Quote of the Day 1/20

The right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed; a well armed and well regulated militia being the best security of a free country; but no person religiously scrupulous of bearing arms shall be compelled to render military service in person.

James Madison 

Pictured on $1 coin worth 7 cents.  Thanks Fed!

1. Calculate 88.5% copper value :

      (4.3764 × .00220462262 × 8.1 × .885)  =  $0.0691631


2. Calculate 6% zinc value :

      (1.0905 × .00220462262 × 8.1 × .06)  =  $0.0011682


3. Calculate 3.5% manganese value :

      (3350.00 × (1.0 × 10^-6) × 8.1 × .035)  =  $0.000949


4. Calculate 2% nickel value :

      (11.8084 × .00220462262 × 8.1 × .02)  =  $0.0042171


5. Add the four together :

      $0.0691631 + $0.0042171 + $0.000949 + $0.0042171 = $0.0754974




$0.0754974 is the melt value for the 2007-2011 Presidential golden dollar on January 19, 2011.

 Any questions?

Operation Gunwalker update: Codrea posts open letter to Senate Judiciary Committee

Reposted verbatim:

Open Letter to Senate Judiciary Committee staff on 'Project Gunwalker'

To: Brian Downey, Senate Judicary Committee Staff

Dear Mr. Downey,

Charlie Harman, Chief of Staff for Sen. Saxby Chambliss tells us you are the appropriate Senate Judiciary Committee contact to discuss "Project Gunwalker" with, and says he has already forwarded some relevant documentation to you.  Here's why:

ATF employees are looking to come forward and provide testimony and documentation about guns being illegally transported to Mexico, with management cognizance, in order to pad numbers and justify Project Gunrunner expansion. This includes gun stores being used to allow illegal sales to proceed. Additionally, the gun used in the recent killing of a Border Patrol agent is alleged to be one of the guns involved.  My colleagues and I working to bring this to light are told the Mexican authorities have been intentionally kept in the dark about this, with the approval to do so coming from Washington, and protests have been overridden. 

In order for these people to come forward, they require whistle-blower protection. Because the allegations involve high levels in Washington, they require the extra protection afforded through separation of powers, rather than going directly to a US Attorney reporting to Justice.

Here are some background summaries for you to start at, which contain additional links for further information:

• Sources, Timeline & Summary of the ATF "Project Gunwalker" scandal and the death of BP agent Brian Terry.
• Is ‘Project Gunwalker’ about to bust wide open?

Once you can guarantee their safety when our sources talk to you, you will have the opportunity to fully validate the reliability of their testimony and documentation for yourself.

Understand that representatives from major media are aware of this situation and we have let them know our sources want to open up under protection of the Senate Judiciary Committee.  Here is what I am telling reporters asking about this:

--BEGIN MEDIA RESPONSE--

We have several media folks who have noticed this.  Here's where we are and what I can personally tell you without saying more than I should at this time:

Our guys are not in position to talk to the media yet, preferring to speak to a senator or congressman.  We're working on getting the story out that way, although if we don't get movement soon they'll probably have no choice but to reconsider a direct media route.

Here's a place to start--aside from the links in my latest. Mike Vanderboegh just released a timeline at:
http://sipseystreetirregulars.blogspot.com/2011/01/sources-timeline-summary-of-atf-project.html

Per Mike: "Urge them to use their own sources.  With the clues in the Timeline, they can easily track down some of these guys themselves."

One that he's referring to:

"(REDACTED) former attache to Mexico is an honest and honorable guy. He was forcefully removed from Mexico w o warning in Nov in large part because he wouldn't sit silent on these matters. He will tell the truth if asked by competent authority. He retired Dec 31 because of all this."

Again per Mike: "I believe that if we can get the Timeline and Summary out there, the Senators will fold by afternoon."

That's one way a reporter could expedite things.

Sorry to sound so evasive, but I'm not the one taking the really big risks here.

I will make sure our sources have your contact info. and let them know you're asking about this. If you have anything you'd like me to pass along to them, let me know and I will.

--END MEDIA RESPONSE--

But also understand that so far, attempts to generate interest among various senate and congressional staffers over the past few days has been a frustrating experience of evasiveness and deflection, and that also is being documented. There is far too much at stake for the brave people who are putting themselves on the line to let this continue. To do so is inexcusable.  That's why this is being sent to you as an open letter, published on the Internet to apprise the media and interested citizens of the efforts we are taking to bring this matter to light.

What do we tell our guys, Mr. Downey?  How can we get this process started where they can safely prove themselves to the Senate Judiciary Committee?

You can contact me at dcodreaAThotmailDOTcom [Phone # redacted in posted version] or Mike Vanderboegh at georgemason1776ATaolDOTcom [Phone # redacted in posted version]

Please advise by today, 5:00PM EST so we can pass that information along to our sources and let them know if they can disclose what they know under Committee protection, or if they need to consider other avenues of disclosure.

Sincerely,

David Codrea

The fox guarding the hen house

NYT--"The Securities and Exchange Commission has announced that Eileen Rominger, the global chief investment officer of Goldman Sachs Asset Management, has been named its director of investment management."

zerohedge.com

A Goldman Sachs executive set to supervise a division of the SEC is like the U.S. Supreme Court being the final arbiter of the limits of the U. S. Constitution (should be up to each State -- original party to the compact of the Constitution).  

Each will do what is in its own interest.

Man blogs "1 down, 534 to go" after Tucson, Feds and locals violate 1st and 2nd amendment in response

Apparently he crossed the feds' red line...

Although he personally does not say he intends to harm a specific person, he has his gun license revoked and his arms and ammunition confiscated "temporarily" for an investigation.  

This process is likely to take years and cost him a lot of money in lost business and legal fees.

The rest of the article here, via Drudge. 

Judge Roll dies a hero, saving another

As the shooting starts, the video shows Judge Roll pushing another man, Rob Barber, onto the ground, Mr. Nanos said. "It looks to us as though he is pushing against Ron Barber to move him out of the way." Both men fall to the ground; both are shot. The judge was shot in the back and died.

"It's pretty evident to me that Judge Roll was a hero … if Judge Roll had not pushed Mr. Barber his wounds might have been fatal," Mr. Nanos said. "Judge Roll's actions are of a man trying to save another man's life."

via Drudge

Inflation kills the value of your dollar

The following article was written for the UK, but is applicable to the US.  In order for your savings in a bank with their interest rate to actually keep your money at the same purchasing power or increase even slightly, the interest rates would have to be higher than anything currently on offer.  That is why it makes more sense to have federal reserve notes converted to physical commodities like gold and silver.  

The numbers would certainly vary a bit, but the situation is analogous to ours:

The rising cost of living means higher rate taxpayers need a rate of 6.17 per cent to avoid losing money on their savings once inflation and tax is taken into account, while basic rate taxpayers need 4.625 per cent.

Just one account offers a higher rate for basic rate taxpayers. But the fixed rate bond from Coventry Building Society paying 4.75 per cent requires savers to lock their money away from five years and financial experts said this would not be suitable for many savers.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/personalfinance/8266502/Millions-of-savers-need-6pc-to-beat-inflation.html

Quote of the Day 1/19

"A sixgun or automatic pistol is a tool, and a deadly one; handle them as such. From the start, consider all guns as being loaded whether you know them to be empty or not. Treat them as loaded guns and you will never have an accident.

I am scared of empty guns and keep mine loaded at all times. The family knows the guns are loaded and treats them with respect. Loaded guns cause few accidents; "empty guns" kill people every year."

– Elmer Keith, Sixguns, p. 87

ATF scandal in Arizona/Mexico update, "Operation Gunwalker"

 The scandal:  

"Operation Gunwalker":  ATF purchases hundreds of legal semiauto AR-15 type weapons from AZ stores, and brings them into Mexico, where they find their way into the hands of Mexican drug cartels.  This is in order to artificially increase ("pad") the number of US origin guns found south of the border.  The allegedly high number of guns found in Mexico is being used by the Obama administration to justify new gun control regulations to prevent the guns being used by the drug cartels.

At least one of the guns used in the killing of a US border patrol agent.

The latest:

 -Politicians from Senate and House contacted;  ATF agents willing to break the story with documentary evidence.  These agents are trying to obtain legal whistleblower status.  

-At least one politician's staff told ATF agents to lawyer up.  Politicians not answering their phones.

-Press being held in reserve for now;  Codrea of Gun Rights Examiner protecting his confidential sources.

-Codrea and Mike Vanderboegh asking patriots to contact the named congresscritters to pressure them to grant the ATF agents coming forward whistleblower status.

From Codrea: 

"Reporters have been apprised of this in a general sense, but for the time being, the best strategy for the safety of the sources is to get them whistleblower protection.  As such, certain redacted information that does not identify the sources is being shared with the offices of—so far, and that I have first-hand knowledge of—Saxby Chambliss, Jeff Sessions and Charles Grassley. Some House members are also being approached.

Understand at this point, our sources have not been put directly in touch with anyone outside a very close group of colleagues with a need to know—I have not even disclosed to my colleagues anything but carefully redacted information about my newest contact—I don’t mean it to sound cloak-and-dagger, but it’s just that we are being that careful.  We need to be able to give them assurances before they reveal themselves to the political contacts, as they are literally taking immense risks with immense repercussions.  And so far, the response from the politicos has been less than encouraging in the 24-hours since our renewed effort with new information has been offered to them—I’m told Chambliss’ staffer contact  has tried to wash his hands of this saying we should just advise our sources to lawyer up."

From Sipsey Street Irregulars:

"Folks, this has been a frustrating morning. Senate staffers who have been completely briefed on the Project Gunwalker scandal over the last few weeks are deliberately not answering their phones. Others, including Charlie Harmon, the chief of staff of Saxby Chambliss, the U.S. Senator from Georgia, told one of his constituents, "We're on it." Yet, when pressed about the urgency of the matter, said "these guys need to get a lawyer."

No, Charlie, right now they need a Senator with a spine and a pair to do his damn job. The agents need a Senator to COME TO THEM. There are ongoing investigations, the main thrust of which, in my opinion, is to cover up the circumstances of Project Gunwalker and the death of Border Patrol agent Terry. To volunteer to go to the press during an ongoing investigation can end their careers or put them in jail themselves. Yet some are willing to do so, if forced by the inaction of your elected senators and representatives. The tools that the agency, Main Justice and the White House have at their disposal to shut these agents up are many and powerful. These guys need whistleblower protection NOW. "

Stewart Rhodes of Oathkeepers on the Tucson shooting, and Liberty

[Regarding John Green, father of Christina, the 9 year old killed in Houston] 

"My hat is off to this man for giving such a principled, deep, courageous, and thoughtful response to the tragic death of his daughter.  Mr. Green is an example of what is best about America.  He deserves our utmost respect and gratitude.  If only the political chattering class were half as principled.  In a guest editorial for the Daily Bell (http://www.thedailybell.com/1689/Ron-Paul-On-Gun-Control-and-Violence.html), Congressman Ron Paul had this to say about the shameful attempts to use the Arizona shooting as justification for liberty stealing legislation:

 

“Liberty only has meaning if we still believe in it when terrible things happen and more government security is demanded.”

Precisely.  Just as it was wrong to curtail liberty and to violate the Bill of Rights after 9-11, it is now equally wrong to do the same in the aftermath of this senseless shooting. The whole point of a written Constitution and a Bill of Rights is to bind us down from doing mischief to our own lives and liberty during times of fear, war, and emergency."

-------------------------------

Read the rest here

Quote of the day 1/18

No legal plunder: This is the principle of justice, peace, order, stability, harmony, and logic. Until the day of my death, I shall proclaim this principle with all the force of my lungs (which alas! is all too inadequate).

Frederic Bastiat

Slingshot Man of Asheboro

Authentic rural North Carolina character 

Best slingshot man in the world...

China seems to want to takeover the Fed, along with everything else

China is constantly telling the West to stay out of its internal affairs, but it rarely seems shy in complaining about the way the US manages itself, particularly in the field of economic policy. Ahead of his official visit to the White House, President Hu Jintao has been at it again. In written responses to questions from the Washington Post and the Wall Street Journal, he has again criticised the recent stimulus measures adopted by the US Federal Reserve.

Here’s the relevant quote: “The monetary policy of the US has a major impact on global liquidity and capital flows and therefore, the liquidity of the dollar should be kept at a reason and stable level”.

via telegraph blogs in UK.  Premier Hu's justification for current demands:

Wikileaks will soon break major scandal about offshore accounts of famous Americans and Britons

The offshore bank account details of 2,000 "high net worth individuals" and corporations – detailing massive potential tax evasion – will be handed over to the WikiLeaks organisation in London tomorrow by the most important and boldest whistleblower in Swiss banking history, Rudolf Elmer, two days before he goes on trial in his native Switzerland.

British and American individuals and companies are among the offshore clients whose details will be contained on CDs presented to WikiLeaks at the Frontline Club in London. Those involved include, Elmer tells the Observer, "approximately 40 politicians".

Read the article here.

Quote of the Day 1/16

"False is the idea of utility that sacrifices a thousand real advantages for one imaginary or trifling inconvenience; that would take fire from men because it burns, and water because one may drown in it; that has no remedy for evils except destruction. The laws that forbid the carrying of arms are laws of such a nature. They disarm only those who are neither inclined nor determined to commit crimes. Can it be supposed that those who have the courage to violate the most sacred laws of humanity, the most important of the code, will respect the less important and arbitrary ones, which can be violated with ease and impunity, and which, if strictly obeyed, would put an end to personal liberty... and subject innocent persons to all the vexations that the guilty alone ought to suffer? Such laws make things worse for the assaulted and better for the assailants; they serve rather to encourage than to prevent homicides, for an unarmed man may be attacked with greater confidence than an armed man. They ought to be designated as laws not preventive but fearful of crimes, produced by the tumultuous impression of a few isolated facts, and not by thoughtful consideration of the inconveniences and advantages of a universal decree."


Cesare Beccaria, Italy, 1738-1794, author of "Of Crimes and Punishments", widely read by the founders of the United States.

This is the position of modern 2nd amendment proponents.  It has been demonstrably true for centuries.  Laws primarily affect those who obey them.


There are always people who are not deterred by threat of punishment, no matter how many laws are on the books.

Pre-crime division of Denver Police revokes CCW, violates 2A rights

...for a right wing radio talk show host saying inflammatory things about Martin Luther King and threatening to "have a shootout" with a rival radio talk show host.

The man has a 2nd amendment right to bear arms;  he has a right to free speech, even hateful incindiary speech, under the first amendment.

No crime has been committed, and no cause given to revoke the man's right to carry a weapon. No crime except the one by the police in Denver against the US Constitution they are sworn to uphold (I assume). 

Denver PD precogs in action!

Using Tor, surfing anonymously

So I downloaded Tor, and tried it today.

It is slower than direct connection, as it uses several connected encrypted servers on the way to the destination.

Using the browser directly, I went to my own blog.  The tracking program I have recorded the pageview as if it originated from Hamburg, Germany.

You cannot use it on websites for streaming video like adobe flashplayer.  This is a vulnerability for security, according to the information provided by the developers.

It will be good for arriving at and viewing specific content containing websites without the point of origin being known.

Email security should probably be covered by 256 bit encryption, like PGP.

Still learning the ropes here.

Comments and recommendations from those in the know are appreciated.

Tor project sees spike in usage in Tunisia during "Jasmine Revolution"

It has been reported that the Tunisian President has stopped the Internet censorship in the country. We have confirmation from a few Tunisians that Tor works from within the country, without requiring bridges. And that Youtube and some other sites are no longer censored. There is cautious optimism that this is real, however many continue to use Tor to protect their Internet traffic as a safeguard.

blogpost here

Judge John M. Roll, True American Hero, by Sheriff Richard Mack

On January 8, 2011, Federal District Judge John Roll was gunned down by a maniacal coward lunatic. Since this unspeakable and unimaginable tragedy much has been said about who caused this tragedy or who may have prompted its occurrence. Some of this rhetoric bordered on the absurd. I would much rather talk about the good people who had their lives snuffed out before their time and to pay tribute to who they were and what they stood for. Certainly, a beautiful little nine year old angel, named Christina Green, deserves to have her life displayed as an example to others to learn from and enjoy. So, I will do that regarding a man who changed my life and helped alter American history; Judge John M. Roll. He was an honest man and a principled judge. He stood for what he believed was right despite the possible consequences. I met Judge Roll back in 1994, in fact, it was in his courtroom. He was the judge who first heard my lawsuit against the Clinton Administration. Judge Roll had the courage to take a strong stand against the very entity that controlled his salary and career. He actually had the audacity to tell Congress and President Clinton that they exceeded their authority when they made the Brady bill a law. I was extremely nervous when I walked into Judge Roll's courtroom. There was a big crowd of supporters and numerous reporters and cameras outside the courthouse. Although I had been to court many times before, this was the first time it was in front of such a crowd of onlookers and the Press and in Federal court. I remember looking at Judge Roll and relaxing somewhat; he was nice looking and rather young, about my age. He had already defended me with at least two pretrial motions that he ruled on, both in my favor. The first one was the Federal Government's attempt to remove me from the case entirely by claiming I had no standing to sue them in the first place. They argued that only the county's Board of Supervisors could represent the county in such legal actions. Judge Roll said this was wrong because it was the sheriff being commandeered by the Federal Government, both officially and personally. Next, my lawyer asked for an injunction against the government from being able to arrest me for "failure to comply." (There was an actual provision in the Brady bill that threatened to arrest the sheriffs if we failed to comply with this unfunded mandate from Congress.) Judge Roll seemed legitimately concerned about this threat throughout the entire lawsuit. Janet Reno herself wrote a memo to the Judge and assured him that the Feds had no intention of arresting me and that the threat of arrest within the language of the Brady bill, was only intended for the gun shop owners, not the sheriffs. Judge Roll, as he announced his decision regarding the injunction said that Janet Reno was not allowed to change the law "by fiat" nor interpret the law for Congress. "Mack's injunction is hereby granted," the Judge said calmly and sternly. Then as the hearing proceeded I was called to the stand. The butterflies returned big time. As the Justice Department's lawyer cross examined me, she did something unusual; she actually began to address the Judge while I am still sitting on the stand. She said, "why your honor, already in just the first four months of the implementation of the Brady background checks, we have denied over 250,000 felons from gaining access to handguns in this country." I was thinking to myself what a crock her numbers were and wondering why we had so many felons on the streets all trying to buy handguns in government checked gun shops. Suddenly, Judge Roll interrupted the attorney and rebuked her with, "Counselor, do not pretend in this courtroom that your statistical analysis somehow equates to constitutionality." I have to say that Roll's understanding of principles amazed me. He was so professional and knowledgeable. He took his job and the Constitution so seriously. He was truly an exemplary Justice. When Judge Roll issued his ruling on the Mack v. US case on June 28, 1994, he said two things that absolutely floored me. The first one was the order of the court which summarized his findings: "The Court finds that in enacting (the Brady bill) Congress exceeded its authority under Article 1, section 8 of the United States Constitution, thereby impermissibly encroaching upon the powers retained by the states pursuant to the Tenth Amendment. The Court further finds that the provision, in conjunction with the criminal sanctions its violation would engender, is unconstitutionally vague under the Fifth Amendment of the United States Constitution." Judge Roll, of all the dozens of Judges who had heard this case from me and the other six sheriff defendants, was the only one who ruled that the Brady bill violated the Fifth Amendment as well as the Tenth. It was pursuant to Judge Roll's insight and sensitivity to the threat this "law" posed to us, the sheriffs, that this case made it all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. When I read the other Judge Roll principle, it truly brought me to understand how astonishing this man really was. He said: "Mack is thus forced to choose between keeping his oath or obeying the act, subjecting himself to possible sanctions." To have a federal Judge actually grasp the full extent of my personal motivation for filing this case was absolutely remarkable. He touched my soul with this comment and it is recorded in my books and memory forever. He was truly before his time. Now, his work is a part of American history. His legacy should be one of honesty, courage, and living up to his oath as a true defender of our nation's rule of law. He changed my life and showed us all that the Constitution is still the supreme law of the land. via Oathkeepers

Quote of the Day 1/15

Gen. Winfield Scott

Mr. Toombs told us a story of General Scott and himself. He said he was dining in Washington with Scott, who seasoned every dish and every glass of wine with the eternal refrain, "Save the Union; the Union must be preserved." 

Toombs remarked that he knew why the Union was so dear to the General, and illustrated his point by a steamboat anecdote, an explosion, of course. While the passengers were struggling in the water a woman ran up and down the bank crying, "Oh, save the red-headed man!" The red-headed man was saved, and his preserver, after landing him noticed with surprise how little interest in him the woman who had made such moving appeals seemed to feel. He asked her "Why did you make that pathetic outcry?" She answered, "Oh, he owes me ten thousand dollars." 

"Now General," said Toombs, "the Union owes you seventeen thousand dollars a year!" I can imagine the scorn on old Scott's face.

Robert Toombs

--Mary Bokin Chestnut, A Diary from Dixie, February 19, 1861

Why government sucks 2...to wit:

When bipartisanship breaks out in Washington DC, check to make sure your wallet is still in your pocket. Every time you fill up your car this winter you are participating in the biggest taxpayer swindle in history. Forcing consumers to use domestically produced ethanol is one of the single biggest boondoggles ever committed by the corrupt brainless twits in Washington DC. Ethanol prices have soared 30% in the last year as the supplies of corn have plunged. Only a policy created in Washington DC could drive up the prices of gasoline and food, with the added benefits of costing the American taxpayer billions in tax subsidies and killing people in 3^rd world countries.

The grand lame duck Congress tax compromise extended a 45-cent incentive to ethanol refiners for each gallon of the fuel blended with gasoline and renewed a 54-cent tariff on Brazilian imports. The extension of these subsidies, besides costing American taxpayers $6 billion per year, has the added benefit of driving up food costs across the globe, causing food riots in Tunisia, and resulting in the starving of poor peasants throughout the world. This taxpayer boondoggle is a real feather in the cap of that fiscally conservative curmudgeon Senator Charley Grassley. He was joined in this noble effort by another fiscal conservative, presidential hopeful John Thune. It seems these guys hate wasteful spending, except when it benefits their states. The bipartisanship in this effort was truly touching, as Democrats Kent Conrad and Tom Harkin also brought home the pork for their states.

From zerohedge.com

Why government sucks

As I read the article from the National Review Online below, I thought:  This is a great way to explain why government promises much, and fails in spectacular fashion.  


Government sucks (despite their presumed good intentions) because they try to regulate for the common good.  The many reasons government fails to deliver on promises of protection and proper regulation:  


first, they have no competency to know what constitutes the vague term common good, 


second, they have no way to acquire enough data to make decisions about policy, 


third, they are economically ignorant in general, and have no sense of the economic consequences of the laws they pass or the regulations they write, and

fourth, they never think about blowback or the law of unintended consequences.


Question:  Why do we have to live by laws designed to deal with the (sometimes extremely) rare exception, instead of the rule?  


Are we not much more poor, and much less free because of our own government?


Gun control laws are a good example of this.  Read a relevant article about what growing up American was like only 40 to 50 years ago, before many of the modern gun control laws, or the PC regulations and laws we live under today.


---------------------------------------------


 So read an interesting, long, quirkily written article by Kevin Williamson, deputy managing editor at the National Review, that he entitled "Welcome to the Machine":

"So, where do you [the government] find help writing and administering the regulations — help to help you apply plain common sense to serve the common good? Take the banks, for instance: The guys who know a whole lot about how banks work work in banks. So, you might disco on down to Goldman Sachs, where they scrupulously seek to accumulate evidence of the production of social value in great quantities, and try to hire yourself some staffers. And when they are done laughing at you, you can head down to some lower-tier, south-on-the-food-chain bank, where you’ll find some guys who got their MBAs at Eastern Michigan and who might want to spend a few years in government work. There’s job security, for one thing, and the pensions and benefits are great. Also, they know that Goldman Sachs cares a lot about how the bank regulations are written for the same reasons that McDonald’s cares a lot about how the all-beef-patty regulations are written, and so a third-tier banker who becomes a government regulator might in five or ten years be a pretty good candidate for a job at Goldman Sachs, which will shunt great fresh roaring streams of social value at people who can help it out compete its rivals in the regulatory arena, Eastern Michigan grads or no." 


By the way, Kevin, thanks for the darn title of your article.  Now I can't get the Pink Floyd song out of my head for days now.

"Hi, I'm from the government, and I'm here to help..."

Update on Iceland economic recovery -- doing it the right way

First, they apply generally Austrian school economic principles -- allow malinvestments to run their course naturally.  No bailouts.  V shaped rapid recovery.  Now they are going to administer justice to the bankers who manipulated the market that led to the crisis...

"Iceland, which alone in the entire developed world allowed its banking sector to collapse, and which, also alone, has benefited from a recovery that is truly organic courtesy of a devaluation of its currency and a global restructuring of its corporate balance sheet (read wipe outs for its banker class), continues to show the world that it is possible to have at least some semblance of justice in a world captured by fraud and criminal financial interests. After the CEO of failed bank Kaputhing was arrested back in May, today AFP reports that Iceland police has also detained the former CEO and several other executives of the other major Iceland failed bank: Landsbanki."

Article here

Think the bankers who manipulate(d) the market and the political system behind the scenes in the US have anything to worry about?  No.  


Dont worry about them.  


Application of the law in this country applies to mundanes only.

Anonymous global protests on 15 January

Anonymous urges global protests


The protests are likely to feature masked demonstrators


A group of self-styled internet freedom fighters have called for a global day of action in protest at attempts to close down Wikileaks.


Anonymous has gained notoriety in recent months for its cyber-attacks on the websites of companies it deems to be anti-Wikileaks.


Now, in a new video posted on its blog, it calls for a series of offline protests.


These are planned for major cities around the world on 15 January.


http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-12191486

Leftist sharks go into a feeding frenzy over the blood of Tucson innocents

Paranoid schizophrenic with Gabrielle Gifford obsession.  
No politics.  
End of story.  
Mourn, show respect, express sympathy. 
Horrible, horrible, shit happens to good people.
Move on.

Leftist reaction to the shooting is as disconnected from reality as Loughner's Youtube video. 

--------------------------------

"This has been a hugely shameful week for sections of the American Left, who have exploited a horrific tragedy that claimed six lives, in order to advance political attacks upon some leading conservative politicians and media commentators, as well as an entire political movement in the form of the Tea Party. The vitriolic and hate-filled attacks have marked a low point for liberal media elites in America in the 21st century, even to the extent that President Obama himself, probably the most liberal US president of modern times, felt the need to rebuke this undignified and crass display of left-wing finger-pointing in his memorial speech in Tucson on Wednesday night."

Nile Gardener of the Telegraph blogs comments from the UK.

Texas woman wins settlement against TSA

JANUARY 13--The woman who sued the Transportation Security Administration after her breasts were exposed during a frisking at a Texas airport will receive a “nominal” payment from the government as part of a legal settlement, The Smoking Gun has learned.

The settlement was disclosed in documents filed last week in U.S. District Court in Amarillo, where Lynsie Murley last year filed a lawsuit accusing the TSA of negligence and intentional infliction of emotional distress in connection with the May 2008 incident at the Corpus Christi airport.

------------------------------------------------

Well, isnt this special:

Woman pays taxes to federal government.

Federal government gives tax money to TSA.

Tax enabled TSA causes same woman emotional distress
by causing her to expose herself in public (without cause).

Federal court orders settlement "from the government" to wronged woman.

American taxpayer money paid out to wronged woman.  

Those [TSA employees] who violated her rights don't have to pay out of their own pocket;  no word on disciplinary action.

So, woman pays for the privilege of being abused by those oath bound to protect her constitutional rights, and tasked with protecting her life by screening for threats, 


And we pay money to support both their labor, and bail out their abuses. 

Do we as taxpayers bear collective guilt for TSA thuggery?


"People are beginning to realize that the apparatus of government is costly. But what they do not know is that the burden falls inevitably on them."--Frederic Bastiat
 

Anonymous kills website for Fine Gael, Irish opposition party

Hackers have compromised the Irish (pro EU) party Fine Gael's website, leaving a message claiming to be from Anonymous.

Fine Gael said it was working on restoring the site after it was "professionally hacked" on 9 January, leading to personal data on around 2,000 supporters reportedly being lost.

"The website will be offline while we follow-up with the appropriate authorities to resolve the matter," a message on the party's site read.

The initial defacement on the website called for free speech to be respected.

"Nothing is safe, you put your faith in this political party and they take no measures to protect you," it reportedly read.

"They offer you free speech yet they censor your voice. Wake up!"

http://www.itpro.co.uk/629956/irish-opposition-party-hacked-by-anonymous

Fine Gael website still down tonight, 4+ days later...

Quote of the Day 1/14

"The Northern onslaught upon Southern slavery is a specious piece of humbug designed to mask their desire for the economic control of the Southern states." 

Charles Dickens, 1862

Packing heat on the floor of Congress -- it takes a Texan!

Tor for untraceable surfing

Tor is a network of virtual tunnels that allows people and groups to improve their privacy and security on the Internet. It also enables software developers to create new communication tools with built-in privacy features. Tor provides the foundation for a range of applications that allow organizations and individuals to share information over public networks without compromising their privacy. 

Individuals use Tor to keep websites from tracking them and their family members, or to connect to news sites, instant messaging services, or the like when these are blocked by their local Internet providers. Tor's hidden services let users publish web sites and other services without needing to reveal the location of the site. Individuals also use Tor for socially sensitive communication: chat rooms and web forums for rape and abuse survivors, or people with illnesses.

Tor can't solve all anonymity problems. It focuses only on protecting the transport of data. You need to use protocol-specific support software if you don't want the sites you visit to see your identifying information. For example, you can use web proxies such as Privoxy while web browsing to block cookies and withhold information about your browser type. 

Also, to protect your anonymity, be smart. Don't provide your name or other revealing information in web forms. Be aware that, like all anonymizing networks that are fast enough for web browsing, Tor does not provide protection against end-to-end timing attacks: If your attacker can watch the traffic coming out of your computer, and also the traffic arriving at your chosen destination, he can use statistical analysis to discover that they are part of the same circuit. 

Interesting.

Read

Atlanta Tea Party's response to anti-gun anti-CCW legislation proposed after Tucson

"Because the Progressives are attempting yet once again to take away our rights, the Perimeter Tea Party of East Atlanta is planning another Restore the Constitution Rally.  While we deplore the murder of unarmed men, women and a child, the attention and blame should be placed on Jared Loughner, not the gun he carried nor the size of the magazine.  If 30 round magazines are outlawed, then only outlaws will have 30 round magazines.  If a 1,000 foot “no carry zone” law is passed, then only outlaws will be withing 1,000 feet of our representatives.  Let it be know if one of us was in Tuscon that day and were not shot first, there would be fewer shots fired, people wounded or killed and Loughner would be sprawled out on the pavement with a few extra holes in him." 

http://restoretheconstitution.wordpress.com/2011/01/13/tea-party-group-responds-to-upcoming-anti-gun-legislation/

via Western Rifle Shooters.

American citizen, Wikileaks volunteer, harassed by TSA at border (2nd time)

Wikileaks volunteer detained and searched (again) by US agents

Xeni Jardin at 12:59 PM Wednesday, Jan 12, 2011 

Jacob Appelbaum, a security researcher, Tor developer, and volunteer with Wikileaks, reported today on his Twitter feed that he was detained, searched, and questioned by the US Customs and Border Patrol agents at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport on January 10, upon re-entering the US after a vacation in Iceland.
He experienced a similar incident last year at Newark airport.
An archive of his tweeted account from today follows.

---

• It's very frustrating that I have to put so much consideration into talking about the kind of harassment that I am subjected to in airports.
• I was detained, searched, and CPB did attempt to question me about the nature of my vacation upon landing in Seattle.
• The CPB specifically wanted laptops and cell phones and were visibly unhappy when they discovered nothing of the sort.
• I did however have a few USB thumb drives with a copy of the Bill of Rights encoded into the block device. They were unable to copy it.
• The forensic specialist (who was friendly) explained that EnCase and FTK, with a write-blocker inline were unable to see the Bill of Rights.
• I requested access my lawyer and was again denied. They stated I was I wasn't under arrest and so I was not able to contact my lawyer.
• The CBP (U.S. Customs and Border Protection) agent was waiting for me at the exit gate. Remember when it was our family and loved ones?
• When I handed over my customs declaration form, the female agent was initially friendly. After pulling my record, she had a sour face.
• She attempted to trick me by putting words into my mouth. She marked my card with a large box with the number 1 inside, sent me on my way.
• While waiting for my baggage, I noticed the CBP agent watching me and of course after my bag arrived, I was "randomly" selected for search.
• Only US customs has random number generator worse than a mid-2007 Debian random number generator. Random? Hardly.
• During the search, I made it quite clear that I had no laptop and no cell phone. Only USB drives with the Bill of Rights.
• The CBP agent stated that I had posted on Twitter before my flight and that slip ended the debate about their random selection process.
• The CBP agents in Seattle were nicer than ones in Newark. None of them implied I would be raped in prison for the rest of my life this time.
• The CBP agent asked if the ACLU was really waiting. I confirmed the ACLU was waiting and they again denied me contact with legal help.
• All in all, the detainment was around thirty minutes long. They all seemed quite distressed that I had no computer and no phone.
• They were quite surprised to learn that Iceland had computers and that I didn't have to bring my own.
• There were of course the same lies and threats that I received last time. They even complemented me on work done regarding China and Iran.
• I think there's a major disconnect required to do that job and to also complement me on what they consider to be work against police states.
• While it's true that Communist China has never treated me as badly as CBP, I know this isn't true for everyone who travels to China.
• All in all, if you're going to be detained, searched, and harassed at the border in an extra-legal manner, I guess it's Seattle over Newark.
• It took a great deal of thought before I posted about my experience because it honestly appears to make things worse for me in the future.
• Even if it makes things worse for me, I refuse to be silent about state sponsored systematic detainment, searching, and harassment.
• In case it is not abundantly clear: I have not been arrested, nor charged with any crime, nor indicted in any way. Land of the free? Hardly.
• I'm only counting from the time that we opened my luggage until it was closed. The airport was basically empty when I left.
• It's funny that the forensics guy uses EnCase. As it, like CBP, apparently couldn't find a copy of the Bill of Rights I dd'ed into the disk.
• The forensics guy apparently enjoyed the photo with my homeboy Knuth and he was really quite kind. The forensics guy in Newark? Not so much.
• The CBP agent asked me for data - was I bringing data into the country? Where was all my data from the trip? Names, numbers, receipts, etc.
• The mental environment that this creates for traveling is intense. Nothing is assured, nothing is secure, and nothing provides escape.
• I resisted the temptation to give them a disk filled with /dev/random because I knew that reading them the Bill of Rights was enough hassle.
• I'm flying to Toronto, Canada for work on Sunday and back through Seattle again a few days later. Should be a joy to meet these guys again.
• All of this impacts my ability to work and takes a serious emotional toll on me. It's absolutely unacceptable.
• What happens if I take a device they can't image? They take it. What about the stuff they give back? Back doored? Who knows?
• Does it void a warranty if your government inserts a backdoor into your computer or phone? It certainly voids the trust I have in all of it.
• I dread US Customs more than I dreaded walking across the border from Turkey to Iraq in 2005. That's something worth noting.
• I will probably never feel safe about traveling internationally with a computer or phones again.
• None the less, safe or not, I won't stop working on Tor. Nor will I cease traveling. I will adapt and I will win. A hard road worth taking.

BTW, have you been reading the leaked documents?  Boring as hell as a rule, with the occasional embarrassment for the State Department.  Much ado about nothing so far  -- Feds have their panties in a bunch because they lost control of the situation.  Shows up their incompetence, just in a more obvious way than usual.  

What national security threat does Wikileaks represent?  Biden called Assange a "high tech terrorist."  I see no foundation for that based on evidence.

Are our public servants not proud of their actions?

UK independence party (UKIP) looking good to win EU parliamentary elections in 2014

"I was having a beer with Nigel Farage recently when he came out with a most remarkable statement. “UKIP,” he declared, “will win the next European election.”

Win? Win? Certainly, like most Conservatives, I’d love a UKIP victory if it gives us some chance of ending our disastrous membership of the EU. But, come off it, I thought, this must be the beer talking. Yes, UKIP came second in 2009, but this was after the MPs’ expenses scandal and it is still a minority party – a protest vote. A UKIP victory, I told myself, is out of the question, however much of a soft spot I have the party."

Great for UKIP in Brussels...but how about at home?