Wikileaks Drops Massive Trove Of CIA Spying Documents: Guess What’s Missing

By William Teach March 8, 2017 – 8:01 am

So, this happened yesterday

(UK Guardian) The US intelligence agencies are facing fresh embarrassment after WikiLeaks published what it described as the biggest ever leak of confidential documents from the CIA detailing the tools it uses to break into phones, communication apps and other electronic devices.

The thousands of leaked documents focus mainly on techniques for hacking and reveal how the CIA cooperated with British intelligence to engineer a way to compromise smart televisions and turn them into improvised surveillance devices.

The leak, named “Vault 7” by WikiLeaks, will once again raise questions about the inability of US spy agencies to protect secret documents in the digital age. It follows disclosures about Afghanistan and Iraq by army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning in 2010 and about the National Security Agency and Britain’s GCHQ by Edward Snowden in 2013.

This involved 8,761 documents that show just how the CIA was spying. Going after smartphones, computers, and even using the apps in your Samsung TV to spy. Of course, if the CIA is doing this against foreign nations, well, that’s rather their job, is it not? If the documents are real, it represents a pretty big embarrassment to the CIA, and, don’t forget, this happened to the NSA already.

Of course, article after article are rather hysterical over the CIA doing what the CIA is supposed to do. One big question is whether the CIA did this on domestic soil. Regardless, if this happened during George W. Bush’s term, how would the media react? Lots of blame and condemnation, yes?

  • The Guardian article mentions Trump’s name 5 times. Obama’s? Zero. It’s like the guy wasn’t president the past 8 years while this was occurring.
  • NY Times front page article: Obama not mentioned.
  • Washington Post article #1: Obama not mentioned. Trump mentioned twice. WP article #2: Obama not mentioned. Article #3: is all about Trump.
  • Engadget: Obama mentioned zero times. Trump 2x.
  • The Hill: Obama zero, Trump 2x.
  • NBC News: Zero Obama mentions.
  • CBS News: No Obama mentions.

This is repeated again and again and again by left leaning media outlets, from the big news papers, magazines, and networks, to blogs and such. Really, the only big news here is that the CIA is unable to keep its methods secret. But, again, if this happened under Bush, can you imagine the apoplexy from the media? Or, say, this happened 2-3 years from now. Can you imagine how the media would assault Trump over this spying?

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Just Another Wonderful Illegal Alien Decapitating His Mother

By William Teach March 8, 2017 – 7:32 am

Will Democrats, who seem to love illegal aliens, look to hold up this guy as a paragon, like they’ve done with so many others?

(WTVD) The Franklin County District Attorney said Tuesday that 18-year-old Oliver Mauricio Funes Machada will be moved to Central Prison because it’s “more appropriate for any special needs he may have.”

Machada is being held without bond on a first-degree murder charge after deputies say he decapitated his mother at their home on Morgan Drive near Stonehill Drive just south of U.S. Highway 64 Monday afternoon. The area is east of Zebulon – near the Wake County line.

At a a preliminary hearing Tuesday, both the prosecution and defense said they expect mental health to be an issue in the case. According to court documents, Machada took four different medications for psychosis and schizophrenia.

Federal officials also said Tuesday that Machada is in the country illegally and they’ve issued an immigration detainer for him.

“ICE is focused on identifying, arresting and removing public safety threats, such as convicted criminal aliens and gang members, as well as individuals who have violated our nation’s immigration laws,” a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokesperson told ABC11.

What did he do? He cut his mother’s head off with a large butcher knife, after stabbing her numerous times in front of two young children. When that was done, he called 911 himself, essentially admitting to the crime. When law enforcement showed up at the residence, he was holding the knife. And his mother’s head.

This part of Zebulon is less than 30 miles away from me, and is an area replete with lots of illegal aliens. It has also had a problem with Hispanic gangs, including MS-13. Whether that has anything to do with this, no one really knows why Machada did this. But, now we have one more illegal alien, who would have been eligible for Obama’s deferred action program.

Crossed at Right Wing News.

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Billboards Troll Feminists, Get The Response They Were Looking For

By William Teach March 7, 2017 – 3:46 pm

I never did get around to posting this billboard a bit ago

Obviously, it sent 3rd Wave Feminists, and liberals in general, into Apoplexy. So, then the people who put that one up followed up with

This is Troll Level Einstein. So, what happened next?

(WTVD) A pair of Raleigh women are going to great lengths to send a message of their own.

“There’s no place for this in North Carolina today,” said Kathryn Rende. “People not thinking this is about gender equality or even if they admit that it is saying that there’s nothing wrong with it, it does make me take a step back and think maybe we are not as progressive of a state as we thought we were.”

She and a friend started their own GoFundME campaign and have raised $5,401 in the past week.

The money will be used to buy a billboard in Raleigh with the counter message: “Gender Equality Benefits Everyone”.

“We wanted to put something up that was all-inclusive, gender neutral and had a really positive message,” said Rende.

The duo plans to take their fight for women’s rights to the national level and buy as many billboards as possible.

In other words, the first sent Special Snowflakes in moonbattery. The second should have been a clue that they were being intentionally played (it’s written right there!), and most would have said “ha ha, ok, you got me” and moved on. Instead, the 2nd has caused the exact Special Snowflake response one would expect. I hope whoever is doing this trots out a 3rd one, but, they really made their point.

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If All You See…

By William Teach March 7, 2017 – 1:00 pm

…is awesome wine which will be annihilated by carbon pollution, you might just be a Warmist

The blog of the day is The Geller Report, with a post on how Sharia is coming along in England.

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House Bill Would Block EPA From Using Advisors That Double Dip On ‘Climate Change’

By William Teach March 7, 2017 – 10:52 am

This is sure to make the members of the Cult of Climastrology very upset

(Daily Caller) House lawmakers introduced legislation to block the EPA from appointing science advisers who are currently taking money from the agency.

The bill stipulates EPA advisers “shall have no current grants or contracts from the [EPA] and shall not apply for a grant or contract for 3 years following the end of that member’s service on the Board.”

“This bill would ensure that scientists advising EPA on regulatory decisions are not the same scientists receiving EPA grants,” said Texas Republican Rep. Lamar Smith, chairman of the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology.

In other words, people advising EPA on Hotcoldwetdry cannot be the same people who personally profit in some manner from the rules and regulations, and funding, they recommend the EPA pass.

Smith also introduced a bill to prevent EPA from using “secret science” to develop major regulations. Republicans argue EPA and other agencies shouldn’t be able to base regulations on non-public scientific data.

Well, that would blow out the vast majority of the “science” the Warmists push, as they fight tooth and nail against releasing their raw data, their methods, and how they arrive at conclusions. A later section, on page 7, line 15, notes that all material received by the board must be made immediately public.

Section 2 will also make them upset

20 ‘‘(A) the scientific and technical points of view
21 represented on and the functions to be performed by
22 the Board are fairly balanced among the members of
23 the Board;

That would appear to mean that the board cannot be stacked with just one point of view. Back to the Daily Caller

EPA and environmentalists traditionally argued such science should be kept non-public to protect confidential patient data — though it’s not clear why that can’t be redacted.

“Suffice it to say it will not make the EPA great again; it will gut the EPA at the expense of public health and safety,” Andrew Rosenberg, with the Union of Concerned Scientists, told InsideClimate News in February when Smith scheduled a hearing on EPA “secret science.”

Sunlight is the best disinfectant, as the saying goes.

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Durham Cancels Traffic Checkpoints So As To Not Upset Illegal Aliens

By William Teach March 7, 2017 – 8:02 am

Traffic checkpoints are a tough thing to deal with in the first place. Are they Constitutional? Are they legal? When they occur, they are trying to fish for law breaking, not specifically targeting a potential lawbreaker. The US Supreme Court found that DUI checkpoints were Constitutional in Michigan Dept. of State Police v. Sitz (1990), as long as they were properly conducted. However, traffic checkpoints, whether for immigration, license checks, seat belts, and so forth, typically fall outside the range of “reasonable suspicion.” There are various court decisions for and against checkpoints. Just because driving is a privilege, not a Right, doesn’t necessarily mean the police can essentially stop you with no suspicion.

Regardless, this is what it’s come to In Durham, NC

(WTVD) The Durham Police Department is suspending traffic checkpoints in the city in an effort to build better community relations.

“Because of the climate and the pulse of the community and the fear that exists, I did send a directive out,” said Chief C.J. Davis. “This was done to dispel fears that have currently arisen and to further encourage sustainable relationships with the diverse community we serve.”

The directive was issued last week.

Officers will continue to participate in multi-jurisdictional highway safety campaigns, such as Booze It & Lose It and Click It or Ticket.

“When planned and executed appropriately, these operations are very effective. However, in recent weeks there has been national and local concern regarding the role of local law enforcement officers in federal immigration enforcement,” said Davis.

That’s right, they are suspending checkpoints because illegal aliens might be upset over being stopped, asked if they have a legal license (as well as insurance for their vehicle and if the vehicle is properly registered), and usually let go on their way, because Durham is a sanctuary city. But, they might be made scared and feel sad, so, the policy had to go.

Davis argues the policy will bring the community together and help the department fight violent crime.

“We don’t want our citizens to feel that they can’t report crimes. If they’re not reporting crimes and providing us the intelligence that we need, we can’t solve crimes in this city,” said Davis.

First, the illegal aliens are crime. And, there wouldn’t be this concern if they weren’t unlawfully present in the United States.

Second, most of the crime in Durham doesn’t originate from the Hispanic illegal aliens. That’s a different story.

As Curly Bill notes in the story comments

It’s sad that laws are not enforced just because a few people are offended. Since when did criminals start controlling how we keep our society safe? That tells me that Durham has weak leadership.

Durham has mostly Democrat leadership, which has determined that patronizing illegal aliens takes priority.

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House Republicans Release Health Plan Or Something

By William Teach March 7, 2017 – 7:36 am

After all these years, the GOP has finally released their full repeal and replace plan. By “GOP”, I mean certain insiders who seem to have missed the mark. Here’s Paul Ryan’s statement

“Obamacare is rapidly collapsing. Skyrocketing premiums, soaring deductibles, and dwindling choices are not what the people were promised seven years ago. It’s time to turn a page and rescue our health care system from this disastrous law. The American Health Care Act is a plan to drive down costs, encourage competition, and give every American access to quality, affordable health insurance. It protects young adults, patients with pre-existing conditions, and provides a stable transition so that no one has the rug pulled out from under them.

“Working together, this unified Republican government will deliver relief and peace of mind to the millions of Americans suffering under Obamacare. This will proceed through a transparent process of regular order in full view of the public. I want to thank all of our members who have contributed their ideas, especially Chairman Walden and Chairman Brady, as well as Secretary Price and the Trump administration, for their commitment to keep this promise and get this right.”

Reading the entire bill, color me not impressed. Nor are many Republicans. Senator Rand Paul called it Obamacare Lite. Justin Amash referred to it as Obamacare 2.0. Many others are slamming the bill, as well.

Key talking points from the GOP are

  • Dismantles the Obamacare taxes (a thumbs up in the bill’s favor is getting rid of all the taxes)
  • Eliminate the individual and employer mandate penalties (more in a minute)
  • Prohibit health insurers from denying coverage (had to keep this. Should have had a section on insurers not drastically increasing premiums/deductibles or dumping people who’ve been paying for insurance for actually using it)
  • Help young adults access health insurance (keeping the part about staying on parent’s insurance till 26. Good idea)
  • Establish a Patient and State Stability Fund (entitlement time. But, this is still needed for the short term as Ocare is wiped away)
  • Modernize and strengthen Medicaid (Medicaid expansion. Still needed till Ocare is wiped away)
  • Empower individuals and families to spend their health care dollars the way they want and need by enhancing and expanding Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) (still need to get rid of all caps on these)
  • Help Americans access affordable, quality health care by providing a monthly tax credit—between $2,000 and $14,000 a year—for low- and middle-income individuals and families who don’t receive insurance through work or a government program. (some are calling this another entitlement, and that government is still too involved)

Back to the mandate penalties portion, there’s this (starts on page 61)

Obviously, the point here is to disincentivize those who would not have health insurance, then get sick and want to purchase. However, this is almost worse than the Ocare mandate. Let’s say you change jobs: the typical occurrence is that you are not eligible to sign up for the company health insurance until you’ve been there for 90 days. Sure, you could purchase COBRA for a month. It’s not cheap. What if you are out of work for several months or more? Can you afford more expensive insurance? For all intent purposes, this is a mandate and a penalty, just like with Obamacare.

If it was more like 6 months, or had a measure for waivers, it would be fine. Regardless, what this requires, per the legislation, is that you file a form with The Government stating you had insurance without a 63 day gap. Weren’t Republicans protesting against this kind of thing?

The employer mandate is wacked, though, as is the specific language for the individual mandate.

The NY Times has an interesting breakdown of what is kept, what’s changed, and what’s repealed.

How about that “Cadillac tax?” That is kept around

A number of Obamacare taxes would be repealed, including the Medical Device Tax and health insurance taxes, but the Cadillac tax would be restored after 10 years to comply with the Byrd Rule, allowing Republicans to pass the measure using budget reconciliation.

Of course, they can always wack that tax at some point in the future.

The plan would stop giving Planned Parenthood federal taxpayer money for one year. This is silly. It alienates certain GOP squishes, like Susan Collins, while being nothing more than patronizing Republican voters, as it is only one year. Planned Parenthood makes enough money on their own as a private business, and shouldn’t be subsidized by the federal government. Instead, they could have done something like reimbursing for services rendered, except for abortion.

Speaking of abortion, the bill itself pretty much starts out by diving in to the abortion debate and stating that federal money will not be used for abortions, except in certain cases, such as rape, incest, and the health of the mother. Health exclusions do not include “I want to continue partying and having irresponsible sex, so I’m sad.”

Right now, overall, this plan is not particularly good. Is it better than Ocare? Yes. Does it fully repeal Ocare? Yes. Does it involve the government in our health insurance decisions? Yes. Mandate and penalty? Yes. Does it utterly forget about other GOP ideas, like allowing cross state purchasing of health insurance? Sure does. Does it forget to create a pathway to get people out of the Ocare exchanges and into private insurance in an orderly fashion? Yes. Does it reduce the things that government requires insurance plans to offer? Only back to pre-Ocare days.

Is this a work in progress or what the House and Senate will be forced to vote on? We’ll see. Now that it is out, the usual pattern is to tweak proposed legislation. We’ll have to see if this happens.

UPDATE: Trump tweets

This jibes with some rumbles I’m hearing, in that the bill was crafted in a manner so that it can be pushed through the Senate on a 50+1 vote in a manner that would do away with any sort of filibuster, perhaps reconciliation, in the same way Ocare was passed. Once it is in place, there are other bills which will institute more free market solutions which minimize federal government involvement in our health insurance and health care.

Of course, this is the GOP. Can we trust the Establishment to do this?

Crossed at Right Wing News.

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Maldives Suddenly Realizes That ‘Climate Change’ Belief Doesn’t Pay

By William Teach March 6, 2017 – 3:56 pm

The heck you say!

(Climate Central)  When Mohamed Nasheed, the young, first democratically elected president of the Maldives, said in 2008 that he was seeking to buy a new homeland to save his people from being inundated by rising sea levels, it made the country of 1,200 coral islands the moral leader in the UN climate talks and helped persuade rich countries to act.

This week the Maldives, under new president Abdulla Yameen, apparently changed environmental tack, saying that mass tourism and mega-developments rather than solar power and carbon neutrality would enable it to adapt itself to climate change and give its young population hope for the future.

They realized that all that sweet, sweet climate money redistributed from other nations wasn’t appearing in vast sums, and changed tactics. Of course, they had still been relying on mass tourism during their whole give us climate money phase, not too mention building more airports for fossil fueled planes.

“The Maldives needs money to survive. Resorts are very positive for the environment. They offer better protection than community islands because they must protect at least 700m all around them. They become mini marine reserves,” he said.

Fears of immediate sea level rise, which scientists said in the latest IPCC report was accelerating and could mean 75 percent of the Maldives being under water by 2100, were unfounded, Adam said. “It is not going to happen next year. We have immediate needs. Development must go on, jobs are needed, we have the same aspirations as people in the US or Europe.”

And there it is: they realize that they don’t want to live in the 3rd World anymore, and want all the same things as those in the 1st World have. The same life the 1st World warmists live that they’re trying to deny to other nations.

And sea rise in the Maldives is negligible. It’s right around 2.2mm per year, and not accelerating. That’s .0866 inches per year. And, much of the disappearing islands have to do with erosion.

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If All You See…

By William Teach March 6, 2017 – 1:00 pm

…is an evil gas fired stove spewing out carbon pollution, you might just be a Warmist

The blog of the day is Goodstuffs Cyber World, with a post on Trump’s allegation of wiretapping.

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Bummer: California Won’t Meet It’s Climate Goals Unless People Are Forced To Live Like Rats In Warrens

By William Teach March 6, 2017 – 10:30 am

Well, now, this is interesting

California won’t meet its climate change goals without a lot more housing density in its cities

To meet the bold new climate change goals put in place last year, California will work to put millions of electric cars on the road, revolutionize its dairy industry and generate half of all power from solar panels and other renewable sources.

But those efforts will come up short, warn state regulators, without dramatic changes to how Californians live and travel.

I’m shocked that people will be forced to make changes to their lives by Governmental decree

The state has pledged to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions to 40% below 1990 levels by 2030. To do so, Southern Californians will have to drive nearly 12% less by that date than they did five years ago, cutting their miles on the road every day from 22.8 to 20.2, according a Los Angeles Times estimate based on data from state and regional climate and planning officials.

These driving reductions mean that Californians will have to walk, bike and use mass transit much more frequently than they do now. By 2030, residents will have to travel by foot four times more frequently than they did in 2012, alongside a nine-fold increase in bicycling over the same time, and a substantial boost in bus and rail ridership, climate officials say.

The only way this happens is by the force of government. If all these uber-Warmist Californians refuse to practice what they preach now, force is the only option.

Getting people out of their cars in favor of walking, cycling or riding mass transit will require the development of new, closely packed housing near jobs and commercial centers at a rate not seen in the United States since at least before World War II, according to a recent study by permit and contractor data analysis website BuildZoom.

So, people will be forced into these high density housing how, exactly? It’s funny how so much of what the Cult of Climstrology pushes revolves around limiting freedom of behavior while forcing people into high density areas where it is easier to control them.

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