All the News That's Fit to be Tied

I have an axe to grind, but unlike the New York Times, I freely admit it.

Wednesday, March 21, 2018

A Petition For Privacy

The latest “trumped” up scandal to try to destroy or at least cripple the Trump Presidency concerns the British firm Cambridge Analytics. They are accused (though they claim otherwise) of selling information and data to the Trump Presidential Campaign, as if this is some unusual act like necrophilia or something. Facebook was the first to complain, despite the fact that it opened the Facebook user base to the Presidential campaign of Barack Obama, which in part is credited with allowing the campaign to reach millions of new Millennial voters. However all that is a distraction from the real issue. Privacy is vanishing and by virtue of our inaction we are cooperating in its demise. Data about us is collected from our computers, telephones, jobs, credit bureaus, government agencies, organizations and clubs we participate in. Non-profit organizations sell our names, addresses, ages, salaries, employment data, income level and the list goes on. Even the Dept. of Motor Vehicles sells your information when you register your car or boat or trailer or truck and your driver’s license. Google and other apps track and record your every move, every store, every destination  throughout the day and sends to a central location where it is stored and sold. When you search for something on the web, stores selling that item start appearing in your browser. If you buy something the store or place you bought it from appears in your browser to sell you more. What is even worse is you can’t escape it without returning to the Stone Age. Did you ever try to close a Facebook account. It is almost impossible and even after you have succeeded, which can take months, they still keep your data. What about Google; they ain’t stupid. With a little work you can find out where all this monitoring activity takes place on your phone, however if you, for instance, turn off “location services” things like Google Maps or I-Phone’s  Find my Phone app wont work. I could go on for a long time on this but you get the idea. I hope that when the Congress looks into the collection and distribution of the personal data of individuals it decides that we need some protection from such intrusive activity. Privacy laws must be updated and people must have better options for opting out of what can only be called subversive and intrusive activity.

Thursday, March 15, 2018

Look Out For Democrats in Republican Clothing

Everyone has heard the saying “a wolf in sheeps clothing,” and that is what we see in the Carter Lamb strategy of the 2018 Democrat Party. In the Pennsylvania Special Election Democrat Carter Lamb campaigned on supporting the Second Amendment, being Pro Life, supporting Trump’s tariff program and eschewing House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi. In other words he campaigned as a Conservative in a district President Trump took by 20 points and was until this election a safe Republican seat. The Democrat Party just wants to win any Republican seat. Whatever conservative notions Carter Lamb has will be exorcised the day he is sworn in. He will vote for gun control, support abortion, be against the President’s tax and tariff programs and support whatever Leader the Democrats put up, be it Pelosi or someone else. Carter Lamb’s talking points and campaign rhetoric fooled enough Republicans to win the election by a small and still contested margin of 601 votes. Hopefully enough voters paid attention and now understand the Democrat’s Carter Lamb strategy. Do not be fooled by Democrats in Republicans suits and dresses. Republicans must keep the House and Senate to move the Trump Agenda.

Thursday, March 8, 2018

California: America’s First Third World State

California is on its way to becoming the first third world state in America. With a middle class leaving the state in big numbers California is becoming a state of two classes.  The rich, powerful and connected living in gated, walled and guarded compounds, and poor white, minority, and illegal alien squatters living in slums, tent cities and the empty homes and commercial buildings deserted by its fleeing residents. California is the 6th largest economy in the world and recent decisions by California officials have moved the state into the third world danger zone. The state has become a magnet for the homeless and more than 2.5 million illegal aliens. Vagrants populate the streets of its major cities, tent cities are visible along its major roads and at the same time the rich, powerful and connected lived in fenced compounds with armed guards to protect them from the riff-raff. The state government has decided it will chose which laws it will support and which it will not. When it’s citizens make the same choice there will be no law and third worldism will have arrived in what may become a less than golden state. These are the things that characterize third world countries. California, it seems, is on its way to becoming the first third-world State.