CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT CONFLICTS

If one is old enough to remember the product quality of the past, one will most likely lament about the lack of quality of most products now offered in the market place.  One may wonder why with all the propaganda ads flashed everywhere, shouting how great their products are, one can't find very little that compares with the good quality of days gone bye?

The Buzz phrase 'Continuous Improvement' does not mean the same to everybody.  Are we talking about continuous quality improvement or continuous profit improvement? These two ideas are in constant conflict; profit improvement, most of the time, spells less product quality. Experience tells us that quality lost against profit, and we the consumers go along with this twisted situation, instead of insisting on quality products, the result of continuous quality improvement.

Naturally, the younger generation is at a disadvantage because they have no idea what good quality used to be, i.e. really is.  For example, major department stores used to carry pretty descent leather shoes, at fair prices, now these stores, in the main, carry shoes with all man-made materials, which most likely make your feet sweat and smell.

If these inferior products, made with inferior materials, would be significantly cheaper, then one could say the buyer has a choice, buy good quality for more or inferior quality for less, however, these inferior products demand about the same price, or more, as good products used to cost.  This in part explains why so many new Billionaires are made every year; their substandard products (or services) are way over-priced and thus generate enormous profits.  To add insult to injury, since these inferior products don't last as long as good quality products, their short-term repeat business is assured, enhancing their profit picture even more.

By dealing with a new inexperienced consumer generation, every 20 years, these merchants (manufacturers and sellers) of substandard products succeeded with their 'Continuous  Profit Improvement' scheme, by trashing the quality of their products.  These disingenuous merchants now prey on an unsuspecting new consumer, who has been convinced, through clever marketing, of the new normal.  Let us just look at their product warranties, If one gets a one (1) year written Warranty, one can thank our maker; the manufacturers fully know that is about the time their product, generally, will last.

How can we get back to good quality products?  First, we must ignore all the hype about a product.  Second, we must use common sense to judge whether it is worth the money.  Third, we must evaluate if we truly need the product.  Whenever, some new product makes people stand for hours inline for it, you can be sure the item is way overpriced, there usually is a less expensive alternate product in the marketplace.  For example, Amazon has some Tablets at much lower prices that may work for you; I know I have two in my home.

When consumers shop with more discrimination, and reject inferior products, the merchants with poor quality products will have less business volume, which will force them to examine the causes for it.   They then have to make a choice, lower their price, or improve the product quality, while maintaining the current price level.  Either way, the consumer stands to win; we have the power, we truly could be the King, and add truth to the slogan, "The customer Is King".

POVERTY IN THE USA - IS AMERICA TRULY GREAT AGAIN?

About 88% of us have little or no idea what the other 12% plus is enduring, even though many of them are hard working people, and still cannot afford a roof over their heads.  Especially around Thanksgiving, when millions travel long distances, by car or planes to share meals with their families, the people they love.  We are so busy with our organized lives we hardly ever give a thought about our brothers and sisters, who are part of the 12% plus population.

My Thanksgiving resolution is to do something nice for someone who belongs to the 12% plus in America; a trusted organization, in my area, which has a clean record of doing good for the down-and-out, will be my target.  I highly recommend that you watch the documentary by the DW (Deutsche Welle), to get into the spirit of giving; it worked for me.  Please see the link shown below.

DW reports:
"Homelessness, hunger and shame: poverty is rampant in the richest country in the world. Over 40 million people in the United States live below the poverty line, twice as many as it was fifty years ago. It can happen very quickly."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JHDkALRz5Rk

Despite the good intentions of President L. B. Johnson's war on poverty, the truth is it was and is a total failure.  "The War on Poverty was declared by President Lyndon B. Johnson in his State of the Union Address on January 8, 1964: This administration today here and now declares unconditional war on poverty in America. ... In January 1964, President Johnson gave Sargent Shriver the task of developing a bill to wage the war against poverty in the United States. The bill was presented to Congress in March, 1964."

Like all the many other wars we proclaim against this or that, the war on poverty is a disgrace for our nation, as it is an utter failure by any measure.  We always have money for external adventures, and buying the good will of other countries/regimes, but when it comes to the needs of our fellow men, we suddenly have the urge to reduce the national debt, by cutting necessary social services.

I am not suggesting to start a fund for the unfortunate brothers and sisters among us but I am suggesting an individual act of kindness by all of us, and by all means urge the people in your circle of family and friends to do the same.

Thanksgiving has come and is gone now but the perils of poverty are an ever present problem for too many of us; it is never too late to act and give a little.  We in the 88% group have so much to be thankful for.

Olympics Of Greed

When is enough, enough?  When someone amasses billions of dollars, somewhere along the line that person robbed the public, by overpricing their products and/or services.  How else could they become so filthy rich, while the general population is getting poorer by the year?

"Where did the phrase 'filthy rich' come from?

The pejorative nature of the phrase is lessening all the time, and it’s increasingly used just to denote very rich. The origins of the phrase come from term filthy lucre, which was first used in print in the 16th Century, and was then used to denote money that had come from foul means. This led to filthy being a slang word for money."

In my opinion, the foregoing still applies more than ever. 

https://www.bing.com/search?q=definition+of+filthy+rich&qs=n&form=QBRE&sp=-1&pq=definition+of+filthy+rich&sc=1-25&sk=&cvid=3094128499AE44579377CBB06E03006F

Forbes 400 listing of the wealthiest in America is the scoreboard of the addicted to money crowd.  Yes, money, like sex for example, is addictive and these on the Forbes list work (more like steal) their way to the top to earn the gold medal of ultimate greed.  If it were not so sickening, one could feel sorry for these, apparently, addicted individuals because in the end, they cannot take it with them.  Can you imagine, the vast number of poor souls waiting for them to arrive, so they can get even for making their lives miserable on earth?

Assuming all is true what most religions teach, one would have to ponder this singular question, which is longer the suffering of a life span on earth, or the suffering for all eternity?  Now, one could say everybody knows the answer to that question.  Well, it appears, the filthy rich have no idea about this time-span question, why else would they risk everything?  The answer is twofold, addiction to money and greed; nothing else seems to matter for them.

It is a common belief, among most people that death is the great equalizer, if these greedy rich ones would just die and enjoy bliss for all eternity, what great equalization would that be? One hopes that there is justice somewhere, if not in the afterlife, where?  One can suspect that the religions of the world are in the service of the filthy rich, mandated to keep the populous quiet with the promise of great rewards in the afterlife for their inflicted suffering on earth.  Granted, this promise keeps the sufferers going, in the service of the wealthy and powerful, i.e. mission accomplished but is this just and fair?

Going back in history, were not the biggest scoundrel assuming the position of the Pope through money and power?  These often criminals became, according to church doctrine, infallible men;  what a crock this was.  The political systems of the world are so engineered that, most of the time, only the wealthy and well-connected can enjoy positions of power.   In the USA it takes, apparently, one billion dollars to get elected President.  Influenced perhaps by church doctrine, the public trusts that whoever is elected has now their interests at heart; nothing could be further from the truth.

Whoever had the most self-serving money contributions from the elites, and is elected, is now ready and empowered to serve not the interest of the people, who elected them, but the interest of those who provided the money to get them into position of power.  The Forbes 400 list is just the tip of the iceberg, it shows those who have managed to do it better than the herd of the also wealthy; it is nothing but the scoreboard of the greed Olympics.
https://www.forbes.com/forbes-400/#249787f77e2f

Nowadays, when a politician brags that he or she is very rich the public now applauds; the wealthy politician has now star qualities, go figure.  The perceived logic goes like this, when we elect a very wealthy person, he or she won't need to steal from us while in office, however, we overlook the fact that this person now has to make it easier for his friends and sponsors to steal from us.  In reality nothing has changed, the former middle-class and the poor still get shafted, overtly or covertly.

I doubt very much that these costly wealth extractions in other countries serve the innocent voter, and his family, it surely serves the filthy rich whose wealth increases exponentially.   There has never been such a stark wealth inequality, as we experience now.







Need I say More?

Hypocrisy On Steroids

It was reported on Newsy 10/26/19, a TV network, that Our Secretary of State ordered new restrictions on the travel to Cuba, to support the people of Cuba, and to punish the Cuban Government for supporting Venezuela's Maduro.

NBC News reports 10/26/19, that "Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a letter to Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao that the flights are being suspended indefinitely because of Cuba's repression of its people and support for Venezuela's President Nicolás Maduro."
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/us-bans-all-flights-to-cuba-outside-havana-in-latest-crackdown/ar-AAJmWjU

I believe the second part but in no way is this helping the Cuban people, it will result in job losses for them.  It will surely hurt the very people our Government pretends to care about.  The same thing happens in Venezuela where extreme sanction by the US is hurting mainly the people we are, so called, concerned about.

My social issue with all this is simply this, first we increase the suffering of innocent people, and second I fail to see where in a democracy a Government can tell its free (?) people where they spend their vacations, or when they can visit their families back home.   And all that only for political reasons, and not for safety reasons.  Are we that far down the line on our way to a dictatorship?

I guess, the game is to bring the people of these foreign countries to the brink of starvation, so that they will get enough desperate to bring their own elected Governments down, since other dirty tricks did not work.  Is this normal?  No wonder that Americans are disliked all over the world, how could it be otherwise?  Instead of protecting us, our Government brings us in harms way abroad.

Trump says, we should stop being the police of the world, I say, we should stop being the Bully of the world. 

  

Let's Face It Our Nation - The USA Has Gone Mad

The very fact that our Government (past and present) has all these great amounts of money to engage in all these (past and ongoing) external wars for oil and/or regime changes, is the very proof that we are way overtaxed in our country.  We are not using these great sums of tax and new debt monies to improve the human conditions of the USA, but to support these geopolitical wars around the world, for profit and wealth accumulation by some, and that is wrong in my opinion.  Please refer to the charts shown near the end of this post, which clearly show that something is wrong.

People like Tulsi Gabbard, who speak out against these wasteful policies, resulting in not only money losses but more importantly, the losses of millions of lives, are attacked and framed as 'Russian Assets', for example.  These 'Slanderers' hope that we, who have been brainwashed for so long, will fall for this without questioning the motives for this type of slander.  I hope they are wrong with their assumption, and that we will resist this kind of character assassinations, and see it for what it is, slander pure and simple.

When living in Hawaii, I personally met and spoke with Tulsi Gabbard, at a gathering, about a local issue we had at that time, and one cannot find a nicer person to talk with than Representative Tulsi Gabbard.  Our politicians in their stump speeches always talk about how much they appreciate our armed services personnel, well, by slandering one of them, they demonstrate that their appreciation is nothing but fake.

Even our so called independent media (read corporate media) is in on the character assassination, one only has to watch the biased questioning of the victim, by one of them, to understand that they are in concert with the 'Slanderer'.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JNjzBJWUyWI

My concern here is that whenever the truth tries to surface, with the help of someone, like Tulsi Gabbard, the smear campaigns are in full operation, to not only kill the truth, but also the messenger, and that to me is a social issue, and not a political one. In a true and fair democracy this must not be allowed and/or rewarded!

Now let us look at what people, like Tulsi Gabbard, are talking about.  Our national debt is currently over 22 Trillion dollars.



Now let us look further into the past to appreciate the madness that is going on.


 It is all about the cost of wars. - Debt per family of four (4).

Author/Source unknown.

It does not matter anymore who is in office the borrowing continues.  The debt ceiling is now like a Helium filled balloon.


Can you imagine how much it costs to service 22 Trillion dollars of debt?  If we, the citizens, would run our households like this, we would end up in jail.  Why are these politicians still at large, free to do more damage to our nation, by placing so much debt onto our backs ($250,000 per family of four)?

Out Of The Mouth Of Babes

The 'Divine' have created our earth with all its beauty and perfection, and men is bent on destroying it for the sake of profit, and thus have become the enemy of nature.  Many hypocritical leaders of the world meet periodically to tell their lies, and make their disingenuous and inadequate promises to reverse climate change, however, nothing of consequence is ever done.

In one of the bible stories, I remember, the apostles asked Jesus, when will we know the end of time is near?  He replied, only the Father knows but there will be an increase in natural disasters, and there will be many wars.  If this describes our present days, it may not be by accident.

In Psalm 8.3 (in my Bible) it says:  "Out of the mouth of babes and infants you have drawn a defense against your foes, to silence enemy and avenger."

Once in a while, a young person with a strong belief and conviction comes onto the world stage, and tells the words that nobody is brave enough to utter.  Such is also the story of Greta Thunberg, who gave the following address to a bunch of 'Climate Hypocrites’; at their recent dog and pony show climate meeting.  Bravo Greta!

https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=greta+thunberg+speech&view=detail&mid=493EC3F3D5BFE18BC5D1493EC3F3D5BFE18BC5D1&FORM=VIRE

One can say many things about Trump, wrong as he may be on climate change, but he is not a hypocrite on this issue, hiding behind ineffectual promises, as do the so called good politicians.  President Trump promises nothing, and the fake pledges by the others amount to the same thing, nothing.

Who is Greta Thunberg?
"Greta Thunberg was born on 3 January 2003 in Stockholm,^[7][8] the daughter of opera singer Malena Ernman and actor Svante Thunberg.^[9] Her paternal grandfather is actor and director Olof Thunberg.^[10]
Thunberg says she first heard about climate change in 2011, when she was 8 years old, and could not understand why so little was being done about it.^[11] Three years later she became depressed and lethargic, stopped talking and eating, and was eventually diagnosed with Asperger syndrome,^[12] obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD),^[12] and selective mutism.^[12][13] While acknowledging that her diagnosis "has limited me before", she does not view her Asperger's as an illness and has instead called it her "superpower".^[13]
For about two years, Thunberg challenged her parents to lower the family's carbon footprint by becoming vegan and giving up flying, which in part meant her mother had to give up her international career as an opera singer.^[9][14] Thunberg credits her parents' eventual response and lifestyle changes with giving her hope and belief that she could make a difference.^[9] The family story is recounted in the 2018 book Scenes from the Heart.^[15]
In late 2018, Thunberg began the school climate strikes and public speeches by which she has become an internationally recognized climate activist. Her father does not like her missing school, but said: "[We] respect that she wants to make a stand. She can either sit at home and be really unhappy, or protest, and be happy".^[14] Thunberg says her teachers are divided in their views about her missing class to make her point. She says: "As people they think what I am doing is good, but as teachers they say I should stop."^[14]
Thunberg published a collection of her climate action speeches, No One Is Too Small to Make a Difference, in May 2019^[16] with the earnings being donated to charity.^[17] In one of her first speeches demanding climate action, Thunberg described the selective mutism aspect of her condition as meaning she "only speaks when necessary".^[11] In 2019, Thunberg also contributed a voiceover for a release of "The 1975", the theme song of an English band by the same name. Thunberg finishes by urging: "So, everyone out there, it is now time for civil disobedience. It is time to rebel." Proceeds will go to Extinction Rebellion at Thunberg's request.<sup>[18]"

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greta_Thunberg#Transatlantic_voyage</sup> 

Those Taking Valsartan Or Irbesartan Blood Pressure Medication Should Read This

Please follow the link shown below, to understand the extent of the problem discovered.  Blooomberg's article is extensive in coverage but deserves to be read by those affected directly or indirectly.  Check with your friends and relatives, who may take these drugs, and forward this article, along with the web-link.

Personally, my generic pills (Enalapril) are made in India, instead of China but I don't feel any better about that.  We often hear criticism about drugs fabricated in Canada, personally, I trust these Canadian drug companies more than all the others combined.  Unfortunately, some of these off-shore companies have branches in the US, and probably Canada, therefore, these drugs can still be bad, no matter where they were made.  It stands to reason, when the parent company is corrupt, their divisions located elsewhere will likely not be anymore ethical.

As Blomberg's article amply demonstrates, our regulators and the FDA inspection process are less than stellar; why did it take so long to discover this very serious problem, discussed below.  The manufacturer involved made cost-saving changes to its process in 2011, with serious adverse consequences for patients, using this drug.  Only in 2018 did the FDA go public, per the article referenced below.

"In July 2018 the FDA announced that NDMA had been found in the widely used blood-pressure medicine valsartan and started overseeing a recall of drugs from three companies. They’d all bought the active ingredient for their valsartan from Zhejiang Huahai Pharmaceutical Co., one of China’s biggest generic companies. The recall has since been expanded 51 times, to include two related drugs, irbesartan and losartan, made by at least 10 companies—some since 2014. Drugs sold to millions of people in 30 countries could be tainted.
Some of the contaminated valsartan contains as much as 17 micrograms of NDMA in a single pill. That’s equivalent to eating 48 pounds of bacon. The FDA estimates that for every 8,000 people who took the highest dose of contaminated valsartan daily for four years, there would be one additional occurrence of cancer. “We had to be honest about that, but it’s not a great message for the consumer,” says Janet Woodcock, director of the agency’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. “Throw a couple of lamb chops on the barbecue and you’d find nitrosamine after a good grilling. You have to put this in perspective.”You’d find nitrosamine—a category of carcinogen that includes NDMA—but you wouldn’t find 17 micrograms of it. European health regulators put the cancer risk from contaminated blood pressure medicines higher: They estimate that one out of every 3,390 people could become sick."

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2019-09-12/how-carcinogen-tainted-generic-drug-valsartan-got-past-the-fda

We Need To Increase The Sound Volume

At the time of my writing, this Blog's posts have been read a total of 9,710 times; from the USA 5,928 times, and 3,782 times from other countries, and except for a few Canadians, none from the other countries are on my mailing list.  This makes me wonder, how many more readers could be reached in the USA, if some of these readers, on my list and others, would share blog posts, they think are worthwhile sharing?  The aim of this Blog, and most other Blogs, is to start conversations about the social issues presented.  Those who rule our lives count on the fact that most of us, read or watch TV, or a video, shake or node our heads, and then forget all about it.  These are the kind of people the Governments of the world try to cultivate, these are easy to divide and conquer, and therefore rule and abuse.

As I recall, one of my posts discussed the strength of the NRA, which has about five (5) million members, not wonder, they usually get what they want.  I venture to say, even some politicians, who privately hate guns, kiss-up to them, after all, 5 million votes can make or break you, they calculate.  What is NRA's secrete?  People who  really love guns and shooting them, unite to confront those who wish to attack the second amendment, of 1789, an Amendment which made sense in those days.

I think there are far more, than 5 million of us, who have a social conscience; so why not try to unite and create a formidable force that politicians yield to, unless the wish to retire anyway.  Together, we could make the NRA look like small potatoes, as far as a voting block is concerned.  You might ask, how could this be achieved?  There are a two progressions that could come into play, such as, 'Arithmetic, and Geometric Progressions', as illustrated by the following examples.

Arithmetic Progression:

Each reader adds one reader, and this reader adds a reader, and so on.  Before you know it the number of readers would increase very nicely.  Starting with 2, we get 2, 3, 4, 5, etc., when more readers are involved in this process, it adds up even quicker.

Geometric Progression:

Let us say, there are only 2 members, and these are multiplied by a discrete common number greater than 1 (in our case), being the common ratio.  When we start with a common ratio of 3, for example, a geometric progression starting with 2 readers with a common ratio (multiplier) of 3, would look like this, 6, 18, 54, etc.  This would make the readership grow even more quickly.  For example, on Tripadvisor, where I posted only 90 reviews, I have 62,568 readers; surely the power of progression was also involved.  Whereas, on this Blog I posted 145 articles, and show less than 1/6 of that, at this time.

By now, we all have read or heard that a certain nasty or comic video on 'Youtube' went 'Viral', well, this was the result of a progression.  Either way, the power of progressions should not be underestimated, to the contrary it should be employed to amplify the volume of our voices.  Let us remember, politicians with hearing problems, require an increase in sound volume to ensure their attention.

As an aside, I had one reader who constantly questioned why I even bother with the problems of the world; which actually should stir our souls.  He even wondered why he should keep-up our friendship?  Finally, I took him off the reader list, however, he is still in my list of friends.  He is just an individual who no longer cares about the plight of others, or any other social concerns, for that matter.  I truly feel sorry for him, his self-centered world is a very, very small world, indeed.

When I write to Presidents, past and present, and I have a number of times, by having many people behind oneself, motivates them not only to reply with platitudes, and they have (see prior posts), but more importantly take action, which, so far, they have not.  I do not advocate for any party, I advocate only for the people, no matter what their private affiliations may be.

Therefore, I ask each of you to please employ the power of progressions, by passing posts you judge interesting, to people you know.  For those of you, who already work this way, I thank you.

Computers Get 90% of Medical Attention

Thank you, Dr. John for bringing this to my attention.  Instinctively, I thought, I knew the amount of time Doctors have to play with computers because once or twice a year I sit in one of those over-air-conditioned rooms, waiting for somebody to appear.  When they do, after a quick hello, their attention goes to the electronic box.  I witnessed where a simple task like writing a prescription, can eat-up a lot of time; a pen and a prescription pad was so much more efficient, in the primitive days gone by.  I never imagined that the time spent on computers, by doctors, is really that much.

Well, enough from me.  Please watch this video, to learn from ZDogg, MD, how things really are.

https://www.medpagetoday.com/blogs/zdoggmd/81745

With all this (sophisticated?) technology, we still manage to kill well-over 250, 000 people a year because of medical errors.  Go figure.

https://www.cnbc.com/2018/02/22/medical-errors-third-leading-cause-of-death-in-america.html

Why Our Family Avoids Any Vaccinations For Many Years Already

Dr. John's Blog pointed me to the old-age question to vaccinate or not.

Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. wrote an article, which was published in June 2018, which is very telling in regard to the safety of Vaccines, and I recommend that everyone interested in health issues, takes the time to read it.  It could save your or your children's health, or even their life.
https://www.globalresearch.ca/vaccines-liberal-mind/5686389

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is a longtime environmental campaigner and author of American Values: Lessons I Learned From My Family (HarperCollins) and Crimes Against Nature: How George W. Bush and His Corporate Pals Are Plundering the Country and Hijacking Our Democracy. Follow him on Twitter: @RobertKennedyJr

You may not agree with the author but at least be informed about the very minimal amount of testing performed by big Pharma because our politicians make it so easy for them.  There is ample evidence provided through major lawsuits against big Pharma, where the damages awarded were substantial, the record shows.  Apparently, our elected Government Representatives have managed to create laws shielding big pharma from lawsuits, when it comes to Vaccines.

What In Hell Is Going On?

Dr. John Day, is a medical doctor, and I value his opinions greatly.  Here is what he had to say relative to the ongoing mass killings of people, by young people.

"Free Falling Already,

  Suicidal young men want their lives to have meant something as they sacrifice themselves to a cause.  The cause might be anything. This is typical human behavior. Look at history.  For the "right cause", we call them "heroes".  Young men, profoundly unhappy, and willing to die, are part of human society.  They always have been.  They typically get harnessed into the plans of the powerful.  Recruiters seek these guys. Sometimes they detonate on their own.  They typically have had traumatic childhoods and a failure to fit into society and get their social needs met.  They are suicidal and marginalized.  They act to get revenge, get their pride back, stand for something and end their lives in one decisive act."

You may also want to read the comments made by Kunstler, by following the link below.  Yes, this is his opinion, and you may have your own opinion about this  matter; post your comment, and/or opinion right here.

https://kunstler.com/clusterfuck-nation/hold-the-teddy-bears-and-candles/

I have expressed my opinion regarding this matter before on this Blog, and have decided to let the opinions of others speak to the tragedy at hand, as well.  Why is it, that in the good old days we never heard or read about any such massacres?  Why is it that some nations do not have this problem?

The issue of mass killings needs a nationwide debate and exchange of opinions, as well as actions, to prevent recurrences.  Please, let us start to discuss the issue with all we know, and most importantly with our children.  Stop buying these gruesome video games, which corrupt the minds of our young people, some of whom can no longer separate fact from fiction.

Finally, The Dead Have Reached The Ears Of The NY Fire Commissioners

September 3, 2018, I posted on my blog “September 11 (9/11) Truth – Perhaps, in which I expressed my disbelief regarding the official version of the events and their causes.  Yesterday, Dr. John, in his blog, informed his readers of the following new development on this tragic story.

I am quoting here from Zero Hedge’s article on the web, referred to by Dr. John.
https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2019-07-31/ny-fire-commissioners-call-new-911-investigation-citing-overwhelming-evidence-pre

“NY Fire Commissioners Demand New 9/11 Probe, Citing "Overwhelming Evidence of Pre-Planted Explosives"

"New York area fire commissioners have called for a new investigation into 9/11, claiming that "overwhelming evidence" of "pre-planted explosives...caused the destruction of the three World Trade Center buildings." The Franklin Square and Munson Fire District outside of Queens, New York made history by becoming the first legislative body in the country to support a new investigation into the events of 9/11, according to Architects and Engineers for 9/11 Truth."

"The resolution, read aloud and passed during a July 24, 2019 meeting and calling for the investigation was drafted by Commissioner Christopher Gioia and was unanimously approved by the five commissioners."

"According to Activist Post, Commissioner Christopher Gioia said: “We’re a tight-knit community and we never forget our fallen brothers and sisters. You better believe that when the entire fire service of New York State is on board, we will be an unstoppable force. We were the first fire district to pass this resolution. We won’t be the last."

This is indeed very good news, and my weary heart is jumping for joy.  Finally, the proverbial snowball is running down the mountain.  It will be interesting to see how much support, if any, is coming from our President?

 


Please follow the link below, read and share the content after listening to or reading the transcript of the interview.

https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2019-07-31/ny-fire-commissioners-call-new-911-investigation-citing-overwhelming-evidence-pre

Do We Remember When Venezuela Gave Free Heating Oil To The Poor In The US?

Truly, no good deed goes unpunished.   The Venezuelan Government is not getting any thanks for helping poor American households, by providing free heating oil, for eight straight years, during the harsh winters in the US, some years ago.  I will not include my own opinion but prefer for voices to be heard, better informed on this topic than I am.  But, I can sense something is askew, and I will present some questions begging for answers.

 "In 2005, Hugo Chavez launched a program to assist 5,000 Americans by providing 100 gallons of heating oil to those in need. The Citgo-Venezuela Heating Oil Program was originally created to help victims of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Although the US government doesn't think highly of Venezuela and Chavez, not everyone shares the same sentiment. Marina Portnaya reports.
https://youtu.be/scgsTsOUrBQ

"Despite what many well-meaning (and some less so) liberals claim, Nicolas Maduro, the current president of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is not Bashar al-Assad, nor is Venezuela Syria, Libya or Iraq.
In fact, applying the lens of Middle Eastern politics to the ongoing situation in Venezuela is absurd if not extremely dangerous. As tensions along Venezuela's borders with Colombia and Brazil are at an all-time high, the US war machine, its allies and their liberal media cheerleaders are beating the drums of war."
https://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/venezuela-syria-maduro-assad-190225120459902.html

https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-47095311/why-venezuela-matters-to-the-us-and-vice-versa

Questions:
Is Venezuela's huge oil reserves (largest in the world) a curse rather than a blessing?

Why would one place damaging sanctions, affecting mainly the poor, while at the same time profess great concerns for their well-being?

Why are we allowing a vast number of our people to live at or below the poverty-line, but have funds available to support the poor in Venezuela (whose plight was worsened by US sanctions), as well as fund foreign militaries of other countries (Israel, Egypt, etc.), not to mention our costly, never ending wars, in foreign lands?

Why is our 'Infrastructure' (e.g., roads, trains, bridges, etc.)  substandard when compared to other nations? 

Why can Nordic countries (Iceland, Norway & Sweden) provide free medical and college education for all?  Is it because they mind their own business, and don't squander their tax money resources for conquests?  Are they making their countries great by action instead of talk?

Why are so many of our students, and graduates up to their eyeballs in student debt?

Why are so many of us bankrupt as a result of serious illnesses?

Why are we Americans silent in the face of these affronts?

On The Lighter Side

I just came across "The Juice Media", and while they discuss some serious stuff, it is done with a sense of humor, and the use of 4 letter words; all in good fun I am sure.  However, I do apologize for the language, but the humor won out.  I read once in one of the many books by Sigmund Freud that humor is the best way to tell the truth.  A word of caution is in order, if some of these Australian schemes have a ring of familiarity to them, it is because they may be very similar, as far as our politics is concerned.  The end result is always the same, the common people, us, get always shafted; maybe we should work for a rule change, by about 180 degrees.

https://thejuicemedia.com/honest-government-ad-julian-assange-american-empire/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XwQkQxvWilk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ippYOXR65sQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QjU8R8oj328

https://thejuicemedia.com/honest-government-ad-julian-assange-american-empire/

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0yzeOqV7eKI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A2ymjCqaAsY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qSAEWVy4HYc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eW-OMR-iWOE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cuQZ6rALub8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNUxQ-9AZss

Use Alexa At Your Own Risk…She Will Not Keep A Secret

And, there I thought Alexa was my friend, turns out that Alexa is anything but.  An investigative report by ‘Deutsche Welle’, a German news outlet, describes the darker side of Alexa.  It probably also applies to other similar applications, like Windows 10 'Cortana', for example.

Martin Muno’s report describes the use or misuses of this AI, called Alexa.  He writes, in part, the following.
“It's no surprise that Amazon is using Alexa to listen to people's conversations. That's just one more signal that we are moving into an era in which our privacy is no longer protected, DW's Martin Muno writes.
If you ask Amazon's voice-activated virtual assistant, Alexa, whether it is spying on you, the device will reply that it is not and add that your data privacy is very important to it. But then, last week, we learned the truth: Amazon has its employees listen to and transcribe thousands of Alexa conversations each day — without users knowing. According to Amazon, this helps improve the customer experience.”
For his full report follow the link shown.
https://www.dw.com/en/opinion-amazons-alexa-lies-to-and-spies-on-consumers/a-48311738

The old adage of nothing is for free holds again; in the excitement to get something for free we let our guard down, and use these fantastic new features without reservation.   During WW II, Hitler’s propaganda was “Pst Feind Hört Mit!”  (Psst! enemy listens too), this might be a good warning in our time as well.  Just because we are told that our lives will be improved by using this or the other App, or software ‘improvement’, it does not mean it is without risk of privacy invasion.

From my perspective, Alexa and I will be parting our ways; I will research on how to evict her from my life because I can no longer trust her to keep our secrets.  My Amazon Fire Tablet allows me to turn off  'Alexa' in 'Settings', which I did, however, I could not uninstall this function. 

Windows 10 has a built-in 'Cortana', which cannot be removed, however, one can disable many aspects of her, under 'Settings', which I did.  In addition, I always have a tape over the camera eye anyway, from the very beginning.

I am not entirely convinced that my privacy has been restored by my actions, at least I did whatever I could, preventing overt intrusion.

The EU And Whistleblower Protection

The time has come for Whistleblower protection, and the European Union is leading the way with their new Directive.
"What the Commission said:

• All companies with more than 50 staff or an annual turnover of more than €10 million ($12.2 million) must set up an internal procedure to handle whistleblowers' reports.
• State, local and regional adminstrations and councils with more than 10,000 people will also have to comply.
• A three-tier reporting system ensuring confidentiality, consisting of internal reporting channels, a way to report to authorities and/or the public or media.
• Authorities and companies are to be obliged to give feedback.
• All forms of retaliation are to be banned. In case of a breach, whistleblowers should have access to free advice and "adequate remedies." These could include measures to prevent harassment in general as well as dismissals.
• The burden of proof is to be reversed — the organization must prove that they are not acting "in retaliation against the whistleblower.""

https://www.dw.com/en/whistleblower-protection-mechanisms-to-become-eu-law/a-43494817
https://www.dw.com/en/eu-protects-whistleblowers-with-new-directive/a-47865249

The EU have launched a platform onto which violations will be posted after verification.
MEPs launch “EULeaks”, a platform for whistleblowers within the EU

"Any EU staff member or employee who may want to leak something must do so to EULeaks via a secure Tor browser. Lambert explained that all leaks will be screened, read, and analyzed for value before being posted publically. All submitters will remain anonymous."
https://www.dw.com/en/meps-launch-euleaks-a-platform-for-whistleblowers-within-the-eu/a-35903522

The US has some limited form of Whistleblower protection, however, it applies only to federal employees.  Unlike the US, the EU included the private sector, as shown above.

"The Whistleblower Protection Act of 1989 was enacted to protect federal employees who disclose "Government illegality, waste, and corruption" from adverse consequences related to their employment. This act provides protection to whistleblowers that may receive demotions, pay cuts, or a replacement employee."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whistleblower_protection_in_the_United_States 

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Whistleblowing.pdf

Manning being in the military at the time, was in essence a Government employee when he leaked the video, which clearly documented a war crime that was improperly identified as an action in accordance with the rules of engagements, so the military brass claimed.  As one can see, this was murder of the first degree, a war crime and nothing less. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5rXPrfnU3G0&feature=youtu.be

Seeing this kind of cowardly action by his comrades, it appears, he decided to expose this crime, as well as other misconducts.  For this he was sent to jail, instead of the guilty.

WikiLeaks' Assange, being a publisher, did what other publishers do as a routine, and published the leaked materials.  For this he is in trouble with the law because one cannot expose major wrongdoing and get away with it, it is that simple.  The majority of the brainwashed public found nothing wrong with the actions depicted in the video, as well as others, it appears.  God, save America!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abu_Ghraib_torture_and_prisoner_abuse

Does anyone believe that reporting these cold-blooded murders, to the brass, would have been dealt with and exposed to the light of day, when they considered these murders as conduct in accordance with the rules of engagement?  Think again.





 

Napoleonic Code...De Facto Presumption Of Guilt

Let us first become familiar with the idea behind the Napoleonic Code, as it applied to the Courts, during his time.  It survives in a number of countries, apparently, also in the US Court of Public Opinion.

"It was drafted by a commission of four eminent jurists and entered into force on 21 March 1804.^[2] The Code, with its stress on clearly written and accessible law, was a major step in replacing the previous patchwork of feudal laws. Historian Robert Holtman regards it as one of the few documents that have influenced the whole world.^[2]
The Napoleonic Code was not the first legal code to be established in a European country with a civil legal system; it was preceded by the Codex Maximilianeus bavaricus civilis (Bavaria, 1756), the Allgemeines Landrecht (Prussia, 1794), and the West Galician Code (Galicia, then part of Austria, 1797). It was, however, the first modern legal code to be adopted with a pan-European scope, and it strongly influenced the law of many of the countries formed during and after the Napoleonic Wars.^[2] The Napoleonic Code influenced developing countries outside Europe, especially in the Middle East, attempting to modernize their countries through legal reforms."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Napoleonic_Cod

The big problem with the Napoleonic Code was with the remanding (jailing) of the accused, until proven innocent, hence, the de-facto presumption of guilt.
"The possibility of lengthy remand periods was one reason why the Napoleonic Code was criticized for its de facto presumption of guilt, particularly in common law countries."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Napoleonic_Code#Criminal_code

Movements like the #me too#, and similar others all operate on the de-facto presumption of guilt. Up to now it has involved mostly men, who are accused of wrongdoing many, many years ago, and the accusers lived with their perceived distress until the alleged perpetrator seeks high office.  Suddenly the historical act becomes so overwhelming that the suppressed hurt must be broadcast in the media, as a warning.  These people, apparently, now decided to warn the nation about this bad actor/character.  They are not doing this to take revenge, to destroy the person's life, or to become short-term celebrities, they are doing this for the good of the country, one must assume, what else could the reason be?

The US and many other countries operate under the Common Law system, where the presumption is innocence, until proven guilty, and not guilty until proven innocent.  So why is the media so willing to publish alleged wrong doing?  They all compete now with the Tabloids, it appears; these kinds of stories are good for business, and who cares about these individuals whose reputations go down the toilette in the process?

Some alleged accusations appear to be very serious, and one has to wonder, why wait so many years silently?  If true, the perpetrator should have been reported to the police, via a formal complaint.  Others are so minor, or bordering on comical that it actually makes sense that these never saw the light of day, until it could really inflict damage to the alleged bad actor.  The problem appears to be that all of them involve persons of importance, or imminent importance, like running for high office, for example.

One should be against all forms of harassment, and the judge will always be the perception of the victim, however, when the accuser sits on it, waiting for the right time to go public to the media, then one has the right to be skeptical.  One hears or reads, at times, that during divorce proceedings spouses accuse each other with made up stories for revenge, or just to gain a legal advantage.  Revenge is a powerful urge to overcome.

I found this quote about revenge.

"Generally you won't make your life better by hurting another person. The only time that your life improves when another is hurt is when your life isn't worth much to begin with. To take Revenge normally requires that you lower yourself to their level. Its not worth it unless you are already there."

https://www.quora.com/Is-revenge-really-worth-it

Stop Playing With The Cloak! By Howard Olson

My good friend Howard sent me the following sample letter he sent to his Senators and Member of Congress for his district.  States like Arizona and Hawaii have it right, they don't fool around with their clock; for them Standard Time is the time year round.  Having lived in Hawaii for a number of years, I fully concur with his argument.

By Howard Olsen

"Let's unite the nation on an issue that affects us all.

I am a native Floridian, and last year our state made an effort in the right direction, only to be undermined by Congress.  Moving our clocks backward and forward an hour doesn’t sound like a big deal, but there seems to be considerable statistical evidence that this takes a human toll in increased accidents, crime, illness and even death.  Every spring and every fall we are forced to endure the unnatural shift in our biological clocks since most of the USA adopted this enormously bad idea.  It is finally time for Congress to take responsibility for a vote to correct this error.  We can live with either outcome. We can stay on DST or keep standard time. Either choice is superior to this ridiculous semi-annual ritual. 

This issue, clearly not a world problem, is at the top of my list and shouldn’t be that hard to fix. Most people who discuss this agree with me. I think most voters will celebrate a refreshing feeling of unity upon correcting this.  Can we please find a majority in both houses and support from the administration to resolve this problem within the next few months? It is my hope that we don’t have to adjust our clocks again in the fall. My vote and my political donations/contributions will depend on it. Thank you very much.

Best regards,
Howard Olsen"

I will campaign for standard time to include Arizona, Hawaii, and all the other US places that operate also on this time standard.
Ref. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daylight_saving_time_in_the_United_States 

Apart from being a nuisance there are some real health and safety concerns connected with it.
https://www.timeanddate.com/time/dst/daylight-saving-health.html

This nonsense started as follows.
"The Uniform Time Act of 1966 (15 U.S. Code Section 260a) [see law], signed into Public Law 89-387 on April 12, 1966, by President Lyndon Johnson, created Daylight Saving Time to begin on the last Sunday of April and to end on the last Sunday of October."
https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-1-d&q=start+of+daylight+savings+time

To find the name, etc. of your member of Congress follow this link below, however, you may have to use your phone book to get their email address, or fax number.
https://ballotpedia.org/List_of_current_members_of_the_U.S._Congress

Yes, please pass it on our health depends on it.
http://frankjm-socialconcerns.blogspot.com/

Happy Anniversary or is it?

Who gives these shooting orders to maim and kill unarmed civilians?  Who is the top Zionist?  What crime is this, approaching a fence/wall without a weapon?  The Israeli military claims otherwise.  It should be clear to a reasonable person that this is an unequal contest at best.  The SS would have been proud of the Israeli military action against the 'live threatening' protesters.  The only justification, for these shootings, would be that the Israeli soldiers, behind their well protected positions, were afraid for their lives.  This then would confirm their cowardliness.  As it is, the Zionists, who give these orders to maim and kill, are committing crimes against humanity, it appears.
Ref. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/03/gaza-great-march-return-thousands-rally-anniversary-190330103843689.html

The next link points to the statistics of the carnage during last year's demonstration.  How would we feel if somebody illegally would confiscate our home and our land, and kick us out to add insult to injury?
Ref. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/03/hamas-israel-agreement-reducing-gaza-tensions-report-190330054508118.html

One would think that a people who suffered under the Third Reich, as we are reminded of constantly, would not resort to SS tactics, like killing innocent men, women and children, whose only desire is to return to their lands and homes, which were forcefully and illegally expropriated.  Under international law a victor has no right to steal any of the lands of the vanquished, to the contrary, the victor is now responsible for the defeated population. When the allied forces entered Germany they did not steal any of the German lands, not a square foot of it.

As discussed in an earlier blog post, the Old Testament, in the Bible, is full of stories when the Jewish people slaughtered men, women, children and beasts in order to take the land of others.  Their justification was always God ordered them to do it.  A very convenient justification; is God still telling them the same thing regarding the Palestinians?  One can argue with this, considering the Ten Commandments, shown below.

 

Why would God say, under the 6th Commandment,  "Thou shall not kill" and then violate his own Commandments by saying, for example, under Jeremiah 50:21 "Against the land of Merathaim, go up against it, And against the inhabitants of Pekod. Slay and utterly destroy them," declares the LORD, "And do according to all that I have commanded you."?  It just does not make sense.  It appears that whoever wrote about these killings of others, used God as a pretext for violations of the 6th Commandment, i.e these statements, attributed to God, were nothing but self-serving.

Ref. http://www.smartbiblesearch.com/search_results2.php?set=AYYYDI&lv=nasb&v=ABCDEFGH&p=1&&s=kill%20them%20all&r=18003&rw=&qi=&i=&j=Y&t=&rng=&l=.JzI3RiA4IEEgTic0PCAzNSBBIFknMTNZIDUwIFIgWQ%E%E&e=Y

Why have international laws when none of the nations is willing to enforce them?  Writing and passing a number of UN resolutions does nothing for the people in Gaza and the Palestinians as a whole.  The Zionists thumb their noses about these resolutions, for them these are meaningless, and the world de facto agrees by doing nothing.

It appears, the cruelty dished out in the occupied territories serves two goals, humiliate both the Christian minority and the Muslim majority, and while so doing continue to steal their lands, under the closed eyes of the world.  Myself, I respect the rights of the Jewish people to exist and to live freely, but I also respect the same rights for all Palestinians, who currently live under a gruel occupation.

Yes, by all means pass it on, and make others also think about this humanitarian problem.  Don't expect our politicians to ponder about this issue, too many take the money of the perpetrators.  Politicians have their finger on our pulse, and if we do not have any signs of a racing pulse, caused by an issue, they will let the sleeping dog lie, so to speak.

Is A Two Party System An Equal Opportunity For Rich Classes?

There is no doubt, the rich in the US were not all produced by using the same cookie-cutter.   Each class of the rich leaning towards the left has a counterpart leaning towards the right.  Each of these two political alliances employ their political candidates, whom they well know have a great need for money, to fill their political war-chests.  This then represents a symbiotic relationship kept alive by the self-preservation drive of each involved.  Each member of these alliances performs its obligations to achieve the expected return from the other; it is a perpetual cycle.

Now, one might ask where is all that money coming from that flows bidirectional?  The answer is very simple, the rich extract wealth from consumers by making as big a profit as legally possible for their investments, goods/and or services, while the politicians pave the way to make such outrageous net earnings possible, and legal.

The two party political system makes sure that no faction has their hand in the cookie jar indefinitely, and this is where we, the consumer, come into play.  Every four years we are given the opportunity to choose from which symbiotic alliance we want to be taken advantage of.  If that is not democracy in action, what is?

Under the Reagan years we heard a lot about trickle-down economics by his critics, who did not understand entirely that this is the way it works.  In order to get elected, politicians spend the money (political contributions) received from their benefactors, for advertising, and by promising, during political rallies, the crumbs the voters will get when in office.  It is a very frugal way to spend money because most promises are not kept anyway.  When one watches gluttons at dinner table, there are times when crumbs  hit the floor, and this is the time for the peasants to get their dinner.  This is the classical definition of trickle-down economics.  Get it?

It almost appears, our votes kind of legalize this unjust wealth extraction, at our expense.  On the good-side, during each election cycle we are entertained with political drama and accusation flying back and forth, keeping us occupied, and thus preventing us observing the sleight of the political hand at work.  To fully understand this issue better, let us look at two historical charts, which are self-explanatory.  The moral of the story is, "The rich get richer and the poor get..."

 
  https://inflationdata.com/Inflation/Inflation/Cumulative_Inflation_by_Decade.asp


 
 https://www.advisorperspectives.com/dshort/updates/2018/10/16/u-s-household-incomes-a-51-year-perspective

Again, pass it on, start a conversation with people you know and care about.  We need to spend less time watching what is fed to use via the media, and engage more in a dialog with people around us.  Politicians depend on us being dumb fat and happy; let us show them that we are not, by voicing our concerns.

To Eat, Or Not To Eat Is The Question For Many Of Us

We, in the US, are the most abused people when it comes to the life saving drugs like Insulin many of us depend on to stay alive.  People without insurance pay on average $1,000 per month, needless to say, some pay much more; it is really a form of gross extortion.

 Refer to the BBC article, the link to which is shown below.
"In 1923, the discoverers of insulin sold its patent for $1, hoping the low price would keep the essential treatment available to everyone who needed it.

Now, retail prices in the US are around the $300 range for all insulins from the three major brands that control the market.
Even accounting for inflation, that's a price increase of over 1,000%.
Stories of Americans rationing insulin - and dying for it - have been making national headlines."


It may have made the news once, and then was dropped like a hot potato.  I, a news junkie, do not recall ever hearing of it.  Moreover, I am under the impression the BBC reports News, and not stories from the archives of other media outlets, hence, they just discovered these facts as well; that is my assumption.  When people have to forego essential nutrition in order to afford their lifesaving drugs, or take less of the required dosage, so that they can eat, it is alarming by any standard.

Do you remember when being a Millionaire was a big deal, now you have to be a Billionaire to get attention, so it seems?  Everything appears to increase, for the wealthy, by a factor of 1000, except the average working stiff is mostly flat-lined, as far as wages are concerned, when considering inflation.  Is this a just society?  I think not.  Where is this exaggerated wealth coming from?  It comes from unjust wealth extraction from the rest of; criminally inflated drug prices is just one example. 


The following chart, shown below, makes this very point.




https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-47491964

When the US is compared to other countries on topics like education, and healthcare for all, etc., we don't look so good.  However, when one compares the costs for healthcare, we certainly are on the top of the list, as he most expensive.  We, in the US, are legends in our own mind when we exclaim that we are the best/the greatest country in the world; whom are we kidding?  Our Government and the businesses who donate large sums of money for their election war-chests, in return for letting them bleed the public to dead, are nothing but antisocial characters, more like sociopaths who probably never miss a Sunday in church.  Hypocrites, one can add to the list, that is all they are.

Where is the Press in all of this ongoing, drug related health crisis?  They think by slamming the President daily, they are doing their job.  It appears, their job is to keep us occupied with their tabloid stories, so that we have no time to pay attention to the real needs of people around us.  After all, these national news media outlets are owned by a few, who are part of the social problem, and their employees better write their stories not to piss-off the boss.

Some doctors are no help either, a case in point is a personal experience my wife had, just a short while ago; she needed eye drops to lower the eye pressure.  The Ophthalmologist prescribed a proprietary drug that even with insurance was still over $30 per month; they tried to convince her that there were no other choices.  When I did a little research I found that the generic drug Latanoprost was not only less expensive but was more easily taken by patients, which  my wife confirmed.  Now instead of $30 per month she spends only $5 for three months supply.

Let us not just shake our heads, and forget about it, let us start a conversation with others, and if enough people care, maybe we can make some noise that those politicians cannot afford to ignore, especially during election time.

Pass this, and other stories like it, to people you care about, to get the conversation started.

Always Err On The Side Of Caution

Yes, when in doubt one should always try to err on the side of caution.  Major countries all over the world decided to do just that, and grounded the Boeing 737 MAX, but the US FAA prefers to err on the side of risk, by still permitting this plane to be in the sky.  This presents a risk not only to the passengers and crew onboard, but also to civilians on the ground, should a plane crash into a populated area.  We had two crashes of this type of aircraft killing many people, the last two months, but the FAA and airlines operating this type of plane are willing to risk the lives of their customers, and possibly other on the ground.  Why?  Surely these gamblers will not fly any of these planes; actually, we should force them to fly these birds, to show their confidence in their decision.

Apparently, Boeing is tinkering with an anti-stall algorithm for this plane, and from what I have experienced with other, so called, software improvements, they seldom are.  Perhaps, instead of preventing a stall, it may be causing a stall.
Ref. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-47536502

We, as a country, clearly show that human life takes second place after the dollar.  Shame on us!

Well, This Is Very Embarrasing, To Say the Least

First, thank you Dr. John for bringing this story to my attention.

It appears, some well-known  'Russian Pranksters' organized a conference call with  Elliot Abrams, US special envoy for Venezuela, a man with a long history and experience with trying to topple foreign Governments, not always successful, one might add.

The following quotes were taken from https://sputniknews.com/latam/201903061073002069-abrams-full-interview-audio/

"Vovan and Lexus, Russian telephone pranksters known for their trolling of politicians from around the world, have struck again, targeting US special representative for Venezuela Elliott Abrams to find out more about the US-backed effort to unseat that country's legitimate government. Sputnik got ahold of the full audio from the talks."

"Posing as Swiss President Ueli Maurer, who also serves as the country's finance minister, the pranksters contacted Abrams on two occasions – in mid-February and early March, speaking to him for over 23 minutes about Swiss policy on the ongoing effort to freeze the Venezuelan government's assets as part of broader plans to replace President Nicolas Maduro with US-backed opposition leader Juan Guaido."

When following the above link you will get a good deal of background information, enabling you to better understand the recorded telephone call; needless to say, there probably will be denial that this phone call ever happened.  Please follow the link, to the recording, below.

https://soundcloud.com/radiosputnik/russian-pranksters-call-us-special-representative-for-venezuela-elliot-abrams

The moral of the story is, being a country with super large oil deposits is not always a good thing.

It is perplexing that a major country, which professes to spread democracy around the world, is actually bent on destroying a Government that just recently was elected by its people?  One could infer that free elections are the sign of a democratic society, exercising their free will.  What else could it be?  The fact that Mr. Juan Guaido is still alive confirms that Nicolas Maduro is not a dictator, were it not so Guaido would be in prison, or in an unmarked grave.

What is not surprising is that highly paid and influential people are stupid enough to fall for pranks like this one, and others, again and again.  It just shows that we are governed by not necessarily intelligent people, just by people whose ego, greed and lust for power places them into high positions that normal intelligent, and honest individuals would not want to occupy, at any price.

Trump said it best during a 'hot mic.' incident: when you rich you get away with anything.

How Can One Violate An Illegal/Unconstitutional Law?

The Fourth Amendment of the US Constitution affords us the right to privacy and protection against unlawful searches.

The Fourth Amendment says:
"The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized."

The Courts have long held that this amendment includes the right to privacy.  See ACLU v. Clapper below.

Is it not our 'Patriotic Duty' to report wrongdoing no matter who the culprit is?  The Second Circuit in ACLU v. Clapper held that the action by the NSA, in reference to their data collection, was illegal. See reference below.

"Another aspect of the Patriot Act, which has been highly confidential was the Telephone Metadata program, which under § 215 of the Patriot Act, had allowed the NSA to collect data about Americans’ telephone calls in bulk, was reviewed by the Second Circuit in ACLU v. Clapper, in which the court held the Telephone Metadata program illegal under the Congress’ original intent under the §215."

Ref. https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/fourth_amendment

Edward Snowden is charged by the US Government with:

"18 U.STCT 641 Theft of Government Property 

18 U.S.C. ?93(d) Unauthorized Communication of National Defense information 

18 U.S.C. 798(a)(3) Willful Communication of Classified Communications to an Unauthorized Person." 

Ref. https://apps.washingtonpost.com/g/documents/world/us-vs-edward-j-snowden-criminal-complaint/496/

In this following video Esward Snowden explains his reasons for speaking out,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=loLSdh26V5I

It appears to me that the only reason why Edward Snowden is in trouble with the Government is that it does not respect our Constitution, if it were not so, this illegal collection of our data would have never been carried out, at great monetary expense to all taxpayers, who paid for the elaborate, expensive NSA installations.

We are told that the Government has no money to help the poor, provide free coverage for healthcare, and education, etc. but, apparently, we have plenty of taxpayer monies to spy on citizens, and send them to their death in very, very costly wars in foreign lands.  Moreover, our politicians generally agree that our infrastructure is crumbling and is outdated but none direct their attention  to this problem either.  Their attention is on overturning foreign Governments, like Venezuela at present, by supplying goods of all kinds, to support these power plays.  They do not see the many needs right at home in our country, where people live on the streets, hungry, cold, and sick.

5G Health Warning

Thanks to Dr. John I received the following link to an article that could open your eyes and save you from grieve.  I am not an expert in this field, therefore I will not comment on the subject.  I know only one thing owning a smart phone is not that smart because it is a tool designed to invade your privacy.  Invading our privacy is bad enough but screwing up our health is definitely not acceptable.  Apparently, this can affect all of us phone or no phone; it will be in the environment.  I think, it may be time to pass this around to all you know, and be part of the effort to stop this nonsense.  I am doing my part.

https://truepublica.org.uk/global/what-you-dont-know-about-5g-but-will-find-out-when-its-too-late/

I don't know about you, I am alarmed, and after reading the article, you may be too.

The First Amendment Ignored Again And Again By Ignorance Or Design

While I do not necessarily agree with the veiled wording Omar chose to express herself, I for one respect her constitutional right to free speech.  I am more for the direct approach, leaving little doubt about my message.

ABS News: https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/house-democratic-leaders-call-omar-apologize-anti-semitic/story?id=60992550

"Omar apologizes after Democratic leaders criticize her 'anti-Semitic comments'

Both Republicans and Democrats have criticized the Muslim member of Congress." ABS News

Here are the posts by Omar that got many bent out of shape:

  "It's all about the Benjamins baby ?? https://t.co/KatcXJnZLV Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) February 10, 2019"

 "AIPAC! https://t.co/UdzaFUEfrh

— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) February 11, 2019"

Funny, another Congress Woman called the President of the U.S. a "Mother F***ker", Pelosi had no problems with it, at that time, but hint at criticizing Israel/Jews for any reason, perhaps including the inhuman treatment of the Palestinians, and the whole world is about to blowup.  According to many old guard politicians, Omar committed a cardinal sin by showing us, the Peasants, what it means to express our criticism, by speaking freely when criticizing the Jewish state, under the protection of the first amendment.  How can the old guard keep on controlling the  narrative, when this freshman member of Congress dares to break rank.  She had to be whipped into shape to ensure the control of the peasants continues.  Too bad Omar did not stand her ground; there was nothing to apologize for, her speech was and is protected, no matter what Pelosi and others think.  This is why nothing will ever change in the Congress, fresh voices are at once  muzzled, for the common good of the Congress; certainly not for the good of the people.

Antisemitism deals with instances where the right of Semitic people to exist is brought into question, or as the Jewish state likes to think, "The word antisemitism means prejudice against or hatred of Jews" exclusively.
https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/antisemitism
Just like Holocaust so has Antisemitism been hijacked by the Jewish state, for their exclusive use only, to squelch any criticism by anybody; they no longer are obligated to explain their inhuman actions against other peoples, all the have to do is yell Holocaust or Antisemitism, to end all discussions, and they win.

Semite speakers of East Semitic include the Akkadians and the descended cultures of Assyria and Babylonia. Central Semitic combines Northwest Semitic and Arabic. Speakers of Northwest Semitic were the Canaanites (including the Phoenicians, the Hebrews, and the Aramaeans).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_Semitic-speaking_peoples

Under this new and narrow Jewish definition even God would be classified as an antisemite; did he not send the Jews into exile several times and let them wander for 40 years in the desert, denying them to enter the land of the Canaanites?  Did not God and the prophets call them a stiff-necked people (Exodus 32:9; 33:3; Deuteronomy 9:6; 2 Chronicles 36:13; Jeremiah 17:23, etc.)?

None of the posts, shown above, by Omar, rose to this level, so why drop another antisemite bomb, just to express displeasure when somebody hints at calling out the Jewish state for their 'Human Rights' violations, perhaps.

The first amendment is simple enough to understand, so what is their problem?

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Amendment_to_the_United_States_Constitution 

We have been given the right to speak freely, and none have the right to abridge our speech, not even Pelosi and like-minded individuals.  So, why is it that people are forced to apologize for exercising their constitutional right?  Are we a constitutional democracy or not?  So far, I have found nothing in the Constitution that gives Jews or Israel special privileges or rights that are uniquely for their benefit.

Last year, "Israel's parliament has passed a controversial law characterizing the country as principally a Jewish state, fueling anger among its Arab minority."
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-44881554

In doing so, this Jewish state has successfully marginalized all of its minority Arab population.  If we would like to call out antisemitic states, we must include the Jewish State,  which has for the longest time refused to acknowledge the right of the Palestinians to exist as a free  Palestinian nation.

I say enough with these false Antisemitic claims, for the sake of making political points, squelch just criticism or prevent fresh voices from being heard.

 

Inactivity May Be The Kiss Of Death

The Guardian article, forwarded to me by Dr. John, referred to below is very much on point because it reminds us of a fact that we all know, namely, exercise is good for us.  From my own experience I observed that my pumping (systolic) pressure usually drops 20+ mmHg, after a one-hour walk.  Our mostly sedentary lifestyle, associated with office work, and similar, creates a variety of problems, it appears. Doctors have always urged us to exercise, only to end up prescribing some medication for whatever ails us because we refused to listen.

I don't know about you but I will read through the article and incorporate what makes sense, and what I can do, considering my physical capabilities.  If you value good health, it is time to do something about it; let us surprise our doctor at our next visit.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/feb/06/exercise-health-move-all-day-standing-desk

We can do this, at least some of it.

Is The First Amendment Under Attack?

More than the First Amendment is under attack, our very right to privacy is no longer guaranteed. I was writing my blog posting (not yet published), which included YouTube links associated with 9/11, and while I was finishing my work of several days (a long post), suddenly and without warning all of my work disappeared, and is no longer on the blogger.com server. Just like the Twin Towers my work pulverized, which tells me that the censorship is already active, and my freedom of speech and right to privacy has been violated, in one swoop. This vanished post was not yet published, but was on their server, so it is very clear, their algorithm is now setup to yank anything that could point the finger at the perhaps guilty.

I will try with an email to provide these links to you, for I think it is very important to present both sides of the argument, about 9/11.

A Healthy Increase In Reader Visits

Yes, this blog experienced 'A Healthy Increase In Reader Visits', the following statistics show the extent of it.

These number statistics were provided by 'BlogSpot.com', the host of this blog.
                                                                                                     up from August 2017
US----------------------------------------5,436, up 30.9%
Russia------------------------------------   881,   "  39.6%
Germany---------------------------------   569,   "  35.1%
Brazil-------------------------------------   210,   "    0.0%
Ukraine-----------------------------------   228,   "  18.1%
France-------------------------------------   184,   "  26.0%
Turkey-------------------------------------   123,   "   0.0%
Ireland-------------------------------------   108,   "  44.0%
All Others----------------------------------1197,  unknown 

By the way, if you find a certain post really interesting, why not give the link to your relatives and friends, and recommend for them to read it, and perhaps even comment on it.  Speaking of comments, I really like to read your comments; so far you guys have been way too quiet.  Most comments I have received were given to me privately by email, and I will always respect your privacy.

Thank you all for being such good readers!

Regards,

Frank