The iPhone is a circus

Apple Computer CEO Tim Cook, as did Steve Jobs before him, has proven repeatedly that the phrase credited to P.T. Barnum, but most likely spoken by David Hannum, was right: "There's a sucker born every minute."

Billionaires impel Social Democracy

Let's take a look at two recent stories on CNN. One, "The richest person in all 50 states," which lists Bill Gates from Washington at the top of the list followed by Warren Buffett from Nebraska. Conservative dirty money king, David Koch, is fourth. Gates comes in at $81.5 billion with the lowest from the state of Wyoming at $340 million.

The second story, "Over 48 million Americans live in poverty," which is self-explanatory by the title, sort of makes you wonder about the first story. "The official poverty line was $23,283 last year for a family of four," according to the article, which is defined by a conservative as "discouraging." Just discouraging? It looks more like a tragedy to me, and that still takes into consideration the philanthropy of these billionaires and millionaires.

I am not a socialist but to those 48 million souls in poverty, a Social Democracy might be very appealing.

DALLAS HOSPITAL EBOLA PROTOCOL

Is anyone checking into the charges of the Dallas Presbyterian Hospital nurses re. their claim that there was no Ebola protocol established? This is moving too fast to not get the facts into the open.

FORMER SEN. HOWARD BAKER ONE OF A KIND

Former Sen. Howard Baker

Howard Baker, a Tennessee Republican who was first elected to the Senate in 1966 and served as its leader from 1981 to 1985 has died. He was 88. It may be just another passing politician to many but to those who know politics, it was the last of the great negotiators from a Congress that has evolved into a bunch of incompetent do-nothing deadbeats. Their only concern is to get reelected, the country be damned. Baker got regularly elected over four decades because he worked for the people of Tennessee and the American public, not for himself. President Obama called him the "Great Conciliator" because he could walk across the aisle and make a deal. Others of the same ilk who come to mind are Lyndon Johnson and Everett Dirksen. But can you name one person in Congress today who would put his or her country before their job? I think not.

163 DEMOCRATS FIND BALLS ON GUN CONTROL

Almost, but not all of the Democrat House caucus signed a letter to Speaker John Boehner demanding that he move to pass gun control legislation. That leaves 36 gutless Dems that should be voted out of office in November. The Blaze confirms the failure of this issue in the past but thinks in 2014's midterm election the tide could turn and the democratic base could come out strong for gun control. President Obama has charged gun control advocates to become as well organized as the National Rifle Assn., which, through its official big mouth wacky Wayne LaPierre, spews lies and propaganda on a regular basis. Obama's 2013 bill to strengthen background checks failed in a Democrat controlled Senate. But as Richard Martinez, father of Santa Barbara shooting victim Christopher Michaels-Martinez said, "Not one more."

PUBLIC FED UP AS GUN NUTS GET NUTTIER

Typical NRA gun nut

Salon has done an excellent job of documenting the craziness of the National Rifle Assn. maniacs led by wacky Wayne LaPierre. From one Virginia man strapping on his holster and shooting himself in the penis to gun nuts carrying assault rifles into the baby section of a Target store. In my estimation, the latter shows a complete lack of concern for the young lives lost in Sandy Hook gun violence and elsewhere. Salon's piece, "9 Signs America's Gun Obsession is Getting Worse," should be a huge awakening to those apathetics out there who seem to have accepted gun violence as ordinary. It's not. Examples of Salon's nine points include "States with the laxest gun laws have the most violence," "Americans aren't standing for this," including large retail chains like Starbucks, Chipotle, Chili's and finally, The NRA is facing opposition and losing. I recommend you go to the link above and read all nine.

10 EXAMPLES HOW THE NRA PROMOTES GUN VIOLENCE

Wacky Wayne LaPierre

When you have Congress by the balls you can do pretty much anything and get away with it. Precisely what wacky Wayne LaPierre, head of the National Rifle Assn., has done with his conglomeration of gun nuts. They sneer at the gun deaths of these children and adults with the justification that what is important is protecting their right to own a gun and take it anywhere they want to. Not to save innocent lives. The Guardian newspaper, a United Kingdom based publication, has been covering the gun violence in the U.S. for years with authority, and rightfully so with the excellent guns laws they have in the U.K. That is the reason why they have .25 gun deaths per 100,000 population compared to the U.S. at 10.2. They have compiled a list of 10 reasons how the National Rifle Assn. has weakened America's gun control. Here are a few:

-Concealed carry reciprocity: The NRA wants their gun nuts to be able to carry their concealed weapons into all states, even if they bought their gun in Arizona, which requires only a warm body.

-Guns in schools: The NRA would like to pass laws to make guns  legal to carry guns on college campuses, elementary and secondary schools, state mental hospitals and bars.

-Revoking licenses from corrupt gun dealers: Sounds common sense, right. Not. The NRA wants to make it virtually impossible to revoke licenses from corrupt dealers.

Someday, sooner rather than later, a fed-up public is going to turn on these gun nuts and take away all their guns which means the responsible gun owners will lose their firearms as well. Tough.

THE CHILDREN GUN VIOLENCE REPORTS KEEP COMING

Everytown and Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America has compiled some publically available figures for unintentional gun deaths that are recent, from 15 December 2012 to 14 December 2013. There were 100 boys and girls ages 14 and under who were killed accidentally by guns. Like those left on the dining room table around a two-year-old while dad takes a telephone call. He shot himself in the chest and died. And a four year old girl shot by her six-year-old brother with a gun left a gun under a jacket on a living room chair while the step-mother was outside. he died. The report says, American children are 16-times more likely to be killed in unintentional shootings than their peers in other high-income countries. Tragically, it was found that 70% of these deaths could have been prevented if precautions had been taken by the gun owners to secure their weapons. Pathetic! Read the full report here.

 

MORE STUPID TEA PARTY REMARKS FROM BOBBY JINDAL POST

Typical Tea Party redneck

Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal said on the Tea Party site, “I can sense right now a rebellion brewing amongst these United States, where people are ready for a hostile takeover of Washington, D.C., to preserve the American Dream for our children and grandchildren.” He added, "..there is a "silent war" on religious liberty being fought in the U.S." Following are some of the laughable and half-witted comments to his post:

David Anderson: “JINDAL IS RIGHT. WE'VE HAD ENOUGH AND NEED TO TAKE OVER OUR COUNTRY NO MATTER WHAT IT TAKES. I'M IN ARE YOU?”

Don Holmes III: “DAMNED RIGHT I'M IN! I HAVE BEEN READY FOR A LONG TIME! I KEEP MY WEAPONS BESIDE MY BED! THE OATH I TOOK IN 1964 IS STILL VALID AND WILL NEVER EXPIRE!
SEMPER FI TILL I DIE!!!!”

David Dixon: “yep Civil War II, the retaking of America. What a Grand idea.”

Jerry Ross: “southern conservatives would make a large STANDING ARMY!”

Bob Howe: “same with us Arizonans. We'll fight and take our own Army. Americans Unite!!!”

Peter Gundrum: “A complete genocide is necessary for the future of America.”

The definition of genocide from Dictionary.com is: "the deliberate and systematic extermination of a national, racial, political, or cultural group." 

ARE STUPID PARENTS TO BLAME FOR MINNESOTA BOY'S PREMEDITATED GUN VIOLENCE?

John David LaDue

I don't want to be too judgmental but if a recent account of a Minnesota teen's plans to bomb a school and shoot students is correctly reported, either his parents are oblivious about what's going on around them or they are just plain stupid. John David LaDue says he came from a good home and was never bullied. The piece describes LaDue with an "obsessively detailed plot" starting with killing his family. He was arrested in April when a female witness saw the 17-year-old at a storage locker where he kept his bomb making equipment. In his home LaDue had numerous guns and ammunition, but his mother said she had no idea what he was plotting. Her son countered that "he plotted right under her nose. He made no effort to hide anything. He told police they'd find three live bombs in a box on the floor next to his bed." Duh. These parents are just plain lucky they weren't co-conspirators in another school massacre.

LOUISIANA GOV. BOBBY JINDAL TALKS REVOLUTION

Bobby Jindal

Bobby Jindal is the Governor of a state that ranks at the top of the list for poverty levels. Louisiana is only topped by Mississippi and the District of Columbia. Yet Jindal on Fox News republished by, who else, the Tea Party, said, “I can sense right now a rebellion brewing amongst these United States, where people are ready for a hostile takeover of Washington, D.C., to preserve the American Dream for our children and grandchildren.” Further, this fruitcake says there is a "silent war" on religious liberty being fought in the U.S. I wasn't aware any recent restrictions had been placed on this right and, if anything, it is the religious right that is trying to take over and run the country. It's the typical Tea Party cry of "no more government" but when Louisiana needs help, where do they look? The federal government, of course. Jindal needs to clean up his own backyard before trying to save the country.

BRADY CAMPAIGN SAYS NINE CHILDREN DIE EACH DAY IN U.S. OF GUNSHOT WOUNDS

PolitiFact checked Brady's figures with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention database and found that from 2007 to 2011--latest data available-14,258 children died of gunshot wounds. That makes it 7.81 deaths per day, close enough to Brady's figures. The fact that it is even one per day is too much. These incidents include accidental shootings by adults, kids who find unsecured guns, gang violence, suicide and planned mass shootings. Brady acknowledged their error citing a volunteer incorrectly using the number nine for deaths. Eight is correct and they said the nine represents children unintentionally shot daily who survive, which is in addition to the eight who die. Any way you look at this the outcome is pathetic.

GUN MANUFACTURERS SHOULD THANK WAYNE LAPIERRE FOR THEIR PROFITS

Gun manufacturers

The naïve, supposed 5-million membership of the National Rifle Assn. think wacky Wayne LaPierre, head of the NRA, works on their behalf in the gun rights movement. He doesn't. He works for the gun manufacturers and it is obvious from recent profits his work has been extremely successful. Here's a report from the Guardian on the profits of two leaders in this industry: Smith & Wesson Holdings, up 150.1% in the last five years, and Sturm Ruger, up 370.6% in the same period. These profits also carry over into the retail side of the gun business: Dick’s Sporting Goods and Cabela’s, up 168.7% and 423.1% in the same five years, respectively. Now I am in full support of the U.S. capitalistic system but these profits--produced on the bloody deaths of hundreds of innocent children and adults--are abhorrent. You would think the American public would agree but they are still in their unconscionable apathetic mood while the deaths continue.

JUSTICE ANTHONY M. KENNEDY COULD DECIDE GUN CONTROL FATE

Adam Winkler...Gunfight

SCOTUS has refused to hear several gun control cases brought by the National Rifle Assn. that would allow broader open and concealed carry. Although D.C. v. Heller only clarified possession in the home, carrying a firearm outside the home is still up for grabs. The Courts have ruled against straw buyers--those purchasing guns for a third party--so what's left is background checks and open and concealed carry outside the home. Congress will probably eventually rule on the background check issue; only an idiot cannot see the benefits of making sure who is buying guns. But SCOTUS must address the 2nd Amendment issue of whether a citizen can lawfully carry a gun outside his or her home for protection.

The key vote could come from Supreme Court Justice Anthony M. Kennedy; he joined the liberals in the straw buyer vote. Adam Winkler, a UCLA law professor who wrote Gunfight: The Battle Over the Rights to Bear Arms in America, thinks Kennedy is "willing to read gun control laws broadly." Winkler also thinks Kennedy "...insisted that the opinion establishing the individual gun ownership right, District of Columbia v. Heller, contain language that it was not calling into question reasonable restrictions on gun ownership. The door is obviously open and Kennedy could be our man.

GUN CONTROL'S NEXT FIGHT: CARRYING FIREARMS OUTSIDE HOME

True, background checks should be the primary goal for now and it looks like there is a surge in gun control support with maximum spending for those in Congress favoring the issue in November. Both Bloomberg and Gabby Giffords groups are investing heavily to offset the lies and propaganda of the National Rifle Assn. But the NRA lost in February when the Supreme Court refused to hear its cases on the right of gun owners to carry firearms outside their homes for self-defense. Another case originating in New Jersey seeking the same kind of decision was also dismissed by SCOTUS. The irony is John Drake can carry his Glock, Model 30, .45-caliber handgun in public in 38 states across the country. The District of Columbia 2008 decision upheld the individual's right to possess a gun for protection in the home. But it is widely believed that this was not meant to give the approval for the carrying of firearms outside the home.

NRA BEGETS CLIVEN BUNDY BEGETS JARED AND AMANDA MILLER BEGETS MORE VIOLENCE

Salon has made it perfectly clear how the U.S. Government mucked up the Cliven Bundy standoff by sticking their tails between their legs and simply retreating like cowards. Rick Perlstein said, "What should be judged a watershed in American history instead became a story about one man’s racist rants." He goes on to talk about how Bundy inspired Jared and Amanda Miller's killings in Nevada and then two more shootings in California. Perlstein concludes, as do most gun control advocates, that gun deaths have become a lifestyle in America, tragically, an accepted one. Apathy over the loss of your favorite college football team is one thing. Apathy over your neighbor's child's death from a gunshot wound is something else entirely.

SHERIFF JOE ARPAIO NEEDS TO CLEAN UP HIS ACT BEFORE COMPLAINING ABOUT WHITEHOUSE

Sheriff Joe Arpaio of Maricopa County, Arizona has one of the biggest mouths in law enforcement, if not the whole country. He constantly feeds the media for publicity and seems to relish getting his picture on TV or in print. He is a six-time elected Sheriff which either speaks to his competency or the incompetency of the voters of Arizona. Based on the following, I would go with the latter. After accused of racial profiling, Judge had to appoint a court monitor to keep him honest. A Dept. of Justice investigation was eventually closed after two years. Federal Judge ruled in 2008 and again in 2010 jail conditions violated constitutional rights of prisoners. The list goes on. And, of course, there is Arpaio's absurd pursuit of Obama's birth certificate conspiracy using a bunch of laughable volunteers to do his dirty work. But Arizonans keep electing him. Go figure.

TIME TO REPEAL OR AMEND 2ND AMENDMENT

The NRA's 2nd Amendment

That headline is guaranteed to get the attention of gun nuts all over the world. In the past comments have been so vicious and often life-threatening that I decided this go around with my blog not to allow them. But I know what you will say so consider yourself said but not really heard. I am not alone on this; much better minds than I have come to the same conclusion. Bill Maher said the NRA stands for "Nuts, Racists and Assholes," Very appropriate considering some past comments mentioned above. The blog,  Gun Control Now speaks to the constant argument by gun rights radicals that the 2nd makes gun control illegal. It says "The 2^nd amendment was predicated upon the maintenance of state militias—something that has become irrelevant in the face of our federal armed services—and is not something that should have allowed individuals to claim the right to own weapons."

Further, Chief Supreme Court Justice Warren Burger—a Republican—talking about the 2nd Amendment said...

“…one of the greatest pieces of fraud, I repeat the word ‘fraud,’ on the American public by special interest groups that I’ve ever seen in my life time. The real purpose of the Second Amendment was to ensure that state armies—the militias—would be maintained for the defense of the state. The very language of the Second Amendment refutes any argument that it was intended to guarantee every citizen an unfettered right to any kind of weapon he or she desires.”

From another point of view Jerry Large of the Seattle Times says...

“I don’t believe the Second Amendment was ever intended to support the kind of gun craziness we contend with today, but since it’s always used to ward off any common-sense gun reforms, maybe we ought to just fix the Constitution and be done with it.”

But he admits this kind of talk just makes some Americans "...embrace their guns even more tightly..."

WHO CARES WHAT DICK CHENEY, ESPECIALLY HIS DAUGHTER, SAYS

Dick Cheney to the American public

First of all, here's the man who orchestrated the U.S. into the Iraq War on an outright lie, touting the weapons of mass destruction. And second, he later tried to convince the American public that Saddam Hussein was in on planning the 9/11 attacks. The man lies when the truth is better and he has the gall to criticize Obama's handling of the current crisis in Iraq. But writing the op-ed with his daughter is laughable; what the hell does she know about foreign policy? There is something inherent about being in political office...whether you are qualified or not. Paul Waldman on CNN says 4,500 Americans died in Iraq, and between 100,000 and 400,000 Iraqis died with the U.S spending at least $800 billion. And I won't even get into the Halliburton scandal. George W. Bush may have been the worst President but Dick Cheney was certainly the biggest conniving shyster to ever serve in the U.S. government.

NRA LIES USING "AMERICA'S POLICE" ENDORSEMENT FALSELY

Following is what wacky Wayne LaPierre and his National Rifle Assn. con artists said in an ad

Lies and more lies

supposedly depicting the opinions of America's law enforcement on gun control: "Seventy-one percent of police say that Obama’s gun ban will have zero effect on violent crime. Eighty percent of police say that more background checks will have no effect." WRONG says the Washington Post Fact Checkers. To begin with, it isn't even confirmed that all the voters were police officers and the survey got only 2,500 views out of 765,000 local and state law enforcement officers, not including federal officers. The small amount of responses was not even representative and the NRA knew that. The pollsters, San Francisco based Police One, said they had no control over how the NRA used their data and distanced themselves from what the organization said.

The NRA and the gun culture in general are constantly attacking data used by the gun control activists. Here is a clear example of how information has been twisted to fit the needs of wacky Wayne and his gang of gun nuts. This article is a must-read.

TEA PARTY TRIES TO OUT-DUMB HILLARY CLINTON

Tea Party numb-nuts caught Hillary Clinton in a bit of a compromising position in the making of a
complex statement on gun control. Now, to begin with, have you ever read one of the Tea Party site posts chocked full of typos and grammatical errors, along with their regular tirade of misinformation? I do because it always makes such good copy,
 like this one. Hillary said, "We cannot let a minority of people – and it’s, that’s what it is, it is a minority of people – hold a viewpoint that terrorizes the majority of people." If TPers can't see the deeper meaning in this statement then they are denser than I thought. What Clinton is saying is what she has said all along on gun control; a small group of the radical gun culture is terrorizing the public and Congress and we can't allow this to happen. Which is dead on. Understand now?

YOUR PERSONAL DATA IS EVERYWHERE...IN THE WORLD

In the July 2014 Consumer Reports there is an article, "Your secrets aren't safe." As a former privacy

NOT

advocate and junk mail data broker I can confirm that ten-fold. The speed at which your personal data moves around the world is faster than space travel. You wonder why it is all over the world? Foreign countries, particularly Europe, need it to sell their goods to Americans. And the biggest reason, U.S. junk mailers store your private information in countries like Costa Rica and India with those facilities all manned by people from that location. Scott McNealy, former founder and CEO of Sun Microsystems, a Silicon Valley darling of technology companies, said in 1999, "You have zero privacy anyway. Get over it." I thought he was crazy then, as did many other privacy advocates, but it turns out that even 15 years ago he was dead right. Can you imagine how bad the situation must be by now?

NEXT PRESIDENT SUPPORTS GUN CONTROL

Hillary Clinton looks to be on her way to the presidency in 2016, that is if she decides to run. That would be a good thing for a lot of reasons but especially because she seems to be a staunch supporter 

Hillary Clinton

of gun control and isn't afraid to say it. In a Time magazine interview she said gun control opponents hold views that "terrorizes" a majority of the American public. Could she mean the National Rifle Assn. in her definition of "gun control opponents?" Clinton continued, “We cannot let a minority of people, and that’s what it is, it is a minority of people, hold a viewpoint that terrorizes the majority of people.” She is another who cannot understand how this Congress could not pass universal background checks and thinks the NRA's opposition to this legislation could backfire, "...alienating moderate gun owners." Clinton also endorsed a ban on assault weapons and high capacity magazines, making it a neat gun control package for the future.

OPENING SOON: GUN RANGE WITH ITS OWN CEMETERY-A PARODY

The first part of June I almost laughed myself to death when I read the headline, "Opening soon: Gun

range with a bar." It's in Oklahoma City and will serve both alcohol and fully automatic machine guns. The name is Wilshire Gun and will have 24 firing lanes but the alcohol will actually be served in a different section. So I came up with the idea of opening up a shooting range connected to a cemetery, not because someone might get killed at the gun range, although many have including one man shooting himself, but because of the direct connection between guns and death. Those interred in this cemetery would only be victims of gun deaths. The gun nuts would have to pass the cemetery on the way in to the shooting range. On second thought, it wouldn't even phase these pathetic souls.

GUNS ESPECIALLY THE BIG ONES ENHANCE MASS SHOOTINGS

AR-15 KILLER

Last April a teenager injured 21 high school classmates and a security guard with two kitchen knives. Pittsburgh area rampage which proves, as University of California criminologist Franklin Zimring says, that the weapon matters. Especially if it's a large caliber gun. He found "that people shot by larger caliber guns -- which carry bigger and more destructive bullets -- were more likely to die than those shot by smaller caliber guns." Although overall crime rates in America aren't that much higher than comparable cities--a fact we are repeatedly reminded of by gun nuts--we still have higher rates of homicide. And the reason for that is that criminals are armed with guns that kill. And these guns are as easy to get as ice cream at the corner store.
There were no fatalities in this