The shortest and surest way to live with honor in the world
is to be in reality what we would appear to be.
Socrates
Napolitano v Stossel on the NSA
This mini-debate--which I think Napolitano won and fully concur with his perspective--actually annoys me more with Varney's hyperbolic, fear-mongering rhetoric. Hyping nightmarish nuclear threats is just a device used by demagogues and bureaucrats use to gain power and resources. Just a couple of brief responses: first, it presupposes that terrorists would make use of said infrastructure; second, it also assumes that messages or metadata are relevant, usable, recognizable and/or benefits exceed costs. In response specifically to Stossel, I do not believe that there are scalability advantages to massive private data grabs, and as Napolitano observed, this is little more than an unrestricted general warrant; every despot can manufacture some public safety concern to justify intrusions into privacy. This is an extension of the principle against universal invasive TSA screening procedures used against passengers wearing catheter bags, babies wearing diapers and older ladies' undergarments: treating every passenger as a potential suicidal terrorist, given decades of passenger flights without incident, as blatantly unreasonable. John Stossel may not care whether the content or metadata of his communications is being accessed by the government (I think my own communications are very boring and a waste of any eavesdropper's time and resources, but it's not the point), but that's not relevant or justification to throwing the rights of others under the bus.
Second, on a related point, FNC Red Eye covered Obama's comments pooh-poohing the idea that NSA was listening on people's phone calls, that warrants are still required for specific calls, etc. This just strikes me as a typical lawyereze, evasive, misleading response. First of all, everyone know that the limited intelligence resources can't physically monitor all communications. But that doesn't imply communications can't be recorded, analyzed or stored, and we already know how confidential information has been inappropriately accessed and/or leaked in the past (e.g. "Another day, another slipup by the Internal Revenue Service. The incident involves the unwitting exposure of "tens of thousands" of Social Security numbers, according to a recent audit by the independent transparency and public-domain group Public.Resource.org."). Plus, where does Obama get his reassurance? James Clapper?
On March 12, James Clapper, director of national intelligence, testified at an open congressional hearing. Senator Ron Wyden, Democrat of Oregon, asked him whether the National Security Agency collects “any type of data at all on millions or hundreds of millions of Americans.”
His answer: “No sir.” Then he added: “Not wittingly.”
FreedomFest This Week in Vegas:
Second Biggest Gambling Center Since Barney Frank
Rolled the Dice on Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac
D'accord
California's No-Child Policy for Female Prisoners
So much for California state regulations against sterilization of female inmates:
Psychologist Daun Martin, who bore responsibility for all medical decisions at Valley State between 2005 and 2008, admitted that she and [male obstetrician] Heinrich discussed ways around state regulation. At least 148 female prison inmates were sterilized in California over just four years, a practice that evaded state law, according to a new report by the Center for Investigative Reporting (CIR). Some of the women have said they were repeatedly pressured into undergoing the irreversible procedure without any apparent medical reason. Sixty-nine-year-old Dr. James Heinrich said the procedures were well worth the money spent, which totaled $147,460. Heinrich said, "Over a 10-year period, that isn't a huge amount of money, compared to what you save in welfare paying for these unwanted children, as they procreated more."It seems that Heinrich has no problem with controlling the reproductive choices of women....
The allegations echo those made nearly a half-century ago, when forced sterilizations of prisoners, the mentally ill and the poor were commonplace in California. State lawmakers officially banned such practices in 1979Sunday Talk Soup
There were a couple of discussions on Face the Nation. First, on the topic of immigration, I'm getting sick and tired of immigration getting stereotyped as a Latino issue. During the years of rapid economic growth through the early 1920's, we had a fairly open immigration policy: at that point we implemented quotas. The American economy needs a diversified workforce to expand. Why Americans were fine with a heavy influx of European immigrants of all types but seemed to target Latino lower-skilled immigrants whom are willing to take hard-to-place transient farm or other work is beyond me. As I've mentioned in past posts, these immigration restrictions are a form of labor protectionism, counterproductive economic policy. I could barely tolerate the discussion involving a representative of FAIR, an anti-immigrant special interest group, whom was milking the labor protectionist line in a stagnant, high unemployment economy. The reason we have a slow recovery is directly due to incompetent government intervention in both fiscal and monetary policy; federal policy is both causing uncertainty in the economy and sucking oxygen out of the air needed for economic growth in the private sector. The answer to our economic malaise is a return to free market and free trade principles. I am also getting sick and tied of the national media acting as if Latinos are a one-issue group, and this is the GOP's proverbial last chance. The GOP has a cluster of problems, one of them being way behind the technical curve. For instance, in the last election the Dems had banked a ton of absentee votes and not only that but had a good idea whom had not voted yet and had people getting those voters to the polls; the GOP's relative efforts were AWOL or amateurish at best. I think the GOP needs to project a positive-toned message and stave off the angry rhetoric that has sacrificed the state of California and resulted in some gimme Senate seat losses (and states to Obama, despite a bad economy) over the last 2 elections. I have never volunteered or contributed to the GOP; they have never asked for or implemented my advice.
Second, the substitute moderator Major Garrett, a former FNC correspondent, wanted to scapegoat sequestration somehow in a dialogue with Sen. McCain for the recent tragedy involving the loss of several Arizona firefighters. I'm getting sick and tired of politically motivated operational cuts being used by this corrupt administration: taxpayer groups have come up with hundreds of millions in cuts that can be implemented; keep in mind Obama's long-sought restoration of upper-income Clinton tax hikes alone are roughly equal to the sequestration amount. There has been no cut in overall federal spending. Obama merely hopes that the American people are gullible enough not to realize that instead of pulling the plug on failing federal projects, deferring thousands of new IRS employees to enforce ObamaCare's mandates, etc., he wants the American people to support his high tax, spend, and regulate regime by making high-profile, unpopular cuts that he can blame on Republicans. The fact that McCain fell for the setup and paying lip service to fixing cuts really tarnished any reputation he has as a fiscal hawk.
Finally, I was put off by McCain's domino theory interventionist policy in north Africa, Middle East and Gulf region. I don't want the US entangled in Egyptian internal affairs, but let me be very clear: the elected government of Egypt is a perverse majoritarian abuse of power. Morsi was increasingly authoritarian and had no respect for an independent judiciary, political minority rights or the rule of law. If Obama pulled the same type crap, he would be impeached. Now granted, Morsi's party controlled the Egyptian higher chamber. I'm not going to cast judgment on the military deposing a second tyrant; Egyptians themselves have a healthy respect for the military--the last thing the military wants to do is become vested in a political struggle which would undermine its favorability with half of Egyptians. I would like to see a secular Egyptian government; that may be wishful thinking. But as I continue to insist, the proper way to snap out of an economic slump like Egypt is experiencing is to adopt the principles of free markets and free trade.
Political Humor
An original:
- Eliot Spitzer, new candidate for NYC comptroller, is reported by the Gray Lady as saying "“I am going to be on the street corners." Apparently Spitzer has moved on from call girls...
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| Courtesy of Bob Gorrell and Townhall |
The Beatles, "She's a Woman"
Is This America Anymore?
Apparently if a policeman thinks that you're a smart ass, he has a blank check to abuse his authority...
