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Month: June 2013

Weekend freedom question: A higher power

What role does a higher power play in helping you cherish and preserve (or restore) your freedom? A higher power here could mean anything from the Christian god or other religious tradition to a less-defined sense that you might call spiritual striving, if that striving seems to be from or for something outside yourself.

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Since we’re all suspects, anyhow (part 2)

Yesterday I installed the Firefox (and Chrome) extension, HTTPS Everywhere. This free add-on from the Electronic Frontier Foundation automatically forces a secure HTTPS connection in place of a regular HTTP connection, when HTTPS is available. Just now I belatedly downloaded the TOR Browser Bundle. Been meaning to do that for a long time. Although they each got to work quickly and without fuss, in both cases, I found myself plunged into a world of geekery and confusion. (Do you want to “use the SSL Observatory?” Shall we “check certificates even if TOR isn’t available?” No installation needed; just extract! “……

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Since we’re all suspects, anyhow …

One databit that arose out of Edward Snowden’s NSA snooping revelations is one most of us missed. It’s another that comes in the category of tiny, fascinating, but completely unsurprising. To wit (according to The Guardian): Fisa court-approved policies allow the NSA to …. Retain and make use of “inadvertently acquired” domestic communications if they contain usable intelligence, information on criminal activity, threat of harm to people or property, are encrypted [emphasis mine], or are believed to contain any information relevant to cybersecurity; Never mind the “inadventently acquired” bit. That and James Clapper’s “not wittingly” whopper are just cover for…

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Sunday-Monday tab clearing

Might have been too busy to post. Not to busy to collect tabstuff. If I fail to credit sources it’s because I’ve forgotten where some of it came from. Sigh. “How to disappear without a trace.” Not in a good way, unfortunately … Quietly, with almost no notice even in the financial press, France has outlawed any mailing of currency, coins, or precious metals — a ban that appears about to spread to other parts of Europe. What a coincidence that big, government-approved money launderers banks and investors don’t use mail to ship their loot resources. For the most part,…

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Cute dog fix

Sorry to have been among the missing these last few days. This spring has been … well, to say hectic wouldn’t be quite right. (I am Keeping Calm and Carrying On.) But I’ve got so much going on right now that I’m having to plan and balance everything down to a gnat’s pubic hair to keep things from flying out of control. The next three weeks will be the worst of it — after which I’m looking forward to a more relaxed summer. I will try to be better about posting. But meanwhile, by special request, have some cute puppy-ness.…

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Tamarlan Tsarnaev: “victim of gun violence”

Oh man, the Bloomy crowd is bloomin’ mad. This morning I linked to a story about a “big” control rally sponsored by Obama’s anti group. A whole three people showed up. Well, Billionaire Bloomy has done the Big O one better: At a rally today in New Hampshire, his folks named murderer Tamarlan Tsarnaev as a poor, pathetic victim of EEEEEvil “gun violence.” An apology was duly issued of course. But damage done.* Man, for all their bux and power, these people are fumbling, bumbling boobs. Scary fumbling, bumbling boobs. But still … —– * Be sure to read all…

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Finally, a petition worthy of the effort

You know how I usually view petitioning Our Glorious Leaders. It’s right up there with v*ting for usefulness. However, here’s a petition that deserves some attention: we petition the obama administration to: require that Syrian rebels receiving firearms and other munitions from the US Government receive only firearms legal for US Civilian ownership, and undergo the same background and security checks a US Civilian would, including appropriate NFA tax stamps, and waiting periods. I don’t know why anyone would want to arm those barbarians (and they’re barbarians on both sides of that conflict). I really don’t know why anyone who…

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Wednesday links

Quick! More than half the tickets are already gone. But if you’ve ever wanted a Serbu BFG-50A (just like the one the good folks of Serbu refused on principle to sell to the NYPD), you can buy a chance and benefit JPFO at the same time. This is a beautiful [expensive!]* gun. If “BFG” stands for what you’d expect “BFG” to stand for, the name really, seriously tells the truth. “David Brooks: The Last Stalinist.” Unfortunately, he’s probably not even remotely the last. But I “enjoy” listening to him on NPR, where they pair him with E.J. Dionne as if…

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