Guard Dog

So it turns out Seth Rich, the DNC staffer who was murdered during the election madness last year, had been passing info to Wikileaks: http://www.fox5dc.com/news/local-news/254852337-story Trump compromising intelligence to the Russians, the Democrats having their own people murdered (granted neither is 100% provable but if you can believe one why not the other). Hoon Ding was right. Lock them all up. Don't blame me. I voted for Johnson.

I didn't know schools still required students to buy these things: http://money.cnn.com/2017/05/12/technology/ti-84-graphing-calculator/index.html?iid=ob_homepage_tech_pool I used a Casio in HS. I don't remember the model. In college I bought a Ti-92. But once I really learned transformations in Calculus I I really didn't need that thing anymore. The app they mention, Desmos, is really good. I've used it on my iPhone and iPad and it works well. No frills, just works.

jeez Grom, that was just an example. But I could (and have in the past) make an argument on who human medical care can and should work like Veterinary care where market forces and competition do help keep prices down. Particularly in routine care. Now, my pups get the best treatment I can find as I know yours do too. But that is a choice I make. I'd rather low cost/ low service places like Banfield exist to offer lower income families vet care than have the Government screw the whole thing up with program and price regulation that ruins the free market economics it does have. Without reduced cost clinics some family pets would, by necessity, get no vet care at all. But as for drug prosecution I think education is great. I'm even in favor of using Federal money if it would help. But at the end of the day, teenager or adult, we are all solely responsible for the guy/gal in the mirror. I've never used any unprescribed drug stronger than Motrin or bourbon. And if it were legal today I still wouldn't use. But i would never presume to make that choice for someone else. If a teenager, against all better advice and teaching, wants to throw their life away on drugs, well it was their life to throw away. It always was. The logic of the government makes no sense to me. To "save" said teenager from ruining their life with drugs we'll lock them up for 10-20 years and then send them back at age 30 with no education and a felony conviction. But hey... saved them from drugs. They ought to make me the AG. No victim = No prison time.

Aetna CEO discusses single payer healthcare: http://reason.com/blog/2017/05/12/aetna-ceo-says-we-need-to-have-a-convers The problem is cost of course. Taxes in the US are high. Very high. Compared to other places not that high but when you consider the actual value we get for the amount we pay they are too high. And we are taxed by multiple levels of government. For instance in my state Tax Freedom Day (the point where every dollar earned is required to pay the annual tax burden) falls on April 7th. In Connecticut Tax Freedom day is May 21st. Taxpayers in that state work almost half the year just to pay their taxes. They don't get health care. They don't get education assistance. That is the cost just to keep the lights on in the capital, fuel in the police cars and of course all the social programs they are not eligible for. The biggest beneficiaries of their labor are government bureaucrats and people who pay no taxes. By some estimates a Federal single payer system will literally double the tax burden on the 55% of Americans who actually pay Federal taxes. Yes, it's true. 45% of Americans pay no Federal tax. So if my tax freedom day is extended from April to August just to have single payer healthcare why on earth would I go for that? It does not cost near as much now. Just over half the country would work over half the year just to pay for the benefits of the other half. So we can't have the government take the whole thing over. Having them manage the private entities that pay the costs isn't working either. so what are we to do? how about getting the government out of it all together? The veterinary medical system in the country is completely free of government interference (with the exception of the fact that everything the Vets use is taxed now thank Obama you ******) and the economics of that works fine. Sunny needs her teeth cleaned. I can call all 14 of the clinics nearby that offer that service and get 14 different price quotes. Of course it's hard to get toothpaste back into the tube.

Here is a little injustice served up: http://reason.com/blog/2017/05/12/reversing-obama-era-policy-sessions-orde Sessions is instructing Federal prosecutors to pursue maximum sentences for drug offenses. Including non violent offenses. Given how frequently violent crimes are allowed to plead to lesser offenses (around 30% iirc) it's possible you would spend more time in prison for smoking a dried plant than actually killing someone. For those like WoD who wonder why I don't vote Republican anymore this is exhibit A.

Enjoy that while you're young. I've found it gets a hell of a lot harder in your 40's. Even with diet & exercise.

If compelled to chose between the screaming monkey tribes I tend to favor the Republicans. I worked on the campaign of Don Garlits when he ran for Congress and I had a tremendous amount of respect for the man who recruited me into politics former Florida State Rep Jon McKay. But I've always been struck the hypocrisy of the Republicans. They tend to favor smaller government and more liberty until they actually get the power to make good on these ideals. Then they tend to do the opposite. The Democrats on the other hand make no secret of their inclinations. They are anti-liberty, anti-choice, anti-individual. Their brand is a soft form of authoritarianism. Sometimes it's "benevolent" (as they see it) others it's heavy handed. Even the few instances where they do support liberty, Gay Marriage for example, they had to be dragged kicking and screaming to it and their support is tepid at best.

@Leferd: I took a very similar one myself. Slightly different organization though. The pay wasn't was good but the benefits were better I'll wager. Although the job did entail a few hazards.

I can just hear the conversation in the Oval Office now: "What do you mean I can't fire judges??"

„I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.“ HA! HAHAHA! HAHAHAHAHAHA! Years of indoctrination and that is what America gets? Despite the sarcasm you are hitting on a real problem here. The Republican supporters are falling in line behind Trump doing things that we were all screaming about Obama doing. Notably usurping the legislature with executive action. That is bad. It's very bad even if you like the action. The ends do not justify the means. Now in some instances it's using executive authority to undo actions of executive authority. That is one thing. Trump has signed over half a dozen of those and that is fine. Several of the others pertain to things the Executive has direct control over. Things such as changes in the DOJ, cabinet controlled regulatory agencies, etc. Even the so called Travel Ban could be argued to be in his control as the President is the chief law enforcement officer in the country. But two others he signed, one ordering a review of trade agreements and the authority to make changes and the other on tax regulatory reform are problematic. The former is the responsibility of the Senate, the latter of the House. One of the most horrifying things about the 8 years of Obama is the way Congress just rolled over and allowed him to usurp the power of the legislature. I'm not going to like it any more if Trump does it and they roll over again. Nor should Trump's supporters who screamed when Obama did it. And rightfully so. Now that their guy is in and they like the outcome of the orders the protests from the right fall mute. That is NOT a good thing. We need to be more than two opposing flocks of sheep bleating "four legs good tow legs bad" whenever the shepherd we like does something wrong. Even if we like the outcome. Especially then. The ends do not justify the means.

I'm a little short on time but I will get back and read the whole document. Allow me to comment on just your summations for the moment. Russia’s intelligence services conducted cyber operations against targets associated with the 2016 US presidential election, including targets associated with both major US political parties. Yep, no doubt. But as I've pointed out numerous times, the DNC & RNC are private entities and not in any way associated with administering elections. My suggestion to each would be buy better IT security and don't act like condescending unprofessional a------s and you won't be embarrassed by hostile foreign hacking. This does not rise to the level of interfering or influencing the election. We assess with high confidence that Russian military intelligence (General Staff Main Intelligence Directorate or GRU) used the Guccifer 2.0 persona and DCLeaks.com to release US victim data obtained in cyber operations publicly and in exclusives to media outlets and relayed material to WikiLeaks: See previous answer. Russian intelligence obtained and maintained access to elements of multiple US state or local electoral boards. DHS assesses that the types of systems Russian actors targeted or compromised were not involved in vote tallying.: This is a little vague but sounds like espionage to me. Letting the DNC skeletons out of the closet are one thing, attacking an actual function of the government at any level is espionage. So, did anyone at the state level get arrested? Have any diplomatic staff been expelled? Did we do anything about this? Aside from whine? Not so far as I know. WTF? I does beg the question if there is really anything to this. As far as the other stuff goes, paid internet trolls? Really? That is their plan? You and I have been trading reasoned and rational political posts for years. Have I changed your mind about anything? Have you changed mine? Not really. I know what you think and why, you know what I think and why. How much influence could slogan spouting internet troll really have? Like I said before even if they are buying campaign ads people are so inoculated against them I think they do no good at all. I don't recall seeing many Trump ads but saw and heard tons of Clinton ads. That didn't help. It's all just white noise by the time the primaries are over.

@Leferd: OK, influence then. What exactly did they influence? Do you think revealing the Clinton Campaign was colluding with the media or that the DNC was trying to sabotage Sanders came as a surprise to anyone? Do you think finding out Clinton thinking rules don't apply to hear some some kind of earth shattering revelation. Or finding out that Podesta, Mook, Margolis or Palmerei are all snotty **** changed anything? None of that made Trump any more desirable and none of it made Clinton less repulsive. Some 130M votes were cast for those two. I would bet better than half of those were cast against the other candidate rather than for one of them. Substitute in any other... well almost any other candidate from either side and the whole story changes. The man on the street stuff seems to ferret out the dummies but I think most Americans are pretty well informed. Nothing revealed by Wikileaks came as a surprise to anyone. Regardless of where it came from. Heck even if the Russians bought campaign ads it wouldn't have mattered. We are so inoculated to them it's like people living next to an airport. After a time you don't even hear the planes anymore.

Jeffry Loria will soon be gone as the owner of the Marlins. Thank God and good riddance. The day he took over that team was a dark one indeed. But it looks like he screwed the Dolphins and the Rays over good before leaving. His deal with the city & state over Marlins Park was so rotten the state of Florida will no longer allow any state owned assets to assist in sports projects. Once he crossed the bridge he burned it and pissed on the ashes. With the MLS looking at Al Lang Stadium in St. Petersburg and all the Tampa sites drying up it may be the Rays are boxed out of a new stadium anywhere in the Tampa Bay area. Which means the team will be sold and moved. Likely to Montreal. It's a shame it came to be that way. But anyone familiar with Vincent Namioli and how the Devil Rays came to be and how they ended up stuck in that ugly concrete tomb they play in will hardly be surprised at this There is an old saying "What begins i misery tends to stay in misery". A fitting epitaph for the Rays if this ends like it looks like it will. http://ballparkdigest.com/2017/05/09/state-could-affect-funding-for-rays-ballpark/

This Russia election thing is a steaming pile of BS. Hacking into the DNC is NOT... I repeat NOT NOT NOT "stealing the election". The DNC is PRIVATE ENTITY. They are in no way involved in administering elections nor tallying results. If we found out they were, now THAT would be a story. So yes they did have their servers hacked and a bunch of embarrassing correspondence leaked. Sucks to be them. It is a crime and it's reasonable to refer it to the FBI. But here's the thing, their IT security is THEIR business. Get a better server and security next time. And if your e-mails embarrass you perhaps the solution is to exercise a modicum of professionalism in how you handle yourself and how you treat and speak of your colleagues, opponents, and those dirty peasants (voters) you want to vote for you but think you are better than. Don't be a jerk, don't collude with the media to sabotage one of your own candidates or rig a debate and this wouldn't be an issue. And none of it resulted in the theft of a single vote. To "steal" a US election would be practically impossible. There are 50 states, each with their own system, many unique to that state. There are 3144 counties in the US, each with it's own election staff. Even if some of them could be hacked (itself a near impossibility since most use paper ballots) you couldn't get enough. You couldn't stuff the ballot boxes because if more votes are cast than there are voters it will be noticed. Even if you were using shill voters you would need tens of thousands to turn even close a state. If the Russians did hack the DNC, fine. Do something about that. But don't call is "stealing the election" it's nothing of the sort.

Especially around Cabo San Lucas. Have you ever been there? It's like someone moved Bolinas down to Mexico only everyone speaks English. But it is turning into a tourist trap which will ruin it i'm sure..

News on the A's stadium search : http://ballparkdigest.com/2017/05/11/oakland-as-considering-ballpark-sites/ The Mahoning Valley Scrappers are having a new craft beer made for their games: http://ballparkdigest.com/2017/05/11/oakland-as-considering-ballpark-sites/

Well, that 700' wall of ice didn't keep the wildlings out of Westeros. Just sayin' I say we legalize the drugs and shut down the free government goodies and that problem solves itself for the most part. But as any s--t throwing monkey from either tribe would agree its better to be seen doing something that actually solving a problem. A wall is a waste of money but it is a tangible thing they can point to and tell the voters "we did this ooo-ooo-ahh-ahh". The US is in debt to the tune of $117T give or take right? Not like they have a lot of respect for the taxpayers hard earned or any regard for squandering it.

I remember Iran Contra pretty well. I believe that was the birthplace of the expressions "what did you know and when did you now it" and "it's not the weight of the evidence but the seriousness of the charge that matters" I also recall the attempts of GWB and Obama that were laughable. I seem to remember posting in this very forum "incompetence is not grounds for impeachment". Bringing it up again and again only reinforces the notion that we have no political leadership. Only two tribes of monkeys screaming and throwing great handfuls of s--t at each other. And not a nickel's worth of actual difference between them. One tribe oppresses some liberties while championing others and vice versa. No matter who wins government grows, liberty shrinks, and bombs fall in places that have zero to do with actual US national interest and kill people who have nothing to do with anything. Didn't Trump just expend nearly a billion dollars in cruise missiles? And more actual terrorists were killed by hogs than by missiles. In 2018 and 2020 we'll have an election but unless a differing political philosophy is finally heard from the winners will be a tribe of screaming s--t throwing monkeys. It's pretty depressing really.

...Avoiding impropriety? This is Trump we're talking about: I'll be surprised if he doesn't initially try one of his sons, Michael Flynn, Alex Jones, or even Putin himself. My money is on Guliani or the ex-Sheriff from Milwaukee. In truth either would be qualified and might do good service in the position but I can't say either would be entirely independent. I can almost guarantee is won't be the deputy director McCabe. In fact he should probably be packing his desk right about now. Not saying he should be gone... but he almost certainly will be. Giuliani might not be in it, too blatant a yes man for the optics. True. But I don't think Trump will concern himself over optics. I think he rewards loyalty even at the expense of ability. Not saying Guliani does not have that though. He does come from a law enforcement background. And I can't think of anyone else in Trumps inner circle that is more qualified. If that ends up mattering. There have been purely political appointments to that post. Webster from the Carter years comes to mind. Even Comey was a little thin on Law Enforcement cred. I guess we're long gone from the days when the Bureau promoted from within. Everything is political now. That's why it's such a damned mess!

This endless impeachment talk is getting really tiresome. This used to be a word never heard outside the beltway of Sodom-on-the-Potomac. The only two times it's been used has been for Presidents who did violate the law but removal from office would have been excessive.The one time it would have been appropriate the President resigned and fled to California. But since Clinton it gets rolled out after every single election by the opposition party because they are not happy with how the election turned out. And it is getting very old. http://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/politics-government/white-house/article149758184.html

...Avoiding impropriety? This is Trump we're talking about: I'll be surprised if he doesn't initially try one of his sons, Michael Flynn, Alex Jones, or even Putin himself. My money is on Guliani or the ex-Sheriff from Milwaukee. In truth either would be qualified and might do good service in the position but I can't say either would be entirely independent. I can almost guarantee is won't be the deputy director McCabe. In fact he should probably be packing his desk right about now. Not saying he should be gone... but he almost certainly will be.

I have no issue with Comey as far as his handling of the Clinton and Russia thing go. The FBI is a non political entity and he is in a terrible position when he's dragged into the political arena. But I do have a big problem with this: https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/fbi-wants-access-to-internet-browser-history-without-a-warrant-in-terrorism-and-spy-cases/2016/06/06/2d257328-2c0d-11e6-9de3-6e6e7a14000c_story.html?utm_term=.f71573a12f25 As we heard in the great repository of political wisdom, Star Wars, "All who have power fear to lose it." That's only half of it though. The other half should be "All who have power want more". I'm even more distressed the response from the Senate wasn't "No f---g way".

Lots of stuff going on: This Matt Harvey thing is a mess The Orioles and Red Sox games are must see TV now The Cubs have returned to the mean. The NL has a home run race cooking Which is the bigger surprise? The Rockies are first? The Giants are last? The Yankees can hit?

It's funny, I don't recall the wailing and gnashing of teeth when Bill Clinton fired the FBI director in '93. Of course the FBI had taken an interest in Clinton's real estate dealings much the same way as they have the Trump/Russia connections. The difference is Clinton (a Democrat) does it and no one (in the media) complains. Trump (a sort of Republican) does it and it's the second coming of Nixon. I keep telling you guys there isn't a nickel's worth of difference between the Republicrats and the Democans. Only in who the cheerleaders cheer for. Don't blame me I voted for Johnson.

A little OT but still political. One of the biggest problems in this country today is the laws are being enforced by arrogant nitwits with guns who know less than nothing about the laws they are enforcing. This is a lawsuit I'd love to see succeed to the max: http://reason.com/blog/2016/05/06/after-arresting-driver-for-silence-cops