid a group of local fisherman to take him and his Bible to India’s North Sentinel Island to “share the gospel” with islanders are openly hostile to visitors and live in the manner of their ancestors. It is no wonder that Chau was killed by a flight of arrows from an angered, and possibly afraid, culture.

It annoys me that many faith-based organizations regard Chau as a “martyr” for the cause. Perhaps, he should be viewed in the context of a potential “existential” threat to a people and culture who do not seek contact with the outside work and want to be left alone.

There are historical references to a number of Islanders who were forcibly kidnapped from the Island where the adults died in captivity – perhaps from unknown diseases introduced by the captors – and the children were returned to the Island. Since this happened in the late 19th century, maybe it became the foundation for fearing outside contact?

Perhaps this was expressed best in a Science Magazine article, “How Europeans brought sickness to the New World” with the opening paragraph, “In the Americas, the arrival of Europeans brought disease, war, and slavery to many indigenous peoples. Can some of the world’s last isolated groups avoid those fates as they make contact in the 21st century?”

Bottom line…

Perhaps the best advice comes from the fictional United Federation of Planets  and is known as the Prime Directive or Starfleet General Order 1 – “As the right of each sentient species to live in accordance with its normal cultural evolution is considered sacred, no Starfleet personnel may interfere with the normal and healthy development of alien life and culture. Such interference includes introducing superior knowledge, strength, or technology to a world whose society is incapable of handling such advantages wisely. Starfleet personnel may not violate this Prime Directive, even to save their lives and/or their ship, unless they are acting to right an earlier violation or an accidental contamination of said culture. This directive takes precedence over any and all other considerations and carries with it the highest moral obligation.

As might be expected, there are many moral and ethical lessons that may be learned from speculative/science fiction where ideas can be expressed within the non-judgmental, non-political context of other worlds and other peoples.

-- 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


LAWYERS DESCEND ON WOOLSEY WILDFIRE VICTIMS ...

The fire is contained, rain is forecast, and the emergency crews are preparing for rock/mudslides in the affected area…

fire-contained

Once again, a natural disaster or tragedy brings out the legion of lawyers …

front

Note the devices used to engage and encourage you to open their “junk mail” solicitation.

body

Note: this is the “settled” amount and may not necessarily be the amount received by the “injured” party after attorney fees and mitigation costs. And, the amounts seem rather low considering that these are probably the highest amounts from over 3,000 settled cases.

Another example…

2-pc

Bottom line…

I truly sympathize with those who suffered damage and whose insurance companies are reluctant to cover mitigation costs and damages. However, I would caution you to fully investigate any firm that specifically solicits your business via robo-calls, email, or snail mail to ensure that it is not “file and settles” operation using the numbers to generate their profits rather than redressing legitimate grievances.

Beware of lawyers who speak like serpents with forked tongues.

-- steve

Legal disclaimer: No representation or opinion, express or implied, is made with respect to the illustrated mailers, their sponsors or mailers contained herein.


“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


THANKSGIVING 2018

turkey

While it is intuitively obvious that many of us have much to be thankful for: our health, happiness, family, and friends – there should be a moment reserved to consider the future.

Many of our fellow Americans may not be enjoying the comfort of a home, a hot meal or the pleasant companionship of family and friends. And in these days of a 22-trillion dollar national debt, that is a crime.

No, I am not suggesting that we turn towards socialism and the failed prescription of “from each according to their ability, to each according to his needs,” but I am suggesting the manner in which public funds appear to be used to promote the self-interests of the political ruling class and their benefactors, the special interests.

Why, I am bound to ask, are so many people suffering when the politicians are telling us that they are acting to improve the lives of American citizens?

Where have all the billions spent on eliminating poverty, crime and decaying neighborhoods gone?

And why do inner city cesspools of decaying neighborhoods, crime and corruption still exist with such “enlightened” political leadership?

Truth be told, we are witnessing the continuation of the most corrupt government in the history of the United States. On all levels – local, state and federal. Politicians are offering their votes for sale, year-after-year, to those who provide campaign funds, voter support, and personal enrichment for themselves, their relatives and “special friends.”

We can see thuggish union leaders who have used the strength of their non-complaining members to push citizens away from the bargaining table so that self-serving deals can be struck between themselves and their paid representatives in government. Deals which cost citizens billions of dollars in higher costs, lost productivity and the reward of seniority over merit, complacency over innovation and most of all – the stifling of individualism to support the unexceptional collective.

We allow our leaders to speak of education – to inform and uplift our children to new heights, preparing them for competition on a global scale; while the evidence shows that the bulk of the money targeted for education is used for adults – the administrators, unionized employees and the special interests – and never reaches the classroom. We see our children becoming mind-numbed robots; worshiping an empty celebrity culture and playing mind-warping games on the latest electronic devices. The promise of computer assisted teaching has become the plague of computer-assisted babysitting. Our children cannot do math without a calculator and cannot prepare a research paper without Google, Wikipedia and a cut-and-paste environment.

We allow the nation to be led by a celebrity; a man who accomplishments appear to be almost accidental while the perception he is the ringmaster of an ongoing political circus. Yet, I am thankful Donald Trump and not Hillary Clinton, is the President. I am thankful that he is a fighter and willing to stand up to his opponents and the media. I am thankful that he has an innate sense of national pride. And, I am thankful that there are checks and balances built-in to the system.

We allow any political party to field corrupt, ideologically-driven candidates, most of them babbling platitudes while disguising personal failings that would not be accepted for a position on a school board much less high public office.

What the hell happened to those who believed that this generation was the “best and the brightest?” What happened to individual responsibility where individuals actually paid for what they wanted in terms of real time, effort and money?

So I ask you on this Thanksgiving holiday, where did we go wrong and are we going to allow a relatively small bunch of pandering politicians and their special interest friends to rule our lives?

How the hell did a community welcome race-baiters and communist agitators who wanted to incite a riot to promote themselves and their cause? All are bemoaning the death of a drug-addled thug who committed a strong-arm robbery and then challenged an armed policeman. How was it that the policeman was judged guilty by the community while the thug was turned into a martyr for civil rights? What civil rights give you the right to steal from your neighbors, riot, loot, and destroy public and private property?

Are we going to demand a return on the investment in our taxable labor to benefit ourselves, our family and our friends rather than those who contribute nothing to society, but take their piece of the action for non-performance?

Are we going to stop pretending that immigration is about racism and xenophobia and recognize that uncontrolled mobs of illegal aliens can alter the nation’s governance and culture in ways that are un-American?

Are we going to hold people accountable for their actions? Charity is one thing, but state-directed charity towards themselves is quite another. Especially when it is promoted behind a political agenda of “wealth redistribution” to gain the support of the masses.

Please open your eyes, look about and realize that there are those who do not wish America and its citizens well – and that there is a significant likelihood that these people have infiltrated our educational, law enforcement, government, and institutional infrastructure.

Think about next Thanksgiving and whether or not you will be thankful for what the corrupt politicians and more easily manipulated voters among us have wrought.

And, let us have a moment of silence for those who cannot be here to celebrate with us …

Capture11-10-2010-8.06.22 PM

-- steve

flag


“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


TREY GOWDY TAKES CARE OF IVANKA TRUMP: HO-HUM

UPDATE: WASHINGTON TIMES (SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2018)

Trey Gowdy: Republicans have already investigated Ivanka's emails more than Dems did Benghazi

Rep. Trey Gowdy, outgoing chairman of the House Oversight Committee, said Sunday that Republicans have done more in the last week to investigate Ivanka Trump’s emails than Democrats ever did on the 2012 Benghazi attack.

“Congress has a responsibility to make sure that the records and the Presidential Records Act is complied with, and that is true no matter who the person is, whether it’s Secretary Clinton or whether it’s Tom Perez or whether it’s Ivanka Trump,” Mr. Gowdy said on CBS’s “Face the Nation.”

“So we’ve taken steps, we’ve done more in the last week than some of my House Democrat colleagues did the entire time we were looking into Benghazi,” he said. “So I’m at peace with what we’ve done, but we need the information and we need it quickly.” <Source>

Original Blog Post…

 

trey

Representative Trey Gowdy (R-SC), the retiring Republican chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, known for his fiery rhetoric, sharp letters requesting information, and combative hearing demeanor is investigating Ivanka Trump’s use of her personal email account to conduct government business.

Specifically, Gowdy has asked the White House Chief of Staff, John Kelly, to provide additional information about how Ivanka Trump’s emails were handled by the White House. And how the use of a non-governmental email account affects the Presidential Records Act and security matters involving Presidential communications.

gowdy-hdr

The Honorable John F. Kelly
Chief of Staff
The White House
Washington, D.C. 20500

Dear General Kelly:


On September 25, 2017, the Committee requested documents and information from the
White House related to compliance with federal recordkeeping laws, the use of private email
accounts, and the use of text messaging and other phone-based applications and encryption
software to conduct official business. In response to the request, the Counsel's office provided information in a bipartisan briefing on October 18, 2017.

During the briefing, the Counsel's office advised there was an ongoing review related to
information requested by the Committee on September 25, and the review covered certain
allegations of recordkeeping noncompliance. The Counsel's office committed to in possession of the
findings of the internal review with the Committee as soon as practicable.

Today, it was disclosed Assistant to the President Ivanka Trump used a personal email
account to communicate about official White House business.
According to a spokesman, Ms. Trump "sometimes used her personal account, almost always for logistics and scheduling concerning her family." The spokesman also stated Ms. Trump turned over all her government related emails months ago so they could be stored permanently with other White House records.

Ms. Trump's use of a personal email account for official communications may implicate
the Presidential Records Act and other security and record.keeping requirements. In light of the importance and necessity of preserving the public record and doing so in a manner that is reflective of relevant statutory and regulatory requirements, the Committee must assess whether the White House took adequate steps to archive Ms. Trump's emails and prevent a recurrence.
To assist the Committee, please provide the following documents and information:

1. Identify with specificity the number of emails to and from Ms. Trump's personal email
account referring or relating to official business;

2. Certify whether and how each of those emails was preserved and archived in accordance
with relevant recordkeeping statutes, including the Presidential Records Act;

3. Describe whether the emails in question contained sensitive or classified information; and

4. Provide documents sufficient to describe any regular updates and reminders to White
House staff about prohibited use of private email.

Please provide a response to the above as soon as possible, but no later than December 5,
2018. Additionally, provide a briefing to update the Committee on the status of the internal
review of the White House's recordkeeping practices, to include any interim findings related to Ms. Trump's use of a personal email account. If you have any questions about this letter, please contact Steve Castor of my staff at (202) 225-5074.

gowdy-ftr

While most news reports cite Gowdy’s bona fides as a six-year stint as a federal prosecutor in the District of South Carolina to prove he is both tough and fair, I have yet to see any Gowdy-led investigation that actually led to someone being held accountable for criminal acts. Or, even following up on subpoenas for failing to turn over documents.

Gowdy, the so-called “Republican point man” in the House investigation of Hillary Clinton's email use surely had enough information in the public domain to make a case for violations of the Espionage Act, the destruction of documents, lying to investigators, and obstruction of justice. And beyond Hillary Clinton, there was the document treasure trove on Huma Abedin’s computer in possession of her estranged/deranged husband, Anthony Weiner (D-NY). Another investigation left to die a natural death.

With the retirement of Gowdy, one only wonders why he still shows up in Committee meetings.

Bottom line…

Smoke and mirrors. Yada, Yada, Yada!

-- 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