Thursday, March 11, 2010

They’re In There Already

Drudge links to a Reuters news story under the headlined SNOOP: Federal regulator weighs ‘black box’ requirement for all new vehicles… which informs us of the following.

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration chief David Strickland told a congressional hearing on Thursday that the regulator is considering whether to make “black boxes” mandatory for all new vehicles.

Those little “black boxes” are already in many new cars, they are called Event Data Recorders.

And since they are already in many new vehicles, why doesn’t National Highway Traffic Safety Administration chief David Strickland just sit down, close his yap, and let the manufacturer and the markets decide whether if there actually is a mandatory need?  This is not only about snooping, this is about controlling what is manufactured and how.  This is not the United States government’s business.

Check your vehicle here.

Posted by John Venlet on 03/11 at 09:05 PM
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The Enforcer

Glenn Reynolds says:

I think that everyone who votes should pay income tax. And the amount should go up and down with federal spending.

I do not vote.  Does that mean I do not have to pay income tax, Glenn?

Posted by John Venlet on 03/11 at 07:15 PM
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A Free Individual’s Service Announcement

Are you aware of the website InjusticeEverywhere.com?  I was not until just now, when I stopped by The Indpendent Institute website and read a post under the heading Public Justice.

The post begins this way.

A favorite resource of mine for news about corruption in law enforcement is InjusticeEverywhere.com. Their Twitter feed is hard to stomach, but I do my best and I try to call attention to it when I can.

The post then continues as follows.

I think it is important to note that in the last few days alone, InjusticeEverywhere posted stories that involved officers with one or more of the following allegations, arrests, or convictions:

battery
sexual misconduct with a minor
child pornography
spousal abuse
intent to sell
posting nude pictures of a detained woman (in handcuffs) online
molesting a 15 year old boy
inappropriate contact with a 12 year old
suspicion of child abuse since the 1970s
DUI after running into own mail box
doing 150 mph while on disability
filing false reports
conspiring to cover up beatings
fraud
assault
excessive force
grand theft
stalking
public indecency
drug dealing
theft from evidence
supplying drugs at sex parties
having sex while on duty
armed robbery
shoplifting
selling impounded vehicles
coercion of a fellow officer to write a false summons
kicking cuffed suspects in the head
lying about traffic stops
racial profiling
rape

This is only a partial list from InjusticeEverywhere’s tweets since roughly March 6th. Yes, of 2010.

Feeling safer, now?  Judas, frickin’ priest.

Posted by John Venlet on 03/11 at 05:04 PM
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Studies in Self Reliance - Anonymity Edition

A gentleman by the name of Roger George recently died in a Tampa Bay area hospital.  He was ninety-three (93) years old, possibly, as no one has been able to establish Roger’s age with any degree of certainty.

The TampaBay.com story about Roger George is mostly speculations, some outright outlandish.  Why I am drawn to Roger’s story is that the government has NO record what-so-ever on this old man.  No social insecurity number, no birth certificate, nothing, he does not exist.  I’m somewhat envious.

Here, nestled against the plump white pillows of a hospice bed, tucked under four soft blankets and sipping coffee through a straw, lies a man who does not exist. He is very old, and maybe a little deaf. His hair has gone white and his teeth have gone missing. He will tell you he is 95. But later he might say 94, or 93. He says he has traveled the world as a hobo. Slept under trucks, on park benches, in barns. Played football with Burt Reynolds and baseball with Fidel Castro. But his stories shift and change, and he admits he hasn’t always been truthful. But no one knows why. He carries no identification. He swears he’s never smiled for a passport photo. He has no birth certificate, no Social Security card. No family. Just a couple of old friends. And before he dies, even they want to know: Who is Roger George?

Roger did receive charity in his final days, so you may ask how can I title this post as a study in self reliance.  I can title this post in that manner because Roger George did not plead for the charity he received, he did not claim the charity he received as a right, nor did he ever in his life, as the blank record seems to indicate, ever appeal for a free lunch.  Roger George made his own way.

God rest your soul, Roger George.

In a Tampa Bay area hospice, the mystery of a man with no identity

Linked via Fred Lapides’ GoodShit.

Posted by John Venlet on 03/11 at 02:37 PM
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New York City Goes Medieval on Salt

Salt, which is essential to life for man, and animals, is under attack in New York City.

Some New York City chefs and restaurant owners are taking aim at a bill introduced in the New York Legislature that, if passed, would ban the use of salt in restaurant cooking.

When I read this, early this morning before spending some time behind my windshield, all I could think was that New York City was going medieval, and that NYC chefs would soon be baking only saltless Tuscan bread, and purchasing Mrs Dash in bulk.

The story headline is Chefs Call Proposed New York Salt Ban ‘Absurd’, I simply think it is medieval.

Posted by John Venlet on 03/11 at 02:16 PM
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