HACKERS CRASHING AN AIRPLANE SURE BEATS IDENTITY THEFT

Hackers have been around for some time now doing what they do best; breaking into your personal data then selling it on the Internet underground within a couple of hours. I started posting on this over eight years ago in another blog, The Dunning Letter, until I put it on hiatus for Nasty Jack. If you want to take the time I have collected several sites on the subject here. It was a problem then and still is.

But when these same hackers acquire the ability to use new technology to bring down airplanes, that even beats having your bank account emptied by one of these scumbags. It could happen according to a new report from the Government Accountability Office. The aircraft you need to worry about are the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, the Airbus A350 and A380. It seems these advanced cockpits share the same wi-fi system as the passengers, thus, someone sitting in row 28 with a laptop could hack right in up front and put your flight in a tailspin. This guy could: commandeer the aircraft, put a virus into flight control computers, jeopardize the safety of the flight by taking control of computers or take over the warning systems or even navigation systems.

This is all scary stuff but the study does say pilots have some alternatives, although the article doesn't confirm they are fool proof. I suggest you read the complete piece, here.  

TULSA "FAUX" DEPUTY EPITOME OF FLAWED FIREARMS TRAINING

This guy is probably more qualified to carry a gun than many who do. Robert Bates, the 73-year-old insurance executive turned volunteer cop, supposedly had several hours of weapons training, a claim which is apparently in question now. Bates says he mistakenly pulled his gun, shooting and killing Eric Harris on April 2, declaring that he meant to use his Taser. What is known is that he donated $2,500 to the Sheriff's re-election campaign, plus the loan of vehicles and video equipment. The Tulsa World reported, "Some supervisors at the Tulsa County Sheriff's Office were told to forge Robert Bates' training records, and three who refused were reassigned to less desirable duties." If this is true, how many reckless cowboys are running around out there with the authority to shoot to kill?

More later on weapons training, or lack of, for private gun ownership.

DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CONTENDER NEEDS LGBT COMMUNITY

Hillary Clinton says she supports marriage equality and always has. The LGBT community numbers some 12.4 million people and as a whole they identify with the Democrats. In return Pres. Obama has staunchly supported the group by repealing "Don't Ask Don't Tell;" Ending the Legal Defense of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA); Signing historic hate crimes legislation; Expanding LGBT access to health coverage; Ensuring equality in the government workplace and more you can see here. I know Elizabeth Warren is a strong supporter for LGBTs and definitely has been in the past. Which does the 12.4 million believe? Or do they believe both? One thing we do know is that these folks have seen recent progress that hasn't happened in years. The one thing they cannot afford is losing what they have gained and that means voting for a Democrat.

HEAD OF NRA SAYS WE DON'T NEED ANOTHER TOKEN MINORITY FOR PRESIDENT

Are we now to assume that wacky Wayne LaPierre, head of the National Rifle Assn., is both racist and a chauvinist? His recent comments at the NRA convention in Nashville would infer both. Calling President Obama "demographically symbolic," saying we don't need another of these in the form of Hillary Clinton, places WW right out there with the current crop of conservative crackpots. Of course the gun nuts in the audience cheered him on as we would expect, but I wonder about those NRA members who were there that are more moderate in their beliefs, like favoring background checks for gun purchases? The New York News says he is the "Craziest Man on Earth," and every time he opens his mouth he proves it. It's time that 75% of the NRA membership realizes what a freak the man is and send him packing.

5 NEW STUDIES SAY CONSERVATIVES ARE DUMBER THAN LIBERALS

Liberals are always searching for the reasons that conservatives would do the stupid things they do these days. Five new studies attempt to explain their inadequacies. First, “Bright Minds and Dark Attitudes,” was done by Brock University claims that a low IQ as a child translates into the person being a racist and voting conservative. Two, Fairleigh Dickinson University asked people which news shows they watched, then queried them about current events and their source. Those watching Fox News had the lowest ranking, even lower than those that watched no news at all. Three, researchers at the University of Arkansas found that conservatives were likely to put little effort into their thinking. Four, Kent State University's “Abstract Reasoning as a Predictor of Attitudes Toward Gay Men,” found that, "those with low abstract reasoning ability have a tendency to be homophobic." Five, in the last study performing MRI brain scans on students at the University College in London, they were asked their political persuasion. Results: "liberal students had more gray matter, which would make them smarter."

A Progressive can only deduce that the above is why John Boehner and Mitch McConnell do the stupid things they do and why other Republican fruitcakes go around making the inane statements they do.

THE NRA WOULD LIE IF THE TRUTH WERE BETTER

How many times have we heard this crap from wacky Wayne LaPierre, head of the National Rifle Assn.? “They are coming to take your guns away!” I have been blogging it from the mouth of WW for over five years and Dean Obeidelah of the Daily Beast put it all in a neat package following the recent NRA convention in Nashville last weekend. The man is crazy, well that's my comment for WW, who, as the biggest gun nut of them all has made himself rich through keeping gun manufacturers' sales booming, who, in turn, line the pockets of WW and the NRA. The 70,000 poor souls that attended the Nashville get together on the other hand not only pay their annual dues but kick in extra bucks when the head gun nut scares hell out of them. Pathetic but Obeidelah sees no changes for the near future. Unfortunately I must agree.

ELIZABETH WARREN IS NOT RUNNING BUT...

Although Elizabeth Warren isn't running for President??? she is having a lot to say about what the next Prez should look like. She believes that Washington works well for the lobbyists and their benefactors but not for middle America. She would like to lower the interest rates on student loans and shore up Social Security, and she's still not saying NO to running, rather, she still wants to see who is getting in the race. I have posted on Elizabeth Warren's Progressive credentials before but there will be a need for those liberal followers out there who are not currently voting to get off their duffs in 2016 for her to win. Nate Silver has said Hillary is a sure bet for the nomination but that was then and who knows what's around the corner.