BWAA! Now a Hacker Group Threatens Sony if they DON'T Release "The Interview"!

It seems the hacker group Anonymous is pretty convinced that North Korea was not responsible for the threats to theatre-goers and Sony hacks. Geeeeeee.... where did they come up with that idea? I mean, didn't they hear that the FBI, Obama and whatever other sharp-as-tacks government agency has already determined that North Korea is to blame, and that we should just listen to our wise overlords?

Defiant North Korea Says Can Prove It Is Not Behind Hack "Without Resorting To Torture Like The CIA"

BWAAA! Even North Korea can take a dig at the blundering US government:  http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2014-12-20/defiant-north-korea-says-can-prove-it-not-behind-hack-without-resorting-torture-cia

Obama "Normalizes" Relations with Cuba

But if we get too friendly with a communist nation like Cuba, we might begin to see lots of government regulations in our country! We might start to see socialist policies implemented! Oh no, we might see the government encroach more and more into our lives and into our economy! We might see the police become militarized and use lethal means to enforce ridiculous laws like those against jaywalking and selling cigarettes! We might see faux elections! Oh no! We CAN'T normalize relations with Cuba we CAN'T! What will we become?

Is there Anything a Cop won't Turn Another Cop in for?

Even shooting a mom of 3? And this guy was barely a cop - he was a "jail officer", whatever that is.

So, I guess when it comes to women and children, remember: Cops will save the "jail officers" first.

Ease Up on our Uniformed Officers, OK?

Yeah, who can blame the police for just doing their job?

Soft Rocking the Vote

By the way, when did anyone ever "Rock the Vote"? Has the vote EVER been "rocked"? Seems like we've always had the same old sleazy politicians in power for as long as I can remember. Is this what "Rocking" the vote gets us?

But Then Who Will Go Around The World Torturing Folks?

Government May Shut Down At Midnight Due To Last Minute Cromnibus Vote SNAFU

But Who Would Torture Folks?

Dick Cheney is tripping all over himself in his comments on the declassified Senate report on CIA torture. Here he says:

“The notion that the agency was operating on a rogue basis was just a flat out lie," Cheney said.

Then he says

"rectal rehydration" mentioned in the report, "was not one of the authorized or approved techniques." 

 OK, so they were not rogues, but they were. Or, they were rogues, but they were not. Were, were not, WHATEVER. Does it really MATTER? The CIA torturers were "patriots" according to GW Bush, and Obama said they do their job really well. So let's not get hung up on little words like "not", "were", and "rectal rehydration".

But Who Would Arrest People for Being Japanese?

Oh, remember the old days when it was a crime to be Japanese? It's good thing we have lawmakers to determine what is right and wrong for us - then and now. And a good thing we have obedient servants of those lawmakers who will just do their bidding without questioning. Otherwise, we might have had Japanese people in California in the 1940's. And who would have wanted that?

(An official of the San Francisco Japanese Association, Shojiro Hori, is being taken away by police.)

But They're.... But They're... ILLEGAL dammit!

Zerohedge has it wrong about immigration. Yes, it is hilarious that 17 states want to sue Obama for violating the Constitution - where have they been every moment of every day of every presidency since Grover Cleveland - but how exactly is ANYONE in this country (the USA) illegally?

Someone show me the federal law that says a person cannot step over the international border into the USA.

And if you can actually find one, I'll point you to the highest law in the land that says the immigration law is invalid.

You see, there is NO MENTION of immigration in the Constitution AT ALL. It ain't there.

So there is NO AUTHORITY for the president or Congress to make a law regarding immigration.

So, no one is here illegally.

So there are no illegal immigrants in the USA. Period.

The America We Wish We Knew, the America of the Small Business Administration

Well it is wonderful to see how the government's Small Business Administration (SBA) helps to get american businesses up and running and contributing to our economy.

So the next time you're driving your Lamborghini checking your Rolex watch to find out your Napa luxury spa time before you head out to your yacht after your plastic surgery, you can thank the hard working folks at the SBA for providing the taxpayer-backed loans to make your day possible. And what is a day without a Lamborghini, Rolex, luxury spa, yacht and plastic surgery anyway?

Not the kind of day any American should have! Right?

Why Does Time March Forward?

Is it because of Gravity? From the article:

“The question we seek to answer in our paper is: what set these systems in that very low-entropy state in first place? Our answer is: gravity, and its tendency to create order and structure (complexity) from chaos,” said [Flavio] Mercati.

Whaaat? How would gravity both set something in a low-entropy state and create order and structure? And what is gravity anyway? Anyone found a Graviton yet? Nope. I find it hard to accept that the answer to the march of time is "gravity" when no one really knows what gravity is. There must be something more fundamental that these researchers are missing.

Reach for the Stars (Public School Edition)!

He was an SOB Long Before he was an SOB

Here's Darren Wilson disrespecting the first amendment and lying on a police report.  Hey, maybe if he were removed from the force for this unlawful arrest and mendacity he wouldn't have been driving down Canfiled Drive, and.... well.... Ahhh - but then if you believe that, then you'd have to believe that we can change the world by righting even the small wrongs. You must be a DREAMER! HA!

The Secret Chinese/Nicaraguan Canal

The Chinese are being very secretive about the canal they are planning to build through Nicaragua. Will they be able to build it before their economy implodes from excess central bank manipulation? Will the US put up with competition for the Panama canal? Wait, the US doesn't own that anymore, right? HA. 

It Should Be This Easy, But It Ain't

Cruzfused: Ted Cruz Gets Immigration Law Wrong (Obama too)

Here's Mr. Cruz harping on Obama for "counterfeiting immigration papers".  

“For 4 to 5 million people here illegally, he’s promising to print out and give out work authorizations — essentially, he’s gotten in the job of counterfeiting immigration papers, because there’s no legal authority to do what he’s doing,” the Texas Republican charged on “Fox News Sunday.”

Well THAT'S a good point: There's NO LEGAL AUTHORITY do do what Obama is doing about immigration! So let's review what CAN BE DONE legally regarding immigration. OK, I'm bringing up the old US Constitution here... finding the appropriate section. OK here it is:






... nothing. nada. zilch. nil. bupkis. 

So, if there's nothing in the highest law in the land about immigration, then the government can't print up ANY KIND of immigration document at all! And the government (including Mr. Cruz) can't even say that someone is "here illegally" when there is NO VALID LAW saying that they can't be here! 

But I'm sure Mr. Cruz was just temporarily confused and will sort this out in his next talking head interview.

Merry Christmas from the Government. A New Tax - Sorry, "Fee" - on Christmas Trees

But this will fund "Christmas Tree Research" - like we need that - so it's all worth it. Somehow we've gotten along for centuries with out the government "Christmas Tree Research", but now I guess it is essential.

Merry Christmas

The Government is Like a Box of Chocolates

How Government Protects Our Drinking Water from Toxins

But who would allow our drinking water aquifers to become polluted with fracking wastewater?

From the article:

California’s Department of Conservation’s Chief Deputy Director, Jason Marshall, told NBC Bay Area, “In multiple different places of the permitting process an error could have been made.”

It wasn't just the permitting process, the error goes back to Sumeria when insecure people decided that they needed a government to solve their problems.

When asked how this could happen in the first place, [California Department of Conservation's James] Marshall said that the long history of these wells makes it difficult to know exactly what the thinking was.

“When you’re talking about wells that were permitted in 1985 to 1992, we’ve tried to go back and talk to some of the permitting engineers,” said Marshall. “And it’s unfortunate but in some cases they (the permitting engineers) are deceased.”

Maybe they were drinking too much from the government-controlled water supply.

Find Your Favorite Start Trek Character

LIVE LONG AND PROSPER! It is SO COOL when Capt. Picard actually makes it to one of these Trekkie conventions. There he is, just left of center. And in the middle there's the guy with the forehead tattoo from Star Trek Voyager! I don't know what his name was! Far over to the right there's the Vulcan-African/American science officer (what was up with that?) and of course.... oh wait a minute... Hey, this isn't a trekkie convention at all! It's... it's... oh wait, there's Uhuru the short one in the back. Yeah, it's a trekkie convention.

Unfortunate Fortunate Son

So "the boss" is taking heat for playing anti-war songs on Veterans Day. Oh, no. I guess to support veterans you have to be pro-war, and pro-killing. Too bad Bruce doesn't understand that you just can't separate people from the policies of their government. Better luck next time, Bruce. Try just playing the Battle Hymn of the Republic over and over about 1000 times until the state propaganda becomes second nature to you.

The Dangerous Financial Shenanigans of ISIS

Over a ZeroHedge.com, Tyler Durden notes that ISIS is going back to a "Gold Standard". As usual on that site, the comments are hilarious.

rccalhoun notes

and will isis dare operate on a balanced budget?

And ParkAveFlasher follows up with

and perhaps stoop to deflationary price expectations that are assumed with technological advances?  You mean they won't have to plan obsolescence and artificially slow the rate of innovation to match the inflation curve?  Expansion will be funded by equity?  Absence of counterparty risk?  Self-financing commerce?  State no longer sole intermediary in all transactions?  Diminished demand for usury?  War an act of highest risk?  GODLESS SAVAGES

Lack of Transparency is a Political Advantage and We Know What's Best For You.

Note that this bureaucrat says "I'd rather have this law than not". And I guess he feels that it is A-OK to use deception to pass the law that he wants. So, in other words, FU American public - you get what I give you good and hard.

I would be mad and upset, but I have long understood that THIS IS THE WAY GOVERNMENT WORKS. Whether it is Obamacare, the War on Drugs, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, or the War in Iraq, it starts with deception and goes downhill from there.

h/t Robert Wenzel

Camo Cream

Looks like someone vomited over at Baskin Robins. Oh, no... actually it appears to be the new camouflage flavored ice cream.

I wonder if it tastes like canvas, nervous sweat, and trench foot? Can I have some Iraqi collateral damage dead civilian gummy sprinkles on that please?

h/t Chris Rossini

Taking Care of the Election

Sleep tight sweet ballot boxes wherever you are... Everyone who voted can now rest peacefully knowing that their vote will count. Everything is taken care of... taken care of...

When Natasha Met Doyle

You can find how "conservative" or "liberal" your name is here: https://www.crowdpac.com/how-liberal-conservative-is-your-name (thanks Robert Wenzel)

Fooling around with this site a bit, I found that the most "liberal" name is Natasha, and the most "conservative" is Doyle. Sounds like a Roku series in the making.

There is no indication of how to find the most anarchist or authoritarian name.

Fed Dude Skips Kind-of Important Point

At 40 seconds into this video Brian Sack (sp?) of the New York Federal Reserve says "The way we create money is.. is by buying securities."

Well, no. You have to exchange something in order to buy something. So, the Fed must have had the money prior to the purchase even if it was just a millisecond before.

So, how does the Fed create the money? Well, about a millisecond before they hit the "BUY NOW!" button on their computer screen they TYPE THE NUMBERS IN. And those numbers are the newly created money.

Just imagine the work that went into earning that money. Millions of dollars created in an instant by the very complicated work of finger muscles coordinated with other finger muscles, and joints and bones - don't forget the bones - all somehow coming together to type - that's right "type" (I'll have to make another post explaining what "typing" is) - numbers. Wow! If you or I tried that, I'm sure we'd sprain something, accidentally smash our hands or spontaneously combust or something. I'm so glad the Fed has taken on this perilous task and they deserve every cent they type!

More Realism in Cartoons Needed

Here are the updated Disney princeses because we need realistic waistlines to go with the realistic ice powers, singing underwater, talking teapots, and genies in bottles.

Without Government (FDR Edition)

Nobody for President

Some people think that people who don't vote are apathetic, or clueless, or are disrespecting democracy, etc... But the truth is that many who don't vote care very deeply and use non-participation as a means of being the change in the world that they wish to see. Some would say that if you ignore politicians and bureaucrats, you take away their power. So if you think that government is too powerful and intrudes too much into your life, then one way out might be to simply stop voting. If enough people stop voting their power will be stripped, and then pretty soon you may not be able to tell a politician from a crazy homeless person yelling nonsense in the street.

Nurse vs State

OK, maybe it's just me, but I think if that nurse Kaci Hickox doesn't have Ebola, then some sneaky mofo is going to try to give it to her. Watch out for any kind of "accidental" needle prick or foreign substance smeared on your bike handle bars, Kaci. The state doesn't like it when someone makes a bold stand against it and it has the capacity to do some terrible evil. If the state will drop a nuke on innocent people in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, then they won't bat an eye at infecting a single outspoken nurse with Ebola.

Political Retribution via the Media

Kaci Hickox is the nurse in Maine who is defying the politicians and standing up for her rights to move about freely. Now, it's my belief that politicians and bureaucrats (i.e. the government) just want to grab more and more power and when someone gets in their way, they will be dealt with severely.

Now, you can't just go out and have this sweet do-gooder from small-town USA taken out and disposed of behind the shed, so what is our benevolent government to do? Well, let's see... the government has a pretty good stranglehold on the media, so let's find the most unflattering picture of this girl we can find...

Nope, that won't do. What, is she some kind of model? Keep searching....

Better.... she looks scornful... But still no good. Keep searching....

THERE! That's it! She looks like Anthony Perkins' mother in Psycho! She looks like she's in the last stages of not only Ebola but the bubonic plague as well! People will be screaming to have the government protect them from this hideous zombie!

Sorry, Kaci. You ran afoul of some very powerful people. Now you will be forever remembered in the media as the emaciated pile of rotting virus in the plastic window.

The Many Killings of Usama

I'm looking forward to this interview with the Navy Seal who killed Usama Bin Laden. I wonder if he's the guy who killed Bin Laden in Tora Bora, or the guy who killed him in Abbottabad? Maybe there's even another killing of Bin Laden that I didn't know about?

The Effectiveness of Campaign Ads

But if the ads weren't effective in some way, I don't think we'd be seeing so many of them. I think they are just a way to divide us and get us to keep voting. People cheer for their team's ads, and boo the opposition's and they get all excited for game day - I mean election day. But no one changes their mind based on the ads. And those in power decide which politicians will be elected and which proposition will pass, and as long as they can say they have a "mandate" then the charade of government authority continues.

Interstellar the Science?

This looks like an entertaining film that I'll probably try to see regardless of what may be a ridiculous premise of humanity's demise on Earth. And it is fascinating that the director involved Kip Thorne, one of the great theoretical physicists of our time. But Kip makes an error here:

In the end, Nolan got elegant images that advance the story. [Kip] Thorne got a movie that teaches a mass audience some real, accurate science. But he also got something he didn't expect: a scientific discovery. “This is our observational data,” he says of the movie's visualizations. “That's the way nature behaves. Period.” Thorne says he can get at least two published articles out of it.

I'm sorry, but a computer simulation can never be an observation. In the same way I didn't just drive in the Grand Prix when I put two quarters into the video game at the arcade. It was kind-of like I did, but I didn't really.

Lava Closure

Government officials are trying to make themselves useful in Hawaii as the unstoppable forces of nature do what comes naturally. So, naturally the officials came up with this:

County officials are making arrangements for those living in the lava's path to be able to watch the lava destroy their homes as a means of closure.

I'm pretty sure the home owners will have closure when they find that their home has become a big black pile of steaming rock. But thanks for trying, County officials. What would we do without you?

Private Subways

Are those CUSHIONED SEATS?

How New York City's Subway System Looked Like Before the Government Took It Over

The Value of Burger Flipping

Here's just one of the many problems with "Living Wage" arguments that came to my mind after reading Living Wages, Rarity for U.S. Fast-Food Workers, Served Up in Denmark is that the enhanced wage sends a signal to this person who flips burgers that he is actually a significant productive member of society.

Now, don't get me wrong, he IS a productive member of society, but let's not pretend that he is as productive or as significant as an entrepreneur who creates something unique and wonderful that can make all our lives better, or as someone who shares a rare skill or highly desired expertise, or someone who employs 50, 100 or 1000 employees in non-coercive endeavor.

Hey, maybe the "Living Wage" is preventing this guy from finding his true calling and fulfilling the productive potential that may be ready to burst out of him when necessity calls!

If NEED BE, we could have a machine flip the burgers, or even flip them ourselves. But the "living wage" says: "Hey, we really VALUE your burger-flipping service", when I don't think we do, really.