Not one iota of your life is private anymore

For years I labored as a privacy blogger to convince the public they should be concerned over the loss of their privacy. Protect your data, I would tell them, even going to the extent of suggesting individuals should own their personal information, companies having to get your permission to use it, paying you for the privilege. No one was interested and out of all this I coined the term, 'apathetics,' for the individuals who stood by indifferently, watching their private data collected in databases around the world.

I finally threw up my hands and said, 'If you don't give a shit, why should I,' and turned my interest to political blogging. I can assure you the time to protect your personal information is long past; given time, almost anyone can go to the Internet underground and buy your Social Security number for five bucks. I still refuse to give mine out just because of the principal of it. Now Google is talking about selling the future, "powered by your personal data." Facebook, because of the use of its users' private information is in trouble with the feds. I hate to say it, but I told you so.

John Bolton is a cautious enigma

John Bolton

With John Bolton now in Donald Trump's cabinet as the new national security adviser, one doesn't know whether to head for the bomb shelter or just hang around to see how long it takes
T-rump to fire him. In either case, he was a major factor in the decision to quit the Iran deal, but on that note itself, there is a modicum of doubt if the agreement really did any good. The question is, as it has been for some time, when it comes to these "rogue" states, do we go for regime change or continue to settle for diplomacy? Spectator/USA thinks Bolton's war mongering is overstated, even in Iran's proclamations, ‘Death to Israel’ and ‘Death to America.’ Only time will tell.

Immigration tops gun control in November voting

I know immigration reform is an issue that must be addressed, but currently more lives are at stake in the matter of getting guns off the street. Especially since much of the targeting has been children in respect to mass shootings. I was more than a little surprised to see a recent poll by Florida Atlantic University (FAU) Business and Economics Polling name immigration as the number one issue this fall. Now this is Florida voters in the state where the most recent gun violence massacre occurred, Parkland's Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. You have to wonder if this is because Florida has such loose gun laws with the NRA's leading lobbyist, Marion Hammer, in residence, or is this predicting the familiar trend after major gun violence...back to public apathy.

Have democrats lost their edge? Not surprised!

A new CNN poll shows that the earlier held 18-point spread the Dems held for November is down to just 3. But then the results are qualified with the fact that the results follow closely with Trump's favorability, and the new average for Democrats is seven, not three on a generic ballot.

"The generic ballot is a poll question that asks voters whether they’ll vote for Democrats or Republicans for Congress, and historically it’s been a decent predictor of the House popular vote."     The NY Times

About 45% of the voting public feel enthusiastic about voting in November' the general turnout in midterm elections is 40%. The earlier figure is around the same for both Democrats and Republicans. A big consideration right now is Donald Trump's meeting with Kim Jong un. If it goes well--and we have to hope it does regardless---then we can expect T-rump's favorability to rise even more. To say the least, November will be interesting.

Parkland students think Oliver North perfect for NRA

Charlton Heston

Oliver North's sleezy background with Iran-Contra qualifies him as the devious type to be a leader for the National Rifle Assn. He'll obviously get more training from NRA head Wayne LaPierre, the leader in deviousness. Apparently, activists splashed fake blood at the house of Chris Cox, the NRA's chief lobbyist and leading purveyor of the organization's enormous trove of propaganda. This prompted North to call it "civil terrorism" adding, the NRA was the target of a “cyberwar.” I won't even begin to count the number of gun violence deaths just in 2018, but it takes 18 pages to cover all of them. I don't know who's worse, North or Charlton Heston, but I think most of us agree, the NRA has to go!

Why are young people dumping religion?

Pope Francis with lamb

Some of this can be attributed to Donald Trump's claims of being so Christian, when in fact he does nothing but un-Christian things. Like ceaseless lying and adultery. But E.J. Dionne thinks faith has taken its worse hit from the "Republican Party's alliance with the religious right." You're talking about 26% of the voting population, who recently witnessed Speaker Paul Ryan try to oust the House chaplain, a move that was typically Republican. I have an opinion that many folks out there now look up to Pope Francis as the kind of religious leader worth listening to, like Billy Graham was. However, most aren't willing to make the switch to Catholicism so they admire him like I do. There aren't too many like that left.

Monkey see Trump do, Monkey do like Trump

Kelly Sadler_Mouth open once too often

Special assistant Kelly Sadler, a Trump aide, showed she can demonstrate complete lack of class as much as her boss, Donald T-rump. When John McCain voiced opposition to Gina Haspel, as new CIA Director, Sadler commented, “It doesn’t matter, he’s dying anyway,” McCain has been diagnosed with brain cancer with an unknown future. It's hard to get any lower.

Internet will never be the same

The FTC has overturned 2015 rules governing net neutrality. Democrats think they have the votes to reverse the Republican move. Stay tuned to Nasty Jack for how new measure affects your Internet experience, starting June 11.

AI is scary but fun

HAL of Space Odyssey

I worked with AI, Artificial Intelligence, for several years in the junk mail business when I was creating computer models that would determine just where to find a catalog company's best and most profitable customers. Yes, it's been around for several years but wasn't really known outside that limited community of analysts and statisticians until recently. It worked. I purchased a computer program, all-told cost me $25,000, that literally did all my thinking in relation to telling my clients where to mail their catalogs. Output was very expensive, which limited those able to pay the price.

I tell you this to illustrate the fact that you can program a machine (most computers) to think like a human, draw conclusions and make valid predictions. In the same vein, it is possible for these same machines to perform normal household tasks, including what is in the Google AI article, making a call that sounds like a human being. Robots replaced human beings long ago on auto assembly lines, as well as other automated businesses. Remember HAL from Space Odyssey? Started out a team player but turns on his makers and controllers. This was 2001. We're way beyond this today.

Can't imagine an Internet without neutrality

Net neutrality, according to Google, is "the principle that Internet service providers should enable access to all content and applications regardless of the source, and without favoring or blocking particular products or websites." A Republican Congress wants to repeal...

"The rules, put in place in 2015 when the FCC was controlled by Democrats, prohibited internet-service providers from selling faster delivery of certain data, slowing speeds for specific content and blocking or otherwise discriminating against any legal online material."   from the LA Times.

Amazon, Facebook, Google and Netflix are all in favor of net neutrality, which would normally raise a red flag for consumers, but Consumers Union Calls FCC’s Net Neutrality Effort “Chilling.”   Jonathan Schwantes, senior policy counsel for Consumers Union says, “Protecting net neutrality means preserving the internet as it was designed — a free, open platform for all that has spurred tremendous competition and innovation." But some Republicans say the Democrats are just politicizing the issue, because they can never win against the House and Trump's signature.

Donald Trump and his GOP minions have been knocking off all programs that favor consumers to put the business community in complete control of our lives. One Republican, Susan Collins of Maine, thinks it's wrong and is part of the group fighting the loss of net neutrality. Here's a list of the numerous rights the voting public has lost under T-rump.

Iran decision just another in line of ending Obama programs

Trump and John Bolton

The man sitting in the Oval Office today is still as incompetent and dull-witted as the day he took office. No matter what success he has had in real estate--most of which is questionable--he is still a loser. He remains in office simply due to the poor, uninformed souls that support him and a Congress riddled with idiots and morons who are equally as incompetent as Donald Trump. It is all a travesty for this country, one that has set us back ages in the eyes of the rest of the world. And just yesterday he revoked another of Barack Obama's accomplishments, just because Obama's name was on it.

He tried this on Obamacare but some thoughtful congressional leaders wouldn't permit it. However, the Iran deal didn't require a vote of Congress so Donald dufus went on his merry way of destruction and repealed an action that many believe was keeping the Middle-East semi reticent. Was this the result of the recent addition of John Bolton to Trump's staff? This warmonger still believes the Iraq war was right and that "pre-emptive war with Iran and North Korea is the right call." I'll leave you with a list of now undone programs from past administrations. Basically, his only accomplishments.

Pro gun control folks must vote Democrat in November

Wayne LaPierre, NRA head executioner

National Public Radio has gone to a lot of trouble to compile a report on how state Senators and representatives have voted on gun control in the past, which is a fair indication of how you can expect them to vote in the future. With one exception. Since the Parkland, Florida gun massacre where 17 students and teachers were killed, the mood has changed slightly in Congress. Atlantic Magazine says Republicans are afraid of primary challengers to the gun lobby this election and "appear ready to abandon these concerns [fear of the NRA] in favor of a more proactive response to gun violence."

As an example, when you look at the NPR study, it is completely one-sided in votes on gun control, divided as you would expect with the left for and the right against. There was one particularly troubling item, mental health and gun control, where all but two Republican House members had voted against along with six Democrats. There was the same proportionate vote in the Senate. The point is, if you were convinced that Parkland was something that will definitely continue, and you want to stop it and all gun violence, pick your candidates carefully in November.

Between Trump and Giuliani, Stormy Daniels will end up President

Rudy Giuliani and MOUTH

Let's just look at this scenario. We have a famous porn queen that claims she had a tryst with Donald Trump, which he denies. She was paid $130,000 to keep quiet. And now enters former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani as Trump's top attorney, replacing someone with what looked like solid legal credentials, contrary to the mouth-only talent of Giuliani. The latest is the Oval Office lunatic is unhappy with Rudy, since he can't close the deal on Stormy. Folks, this is the President of the United States, supposedly the most powerful person in the world and not another episode of the soap opera As the World Turns. Trump supporters look at this and say, 'As long as Donald Trump does it, it is OK.' Congress looks at him and says, 'As long as he keeps doing these asinine things, we don't look so stupid.'

Wrong on both counts