02 December 2010

Wikileaks and other topics

By now most everybody knows that Wikileaks has dumped a whole truck load of emails, cables, and other information on the internet. Good for them, good for us also.
First, let me share a couple of "reactions" to this latest data dump by that organization.
The first one is from our least favorite former half-term governor. Yep, the failin' Palin wants Mr. Assange to be "hunted down" as if he were some member of al-Qaeda or some other "terrorist" outfit. The other "reaction" I want to share with you is from a "man of god". Yep, it is from another former governor, this time Arkansas though. I refer you to one Mike Huckster-bee. This supposed "man of god" said that Mr. Assange should be exterminated. Wow, some "god" old Huckster-bee believes in. I was told, back in my youth, that Christians said that god was a god of love. Well, maybe Huckster-bee is thinking more along the lines of "tough love".
Other reactions to this latest data dump have called Mr. Assange a "traitor". Now this is very odd. How so you ask? Well, Mr. Julian Assange is NOT a citizen of America. Nope, I believe he is Australian. Now he could not be guilty of being a traitor to the United States as he is NOT an US citizen. Only a citizen of this country could ever be guilty of being a traitor to it. A foreign citizen cannot ever be a traitor to America. He CAN be classified as an enemy of America, no doubt that has already been done by some clown in "our" government. There is a Interpol arrest warrant out for him on some charge or other. No doubt related, again, to a rather discredited charge in Sweden. Well, no doubt there will be more on this in the next few days. Stay tuned to the net for further updates.
Mean while, back in the US of A, we have the "wonderful" elephant gang signing a letter to Gobomber that they will refuse to vote for ANY legislation of ANY sort until they get the tax cuts for the very rich passed. Yes, the "patriotic" elephant gang are holding the country hostage until the tax cuts for the wealthiest people in the country are passed and signed off on by Gobomber. And this is the very same gang who are allowing the unemployment benefits for 2 million(!) families expire. What a "nice" Christmas gift to those folks. Makes one wonder just how can we ever "thank" these elephant gang folks. I have an idea, how about we, the people vote their nasty asses OUT of office next election, IF there is one that is. The way this "security state" is progressing, I am beginning to wonder if we will have many more elections here in the US of A.
Face it folks, America IS becoming a police state and it gets worse by the day.
WE have an ever increasing "security" regime being pushed onto us, been to an airport recently? I have not, and I refuse to fly any where. The airlines want to play along with this bullshit, well, screw them. If I cannot drive to where I want to go, I just will not go there. There are even internet sites that are organizing "no fly" actions. About time in my opinion. I quit flying years ago. It was after a major back surgery. I had to wear a back brace for six months after that surgery. Well, we decided to fly to lost wages (Las Vegas) for a short vacation. We usually drove as it was a nice drive from southern California and I like to drive. We were going with another couple, the wife worked with the wife of the other couple. Any way, we all decided to fly this time. Going through the airport in Ontario was no problem. Coming home was though. As I was approaching the gate in the Vegas airport, a "security" clown decided that I looked suspicious. Well, my sweater may have been a bit bulky, but I was wearing a back brace. He decided that he needed to "inspect" the brace. Now this was done right there, at the gate, in full view of the world. I told him what it was and could we go to anther room. Nope, right here, right now.  It really was no big deal, I had a t-shirt on under the brace so nobody "saw" anything. The whole incident however ended with me and my wife deciding that we would never fly anywhere again.  That took place in 1984 and I have not been on any aircraft since. What passes for "security" today is even more intrusive and it is not needed. That fact has been proven by others who have "beat" security checks even since the latest "improvements" to airport "security".
In short, a determined terrorist will find a way to beat,cheat, or by pass any security measures.
Fact, every  new security measure that is introduced today, for example, is already in the process of being defeated. I know this as a fact. I worked for a few years for a company that made "Stinger" missiles. Before the first production run was even started, we were working on an updated version so that when the first edition was able to be "cheated" we would have a newer one that could defeat the counter-measure. This is just the way the world works folks. As soon as the newest lock comes on the market, somebody is working to break it. In short, we can never have anything even close to "perfect" security.
Life has risks associated with it. That is just the way life is. We should minimize the risks, like wearing seat belts when we drive our cars and trucks. Wearing a helmet when you ride a motorcycle or ATV is a good idea. Same when you ride a bicycle. There is no such thing as perfect security. Even if you stayed in bed you are not "totally safe". Nope, there could be a nasty thunderstorm in your area and the roof may fall in on your bed.
In short, we can minimize some of the risks in this life, but we can never be totally secure, such a thing does not, cannot exist.
The larger problem, my view, is that by giving in to this over-hyped "security" we lose our liberties. Each new security measure is an affront to our personal liberty. As old Ben Franklin is supposed to have said; "those who give up their liberty for temporary security, deserve neither liberty nor security".
We must not allow ourselves to become a nation of cowards, hiding behind the false "security" of the TSA, NSA, CIA, or any of the countless "security" agencies that are supposedly working for us. They do not work for us, they work for the elites, the banksters and the politicians and their paymasters.
By giving in to this "security" crap we are basically letting the government treat us all as criminals. How so? Well, the intrusive "security" checks at the airports do violate our Fourth Amendment rights. The Fourth Amendment says; "The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against which unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized." There you have it, a word-for-word quote of the Fourth Amendment of the Constitution. Now, just what "probable cause" do any of you folks present to the TSA when you want to fly some where? Is the very act of buying an airline ticket now "probable cause" to search you and your person and effects? If so, then by all means, go and fly and "enjoy" the back scatter X-rays and/or the intrusive "pat downs" by the TSA. If not, then quit flying. Oh, and write letters, make phone calls to the airlines and let them know why you refuse to fly.
When we give in to this "security" at the airport, we are basically letting the TSA and, by extension, the government, to treat us as criminals.  I don't know about anybody else, but for myself, I did NOT serve honorably in the Marine Corps for four years with a  tour in Vietnam just to "allow" some agency or other to treat me as a criminal just because I may want to fly to some other city. Screw that shit, I'll take my chances on the road thanks all the same.
semper fi