This Is Truly Disheartenting - We Were Becoming A Police State

After 32 years as a federal law enforcement agent, who was pretty gung ho in getting the bad guys (arresting the real ones based upon actual probable cause that never bent the rule of law), I am saddened each time I hear of yet another example of how we are more and more becoming the citizens of a police state. What makes me even sadder though is the realization that we are not becoming citizens of a police state any more. That makes me sad because the key word in that last sentence was becoming; the fact is - we are citizens of a police state right now, at least citizens of one in its initial stages.

There are no ifs ands or buts about it. If you do not think I am correct then watch this video and think about it again. There are many more examples of how the politicians, bureaucrats, courts and in fact many of the people of this once great nation have all supported the formation of a police state and now they have it.



A hat tip to Wirecutter for having posted this video in his blog. which is where I first saw it. It is too good not to have shared it.

All the best,
Glenn B

Religious Freedom Or Pure Balderdash

I am all for religious freedom when the issue truly is religion and not something like a religion tying to become a world ruling government like Islam. In that same light, I find it execrable when folks try to use religion to scam the system or merely to find away around rules & regulations (governmental or corporate) with which they disagree. Such, I believe, is the case with the guy who refused to submit to biometric hand scanning at his place of employment. He reportedly was forced to leave the company. As is rote in the USA, a lawsuit ensued. He was awarded $150,000 for religious discrimination. Why? Because he reportedly said he believed that using the biometric hand scanner would "...give him the mark of the beast..." or the mark of the anti-Christ (source).

I don't care what are or are not your religious beliefs but if that is not absolute bullshit then nothing is bullshit as I see it! Hand scanners don't give you the mark of the beast - being an evil, sinning, devil worshipping, no good mother fucker is much more likely what would do that. My guess is maybe the guy thinks he already has the mark and figured it would be seen in the hand scanner or maybe (and this is my more likely guess) that he had figured a way to scam some bucks but that is just conjecture on my part.

All the best,
GB

A Nice Neighbor...

...is my neighbor Peter. I went out to shovel at 0630 this morning and did our backyard patio and walkway. I only did that so the Chihuahuas could go out to pee and crap. Of course, at least one of them did it in the house anyway, she doesn't like snow at all. Anyway, after that, my back was aching. I figure why not ache, the snow probably was about 10-12 inches deep (maybe more but not less) even though I had shoveled that twice last night. Then about an hour and a half ago or so, I went out to shovel the side of the garage and in front of the house. I shoveled my way down the garage sidewalk and started on the driveway, what little of our tiny driveway was not covered by our three small cars parked in it (and parked partly on the lawn and garden as it really is a small driveway) and when I looked up I saw that our front sidewalk was already cleared. Our neighbor Peter had hit it with his snow-blower! I saw him still doing his driveway, went to thank him and after that he did my driveway too, the part that abuts directly with the street. That tiny bit, maybe 8'x4' would have taken me 45 minutes with that much snow and all the additional snow pushed and compacted into the mouth of the driveway by the snowplows. Good man that neighbor of ours. I owe him for that - maybe a gift certificate for $25 bucks of gas is in order - that should keep the snow-blower blowing for a couple of years, well maybe only a year if he keeps doing our sidewalk too.

By the way, the sow keeps falling. Must be at least another inch or two on the ground since he hit it with the snow-blower. 

All the best,
Glenn B

The Blizzard, Politicians Or The Media - Which Was The Biggest Blowhard

Ok, so far we have survived what NYC Mayor Bill Balderdash de Blasio dubbed as possibly the worst blizzard in New York City's history. He apparently was so certain that this would be the worst killer storm of NYC's history that as of 11PM last night he ordered the city to shut down all public transportation and banned people from driving on city streets and highways (source). NY State Governor Andrew Cackling Cuomo Granted, warned of catastrophic effects and banned driving in 13 of NY's counties (source) all in the greater NYC area and he ordered a $300 fine be imposed on anyone who violated that order. It's not just that these politicos have banned public transportation and driving, it is the rhetoric they have used in forewarning of the blizzard. To have listened to the two of them yesterday this was going to be a huge blizzard of the killer variety and probably the worst ever for the greater NYC area.

Granted there has been a fairly large amount of snowfall over the past 24 hours considering the areas hit. for the greater NYC area. It probably was a good idea to ban traffic overnight (the ban has already been lifted) but why shut down the subways? No one, not even the two nanny state NY politicians ever forewarned about this storm duplicating anything like the effects of Superstorm Sandy that hit the subways hard. So again, why close them down. Also, why close all NYC parks making it illegal for people to bring out the skis, snowboards, sleds, and whatever else to have fun with in the snow. Imagine that it was temporarily illegal to build a snowman in any NYC park! Why all the panic? I think it was only so these two idiots (along with Christie in NJ and the other jerk Malloy in CT) could look effective thus boosting their political clout. In other words, it was merely political correctness that led to all of the panic stricken rhetoric that came out of their mouths (note I am not saying that led to road closures as that was prudent, but in essence trying to panic the public was pure bullshit to boost their images as politicians of action).

If you doubt me, on that call about the doomsday type snowstorm rhetoric being little more than PC, then take a look at this report on the weather channel:

http://www.weather.com/storms/winter/news/winter-storm-juno-new-york-new-jersey-connecticut-impacts

Did you read it Balderdash de Blasio and Cuomo? It said that the storm was expected to be the 18th worst snowstorm in NYC's history - not the worst, if 15 inches fell on the city. Now it may have been worse, there is a good chance that more than 15 inches fell but it was nowhere nearly as bad as previous storms  remember here in this area (and I lived in NYC for decades and now live just outside it).  Yeah, it's true that NYC does not get many storms with over a foot of snow, only 27 since 1869, an average of about one every 5 years. Guess what though, the averages are deceiving. In fact, NYC has had nine snowstorms with more than 12 inches of snow since the year 2000 (or an average of one every two years within the last 15 years - so much or Global Warming). So why all of the extra hype over this one? It's because these two NY Nannies got hammered by the press and the public after a big storm hit the same area last year and they were caught unprepared.

New Yorkers though, the regular Joes and Janes, they are usually failry well prepared for storms like this. Yet this one caused higher anxiety levels than usual. For instance, one radio report I heard yesterday on 1010 WINS had a huge chain hardware store saying they had sold 5,000 shovels from a single store in one day! Reports were spewed hourly about New Yorkers doing last minute shopping in preparation for being snowed in. Sure, every time a big storm is predicted, people prepare a bit more in the day or two ahead of it but this one was different, this time the politician's, bureaucrat's and media hype almost stirred people into an anxiety fueled frenzy. As one New Yorker put it: “There’s just more anxiety,” Mr. Dutta said. “You’re anxious to get home, but so far, things are working out.” (source)

Of course, let's not forget the media.  Just heard Chris Clydesdale Christie, on a local ABC news show that the storm was not nearly as bad as had been expected. When a reporter in sum and substance questioned then why were there all of the preparations, road closures, driving bans and the like he said it was because the media kept saying the storm was going to be one of the worst in history. The media was gleefully reporting about how bad this storm was going to be. Did they forget that the weathermen rarely get it right? No they did not, but they don't care whether or not a prediction will be spot on or miss by miles - do they! What I think they care about is creating hype to help sell themselves.

Did you notice that the storm was nameless, at least until yesterday. Then it was suddenly named Juno! Again, it had no name until yesterday. Why name it? My guess is that they named it because they fell for the panic and because of pressure from the insurance industry. You see, after Superstorm Sandy, insurers here in the NE changed their rules about hurricane damage deductibles. No longer did a storm have to be a certain level hurricane to make a huge deductible kick in for homeowners and business owners. Oh no, now the storm only has to be a "named storm" to make those deductibles kick in. The amount of bullshit coming out of the mouths of bureaucrats, and politicians over this storm has been amazing.

I must admit though, I am grateful to the politicians and to the media for not giving Al Gore a platform from which to spew any further Global Warming edicts. Along those lines, I guess I should thank the blizzard too.

As for my opening question, I am going to say there was a tie for which was the biggest blowhard and that tie was between the politicians and the media. The blizzard came in a distant last in that regard. - at least so far and I say that because it's still snowing a bit but mind you - just a bit. 

All the best,
GB