Neanderthal Retaliation

At the last of his term, Obama removed the filtering of the NSA, and allowed all intelligence agencies access to raw intelligence, without any vetting by the agency with the responsibility for preventing the data to be misused, or leaked by those without the clearance.

While I've been suspicious of the NSA, at least the information was bottled up tighter than it now is. Private information collected without warrants was not available to just about anyone in law enforcement. Now, not only are private citizens at risk, government employees, with loyalties to others - or being paid to spy by anyone without the U.S. interests at hear - can subvert operations, slant the news with illegal leaks to unscrupulous media outlets, and the ability of the government to function is reduced due to the tedious effort to plug the leads.

Personally, I think the courts will be too slow to solve this problem, and the same goes for investigations. This slowness will infuriate some with not only a strong loyalty to the United States, they'll have the power of neanderthal retaliation on those caught misusing classified information.

For those willing to take such chances in the future, I advise you to realize all the money in the world won't hide you from those with the power, and resources, to find you. If you're lucky, you'll be prosecuted, but I'm betting some of those coming for you won't be willing to take the time.

Maybe It's Time

I read a news report about a college where many students want areas that don't allow people with white skin to have access. In my opinion, it's just another sign the too many university level students are not serious about their education. That, and too many have a sense of entitlement.

Maybe it's time for all public funding of universities to end. That, and the elimination of government backed student loans. Too much of it is wasted, those graduating are too many times only barely more functional than a good high school student, and with the liberal indoctrination, too many are obtaining degrees without a practical application.

Personally, I think it is. Considering student loan debt is over a trillion, collecting is hard, too many will take too much of their life to repay, and it's obvious the universities are only in it for the money, the money pit of college education shouldn't be the responsibility of the taxpayer.

I know many will disagree, but that's fine. They can allocate more of their income toward the education of others, and leave mine alone. I have to deal with enough dumbasses daily. Funding a constant stream of dumbasses is a waste of tax dollars.

I Think He's Crossed the Line

John McCain, according to news reports, is criticizing Trump's presidency, while overseas. While he has a right to his opinion, deliberately undermining the President in foreign countries is walking on the thin line between opinion, and sedition.

Personally, I see McCain as a career politician, who was groomed for politics by his family, and those in his party that like to orchestrate the control of the United States. His loyalty is to something other than the United States, and his current actions indicate he's willing to avoid constitutional processes to promote his personal agenda.

I don't know how this will turn out, but McCain's brand of Republican politics is not favored by the majority of those affiliated with the party. I feel his days are numbered as a political figure, his arrogance will lead to shameful behavior on his part, and his legacy will be further tarnished.

The Purge Ahead

It's apparent the Trump Administration has operatives making an effort to hamper his presidency, and are willing to commit crimes to achieve their goal. I'm sure these people will now be hunted, some will be charged, and many will find they not only lost their job, their pension will be lost also. It's time for this to start. Let the purging commence.

Lying, Thieving Sacks of Excrement

The media, and most in the government, fail to pound out the losses anyone not working for the federal government realized in the last eight years. Double digit inflation, tripled insurance costs, stagnant wages, and increased regulations decreased the take home for those in the private sector, and due to the devalued dollar, the decrease in spending can only be described as deplorable.

So, the lying, thieving sacks of crap that live in D.C., or peddle their daily manure, are still failing to realize the slow simmer is beyond the point of civil discourse. It's now about survival, and if it takes firing 50% of federal workers to increase my salary, then that needs to happen by sunset this evening. Either they fix it, or the angry taxpayers will.

The Limits of My Concern

The press is upset because Trump allows reporters that don't share their sense of importance. I guess I'm supposed to be concerned, but I'm not. All their whining only make me want to ignore them more.

There's a growing concern (That's what they want me to believe) about protesters inciting violence, and destruction of property. While news report show the cities where these actions are acceptable, most cities - especially in Texas - have citizens that will not only fight back, they'll happily offer a few bucks to bury the stinking corpses they piled in front of their business.

Trump is deporting illegals aliens. I'm supposed to be concerned about them, and their families. Considering the amount of corruption by this group, criminal activity, unwillingness to assimilate in our culture, and the drain on public funds, my concern is the current administration is going too slow. Former administrations either ignored these aliens, or promoted their ability to come to the United States. If I had my druthers, all members of these former administrations would sacrifice their pensions to pay for cleaning up their mess. That, and they'd personally go through the United States and remove any signs in Spanish.

Putin and Trump seem to be getting along, but I'm supposed to be concerned. I was more concerned when the former chuckle-head Secretary of State brought a cheap, crappy "reset" button along for her first visit. I'm sure she thought it was clever, but from my perspective, she made Pee Wee Herman look like a serious character actor.

Liberal judges are ignoring laws, and legislating from the bench. This is a concern, but the real concern is those ignoring their duty to not only remove them from the bench, but to remove any licenses. After all, they all swear to uphold the Constitution. Ignoring their oath should have strong consequences.

Personally, tar and feathering is my suggested punishment for many politicians and public officials. I'm concerned my suggestion will be ignored.

Call It What it Is

A federal judge wields a lot of power, which makes an injunction a powerful tool to cause an immediate cessation of an action; and the opportunity for a plaintiff to use the courts to obtain relief. It's a good thing, but requires evidence of immediate harm, witnesses, and legal citations establishing standing.

The judge that placed the injunction of Trump's executive order didn't demand the proper evidence, ignored the law that allowed the action, and the appellate court did the same.

This is anarchy. Any other word doesn't describe arbitrarily ignoring laws, rules, and the legal representative powers given to an elected official.

A more effective legislative branch would immediately censure the judges, and pursue impeachment for what is obviously an abandonment of the rules of law the judges swore to uphold. They abused their power, and created an atmosphere where citizens have no recourse to protect their rights by the methods outlined in the Constitution. These judges present a danger to all citizens of the United States and should be removed.

I Don't Think Enough Understand

With all technology available, research opportunities, and tremendous resources, it's almost hard to believe journalists now reached a point where their credibility is in the tank. False statements are reported as fact, fictitious events are presented as real, and political beliefs are interspersed with reporting.

I don't think enough of those involved with reporting the news understand they're not only losing their audience, revenue is falling, and the largest organizations will find there aren't enough investors to keep the doors open. Stockholders will sell their stock, and if the selling is brisk, the ability to function might leave in a substantially short period of time.

I don't think erroneous news is new, but with available technology, more people realize how many lies are perpetuated by what is now called "fake news"; and the reaction is distrust embellished with anger. Where there were only a few news outlets, there are now thousands available, and it's apparent some of the largest have an agenda, and it's not what the majority wants.

I don't know how this will turn out, but it's obvious the damage is great. Journalists are now immediately suspected of a lack of integrity, and the vocation is not considered as honorable as it was before. That's tragic, when you consider the opportunity lost, and the disgrace of what was once a noble profession.

Structural Nightmare

The Millennium Tower is sinking. At around an inch per year, the problem of sinking is compounded by the uneven process, which makes it 6 inches out of plumb at the top - at this time.

Like any building with foundation problems, leaks are developing, cracks are appearing, and concrete is fracturing. Unlike most buildings, the tower has 58 stories, and is 645 feet in height.

From what I've read, the problems that caused the settling are pilings that used friction for bearing, and dewatering activities for construction around the building.

Lawsuits are piling up, and while they accumulate, I have a feeling the building will become dangerous before the litigation is over.

After looking at some of the pictures of foundation stress cracks, and spalls, I'd be uneasy just walking into the building. Since the majority of the structure is concrete, when the right amount fails, there will be no slow bending; the concrete will shatter, and the reinforcement rod will not be able to support the load. Even if the building doesn't fall, the fracturing concrete can produce shrapnel, which is just as deadly.

I doubt there are case studies with similar problems, and the engineers examining the building probably are probably working with computer models, instrumentation, and guessing. While they can probably arrive at a method to stop the settling, I doubt there's any way to level the building, which leaves those that invested in the building (mostly high dollar residential) with unique problems. Even if they decide to stay, their floors will never be level, and their walls will never be plumb.

We Have a Nominee

Trump picked Neil Gorsuch to replace Scalia. From reading about his record, there will be some tooth gnashing, pissing, and moaning from the Democrats, who will attempt to prevent Gorsuch from replacing Scalia. I think they'll fail, especially with the nuclear option available. The Democrats used the option to flood Federal courts with like minded judges, and it's only fair the Republicans return the favor with Supreme Court picks.