Monday, January 31, 2011

Internet Kill Switch

Bet you thought I would be talking about Egypt wouldn't you?
But no, listen here as Obama Criticizes the Egyptian President for shutting down the Internet while our own government introduces a bill to do the same thing, in an "emergency" of course. Don't believe government lies anymore people.



As Egypt goes offline US gets internet 'kill switch' bill ready Ben Grubb and Asher Moses
January 31, 2011 - 1:20PM

As Egypt's government attempts to crackdown on street protests by shutting down internet and mobile phone services, the US is preparing to reintroduce a bill that could be used to shut down the internet.

The legislation, which would grant US President Barack Obama powers to seize control of and even shut down the internet, would soon be reintroduced to a senate committee, Wired.com reported.

It was initially introduced last year but expired with a new Congress.

Senator Susan Collins, a co-sponsor of the bill, said that unlike in Egypt, where the government was using its powers to quell dissent by shutting down the internet, it would not. (Sure, sure)

“My legislation would provide a mechanism for the government to work with the private sector in the event of a true cyber emergency,” Collins said in an emailed statement to Wired. “It would give our nation the best tools available to swiftly respond to a significant threat.”

The proposed legislation, introduced into the US Senate by independent senator Joe Lieberman, who is chairman of the US Homeland Security committee, seeks to grant the President broad emergency powers over the internet in times of national emergency.

Although the bill was targeted at protecting the US, many have said it would also affect other nations.

One of Australia's top communications experts, University of Sydney associate professor Bjorn Landfeldt, had previously railed against the idea, saying shutting down the internet would "inflict an enormous damage on the entire world".

He said it would be like giving a single country "the right to poison the atmosphere, or poison the ocean".

The scale of Egypt's crackdown on the internet and mobile phones amid deadly protests against the rule of President Hosni Mubarak is unprecedented in the history of the web, experts have said.

US President Barack Obama, social networking sites and rights groups around the world all condemned the moves by Egyptian authorities to stop activists using mobile phones and cyber technology to organise rallies.

"It's a first in the history of the internet," Rik Ferguson, an expert for Trend Micro, the world's third biggest computer security firm, said.

"In an action unprecedented in internet history, the Egyptian government appears to have ordered service providers to shut down all international connections to the internet," James Cowie of Renesys said in a blog post.

Condemnation of Egypt's internet crackdown has been widespread.

Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called on Cairo to restore the internet and social networking sites.

Facebook, the world's largest social network with nearly 600 million members, and Twitter also weighed in.

"Although the turmoil in Egypt is a matter for the Egyptian people and their government to resolve, limiting Internet access for millions of people is a matter of concern for the global community," said Andrew Noyes, a Facebook spokesman.

Twitter, which has more than 175 million registered users, said of efforts to block the service in Egypt: "We believe that the open exchange of info & views benefits societies & helps govts better connect w/ their people."
"This action is inconsistent with all international human rights norms, and is unprecedented in internet history," said Leslie Harris, president of the Center for Democracy and Technology in the United States.



And if Obama and the progressives get their wish it will be coming to this country soon.

Thursday, January 27, 2011

New Look

Well the blog has a new look. Go and look around and tell me what you think.

Thanks

Some Tell the Truth

Listen to Jesse Jackson finally tell the people at a progressive convention the truth. What is more shocking is the idiots applauding giving the government more control over their lives.



Thank God the words were there also huh?

Some Lie

Here is the lie:


Here is the truth:

This year alone, Social Security is projected to collect $45 billion less in payroll taxes than it pays out in retirement, disability and survivor benefits, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said Wednesday. That figure swells to $130 billion when a new one-year cut in payroll taxes is included, though Congress has promised to repay any lost revenue from the tax cut. Social Security will post nearly $600 billion in deficits over the next decade
The massive retirement program has been feeling the effects of a struggling economy for several years. The program first went into deficit last year – the first deficit since it was last overhauled in the 1980s. But CBO said last year that Social Security would post surpluses for a few more years before permanently slipping into deficits in 2016.
The outlook, however, has grown bleaker as the nation struggles to recover from its worst economic crisis since Social Security was enacted during the Great Depression. In the short term, Social Security is suffering from a weak economy that has payroll taxes lagging and applications for benefits rising. In the long term, Social Security will be strained by the growing number of baby boomers retiring and applying for benefits.

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Somebody Making A Stand

Jesse Ventura Suing TSA for ‘Sexual Assault’ Pat-Downs

Former wrestler and one-term Minnesota governor Jesse “The Body” Ventura is suing Homeland Security (DHS), the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), and their leaders for getting too cozy with his body during a security screening. Ventura claims new security procedures amount to “sexual assault.”

In the official complaint filed Monday in the U.S. District Court for Minnesota, Ventura is suing DHS and its secretary, Janet Napolitano, as well as TSA and its administrator, John Pistole.

According to KSTP-TV in Minnesota, Ventura accuses the agencies of violating his “basic rights to privacy and dignity, and his right to be free from unreasonable searches and seizures,” after receiving a pat-down by a TSA agent at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport in November 2010.

Ventura, in the suit, describes the pat-down as “warrantless, non-suspicion-based offensive touching, gripping and rubbing of the genital and other sensitive areas of his body,“ and says it met ”the definition for an unlawful sexual assault.”

“He‘s made a decision that someone needs to make a stand and he’s not one to back down from a fight,” Ventura’s lawyer, David Olsen, told KSTP. “He sees the erosion of civil liberties here and he’s willing to stand up not only for himself, but for others.”

KMSP in Minneapolis reports Ventura claims his metal hip has exposed him to a new level of unfair scrutiny:

According to the lawsuit, Ventura received a hip replacement in 2008, and since then, his titanium implant has set off metal detectors at airport security checkpoints. The lawsuit said that prior to last November officials had used a non-invasive hand-held wand to scan his body as a secondary security measure.

But when Ventura set off the metal detector in November, he was instead subjected to a body pat-down and was not given the option of a scan with a hand-held wand or an exemption for being a frequent traveler, the lawsuit said.

Ventura now refuses to fly commercially.

From: http://www.theblaze.com/stories/jesse-ventura-suing-tsa-for-sexual-assault-pat-downs/

Good Luck, I hope he wins one for the Americans!!!

Thursday, January 20, 2011

Amazing

I sure hope someone picks up on this. I found this rather amazing.

I was working on a Microsoft program the other day and decided to look up the synonymes to the word "Enlightened" and this is what it came up with:
"Progressive"
"Free-thinking"
"Liberal"
"Open-minded"
"Tolerant"

Does anyone else think this is a little odd or have I just had too long a day?

Settin'em Straight

Great Video of Glenn Beck setting Meredith Viera from the Today Show straight.


http://www.theblaze.com/stories/glenn-beck-joins-keith-ablow-on-today/

Who Says Obama Isn't Creating Jobs?

Government Motors, also known as Obama Motors is hiring around 1000 workers to create a new "green" motor.

GM to invest extra $540 million in Mexico to build motors
MEXICO CITY (AFP) – US giant General Motors will invest $540 million to produce two low-emission motors in central Mexico, the company announced here Thursday, accompanied by President Felipe Calderon.

The latest project for GM in Mexico would create 500 direct and another 500 indirect jobs in its plant in Toluca, Calderon said.

GM has four plants in Mexico, and has invested some $5 billion here since 2006, Calderon said.

From: http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110120/ts_alt_afp/mexicousautocompanygm

Yes you read that right Obama is creating jobs for the workers of Mexico. So it sounds to me like the United Auto Workers are shipping 1000 jobs out of this country and into Mexico to create so called "green" motors.

Thursday, January 13, 2011

Good Video

Check out the video at the link below.


http://drrobphotostop.blogspot.com/2011/01/great-reminder-for-people-dealing-with.html

Today's Headlines

Jobless Claims and Food Prices Jump: http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE70A41H20110113


Over 1 million Americans seen losing homes in 2011: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_foreclosure_rates


S&P, Moody's Warn On U.S. Credit Rating: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703583404576079311379009904.html?mod=WSJ_hp_LEFTWhatsNewsCollection

Not Hard To Believe

Family charged 'death tax' for baby who lived one hour

SEATTLE -- Olivia Clark lived for only one hour. Doctors didn't even expect her to survive birth. Now her family has a hard time understanding why the King County Medical Examiner has to review her death and charge $50.

Her grandparents say Olivia was polycystic and, as a result, her lungs never developed. So, her short life was a miracle.

"We were thrilled that she lived long enough that we could meet her alive and talk about her and see her while she was still alive," says Larry Clark, her grandfather.

Although her parents were from Yakima, they came to the University of Washington Medical Center for her delivery. As a result, Olivia died in King county. Her family soon learned the impact that would have when they received the funeral bill.

"There was a little line on there near the bottom of the bill that said 'King county death tax: $50.' And we looked at that, and looked at that and looked at each other and said 'what is that?' Couldn't believe that a little girl that lived for an hour has to pay a $50 tax," said Larry.

Full Story: http://www.king5.com/news/local/Family-charged-with-death-tax-for-baby-who-lives-one-hour-113256474.html

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Toay's Headlines

World Comes Closer to Food Price Shock: http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/a2aa510a-1e89-11e0-87d2-00144feab49a.html#axzz1AscPcwsD


Oil Nears $100 dollars (That damn Bush and his oil cronies. . . oh wait. . .?) http://af.reuters.com/article/idAFL3E7CC0B820110112?sp=true


Soaring Commodities: http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/8a72aba4-1e7b-11e0-87d2-00144feab49a.html#axzz1AscPcwsD


Start getting yourselves prepared.

Wednesday, January 5, 2011

Time To Get Out of Your 401K?

Yes, in my opinion. You might just be crazy if you think they won't come for it here in this country. Some have already tossed the idea around.

Read the article below:

Europe starts confiscating private pension funds
By: Mark Hemingway


The U.S. isn't the only place that's facing a major pension fund crisis. The Christian Science Monitor has this alarming report:

People’s retirement savings are a convenient source of revenue for governments that don’t want to reduce spending or make privatizations. As most pension schemes in Europe are organised by the state, European ministers of finance have a facilitated access to the savings accumulated there, and it is only logical that they try to get a hold of this money for their own ends. In recent weeks I have noted five such attempts: Three situations concern private personal savings; two others refer to national funds.

The most striking example is Hungary, where last month the government made the citizens an offer they could not refuse. They could either remit their individual retirement savings to the state, or lose the right to the basic state pension (but still have an obligation to pay contributions for it). In this extortionate way, the government wants to gain control over $14bn of individual retirement savings.

The article goes on to detail other pension grabs in Bulgaria, Poland, France and Ireland. Obviously, this is a cautionary tale for America. If fiscal austerity becomes a real issue in the U.S. the way that it's been reaching critical mass in Europe -- don't think that U.S. lawmakers regard your either your personal wealth or money they might owe you as sacrosanct. Government has a habit of looking out for itself.



Read more at the Washington Examiner: http://washingtonexaminer.com/blogs/beltway-confidential/2011/01/europe-starts-confiscating-private-pension-funds#ixzz1ADuneLuS