You know the Department of Homeland Security, that Orwellian sounding group whose raison d'etre is to find new ways to find out everything about everyone, all in the name of keeping us safe from terrorists. Since they've managed to creep into our body orifices as well as our belongings at the airport, they have moved on.
Soon, if this group has their way, body scanning will be occurring at bus and train stations. That's right, if you find the procedure at airports personally offensive and invasive, you are also going to lose the "personal freedom" option of the other available forms of mass transit.
EPIC, the Electronic Privacy Information Center, was compelled to sue the DHS under the Freedom of Information Act for disclosure of its plans to have full body scanners built and installed, well, all over the place. Their plans include mobile body scanners as well, so that lets out just walking around.
There has actually been no proven effectiveness of these body scans. If we wanted to foil terrorists, we would be sure to have our spy agencies be sharp, non-partisan, and cooperative among each other. If we have not had a terrorist attack since 9/11, it has been due to the fact that the CIA and FBI -- I assume -- have moved into the 21st century technologically, and are not above talking to each other.
Why, then, is there this continued (secretive) push to get scanners out and operative anywhere we might gather?
Follow the money.
Rapiscan Systems is raking in oodles of cash for its invasive technology. From a modest 2.7 million in 2005, the annual monetary awards are mind-boggling: 12 million in 2010, 7 million in 2011. Talk about the federal government as job creator.
Despite the tremendous efforts of the people at EPIC, the ability of the federal spy machine to keep a secret, and the momentum of moving millions of dollars make it hard to believe that we soon will not be facing a day when we must go through full body scanners to do our groceries. And who will pay for all these devices? You can bet it won't be private industry. We can't even get the airlines to keep their planes safe on their own dollar.
That's right. Take another good look at Paul Ryan's National Debt Clock. You won't see that slowing down soon, with or without Social Security and Obamacare. Our military-industrial complex got a shot in the arm on 9/11, and it has been and will continue to be too big and too fast-moving to stop.
And it will take our quality of life down with it.
So visit EPIC's website and learn about what's going on with your privacy. And if you feel so moved, help out with the good fight.
Our elected officials like to throw around the word freedom, but this, fellow Americans, is about the real thing.
Showing posts with label National Debt Clock. Show all posts
Showing posts with label National Debt Clock. Show all posts
Friday, September 28, 2012
Monday, August 27, 2012
Irony Abounds
Where to start?
First of all, immediately after announcing Paul Ryan as his running mate, both Mitt and his new sidekick proceeded to blast President Obama for cutting Medicare. Welcome to Through the Looking Glass, GOP style.
If you recall way back a few months ago, or maybe it was years ago...
Anyway, for as long as I can recall, the republican party has been bashing President Obama for single-handedly increasing the debt. According to the GOP, we poor folk, those who have lost our jobs, or our health, or our homes, have been living high off the hog here in the Democrats' U.S.A. Entitlements, entitlements, you couldn't swing a dead cat without hitting a republican on a soap-box talking about entitlements.
Of course, they didn't mean corporate entitlements. The big corporations -- Wall Street banks, ExxonMobil, big pharma, big agribusiness -- they need us to keep feeding them. The fatter they get, the hungrier. After all, we are told, they are the job creators.
But the rest of us poor slobs are just sapping the strength of this great land.
Now the way I remember it, peacemaker Obama agreed to begin to cut the waste out of Medicare, if only the republicans in Congress would agree to just a teensy-weensy tax increase for the wealthy. Which, of course, left us with Medicare cuts and no increase in taxes.
Those Medicare cuts that Paul Ryan wants you to believe will kill his grandmother are actually to a large extent cuts to the private insurance companies -- Medicare Advantage -- that supplements regular Medicare benefits. Another large piece of the savings is through lower reimbursement rates to hospitals that see more of the uninsured, which will be less necessary under Obamacare and the individual mandate.
Not exactly killing grandma, is it?
But then, if you can stand to listen further, Ryan (and Mitt) will tell you that you shouldn't worry, you old people. Because apparently they are only going to screw people under 55.
Okay, so that's Part One of 2012 Madness.
Then there is the unveiling of David Koch. You know, the gazillionaire that owns Mitt Romney, and unknown other large pieces of the country. Apparently, it is time for Koch to come out from behind the curtain, especially since we all had caught on to the fact that it was him running things anyway.
Of course, if you have gotten caught red-handed, the smart thing to do is act like you've planned it that way. So David Koch is actually going to be an official delegate to the Convention. Even more special, he will be honored at a "Salute to Entrepreneurs," and we can all get tickets. Well, actually, we can all get on the wait list. You might be surprised to know that this event, sponsored by Americans for Prosperity, is actually funded by the Koch Brothers. Well, maybe you won't be surprised.
And definitely not last, but all the irony-processing center in my brain can handle at one sitting, is the cornerstone of the convention. No, I know you're thinking the anti-abortion plank, but that's the cornerstone behind the cornerstone. The centerpiece of the convention, which is being "unveiled" today, is the "National Debt Clock".
Don't laugh. It's true.
After creating laws that would chase down teens and women trying to get birth control or abortions while shutting down the most cost-effective health care programs available to women...
After refusing to even consider the most modest tax hike for the wealthiest Americans...
After working exhaustively to kill Obamacare despite Congressional Budget Office and other expert opinions that savings will outweigh costs...
...these idiots are going to show us just how much debt we are accruing as they speak.
No, too much irony for me. Need some air.
First of all, immediately after announcing Paul Ryan as his running mate, both Mitt and his new sidekick proceeded to blast President Obama for cutting Medicare. Welcome to Through the Looking Glass, GOP style.
If you recall way back a few months ago, or maybe it was years ago...
Anyway, for as long as I can recall, the republican party has been bashing President Obama for single-handedly increasing the debt. According to the GOP, we poor folk, those who have lost our jobs, or our health, or our homes, have been living high off the hog here in the Democrats' U.S.A. Entitlements, entitlements, you couldn't swing a dead cat without hitting a republican on a soap-box talking about entitlements.
Of course, they didn't mean corporate entitlements. The big corporations -- Wall Street banks, ExxonMobil, big pharma, big agribusiness -- they need us to keep feeding them. The fatter they get, the hungrier. After all, we are told, they are the job creators.
But the rest of us poor slobs are just sapping the strength of this great land.
Now the way I remember it, peacemaker Obama agreed to begin to cut the waste out of Medicare, if only the republicans in Congress would agree to just a teensy-weensy tax increase for the wealthy. Which, of course, left us with Medicare cuts and no increase in taxes.
Those Medicare cuts that Paul Ryan wants you to believe will kill his grandmother are actually to a large extent cuts to the private insurance companies -- Medicare Advantage -- that supplements regular Medicare benefits. Another large piece of the savings is through lower reimbursement rates to hospitals that see more of the uninsured, which will be less necessary under Obamacare and the individual mandate.
Not exactly killing grandma, is it?
But then, if you can stand to listen further, Ryan (and Mitt) will tell you that you shouldn't worry, you old people. Because apparently they are only going to screw people under 55.
Okay, so that's Part One of 2012 Madness.
Then there is the unveiling of David Koch. You know, the gazillionaire that owns Mitt Romney, and unknown other large pieces of the country. Apparently, it is time for Koch to come out from behind the curtain, especially since we all had caught on to the fact that it was him running things anyway.
Of course, if you have gotten caught red-handed, the smart thing to do is act like you've planned it that way. So David Koch is actually going to be an official delegate to the Convention. Even more special, he will be honored at a "Salute to Entrepreneurs," and we can all get tickets. Well, actually, we can all get on the wait list. You might be surprised to know that this event, sponsored by Americans for Prosperity, is actually funded by the Koch Brothers. Well, maybe you won't be surprised.
And definitely not last, but all the irony-processing center in my brain can handle at one sitting, is the cornerstone of the convention. No, I know you're thinking the anti-abortion plank, but that's the cornerstone behind the cornerstone. The centerpiece of the convention, which is being "unveiled" today, is the "National Debt Clock".
Don't laugh. It's true.
After creating laws that would chase down teens and women trying to get birth control or abortions while shutting down the most cost-effective health care programs available to women...
After refusing to even consider the most modest tax hike for the wealthiest Americans...
After working exhaustively to kill Obamacare despite Congressional Budget Office and other expert opinions that savings will outweigh costs...
...these idiots are going to show us just how much debt we are accruing as they speak.
No, too much irony for me. Need some air.
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