Off The Top with Red Kingman

Have you ever read the privacy policy of Twitter?  Maybe you should!  Check this out my unsuspecting Twittermates:

 “Any information that you provide to Twitter is subject to our Privacy Policy, which governs our collection and use of your information. You understand that through your use of the Services YOU CONSENT TO THE COLLECTION AND USE (as set forth in the Privacy Policy) OF THIS INFORMATION, INCLUDING THE TRANSFER OF THIS INFORMATION TO THE UNITED STATES AND/OR OTHER COUNTRIES FOR STORAGE, PROCESSING, AND USE BY TWITTER.” (emphasis added)

Paul Hakel wrote on thedailysheeple.com "Of course being off social networks prevents countless business/etc. opportunities, and being on them allows other people to stupidly post, “LOL, LIEK OMG THAT PARTY WAS AWESOME LAST NIGHT!” “IT WAS A PLEASURE MEETING YOU AT SECRET MEETING WHICH I SHOULDN’T HAVE PUBLICLY MENTIONED THAT YOU WERE AT!” Everything is public, everything is public.

Google wants to have everyone SIGN IN THEIR LOCATION every time people use PLUS on the Ipad. Techno-fascism.

GMAIL goes in to our emails to find content to provide advertising for.  Here is more of that privacy policy"

“Law and Harm: Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Policy, we may preserve or disclose your information if we believe that it is reasonably necessary to comply with a law, regulation or legal request; to protect the safety of any person; to address fraud, security or technical issues; or to protect Twitter’s rights or property. However, nothing in this Privacy Policy is intended to limit any legal defenses or objections that you may have to a third party’s, including a government’s, request to disclose your information.”

“Business Transfers: In the event that Twitter is involved in a bankruptcy, merger, acquisition, reorganization or sale of assets, your information may be sold or transferred as part of that transaction. The promises in this Privacy Policy will apply to your information as transferred to the new entity.”

I am seriously considering cancelling my gmail account as I rarely use, and Im leaning towards doing the same with my Twitter account (although that one is strictly used for work purposes).  How do you feel about their privacy policy whether youuse Twitter or not?

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then these sentiments are....priceless!

I just read that Florida election officials are set to announce that the secretary of state has discovered and purged up to 53,000 dead voters from the voter rolls in Florida.

How could 53,000 dead voters have sat on the polls for so long?  Simple. Because Florida had not been using the best available data revealing which voters have died.  Florida is now using the nationwide Social Security Death Index for determining which voters should be purged because they have died.

That's the good news.  Here is the bad news.  Most states aren’t using the same database that Florida is.  In fact, I have heard tell of reports that some election officials won’t even remove voters even when they are presented with a death certificate!  You must be asking yourself "Surely you jest Red?!?".  I jest not!  That means that voter rolls across the nation still are filled with dead voters, even if Florida is leading the way in detecting and removing them.

Just another case of the dear rising for election day.  And it pains me that most liberals don't think that we need election reform.  At least not if we want to elect another democrat!

Isn't it quite curious that the first act of then President elect Barack Hussein Obama, the first Arab-American President, was to issue executive order 13489 banning release of ANY of his records.  Never mind the Freedom of Information Act and everyone else!  And why aren't liberals more interested in this inauspicious act?

Also curious is the fact that the media won't talk about the investigation the Sheriff is leading into the Presidents birth certificate which he has concluded is a possible forgery, or the fact that his posse has been denied access to the Presidents Selective Service records (you can't view them either..remember executive order 13489??).  But they WILL talk about how the DOJ is suing the Sheriff over possible immigration issues..particularly the fact that he is enforcing laws that the Federal Government refuses to enforce!  Thats news??

Anyone ELSE think that the media is not biased?  Do you need MORE examples?  There are many!!! 

Anyway, back to the issue at hand, the presidential orders.  Did you know that without Congressional approval, the President now has the power to transfer whole populations to any part of the country, the power to suspend the Press and to force a national registration of all persons? The President, in essence, has dictatorial powers never provided to him under the Constitution. The President has the power to suspend the Constitution and the Bill of Rights in a real or perceived emergency. Unlike Lincoln and Roosevelt, these powers are not derived from a wartime need, but from any crisis, domestic or foreign, hostile or economic. (Thank George Dubba-you for that suspend the constitutional executive order)

Liberals probably can justify each and every one of Obama's EO's as "necessary to the protection of the Republic", but why issue an order banning the release of ANY of his own records?  And why don't liberals even care?  What are your thoughts?

What does austerity mean in for these times of global financial unrest?  Austerity is when the wealthy attempt to push the effects of their recessions onto the backs of working people, who need only to collectively push back and force the 1% to pay instead.

Which brings me to the silence of the U.S. politicians on the issue. The giant austerity measures that are driving Europe to the edge of revolution have been delayed on the federal level in the U.S. until after the November elections. Then, the seldom discussed budget “sequesters” will go into effect — automatic cuts to federal spending of $100 billion, every year until 2021.

What are budget "sequesters"?  

Oh yes, one more thing, after the election federally enhanced unemployment insurance expires, as does the federal payroll tax cut. That's right!  Obama’s stimulus plan that supported states and city governments petered out at the end of 2011, adding pain to the ongoing deficit crunch nationwide.

Four more years! Four more years!  Four more years!

A federal judge granted a preliminary injunction late Wednesday to block provisions of the 2012 National Defense Authorization Act that would allow the military to indefinitely detain anyone it accuses of knowingly or unknowingly supporting terrorism.

Signed by President Barack Obama on New Year’s Eve, the 565-page NDAA contains a short paragraph, in statute 1021, letting the military detain anyone it suspects “substantially supported” al-Qaida, the Taliban or “associated forces.” The indefinite detention would supposedly last until “the end of hostilities.”

In a 68-page ruling blocking this statute, U.S. District Judge Katherine Forrest agreed that the statute failed to “pass constitutional muster” because its broad language could be used to quash political dissent.

Wow, thats what I thought too!  I wonder what liberals will make of this?

An oil tanker belonging to Iran’s state-owned shipping line has been switching flags and using multiple companies to transport crude from Syria to Iran, illustrating how Tehran is helping to sidestep international efforts to choke the finances of Bashar al-Assad, Syrian president.

Documents obtained by the Financial Times show the vessel, operated by the Islamic Republic International Shipping Lines, sailed from Syria to the Gulf of Oman and then Iran, using different flags and changing owners.

Oil sanctions imposed by the EU, which bought 95 per cent of Syria’s oil exports, have hit the country particularly hard. The sector accounted for 20 per cent of gross domestic product before the uprising began.

Thats one way to get around those nasty international oil sanctions.

It's time to play the eye opening blogger game "Who Said It?".  I willprovide you with a statement, and all youhave to do is tell me who, or, what organization made the statement.  Here we go:

Who or what organization said the following:

“Population policy has a long lead time; other development policies must adapt in the meantime. Inaction today forecloses options tomorrow, in overall development strategy and in future population policy. Worst of all, inaction today could mean that more drastic steps, less compatible with individual choice and freedom, will seem necessary tomorrow to slow population growth.”

And this:

“By taxing and spending in ways that provide couples with specific incentives and disincentives to limit their fertility, government policy can also affect fertility in the short run. Government can offer “rewards” for women who defer pregnancy; it can compensate people who undergo sterilization for loss of work and travel costs; and it can provide insurance and old-age security schemes for parents who restrict the size of their families. Each of these public policies works through signals which influence individual and family decisions- when to marry, whether to use contraception, how long to send children to school, and life expectancy, and whether and how much family members work.”

And finally who said this:

“To complement family planning services and social programs that help to reduce fertility, governments may want to consider financial and other incentives and disincentives as additional ways of encouraging parents to have fewer children. Incentives may be defined as payments given to an individual, couple, or group to delay or limit child-bearing or to use contraceptives. (…). Disincentives are the withholding of social benefits from those whose family size exceeds a desired norm.”

So, who or what organization said those things listed above?  The answer is the World Bank.  Scared yet?  

As voter registration and identity fraud becomes a hot button issue across State legislatures you’d think that at least one group of voters – our elected officials – would understand the importance of laws and procedures designed to maintain the integrity of our legislative process.

According to the rules of the Texas State House of Representatives, for example:

"Any member found guilty by the House of knowingly voting for another member on the voting machine shall be subject to discipline deemed appropriate by the House"

Now watch this video and explain to me how this can happen inplain sight?

A hundred years ago, the average life expectancy in the United States was 47 years. In 2009, the federal government recently announced that it is 78 years. And, now, in an age when NASA has machines roving Mars, many states are extending the voting life of citizens for years after they are medically pronounced dead. There are 116,000 dead eligible voters in Massachusetts.  And in Florida, one major newspaper recently investigated and reported that almost 15,000 dead Floridians are still hanging around on the election rolls - just six weeks before one of the most vicious and important election cycles in our history. Can it be the sun?  Most States have similar statistics. 

Every two years, states must report to the federal Election Assistance Commission (EAC) information about the integrity and accuracy of their voter rolls. The latest report is not good news for our democracy - or our international reputation.  South Dakota, Texas, Kentucky, Mississippi and Indiana report in excess of a dozen counties with more registered voters than breathing human beings old enough to vote. West Virginia, Maryland, Iowa and North Carolina also reported having eligible deceased voters on their rolls. The list goes on and on.  And so does the real risk that these voters will have illegal votes registered in their names. Close races, like the Franken/Coleman race in Minnesota can be decided on just a handful of votes. 

This outrage MUST BE STOPPED!  Or, are you of the mindset that these are isolated incidents and that there are too many folks crying "wolf" over this issue?

In case you weren't aware of this, let me break the news for you:  High tech street lights with “homeland security applications” are now being installed in major U.S. cities.  The street lights also have loudspeakers that can give audible warnings to individuals,mimicking the talking surveillance cameras in the UK that shout out orders through microphones telling people to pick up litter or leave the area.

“The built-in speaker can broadcast emergency information,” states the press release, adding, “SmartSite luminaires can be equipped with a variety of cameras and sensors to ensure real-time 24/7-security coverage. The sensors detect a variety of threats that enable rapid response from emergency personnel or help prevent crime and gain control of the streets.”

Not only can the street lights, now being rolled out in Detroit, Chicago and Pittsburgh with Department of Energy backing, act as surveillance cameras, Minority Report-style advertising hubs, and Homeland Security alert systems, they are “also capable of recording conversations,”according to a report by ABC 7.

The ABC video clip, featured at the end of this article, includes creepy footage of the street lights being used to transmit Orwellian security alerts, including “pay attention please….please stand by for a public safety announcement,” and “this is a security alert”.

Can anyone see this technology being used for EVIL purposesin addition to "the common good"?  Do you feel that this is a serious threat to your privacy?  Does the crime rate warrant such intrusive technology? 

Before I get into the meat of this post, let's look at the pros and cons of genetically engineered food:

PROS

• Genetically engineered food is cost effective. Because it is designed to resist pests and prosper under non-optimal conditions, it can also help people in areas where regular crops would not prosper. Large savings in production may lead to financial gain and help fight poverty.
• Genetically engineered food can be naturally pest-resistant and thus reduce the need for additional chemicals, pesticides, and other dangerous additives.
• Genetically engineered food may help reduce world hunger, at least in theory. As new species are altered to grow faster or more effectively, they can be used to feed poor nations or chosen for countries where crops may not normally prosper because of less than desirable environmental conditions. Some companies now claim to be producing crops that can help against certain diseases or provide specific nutrients, such as milk proteins and iron, which would otherwise not be available to some populations.

CONS

 

• Genetically engineered food is too new for us to know if it may have an effect on the human body. Modifying the essence of a food may also alter the dynamics of it in ways not known. Since many of the alterations include adding chemical properties to the crops, some people fear what effect those same chemicals may have on us.
• Poor countries will not have easy access to genetically engineered food unless directly given to them, which means that the world's richest nations will control the market. This may result in a high dependency on the side of the poor nations, which will in turn lead to a broken economy.

Photo: brandoncripps)

I personally tend to agree with truthout.org's Jim Hightower when he writes: Thanks to the blessings of nature and good farmers through corn, you and I can enjoy many variations of this truly great grain. And now, thanks to Dow Chemical and federal regulators, we can look forward to "Agent Orange Corn." The chemical giant is in line to gain approval for putting a genetically altered corn seed on the market that will produce corn plants that won't die when doused with high levels of 2,4-D.

Dow now sells 2,4-D to help kill various weeds, but the herbicide is so strong that it also kills nature's own version of corn plants. Thus, Dow's genetic engineers went into the corporate lab and manufactured a new corn that's immune to the weed-killer. This would let the chemical maker profit from selling the patented seed, plus enjoying a huge increase in sales of its 2,4-D herbicide. How happy for Dow! Not so happy, though, for consumers worried about the untested long-term health consequences of the altered corn and the carcinogenic possibilities of ingesting more 2,4- D. Also, when sprayed, this herbicide can vaporize and spread for miles, killing crops that are not immune, poisoning the surrounding environment, and endangering the health of farmers and townspeople throughout the area.

Those are irrefutable facts, as is the fact that 2,4D has Yet to be proven to cause cancer.  So why wouldn't Monsanto or Dow continue to study this herbicide before rushing it to the marketplace?  I'll tell you why, greed over a moral imperative.  Or what is your opinion?

Here's a story that deserves some attention about a Michigan Supreme Court Justice Diane hathaway who is under fire for some questionable real estate dealings.

7 Action News first reported Hathaway avoided potentially hundreds of thousands of dollars in mortgage payments by convincing her bank to have a short sale. 

They say that she shuffled properties out of her name prior to the short sale: two homes were taken out of her name and put into her step children's: a 4,300 square foot home in a Windermere, Florida country club, complete with a private boat dock and pool, went to her step daughter, and a home on Windmill Pointe in Grosse Pointe Park  went out of Hathaway’s name, and into her stepson’s.

After the bank agreed to sell the house, the Florida property—valued at almost $740,000—went back into Justice Hathaway’s name. And a third home that was bought with cash months earlier in Hathaway’s other stepdaughter’s name was put into Justice Hathaway’s.  It’s not clear if Hathaway’s stepdaughter ever lived in that home, but Hathaway is living there now.

"It raises questions," said attorney Howard Young, who specializes in asset protection and estate planning.  "Those are typically fraudulent transfers, because they are done with the intent to delay, hinder, or defraud creditors.  And we are very careful to advise against making such transfers because even as an attorney, you can well be considered a co-conspirator in a fraud and that has significant ethical issues, and the state bar is going to come looking," he said.

Hathaway is a Democrat.