Friday, October 31, 2014

Is the Super-rich good for the economy?

I first want to apologize for any discomfort these thoughts might cause in relation to the private space industry catastrophes this week. There is no word that expresses the cruelty of our world in the year 2014. But, the cultural preference is to strike while the wounds are still fresh, so who I am to be different?

There were two KNOWN private space industry tragedies and as of today one death and another hanging in the balance. 

"Democratizing Space." I hadn't heard that before and it is the most bizarre and self-righteous expression of the Super Rich I have ever heard before. There is no democratizing space. Space travel relies on expensive fittings such as a pressurized suit and all the contraptions that go along with it only to ride in a billion dollar vehicle. So there is no space democracy. There is absolutely no way everyone in the world could become a part of that democracy. It doesn't exist except in the minds of those that justify it.

I know, I know; these are the first baby steps of the private space industry that will live in infamy for the beginnings of the real life "George Jetson." I don't think so.

The rocket that blew up was carrying supplies to the ISS. There is a lot of research and information being recorded within that international PEACE project. The ISS was always intended to bring together GOVERNMENTS in a single effort to promote cooperation and common cause. So, from the beginning the ISS was never intended to be a part of any private commercial industry the USA has decided as worthy. Quite frankly, I still can't believe the ISS partners are putting up with the USA in that aspect of this project, but, when supplies are needed the USA mostly has every other ISS partner by the balls. Again, this is the year of 2014 where there is no word to describe cruelty and it is best to strike while the wounds are still fresh. 

The project vehicle that was destroyed at a launch pad in Virginia, which is the very first time I ever heard of a launch pad in Virginia. Virginia has to be just about the worst place to put a space launch pad, but, that in a minute.

The rocket didn't perform to standard.

When rockets don't perform to standard they are now worthless. Why would that be? I mean the darn thing got straightened out and kept going into the sky so what's the big deal?

"T minus 30 minutes and counting."

"We are on hold at T minus 30 minutes for the misreading of a fuel tank temperature. When that is corrected we will restart the count down."

When a rocket ship is designed and built and is assembled with it's anticipated cargo, in the instance it is a rocket program the USA was conducting that was frequently human cargo, there was a launch sequence started that was to provide a SCRIPT to follow with all the I's dotted and all the T's crossed. When the countdown was stopped it would be in suspended animation until all the 'stray' problems/readings were resolved and then the 'path' to liftoff was restarted.

Stopping a count down is not a minor thing nor was it ever. So when the rocket was ignited to lift off it was suppose to follow not just a specific lift off countdown but a specific trajectory.



The count down was fine and the ignition was good, the gantry fell away, 
however, at about .54 or .55 minutes, the rocket paused in it's upward movement. It seemed to not only pause, but, bobble a bit. Of course I am not the monitors of the rocket watching a computer with the rocket's ACTUAL trajectory as opposed to it's planned trajectory, but, a bobble is a big deal. 

Trajectory is a heavily scienced (I don't think that is a word.) capacity of rocketry. For a rocket that a young scientist in a high school class might build and demonstrate to the Rocketry Club, the joy of having liftoff into the sky is a magnificent moment, however, when that rocket is heavily laden with fuel and all sorts of cargo of unknown content the public has to be considered.

If one remembers the countdown to the original liftoff of this very rocket, it was put on hold a short time before this mishap because of a sailing ship along it's trajectory path. Remember? This is Virginia where lovers gather to enjoy the beach and in this case sail a boat. What the American public does not expect in their day to day living is for a rocket to give up skyward movement and land in the ocean where they are sailing.

That is the genius of the Kennedy Space Center. Do we still call the launch pads in Florida by that same name? I just don't keep up with all the social ills that decide something needs to have a name change, like the US House does with Post Offices. To me, changing a name is disrespectful. So, I'll just assume the Florida Space Center is still named Kennedy after the very president that set the Americans on a path to space.

The genius of the Kennedy Space Center is that it is not near human activity. It is out in the middle of a swamp (Have you been there? Go. It is a great place to take the kids. We did. The boys were 5 and 7 and I had purchased outfits that looked exactly like space suits without the helmet. It was blast. Not literally, but, the pictures of the boys are priceless.) on the east coast of Florida, I think it is a peninsula (could be wrong about that) and the acreage is many. There are several launch sites and of course the assembly buildings and these enormous 'crawlers' that bring the vehicles to the launch pad. But, the greatest hurdle for Kennedy is the weather. ie: Challenger. ice and o-rings. 

The Kennedy Space Center is owned and operated by the American people to further research and scientific knowledge of our Earth, it's solar system, universe and now with Voyager beyond the end of our galaxy we really are in real space (AKA void).

But, the launch of this rocket that was supposed to go to the ISI with supplies was destroyed because it's path became something other than prescribed. That may seem strange considering the sky is so big, but, it really isn't. The path for the cargo has to be precise and it can't end up falling out of the sky over the plains of Africa either.

I am trying to find the words that would explain how a minute inch would result in miles and even hundreds of miles off course. 

How about the words "In Sight Ballistic Relationship."


Let's just say someone is measuring the accuracy of the "line of sight" of your rifle. So, the measures are made and it is noted the 'sight' is off by many inches. Why is that important? Because when a hunter takes sight of the deer or quail the bullet has to travel 'true' in order to result in a humane kill of the animal. If the line of sight is not the exact same trajectory of the bullet no one knows what will happen and in fact the gun is basically worthless in the field at all.

Rockets to the moon or the ISS or to Mars are the same way. If the trajectory is the least bit off at the 'point of origin' the entire path of the vehicle will result in a missed opportunity at the very least. The best example I can think of. Let me see if it is on You Tube.



This rather dramatic scene from Apollo 13 clearly demonstrates the real life problem with trajectory and the tragedies that can result if it is not correct.

So that is my take on the explosion. Safety of the public and correct trajectory that would result in successful delivery of cargo. Luckily, Russia has planned a delivery of cargo to the ISS and it launched the day after this failure. I thank Russia for that.

Then there is the problem today.

I completely reject this extravagance for the Super Rich. The tickets are a quarter of a million to experience weightlessness. It is an amusement ride. 

This is not the first step in democratizing space. Space is already democratized IN THE FACT the USA has a completely competent space program owned and operated by the American people. And who exactly 'rides' in the American vehicles?
  
Neil Armstrong (click here) was born in Wapakoneta, Ohio, on August 5, 1930. After serving in the Korean War and then finishing college, he joined the organization that would become NASA....

Who rides? Americans. Who walked on the moon? A kid from Ohio. If that isn't democratized space, don't ask me what is.

The events of 2008 that began at least a year and a half before resulted in a dynamic that was written by the former CEO of Goldman Sachs acting as US Treasurer. The plan was rubber stamped by Mr. Bernanke. He had no choice, either the bank failures were going to come down the way Paulson saw it or it wasn't going to come down at all.

What followed was excoriation of any and all monies out of the global markets while bankrolled into the banks. It wasn't a one time payment, it occurred repeatedly and the value of Wall Street soared. The DISTRIBUTION of wealth became very focused on a smaller and smaller group of people which the New York Times called out as the 0.01 percent.

These folks are now the Super Rich and supposedly they are good for the economy. They are not. They hold onto far too much asset capital and it prevents growth in the global economy. President Obama was the most determined man ever witnessed in the Presidency to return function to the American people. And that was the American people. President Obama is more a magician than FDR. President Roosevelt entered into a war economy that drove growth, but, President Obama (as promised) was moving the economy into the everyday lives of Americans and out of a war economy. A 2001 war economy that never served to produce job growth either.

When one has a bank account, let's say a savings account, what happens to that money? Is it spent so it benefits the local economy or does it sit in a bank vault collecting anemic interest in the year 2014? For the average person it sits in the low interest bank account. It accumulates over time as more and more money is added for let's say a down payment on a home. 

Okay, so is that much different for the Super Rich? The dynamics are different, but, the context is basically the same. The monies are invested for a return to it's depositor.

When the average home buyer pays a down payment and then interest on the debt of the mortgage of the house, do those monies provide growth? Yes, they do. Those monies are now at work.

When the Super Rich get bored and want to experience weightlessness and remove a quarter million from the investment account does that grow the economy?

No. The quarter million enters the bank accounts of Virgin Galactic or whoever the private contractor is for the space ride of a lifetime. So, a very large amount of money that could easily purchase a home in the USA or a hospital in Africa is now transferred to an huge corporation for what exactly? What is the private space contractor going to do with all that money. Six passengers = $1.5 million per ride.

It is uncertain what those monies will be used for. Building more space ships for the wealthy? Or simply an accumulation of assets to fund the company worry free for the next decade? Regardless, those monies that the Super Rich hold onto and play with are not benefiting anyone except their amusement and the jollies the average person might get of the posted You Tube videos of celebrities in space. 

The nations of the world have a problem. Chairwoman Yellen is exactly correct. The global community, especially the USA, has to define income and wealth inequality. 

I hope I have painted a picture for those that read it. It is an accurate picture. The current wealth distribution is not only toxic to economies, it is highly immoral and will lead to the impoverishment of people on Earth, quite possibly the loss of their sovereign country and chaos rather than quality of life and moral development of the Third World.

I am proud of her. She is standing in the path of racism and fear. She is strong person protecting the rights of those victimized.

It takes a special woman to be willing to acknowledge such tactics as a danger to the democracy that is vital for change in our country and the state of Kentucky. It is scary to realize this form of intimidation is a 'role model' for other Republican campaigns. Mr. McConnell is the Minority Leader in the Senate, if he commits such heinous tactics against the sensibilities of people he is setting a standard for others. 

This is the state Republican Party and Mr. McConnell is the leader of that party. It is a shame to realize the power used against citizens to maintain power in the USA. The country and the people don't deserve this kind of treatment. How honest can a party and a US Senate Minority leader be if this is the ruthlessness used to oppress voters. It is more than shameful, it is scary.

October 31, 2014
By Joseph Gerth, Louisville

Alison Lundergan Grimes' (click here) campaign said it has filed suit in Franklin Circuit Court alleging that the the Republican Party of Kentucky and U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell are trying to suppress voter turnout in Eastern Kentucky where it sent official-looking mailers that say "Election Violation Notice" on the envelope.

The mailer warns, "You are at risk of acting on fraudulent information" that the mailer said is being disseminated to voters.

Jonathan Hurst, Grimes' campaign manager, said the Grimes campaign has been receiving phone calls from voters in Eastern Kentucky worried that they will be violating the law if they go to the polls next Tuesday....

Another one.

October 31, 2014
By Curtis Thompson

In what has been a difficult week (click here) for private space companies, Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo exploded and crashed during a test flight in Mojave, California on Friday.

SpaceShipTwo, a private suborbital spaceplane designed for space tourism, was conducting its fourth powered flight test over the Mojave Desert when, according to Virgin Galactic, “the vehicle suffered a serious anomaly resulting in the loss of the vehicle,” The explosion occurred shortly after SpaceShipTwo separated from the WhiteKnightTwo carrier craft....

Private industry always believes it can do it better and cheaper than the government. Right.

The Virgin Galactica ship took clues from the Space Shuttle. It was a ship within a ship. Big ungainly on the ground the vehicle would take the shuttle vehicle aloft and then released it. 

The US Space Shuttle was launched on large booster rockets, but, was transported by a jumbo jet between it's landing point and the hanger that it would be serviced. It was somewhat unclear about heat tiles and the like on any of these vehicles, but, one has to assume the shuttle would have some degree of re-entry capacity.

Sympathies to the family and friends of the lost test pilot and hopes for the recovery of the other.

This is such bullshit.

Killing people in Syria is not going to end the events that happened in Ottawa, Canada. There they go again. 

Syria is 6700 miles away from the USA and Canada. The Syrian civil war had absolutely nothing to do with Ottawa. 

Try this one on for size. The astronomical use of fossil fuels in the USA and drilling techniques that emit large amounts of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere has caused an artificial warming of Earth. Due to that warming, there have been vast droughts in the Middle East and considerable drought in Syria that has now sparked unrest and a civil war. Why would sending troops into the Middle East change that reality? The USA military now comes with divining rods and incantations to cause it to rain?

For what seems like forever, Russia has been a so called ally to Assad, but, then the going got tough Russia got going and hasn't been back. Now, Russia is attempting to have relations with Jordan so they can be protected by USA alliances while having a presence in the region.

Russia is not interested in the Middle East except for any capacity to spy. Syria never had a strong ally in Russia so much as a seaport that permitted the Russians to state they rival the USA in Italy. Russia has a profound yellow streak up it's back and send their jets into international waters to pretend to be a military capable of an invasion into Europe. Today, there are helicopter drones flying around France's nuclear energy facility. 

Russia is pathetic as a global power. It talks a good story and keeps floating missiles in submarines in the world. With all this abandoned authority by Russia with what was once their allies, now the USA is suppose to land in Iraq and Syria and take over the land so everyone can live happily ever after. I don't think so. 

The world is a huge place and the USA needs to end its policing. If having the USA in every corner of the world was and is the strategy of American generals, they should know by now it is a huge failure.


October 30, 2014

AMMAN — Russia appreciates (click here) Jordan’s efforts in safeguarding Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem and achieving peace and stability in the region, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Thursday.
At a meeting with Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh in Moscow, Lavrov said Jordan plays a central role in the Middle East, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.
Judeh and Lavrov’s talks focused on bilateral ties and the latest regional developments.
Discussions also tackled the outcome of His Majesty King Abdullah’s recent meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, with the two sides vowing to maintain cooperation and coordination, Petra said.
Judeh reaffirmed Jordan’s rejection of the Israeli assaults on Al Haram Al Sharif in occupied Jerusalem, pointing to the Kingdom’s statement at the Security Council which carried a warning against the consequences of the provocative Israeli measures....

...During the meeting, Judeh highlighted the pivotal Russian role in all regional issues, including Syria, Iraq, terrorism and the peace process....

Jordan and Turkey don't care about the focus of the USA's initiative in the region. Yet, the USA military positioned inside Iraq and Syria would be handy.

October 31, 2014
By Arutz Sheva Staff

Jordan's Islamic affairs minister (click here) urges international community to force Israel to 'end the blockade' of Mount, closed after terror attack....


...Jordan on Thursday accused Israel of "state terrorism" after it closed Jerusalem's Temple Mount to Muslim and Jewish visitors alike, following the attempted assassination of a prominent Jewish rights activist.

Israel said its closure of the site - the holiest in Judaism and also home to the Al Aqsa mosque compound - was temporary and aimed at calming tempers as tensions continue to simmer after the prime suspect in the shooting of Rabbi Yehuda Glick died in a shootout with police.

Jordan's Islamic affairs minister, Hayel Daoud, denounced the Jewish state for "closing the gates of Al-Aqsa mosque and preventing the faithful from entering", state news agency Petra reported.


He urged the international community to help Jordan put pressure on Israel "to raise the terrorist blockade" imposed on the compound....

US Generals are asking for a military rather than political solution to Syria's Assad.

The answer is "No." The USA has not declared war on Syria and it won't. Syria's Assad was never the reason American advisers returned to the region, it was the methods of the Islamic State. The current governing bodies in Syria are suppose to have a power sharing government. If the Syrian rebels don't want to proceed to a political solution then they are as much of the problem.

October 30, 2014
By David S. Cloud, W. J. Hennigan and Raja Abdulrahim
...Secretary of State John F. Kerry (click here) sought to paper over the problem Thursday, telling a forum in Washington that the proposed proxy army "can have an impact on Assad's decision-making so we can get back to a table where we could negotiate a political outcome, because we all know there is no military resolution of Syria."...

So it is going to take years to build up a substantial force. It has taken nearly a decade already, why should a few more years be surprising. The USA military has an itchy trigger finger. The Neocons in the Defense Department are trying to push the issue because of the elections believing a military invasion is even realistic. The military leaders want a full scale war. The answer is and always has been "No."

...It will take years to train and field a new force capable of launching an offensive against the heavily armed and well-funded Islamic State fighters, who appear well-entrenched in northern Syria, the officers say....

The USA military, along with forces 'on the ground' in the region, have destroyed much of the American munitions ADOPTED by the Islamic State and now they want to put more there only with USA troops rather than local forces. It makes no sense to bring more munitions into a region that needs a political solution far more than it needs continuous and forever war. 

Why doesn't the USA military brass admit they never delivered what they said they delivered in Iraq and Afghanistan. Why not just admit that and the fact doing it again will only result in a greater quagmire than before!!!!!

As soon as any USA military hit the ground in Iraq, the coalition forces would melt away and would result in nothing short of, "Here, you do it."

100 bed facility is larger than some rural hospitals in the USA.

October 31, 2014

BEIJING, October 31 (RIA Novosti) - China (click here) is going to open an Ebola treatment center in Liberia in a month's time to help fight the deadly outbreak, the head of the Chinese Foreign Ministry's Africa Department said.
"As part of China's fourth aid package to West African countries in their fight against the Ebola pandemic, a 100-bed treatment center is to be built in Liberia. It is expected to admit the first patients within 30 days," said Lin Songtian, director-general at the African Affairs Department.
A total of 480 health workers are to travel to Liberia, one of the three hardest-hit West African countries, to help roll back the deadly viral outbreak. They will set out in three groups of 160 people each, with the first team due to leave for Liberia in two weeks, Lin Songtian said. He added that all necessary materials and equipment had already been shipped to the country and construction works are well underway....

How bizarre is accumulating snow on Halloween in Michigan?

Oct. 29, 2014
By Mark Torregrossa

If in the (click here) southern half of the Lower Peninsula, accumulating Halloween snow is about two weeks ahead of normal. In northern Lower Michigan a white coating on the ground on Halloween is about one week ahead of schedule. In the western U.P., you have normally had an inch of snow already.

If it is early in Michigan what does that say about the other lower 48?

State Attorney General Coakley was correct to point to the outsourcing award.

Outsourcing Excellence Award – Best Partnership – Harvard Pilgrim Healthcare and Perot 


...Outsourcing (click here) turned out to be the transfusion it needed. “The people at Perot Systems played an integral role in saving the company,” says Bob Trombly, Harvard Pilgrim’s deputy chief information officer (CIO).
Harvard Pilgrim currently has 1.1 million members. Today, Perot has 640 employees processing over 10 million claims annually for HPHC.
Harvard Pilgrim also outsourced its IT operations and application development to Perot Systems. The service provider is supporting over 2,000 end users....
Charlie is an insurance salesman so I would not be surprised if he could sell fish stories, too.

It would seem as though Charlie came to Pilgrim as a real pilgrim. The company was in bankruptcy and he had to save it. Did he know how to do it? Heck, no. He simply removed all the American employees and outsourced the claims processing and whatever other paper pushers he could find for outsourcing.

That was what brought the Pilgrim balance sheet back into the positive side, evidently. 

The guy is kind of scary. He found a solution for the companies balance sheet but eliminated any employee in the greater Massachusetts area and otherwise. That would mean a lot of people were without health care besides. 

Baker is Wall Street. He is another 47% kinda guy. Where are all the people that lost their jobs? I betcha those former employees of Pilgrim could tell AG Coakley exactly what the problem with the company was and it wasn't them. 

Harvard Pilgrim no longer insures Rhode Island. The Coakley campaign might want to talk to US Senator White House about the problems with the company.

In September 1998, Baker left state government and became CEO of Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates, a New England–based physicians' group. In May 1999, he was named president and CEO of Harvard Vanguard's parent company, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, a non-profit health benefits organization...

Baker did a lot more than simply outsource.

In late 1999, (click here) the Rhode Island-based Harvard Pilgrim Health Care of New England (a subsidiary of Boston-based HMO Harvard Pilgrim Healthcare) filed for bankruptcy protection. The parent corporation divested from its Rhode Island interests, including a wholly-owned staff model practice, Anchor Medical Associates. This left the 18-physician medical group, which specializes in internal medicine and pediatrics and cares for more than 35,000 patients throughout Rhode Island and Southeastern Massachusetts, without an infrastructure or many options.

There are at least 18 physicians in Rhode Island that understand Charlie's priorities just fine. Thirty-five thousand people left without options. OMG. He could have exercised some discretion and worked with Rhode Island to be sure those people had options. This is unthinkable. No company should simply pull the plug on health care for 35,000 people.

Okay, so the guy likes math and he is ruthless to the bone. Does anyone in Massachusetts believe those are the values of a Governor of their state? This guy is too scary. He is not about people, he is not about governing, he is about money. He is Wall Street and the very last thing Massachusetts needs is a ruthless Wall Street hatchet man.

Governor Patrick needs to speak up. Governor Patrick is leaving office and has some latitude with speaking the truth about Charlie Baker. Baker has no conscience and that is exactly why he was hired for at Pilgrim. Governor Patrick loves Massachusetts and he cannot let some Wall Street mathematician hack away at the state. It will be a mess. I guarantee you that. I don't need to know anything else about Charlie, he is NOT governor material. 

Baker will leave the people of Massachusetts in shell shock before his term is over. The Dems can't let this happen. AG Coakley needs a surrogate until after the Mayor's funeral. Baker is very bad news for Massachusetts.
I am quite confident State Attorney General Martha Coakley has known Mayor Merino quite well. It would be very inappropriate if she and her spouse were not at his funeral. I only say this because whoever runs her campaigns don't bother to understand her importance outside of their priorities. 

Thursday, October 30, 2014

Cory Gardner has the nerve of accusing US Senator Udall of being partisan? You've got to be joking. Gardner voted nothing but the party line and extreme all the way (click here).  Isn't he Tea Party? He certainly has learned how to show off his whitened teeth and a big smile. President Obama taught him that. And instead of ferns he uses pine trees.

He voted no and against the party on HR5272, but, the question Gardner is not whether he votes with his Party 95% of the time, but, does he ever depart from rhetorical legislation that never makes it to law?

Vote Smart's Synopsis: HR 5272
Vote to pass a bill that prohibits any federal agency from using funds after July 30, 2014 to consider any application of any undocumented immigrant requesting consideration of deferred action for childhood arrivals, to authorize deferred action for any undocumented immigrant, or to authorize any undocumented immigrant to work in the United States.

The NRA and extremist gun rights are a sincere issue in Colorado. This is an off year election and we all know what happened to gun laws and the candidates that passed them in any recall effort. 

Colorado is the abused child of gun rights in the USA. It gets pummeled from both ends. The massacres take place and while the public after Columbine wanted more protections as years have gone by the NRA and loose gun control have imposed the need for weapons, although, that is still theory. There is not one loose gun law that has stopped mass murders anywhere.
Cory says, "One of our most basic and fundamental rights is the right to protect ourselves.  I believe this right should be expanded and encouraged on every front.  As a member of Congress, I will oppose any efforts by the federal government to create a federal database of gun owners and work tirelessly to protect each and every right guaranteed to the citizens by the U.S. Constitution."

I remember after Aurora shooting of 2012 a young woman being interviewed by the media. When asked if she thought stricter gun laws would be helpful, she stated, "No, it is just the way it is." That pretty much sums up the people not in just Colorado, but, many across the country. The American people have been abused by right wing fear mongers and when it comes to whether or not they need or want guns, they are resigned to the 'state of play' of gun violence and death. It is part of the landscape as far as some are concerned. The right wing knows what it's doing in wearing down resistance for their cronies. It has made a complete disaster of the USA's gun control infrastructure. But, that disaster serves it's purposes.



Never one Republican will state, "I think Judge Scalia has it all wrong and he ought to be impeached for his gun rights opinion." See if Republicans weren't so rhetorical, they would actually have to admit any legislation passed at least at the state level is illegal according to the last Supreme Court ruling on the Second Amendment. I have yet to see a Democrat in any debate when guns may come up say, "You know Cory (or whoever) you have it all wrong and you are endorsing unlawful legislation even according to the Supreme Court's decision." Republicans are never held accountable for their advocacy for gun laws that are already illegal according to the current precedent.

"In Colorado, Gardner introduced legislation to protect our Second Amendment Rights." What is so difficult to understand? He is a salesman in any aspect of legislation at the state or federal level for the NRA. That is being a lobbyist. When a legislator is willing to be a salesperson for a crony when the current USA law or precedent states otherwise, he is a lobbyist.

It has been amazing to watch the right wing at any state level where appropriate to walk all over existing statue. The so called "States Rights" label they carry around on their sleeve is not suppose to mean ANARCHY is optional.

It doesn't matter the topic. Be it guns, babies, women's health and the list is long and undistinguished; they create anarchy and that is against the law. When people want to change existing statute, it is suppose to be written and passed at the level where statutory priority exists. In other words, Second Amendment Rights has been decided for a long time. It is a federal decision. That means the states have to abide by it UNTIL it is changed. If a state wants to write new law that changes gun rights, it has to pass the challenge of the federal law which means it should NEVER be enacted before it is decided by federal statutory authority.

The Right Wing can write state law all they want, but, they can't involve it if there are federal statues bearing it as lawful. The Supreme Court is always available for EMERGENCIES if the circumstances call for it. The Right Wing in the USA has been running anarchy through it's state legislatures since 2010. No one cares to stop them though. It is completely ridiculous.

Where states do win against a federal statute is IF the law is more stringent than federal law. If the state statue holds the federal statute at bay because it states a poison like arsenic has to be at a much lower amount than federal laws, then that supersedes until it is otherwise mitigated. Any judicial authority has the responsibility to uphold the more stringent law until it reaches appropriate statutory authority.

The gun rights laws that literally turn everyone in the country loose to do as they please, wherever they please, is held to the standard of the federal precedent to any lower court until it reaches the federal level. It has amazed me to realize the anarchy that has existed in this country with the Republicans at the state level. Then we wonder why there is a 5000 man militia ready to kill federal authorities; well if all the country does is break the law themselves who the heck is in charge around here, Governors or the President?

Wow. The NOAA Weather Radio just went off and mountains in NC are going to be receiving up to 10 inches of snow with temperatures in the 20s and 30s and winds to 20 mph. They are not ready for this, there is still color on the trees and a few friends were spending this past weekend in Asheville. 

Besides driving, which North Carolinians have absolutely no concept of driving in the snow, there most assuredly there will be power outages. Towns and cities need to consider 'warming shelters' for their families when at all possible.

October 30, 2014
10:45 PM EDT
The Weather Channel Current Temperature Map

The dangerous air is noted over North and South Dakota with temperatures in the 20s. According to UNISYS (click here for 12 hour loop) that air mass is at the southern end of Minnesota and every hour it is advancing quickly.


October 31, 2014
0230.19z
UNISYS Water Vapor Satellite of USA

Pretty lousy trick or treat. Darn it!

October 30, 2014
11:27 pm edt 
4 minutes ago

ASHEVILLE – The weather (click here) could get a little scary in the Asheville area late Halloween night and into Saturday, with high winds, the coldest temperatures of the season and, yes, even snow possible.

Snow is in the forecast even for valley locations such as Asheville, National Weather Service meteorologist Chris Horne said Thursday. The immediate Asheville area could get about an inch of snow by Saturday afternoon, he said, while areas to the north of town such as Weaverville could get up to 3 inches.

Higher mountains along the Tennessee border, above 3,500 feet, could get 3-6 inches of snow.

It looks like Halloween is aback on. It has been cancelled with Frein still on the loose.

October 30, 2014

DUNMORE, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania State Police, (click here) ending a seven-week manhunt, have captured a man accused of ambushing two troopers, leaving one dead and seriously injuring the other. Eric Frein, 31, was taken into custody Thursday, state police said. They released no details of his capture. Frein is charged with opening fire outside the Blooming Grove barracks on Sept. 12, killing Cpl. Bryon Dickson and seriously wounding another trooper....

He was captured when he came out into the open. I realize it was an abandoned airstrip, but, it still wasn't 'the woods.' With the FBI and so many involved in the search the snow would have given him away soon. So, was it infrared that made him known?

The good people of Ferguson, Missouri must vote. Today is a new day.

October 30, 2014
By Kimberly Kind

The St. Louis prosecuting attorney (click here) said Thursday that he has investigated accusations that grand jurors have leaked information about their
investigation of Police Darren Wilson and has found no evidence to support these claims.
In a prepared statement, Robert P. McCulloch defended the integrity of this grand jury’s work and said that to suggest otherwise is “wrong, irresponsible and does a great disservice to the public.”... 

Everyone knows the Ferguson police department has been using excessive force. The only people that don't believe that are in the police department itself. Michael Brown, Jr. was murdered because of the practice of excessive force by the Ferguson police department. We have witnessed over and over again the extreme use of force with the people of Ferguson. It is known, the country is aware of the injustices and the people of that city are important.

Today is a different day for Ferguson, Missouri. Today the people of Ferguson are no longer beaten into submission and the point where their vote seems useless. Today, the votes by the people of Ferguson are more important than any demonstration can be. 

The people have to sort through the candidates and vote. The candidate may not be perfect or what they hope for, but, it will be a candidate that will recognize the change in them and their resolve to govern themselves. 

Politics can be a very powerful thing. It can change the entire leadership of a police department when the Mayor and Council are made to answer for their lack of judgement in hiring a police chief or a group of officers or a prosecutor that has been on the job too long with too much baggage to see the forest for the trees. 

This is the election of 2014 in Ferguson, Missouri. It will be the first step in many to come that will change the face of government in Ferguson. It will be the first time a lower Middle Class town will find the time to cast their votes. It will the first time the 'habit' of voting will begin. It is the promise to themselves and their community to organize and run candidates that understand them and can relate to their problems. This is the election where Michael Brown, Jr. would have been so proud of all those that have call for justice.

This has to be the new beginning of a broader and better slate of candidates. I would ask each voter in Ferguson that might be concerned about voting and the process they will be joining to carry their cell phones on record. Keep the vote in the voting booth private, but, the process should and could be recorded so everything goes well and if it doesn't the truth will be recorded to hear and/or seen.

The country's hearts are with all of those in Ferguson and they don't stand alone in seeking to dissolve the militarized police departments across the USA. It's ridiculous. In the name of Michael Brown, Jr. this year, vote.

Here it comes. Look out Chicago. Twenty-three feet in Lake Michigan and up to 14 feet in the other lakes.

It will be cold in Michigan by Election Day, local candidate offices should try to help with a call in number if people are having a difficult time getting to the polling places. Don't spend all the funding on ads, if rental vans are a realistic need. Good luck.

Strong north winds are expected to make dangerous waves on Lake Michigan. The waves could build to 23 feet at the very southern end of Lake Michigan.

October 30, 2014
By Mark Torregroosa


A strengthening storm system will move straight over Michigan, while deepening at the same time. A deepening storm means the wind speeds will increase.

The winds will be straight out of the north, which really builds the wave heights, especially on Lake Michigan. The flow of air down the entire length of Lake Michigan will cause waves to increase heading south on Lake Michigan. Winds are expected to gust over 40 MPH on all of the Great Lakes shores. There is a storm warning in effect, and waves could build to 23 feet at the south end of Lake Michigan.

Stay off the piers Friday. The higher lake levels, combined with the high waves will make it too dangerous....


"It doesn't seem like the right time"

I congratulate Brittany (click here) in finding the joy in life while having control of a terrible diagnosis.

Death from disease is never a goal, but, simply a benchmark.

I wish her continued peace. Her family's love is obvious.

The country weeps with Boston.

October 30, 2014
By Bryan Marquard and Jim O'Sullivan

Thomas Michael Menino, (click here) who insisted a mayor doesn’t need a grand vision to lead, then went on to shepherd Boston’s economy and shape the skyline and the very identity of the city he loved through an unprecedented five consecutive terms in City Hall, died Thursday. He was 71 and was diagnosed with advanced cancer not long after leaving office at the beginning of this year....

This isn't fair. He was suppose to be around a lot longer than this.

Don't tell me Iraq has a burgeoning competent security force.

Iraqi security forces take up position with their weapons during an intensive security deployment against Islamic State militants on the outskirts of Diyala province, October 28, 2014 (Photo: Reuters)

...Iraqi military forces (click here) have killed about 300 Islamic State (IS) militants in Salaheddin province in Baiji city, north of Baghdad, a security source told the Iraqi Media News Agency on Thursday.
The source pointed out that army troops were backed by local citizens during the operation. He added that Iraqi airstrikes against the jihadist group will resume to regain the city.
Baiji has the largest oil refinery in Iraq which is currently controlled by IS along with other large territories in Iraq and Syria. Reuters reported last Saturday that Iraq's government troops – along with Shia militias – have recaptured the town of Jurf al-Sakhar near Baghdad from IS.

Security sources told Reuters that Kurdish fighters restored the northern town of Zumar and another nearby villages on the same day, following severe airstrikes against IS militants by the US-led coalition....

They have decided they need each other and not discriminate along the lines of religion and/or ethnicity. Iraq's DIVERSE forces are successful.

The USA Secretary of State has performed the impossible. He should be congratulated for providing the strength of a new coalition of forces for the Middle East. I am amazed. Honestly was very skeptical it could be done. And, of course, realizing each ethnicity has their own militias to come together with national military is perfect. There is no fear with each region of the country of Iraq allowing ethnic militias to exist. As the USA was afraid of the King in it's constitutional sovereignty, Iraq was the same. 

The new Prime Minister was the key. A diverse and strong Iraq actually has a chance of being sovereign. They respect each other and realize their greater enemy were those that took advantage of the insecurity created by Saddam. The Baathists of the Islamic State were the new Saddam. This is quite an accomplishment. 

The new coalition of nations have proven the strength of their religions and it's capacity to embrace their need over their difference. The Muslim faith is a great religion that provides for the well being of it's people over sectarian priorities.

The Law governing the INTERSTATE transport of disease is a function of FEDERAL authorities.

Who Is in Charge (click here)

The federal government

  • Acts to prevent the entry of communicable diseases into the United States. Quarantine and isolation may be used at U.S. ports of entry.
  • Is authorized to take measures to prevent the spread of communicable diseases between states.
  • May accept state and local assistance in enforcing federal quarantine.
  • May assist state and local authorities in preventing the spread of communicable diseases.

State, local, and tribal authorities

  • Enforce isolation and quarantine within their borders.
It is possible for federal, state, local, and tribal health authorities to have and use all at the same time separate but coexisting legal quarantine power in certain events. In the event of a conflict, federal law is supreme.

§264. Regulations to control communicable diseases (click here)

(a) Promulgation and enforcement by Surgeon General

The Surgeon General, with the approval of the Secretary (The secretary referred to is the HHS Secretary) , is authorized to make and enforce such regulations as in his judgment are necessary to prevent the introduction, transmission, or spread of communicable diseases from foreign countries into the States or possessions, or from one State or possession into any other State or possession. For purposes of carrying out and enforcing such regulations, the Surgeon General may provide for such inspection, fumigation, disinfection, sanitation, pest extermination, destruction of animals or articles found to be so infected or contaminated as to be sources of dangerous infection to human beings, and other measures, as in his judgment may be necessary.

42 U.S.C. 
United States Code, 2011 Edition
Title 42 - THE PUBLIC HEALTH AND WELFARE
CHAPTER 6A - PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE
SUBCHAPTER II - GENERAL POWERS AND DUTIES
Part G - Quarantine and Inspection
From the U.S. Government Printing Office
There is going to be no living with my mother. 

The Giants!

Let's put it this way. My nephew and his wife named their first born Madison. And it's a girl. 


Madison Bumgarner embraces Buster Posey (left) after saving Game 7.

October 30, 2014
By Peter Abraham


KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Carlton Fisk, (click here) Joe Carter and Kirk Gibson earned their place with a swing of a bat. The great Willie Mays made a catch with his back to the plate and the game on the line. Those were flashes of brilliance never to be forgotten.
For Madison Bumgarner, his imprint on World Series history was more of a relentless tide coming in, a performance with time to savor. Each pitch underlined his determination to stop the Kansas City Royals then and there....

...Bumgarner won three games in the Series, allowing one run on nine hits over 21 innings with one walk and 17 strikeouts. He was, of course, named Most Valuable Player.
Bumgarner’s 52 innings were a record for a postseason, surpassing the 48 innings Curt Schilling threw for Arizona in 2001....