The Third Amendment

I followed a link from Shall Not Be Questioned - this USA today article.  I was shocked, really.  Dumbfounded.  I've gone back and read it again, looking for the usual But! and I can't find it.  How the hell did this slip though the mass media filters?

I've come to expect nothing but lip service to the constitution from the media.  The first amendment only applies to ProgThink, the second is so out of date it should be abolished, the fourth doesn't mean what it says - you know the usual kind of government expansionist crap.   Yet, here we have someone arguing in USA today that the Third Amendment should actually be applied to electronic eavesdropping by the government.   I'm in favor of it - they've castrated the Forth Amendment so badly that it's observed more often in the breach.  I can see the argument, then again I can see the counter argument, given the way things are today, I don't have much hope for a return to sanity.

The Totalitarian State

FED Hiding money because foreign nations are smarter than the U.S. Politicians and have figured out  that lending us money is a bad idea.   Also More BIG BROTHER crap   h/t Bayou Renaissance Man

Apparently not to be out done, Cities are getting into the act - rather than shutting down businesses, they go after kids doing public service.    What kind of moron would do this? Easy: They're called Bureaucrats - they come in all sizes (FED,STATE, COUNTY,CITY,TOWN, and even your local CC&R board of 'No you can't do that on your own property')  They all share one basic characteristic - the view themselves as superior to you.  Heinlein was right:

"In a mature society, 'civil servant' is semantically equal to 'civil master.'"

Because we let it happen, well some of you let it happen - I kept voting against it  - I basically got stuck with it - thanks for nothing.   No, that's not quite right - some of you BEGGED for it, you  berated and demonized the rest of us because we didn't want it - weird - it's starting to eat your children and you're still begging for it.  I suspect you'll be begging for it even as it collapses on your heads and kills you.

I suppose the share another characteristic - they think if they turn everyone into a slave, they'll be happier.   They never get around to the question - happier than what?

The First Amendment doesn't protect your jokes

Apparently if you say something on the internet and add, jk or lol at the end of it, our Governments and apparently our courts which now seem to be owned by the Governments will still treat it as terrorism.

To prove the point - there are two teens sitting in prison right now for making joking threats on the internet.   So, no more jokes people.  We have to take EVERYTHING absolute seriously. Zero Tollerance.  I'm guessing print comes next, then radio, finally they'll get around to TV - even the ubiquitous laugh track won't save you from a charge of Making terrorist threats.  - Be really careful which parts you accept, go help you if you play a Bad guy in next summers blockbuster - you might find your self going to prison for it.

Which begs the question - when do we ban Standup comedy, and sitcoms which just loaded with Hate speech "I Hate you!" "I Hate my ex-wife".

What the hell is wrong in Texas (and they're not alone in making STUPID arrests). When we can't count on the courts to inject a little sanity into the process anymore, I think we're screwed.    We're like a bunch of lemmings walking off the cliff.
 

Way too far

Normally I follow the Heinlein Maxim: 

Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity.

For THIS to be anything but malice is too hard to believe.  The charge is obstruction - the method - he wouldn't stop talking.  The cause - he wore an NRA t-shirt.

I suspect this is what Stalin's USSR would look like if it had started off with a Constitution - It would have ended up in the same place, it just would have taken a few years longer.   Exercising his first amendment rights - by showing silent support for the NRA is tantamount to terrorism - which apparently they considered charging him with. 

 Yes the progressives really do think the NRA is a terrorist organization.  

 

What are the Odds

A little more info for the previous post.

From the CDC: 2010 data

Number of deaths for leading causes of death:

• Heart disease: 597,689
• Cancer: 574,743
• Chronic lower respiratory diseases: 138,080
• Stroke (cerebrovascular diseases): 129,476
• Accidents (unintentional injuries): 120,859
• Alzheimer's disease: 83,494
• Diabetes: 69,071
• Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome, and nephrosis: 50,476
• Influenza and Pneumonia: 50,097
• Intentional self-harm (suicide): 38,364

From the Global Terrorism Database  total domestic deaths from terrorism were 3,030 from 2000-2010. The data only goes to 2011 so far,   So the annual average is 275.  If you take the 10 years from 2001-2011 the numbers don't change significantly.   Between 9/12/2001 and 12/31/2011 the total is 32 - or approximately 3 people annually.

Given that the NSA knew when the terrorist arrived in the U.S. and essentially did nothing with that data, and given the argument is; we need to let the NSA collect all this data because it will stop attacks.  It's only useful if it's acted upon, so 9/11 doesn't meet the goal.   From a Data analysis point of view the 9/11 attack is an outlier - completely uncharacteristic of other world wide attacks. The Post 9/11 number is about 3.

So, you're 140 times more likely to commit suicide than be killed by a terrorist. Without 9/11 you're 12,788 times more likely. Are you scared yet?

From Medical News Today - there are 195,000 in hospital deaths by error each year.    Which means you are  709 times more likely to be killed by your doctor than a terrorist - that includes 9/11 - with out 9/11 the number is 65,000 times more likely to be killed by your doctor.

If TSA costs each person at the airport 15 minutes (yeah right) and the average wage is $20/hour (and I suspect the number is much higher) then we're taking 3.5 billion out of the economy each year. (source WSJ).  And that's JUST the TSA - now add in the cost of all the illegal NSA programs, the DHS TANKS, the wars.  It's not pretty.

So, from an economic point of view, the terrorists have won.  Because rather than being rational about it - we let our selves be terrified and irrational and we made really stupid choices - like the TSA, or letting the NSA and DHS destroy the Constitution - which was exactly what Osama bin Ladin was after.   It could only be accomplished with the help and cooperation of our Government.  The scope of terrorism in the U.S. would have to vastly exceed the total world levels to even come close to matching what we're costing ourselves - even without the loss of Liberty.

Let's recap, compared to terrorism, you are:
140 times more likely to commit suicide.
709 times more likely to be killed by your doctor.
120 times more likely to be killed in an auto accident.

YES we absolutely need to take precautions - we need to investigate, we need to be aware, but we've gone WAY too far with this.  There is no evidence that TSA has done anything other than harass and steal from passengers, except cost us money.   Even with all the extra man power, the militarization of the police, the extension of armed forces into domestic policy - Boston still happened, and it was a civilian who found the terrorist.  A little self reliance and paying attention did more than the DHS, National Guard, SWAT and Satellites, in capturing the perp.  
   
So - Get a grip people - you want to be scared of something - be scared of your doctor.

Fire them all and start over.

It appears that our government has allowed the following:

Chinese Steal Plans to our newest Joint Strike Fighter, PAC-3 and lots of other highly classified military projects.

But don't worry, cause we're trading partners and they would never use that stuff against us.   Really?  we're that friggen incompetent?   They've hack our Power Grid, they steal everything we produce.

We've filled our National Defense technology with Counterfeit Chinese parts.

So  just what the hell are the following groups actually doing with their time?

Pentagon / Military Intel, FBI, NSA, CIA, Trusted Defense Contractors.   Apparently either having Sex with Chinese honeypots or Spying on U.S. Citizens because, why the hell would we want to keep people out of our National Security infrastructure? We're worried about who might want us to actually not violate our Oaths of Office to "support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic".    We don't have time to worry about the Chinese, or Islam.  We gotta protect our jobs!

Fuck!  - Fire everyone and start over.   And when I say Fire - I'm pretty sure I mean Firing Squad.   At least charges for Dereliction of Duty, Violations of National Security, Gross Malfeasance, and if I knew more about the law I'm sure I could come up with a few dozen pages of things.  

From the FBI's own Priority List

National Security Priorities:

1. Protect the United States from terrorist attack    FAIL

2. Protect the United States against foreign intelligence operations and espionage  EPIC FAIL
3. Protect the United States against cyber-based attacks and high-technology crimes  EPIC FAIL

Criminal Priorities

4. Combat public corruption at all levels  EPIC FAIL

5. Protect civil rights  EPIC FAIL

6. Combat transnational/national criminal organizations and enterprises 

7. Combat major white-collar crime  EPIC FAIL

8. Combat significant violent crime   

She really is that stupid

Once again Nancy Pelosi proves she'll say anything rather than admit they screwed up.  There aren't a lot of people I truly despise but she's right near the top of my list.

Right - Benghazi, IRS, AP/Fox - it's all just a distraction he's a great President - he should be allowed his little foibles - it's all the Conservatives Fault.  They're just trying to make him look bad. It's a distraction.   Right, massive violations of the Constitution are just a distraction.   Dereliction of duty is a distraction.

You can tell where she puts the Constitution and Government Corruption on her list of priorities - Yep, didn't even make the list.

This is the kind of thinking you get when someone believes that the Constitution is just that annoying, outdated, obsolete document that really doesn't mean anything anymore.

It's just possible

Well perhaps the AP and Fox News scandal finally hit close enough to home for the frigging Main Stream Liberal Media to see a slight glimmer of what the rest of us have been yelling about for the last 6 years.

I don't expect this to last.

It's not really about that.

There are all sorts of proposals in the wake of EPS1 attack on Aurora.   There's one by Lautenberg and McCarthy that will supposedly make it harder for ciminals to anonymously purchase ammo on-line.   Bitter over at Shall Not Be Questioned has more info.

Normally I agree with those guys 99+%

This time I'm going to take exception; minor, but and exception.

It's not about Gun Control - it's about CONTROL.  They're not trying to control guns, or ammo, they're trying to control people.  That's what governments do - if you let them.   They eventually reach a point where they control every aspect of your life.   Every law is there as a means of controlling people.  If you control the people you win.  Granted it's a long term loosing proposition, but folks like Pelosi and Obama are incapable of seeing beyond they're own desires.  Hell most politicians are incapable of even realizing they're short sighted.

At times it seems like they do it because they think we're too stupid to make our own decisions. I've got to admit having elected Obama - they may have a point - a lot of people are apparently too stupid.  On the other hand, my internal Wookie says: "It's their life to screw up, we must allow them to make their own bad decisions."  Then the Objectivist voice in my head says - but they're inflicting their stupid decisions on me!

Sad but true - it's the way we let the system evolve.  The reality is worse I think.   They know if they tell the right lies, and scare people enough, the people will beg them to take control.  And they will, every chance we give them.  Doesn't matter if it's about Guns, or Finance, or Freedom of Speech.  They want to control it.

The laws aimed at guns are really just the most insidious of the lot, the ultimate goal is to remove our ability to defend ourselves, which makes us nothing more than another dependent of the system.

A Brief Flicker of Sanity

A judge actually did something sane - I suspect temporary sanity at best; as it pushes back the tide of Constitutional Crushing laws/executive orders for a brief moment.    I really wish this were the beginning of a trend but I doubt it.

Mixed Messages

From this and this we see that in a few places - some courts are starting to see the light.   But apparently not all the Police think it includes them.

Chances are - if you have a camera and your taking pictures of government buildings, or cops - your going to get harassed.   There are a lot of cops that still haven't gotten the message - or have chosen to ignore it.  

Part of the problem may be that our rights are being treated like gas prices - take away a bunch until we scream then give some of it back - rinse and repeat.   Get people used to losing some protection of the constitution a little bit at a time, until it's all gone.   Remember - they're doing it for our own safety.

I watch the wheel of state grinding away at us, making actions illegal,  that years ago wouldn't even raise an eyebrow.   We've become a government of bureaucrats, and nannies, who tell us You Can't while they do.   The government has been dismantling the constitution, attacking bit by bit, slowly grinding away.   Every crisis an excuse to crush it just a bit more.  We still have a mostly functional first amendment - so Speak now.  Speek now or forever hold your piece.

Constitution - we don't need no stinking Constitution

At least that's what Obama seems to think - Warning the Supreme Court - no arrogance there...    Just absolute distain for the Constitution.