Political Randomness

LordMortis · Post by **LordMortis** » Tue Jan 24, 2017 1:09 pm

I'm beginning to realize why I've always listened to Animals more than I've listened to The Wall. While the former might be the best examination of the 20th century. The later seems to be a bigger look at man and it's really hitting home with that arbitrary line we drew at January 1st, 2001, looking forward. Like we're reverting back to our nature, now that all of those 20th century distractions are out of the way. I don't want to revert. I really have this need to think we're changing our nature. That there is a progressive continuum on what it means to be human, to be a person, to be people. We shaped all these other animals to that progress. But we seem to be desperate to take ourselves backwards, to recapture us as... something.

It feels as though it's really time take Quinn... and go forward...

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Tue Jan 24, 2017 1:11 pm

LordMortis wrote:it's really hitting home with that arbitrary line we drew at January 1st, 2001, looking forward.

September 11th, 2001 is a more pertinent line, and the opposite of arbitrary.

On the global stage, who did we hate during the 90s? I can't recall, aside from continued Iraq discontent.

LordMortis · Post by **LordMortis** » Tue Jan 24, 2017 1:21 pm

Isgrimnur wrote:
LordMortis wrote:it's really hitting home with that arbitrary line we drew at January 1st, 2001, looking forward.
September 11th, 2001 is a more pertinent line, and the opposite of arbitrary.

On the global stage, who did we hate during the 90s? I can't recall, aside from continued Iraq discontent.

Bill Clinton and Saddam Hussein with a small side order of mixed NK, Iran, and Bush the Elder, but mainly Bill Clinton. I think we were too busy discovering whether we were fans of Linux, Apple, or drone to MS and discovering SMS on our new cell phones to hate much on a global scale.

LordMortis · Post by **LordMortis** » Tue Jan 24, 2017 1:26 pm

Aluminiuminuminum laundering?

http://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-seizes- ... 9?mod=e2fb

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Tue Jan 24, 2017 1:42 pm

Non-paywalled story, January 13th

U.S. customs officials have seized $25 million worth of aluminum linked to a Chinese billionaire accused of stockpiling the metal across the world, the Wall Street Journal reported this morning.

The Obama administration also launched a formal complaint Thursday against the Chinese government with the World Trade Organization over subsidies it says Beijing provides to the country’s vast aluminum industry.

The move against the stockpile of aluminum connected to Chinese billionaire Liu Zhongtian, the owner and CEO of aluminum company China Zhongwang, is the strongest action yet by federal authorities probing whether U.S. companies connected to the Chinese magnate illegally avoided nearly 400% tariffs by routing the metal through other countries.

We previously reported the whereabouts of the aluminum stockpile as it curiously moved around the globe. China Zhongwang has denied any connection to the stockpile or its movements, but hundreds of shipping containers of aluminum were seized this week by the Department of Homeland Security. The containers are owned by Perfectus Aluminum, Inc., a California company founded by Mr. Liu’s son, Liu Zuopeng. Perfectus is now run by one of Liu’s close business associates, Jacky Cheung, who runs several companies with connections to Liu.

Homeland Security is conducting laboratory tests on the aluminum to determine whether the metal is restricted under U.S. law, according to federal court documents. The seized aluminum is in the form of pallets and court records don’t state which company manufactured the aluminum. The WJ saw shipping records which show that a separate company called Peng Cheng — which later became part of Perfectus in a merger—imported the metal from an affiliate of China Zhongwang in 2013 and 2014.

LordMortis · Post by **LordMortis** » Tue Jan 24, 2017 1:45 pm

Sorry. It wasn't paywalled for me. I know how much I hate that, when google or OO or FB or anyone else has it happen. I should stop linking to wsj and find alternate links, only I like to have a recognizable host for the stories I link to.

But most importantly, sorry.

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Tue Jan 24, 2017 2:19 pm

No worries.

LordMortis · Post by **LordMortis** » Tue Jan 24, 2017 2:32 pm

How do the FTC claim this victory

https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/blog/ftc-s ... ocall-scam

June 29, 2015
by Lisa Weintraub Schifferle
Attorney, Division of Consumer and Business Education, FTC

Tired of robocalls? The FTC just shut down Payless Solutions, a scam using illegal robocalls to lie about lowering your credit card interest rate.

And yet Sarah is calling my cell phone every week since from a different number?

LordMortis · Post by **LordMortis** » Tue Jan 24, 2017 3:49 pm

If Tigers are orange and Trump is Orange and Trump is obsessed with winning, can we assume that Trump's got Tiger Blood and the Sheen's?

Enough · Post by **Enough** » Tue Jan 24, 2017 4:08 pm

Colorado has some of the most permissive oil and gas regs in the nation, far looser than places like TX, OK and WY that most instinctively would think would have a lighter regulatory burden. I was just reading how a biking trail along the Poudre River I regularly use has to be rerouted so that they can drill 50 horizontal wells (fracked) on a pad within a 1/4 mile of the river (this is in city limits). Yay, us.

Enough · Post by **Enough** » Tue Jan 24, 2017 4:09 pm

LordMortis wrote:If Tigers are orange and Trump is Orange and Trump is obsessed with winning, can we assume that Trump's got Tiger Blood and the Sheen's?

If god is love and love is blind, can we assume that Stevie Wonder is god?

Jeff V · Post by **Jeff V** » Tue Jan 24, 2017 4:13 pm

Enough wrote:
LordMortis wrote:If Tigers are orange and Trump is Orange and Trump is obsessed with winning, can we assume that Trump's got Tiger Blood and the Sheen's?
If god is love and love is blind, can we assume that Stevie Wonder is god?

No, you are thinking of Ray Charles and, as the late great Christopher Hitchens taught us, God is Dead.

Rip · Post by **Rip** » Wed Jan 25, 2017 7:03 am

$iljanus · Post by **$iljanus** » Wed Jan 25, 2017 8:51 am

Enough wrote:Colorado has some of the most permissive oil and gas regs in the nation, far looser than places like TX, OK and WY that most instinctively would think would have a lighter regulatory burden. I was just reading how a biking trail along the Poudre River I regularly use has to be rerouted so that they can drill 50 horizontal wells (fracked) on a pad within a 1/4 mile of the river (this is in city limits). Yay, us.

I guess in the short term you will be sitting pretty in the future Resource Wars until superior Chinese clean energy tech used by the other autonomous regions of the former USA makes the oil states of America a vassal state because they have no clean water sources.

malchior · Post by **malchior** » Wed Jan 25, 2017 9:41 am

An under reported story from the violent protests on inauguration day. Another take here.. There were many blanket arrests including journalists and lawyers during the riot. And many have been charged for merely being present at the location. Blanket arbitrary arrests are bad enough but to proceed to actual charges? That is *very heavy handed*.

Post by **ImLawBoy** » Wed Jan 25, 2017 11:50 am

Rip wrote:

A grudging tip of the cap to Cruz on this one. That's legitimately funny.

Skinypupy · Post by **Skinypupy** » Wed Jan 25, 2017 11:59 am

He actually zinged them twice, I lol'd.

stessier · Post by **stessier** » Wed Jan 25, 2017 1:16 pm

Yeah, Deadspin totally got pwned.

Defiant · Post by **Defiant** » Wed Jan 25, 2017 2:13 pm

South Dakota Republicans are about to get rid of the state’s first independent ethics commission

Because who wants to be ranked "47th in the nation for accountability" when you can be ranked 50th?

Enough · Post by **Enough** » Wed Jan 25, 2017 4:04 pm

The humanitarian crisis in northeastern Nigeria is so bad that almost all children under 5 have died.

Yeah, we still have it easy here.

Rip · Post by **Rip** » Thu Jan 26, 2017 3:33 am

http://dailycaller.com/2017/01/25/exclu ... on-system/

Feds have launched an investigation into why the Department of Homeland Security hacked into the Georgia state governmental network, including its election system, The Daily Caller News Foundation’s Investigative Group has learned.

John Roth, inspector general for DHS, wants to know why the agency broke protocol on its way to 10 unprecedented attacks on the system overseen by Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp — who is also one of the most vocal critics about the Obama administration’s attempt to designate local and state election machinery as part of federal “critical infrastructure.”

A Jan. 17 letter from Roth notified Kemp his office was officially “investigating a series of ten alleged scanning events of the Georgia Secretary of State’s network that may have originated from DHS-affiliated IP addresses.” A firewall in Georgia’s system thwarted each attempt.

Former DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson and Kemp have clashed over a federal government designation of election systems as “critical infrastructure.” Kemp called it “political power play to federalize elections.”

Johnson sparked a firestorm among state-level secretaries of state – Democrat and Republican alike — when he announced Jan. 6, two weeks before leaving office, that he was unilaterally issuing the designation.

If Roth’s investigation shows Johnson or his subordinates deliberately used federal cybersecurity resources to penetrate a state election system in order to pressure a state official over a policy dispute, it could represent a significant scandal for Johnson and for the outgoing Obama administration.

The “scans” are attacks to test security weaknesses in a network. It’s called the electronic equivalent of “rattling doorknobs” to see if they’re unlocked — or on a darker side, to send a message to a recipient.

Georgian IT specialists traced 10 such scans back to a DHS IP address. DHS officials confirmed the attacks came from an unnamed contractor attached to the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Glynco, Georgia, a part of DHS.

Defiant · Post by **Defiant** » Thu Jan 26, 2017 3:50 am

Economist Intelligence Unit: US no longer considered 'full democracy'

The Economist eight years ago...

Some states have way too much direct democracy

Sigh...

(In that time, the US shifted .25 down out of 10.00, which'll probably seem like a quaint drop sometime soon.)

hepcat · Post by **hepcat** » Thu Jan 26, 2017 8:29 am

stessier wrote:Yeah, Deadspin totally got pwned.

That's twice now that I've sided with Cruz on something. Scary.

hepcat · Post by **hepcat** » Thu Jan 26, 2017 8:33 am

Rip wrote:http://dailycaller.com/2017/01/25/exclu ... on-system/

Feds have launched an investigation into why the Department of Homeland Security hacked into the Georgia state governmental network, including its election system, The Daily Caller News Foundation’s Investigative Group has learned.

John Roth, inspector general for DHS, wants to know why the agency broke protocol on its way to 10 unprecedented attacks on the system overseen by Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp — who is also one of the most vocal critics about the Obama administration’s attempt to designate local and state election machinery as part of federal “critical infrastructure.”

A Jan. 17 letter from Roth notified Kemp his office was officially “investigating a series of ten alleged scanning events of the Georgia Secretary of State’s network that may have originated from DHS-affiliated IP addresses.” A firewall in Georgia’s system thwarted each attempt.

Former DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson and Kemp have clashed over a federal government designation of election systems as “critical infrastructure.” Kemp called it “political power play to federalize elections.”

Johnson sparked a firestorm among state-level secretaries of state – Democrat and Republican alike — when he announced Jan. 6, two weeks before leaving office, that he was unilaterally issuing the designation.

If Roth’s investigation shows Johnson or his subordinates deliberately used federal cybersecurity resources to penetrate a state election system in order to pressure a state official over a policy dispute, it could represent a significant scandal for Johnson and for the outgoing Obama administration.

The “scans” are attacks to test security weaknesses in a network. It’s called the electronic equivalent of “rattling doorknobs” to see if they’re unlocked — or on a darker side, to send a message to a recipient.

Georgian IT specialists traced 10 such scans back to a DHS IP address. DHS officials confirmed the attacks came from an unnamed contractor attached to the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Glynco, Georgia, a part of DHS.

Do you...do you actually think you just proved a point on voter fraud?

Rip · Post by **Rip** » Thu Jan 26, 2017 1:28 pm

No I think I just pointed to nefarious actions by the feds.

Thankfully the people's POTUS is on it......

YellowKing · Post by **YellowKing** » Thu Jan 26, 2017 2:48 pm

Not sure if this was pointed out previously, but the Keepin' it 1600 podcast guys many of us followed during the election have created a new post-Trump podcast called "Pod Save America."

tjg_marantz · Post by **tjg_marantz** » Thu Jan 26, 2017 4:34 pm

YellowKing wrote:Not sure if this was pointed out previously, but the Keepin' it 1600 podcast guys many of us followed during the election have created a new post-Trump podcast called "Pod Save America."

oh thanks!

hepcat · Post by **hepcat** » Thu Jan 26, 2017 7:46 pm

Rip wrote:No I think I just pointed to nefarious actions by the feds.

Thankfully the people's POTUS is on it......

You think Ivanka will do something about it?

KKBlue · Post by **KKBlue** » Thu Jan 26, 2017 11:10 pm

Sorry to interrupt but I almost cried out with a wild Twilight Zone scream

So, like, I clicked the little orange square to be brought to the last place I read on the thread.
Started reading and it seemed the comments were rather strange. Looked around to get my bearings. Happy I've learned to check dates in these things because I last visited in 2013! Page 5 is where I left off. Current page is numbered in the hundreds!

Whew, that was a close one.

Rip · Post by **Rip** » Fri Jan 27, 2017 12:18 am

KKBlue wrote:Sorry to interrupt but I almost cried out with a wild Twilight Zone scream

So, like, I clicked the little orange square to be brought to the last place I read on the thread.
Started reading and it seemed the comments were rather strange. Looked around to get my bearings. Happy I've learned to check dates in these things because I last visited in 2013! Page 5 is where I left off. Current page is numbered in the hundreds!

Whew, that was a close one.

Well glad you made it. The thread test is about to begin.

Holman · Post by **Holman** » Fri Jan 27, 2017 7:10 am

KKBlue wrote:Sorry to interrupt but I almost cried out with a wild Twilight Zone scream

So, like, I clicked the little orange square to be brought to the last place I read on the thread.
Started reading and it seemed the comments were rather strange. Looked around to get my bearings. Happy I've learned to check dates in these things because I last visited in 2013! Page 5 is where I left off. Current page is numbered in the hundreds!

Whew, that was a close one.

If we actually had a visitor from 2013 inquiring about political news, I'm not sure I would know how to break it to them.

hepcat · Post by **hepcat** » Fri Jan 27, 2017 8:17 am

Just tell them we all lost.

KKBlue · Post by **KKBlue** » Fri Jan 27, 2017 10:19 am

Clicked on the little orange square again JUST to make sure which reality I'm in. Happy to see my post from last night, the replies, and 2017. You all are my true north

LordMortis · Post by **LordMortis** » Fri Jan 27, 2017 10:35 am

Not a revelation and the author overstates their case IMO but it's still a worthwhile testimonial to read, IMO.

https://www.autostraddle.com/i-was-trai ... ah-367057/

The Meal · Post by **The Meal** » Fri Jan 27, 2017 1:27 pm

LordMortis wrote:Not a revelation and the author overstates their case IMO but it's still a worthwhile testimonial to read, IMO.

https://www.autostraddle.com/i-was-trai ... ah-367057/

An excellent article. I especially like what it says (about both sides) near the end of this quote. Personal dogmatic adherence to any worldview should be critically reviewed at frequent intervals. Just because you know you're "capital 'R' Right" does not give you open license to behave as if it's a mandate from on high. Think critically. Always.

Evangelical conservatives are convinced that their agenda will save the country from God-ordained death. Pat Robertson and many others believe that natural disasters are sent from God specifically to punish America for letting marginalized people have rights and be alive. This motivates them to do everything in their power to “save” the country from the ungodly – even, maybe especially – if it involves stripping others of the freedoms they deem to be against God’s wishes. They don’t care if their war for Christ hurts humans they see as living wrongfully, because they are capital “R” Right and that’s what matters. Their Rightness, they believe, comes from God Himself. Their beliefs are callous and without empathy, prioritizing dogma over people. These beliefs are dangerous. Many of us who have come out as queer, trans, or even merely gone to college, have lost family because of this worldview. A single powerful person who is convinced of their own Rightness with no thought of introspection is dangerous. We now have a government full of them.

Default · Post by **Default** » Fri Jan 27, 2017 1:38 pm

The problem with that worldview is that it is not "Christ-like" in any way, shape or form. All you have to do is read the New Testament, and whether you accept it as truth or deny it as fable, the innate kindness of the philosophy is apparent.

This crap going on now is all about cowardice and their utter lack of faith in the teachings of the Gospel. There's risk of getting hurt in caring for others, and these jackasses are afraid of their own shadows.

Smoove_B · Post by **Smoove_B** » Fri Jan 27, 2017 2:32 pm

I have to admit that I'm a little freaked out that I must follow "resistance" pages of Federal agencies on Twitter that last week were providing me with information about their various fields. That being said, the one for the CDC has the best header image I've seen.

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Fri Jan 27, 2017 6:35 pm

Texas

The exchange between White and Max Gorden from Spectrum News happened after the conclusion of a Homeland Security Forum hosted by freshman state Rep. Kyle Biedermann, R-Fredericksburg, where invited speakers gave testimony on the dangers posed by radical Muslim organizations.

After the forum had ended, Biedermann spoke to reporters alongside two of the guest speakers.

Gordon attempted to ask the legislator whether he would be planning any forums on radicalism seen in other faiths, but Biedermann largely ignored him as others began to yell insults and criticize Gorden for having asked the question.
...
“How you dare you say that, you low-life son of a bitch,” White said in the video.

White, who was elected in 2014 and served one term, came under fire two years ago for asking visitors to her district office to sign a pledge of allegiance to the U.S. during Texas Muslim Capitol Day, when Muslims come to the Capitol to visit and discuss legislation with their local representatives.

Jaymann · Post by **Jaymann** » Sun Jan 29, 2017 1:02 pm

Smoove_B wrote:I have to admit that I'm a little freaked out that I must follow "resistance" pages of Federal agencies on Twitter that last week were providing me with information about their various fields. That being said, the one for the CDC has the best header image I've seen.

This is unprecedented. Actual Federal agencies forming resistance movements against a sitting US president. Granted the FBI screwed Hillary, but they didn't put up a website saying, "Jail for Hillary Clinton!"

LawBeefaroni · Post by **LawBeefaroni** » Mon Jan 30, 2017 11:09 am

Went to the range yesterday. I have never seen it so packed. A ton of first time buyers and shooters. I think for some people the idea of Trump martial law in isn't totally out there. A different demographic, a lot more paying for instructors. CCL classes (16 hours here) we're completely full. Lots of Polish and Russian being spoken, which I've never seen there before.

Also, paid around 27% in total taxes for ammo. Thanks Trump.