Archive for February, 2013

Dronin’ On (February 25, 2013)

Posted in Drones on February 25, 2013 by e-commentary.org

. . .

N1          “There is something to be said for precise strikes or at least less imprecise strikes.”

N2          “No boots on the ground but many bombs on the ground.”

N1          “At least now a few members of the public are debating whether bombing one’s neighbor in suburbia from above is a good idea.”

N2          “Seems to depend on the neighbor.  Makes me wonder whether the covenants, conditions and restrictions allow the government to smoke one of my neighbors who may be smoking in his back yard or has a smoky bar-b-que in violation of some edict or another.”

N1          “You wouldn’t want to do that.”

N2          “No way.  Not me.”

. . .

N2          “Will the FAA control all the airspace, issue flight permits, assess fees, require turn signals, etc.”

N1          “Imagine all the federalism issues that will bollix the black robes when some states and municipalities ban drones and the federal government insists on flying all the friendly skies.”

. . .

[N1 = Neighbor 1; . . . ]

[See the articles http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/19/opinion/drones-for-america.html?hp and http://atwar.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/02/25/distance-from-carnage-doesnt-prevent-ptsd-for-drone-pilots/?src=rechp.]

[See the article on rating agencies at http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2013/02/19/how-to-prevent-more-bond-rating-fiascoes/.]

Bumper stickers of the week:

“Me ‘n’ Larry got us a pair of them there drones.  One of them was a militarized version.  In full camo plumage.  Dropped one of them with one shot.”

“Will you be required to shoot steel or allowed to use lead?”

“A KFUBAR Channel 13 unmanned aerial vehicle lost power and crashed on an urban assault vehicle on the southbound lane of Highway 66.  Film at eleven.  If we can recover the drone.”

“And now please turn to the right for a side view.”

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President’s Day (February 18, 2013)

Posted in Drones, Presidency, Privacy, Supreme Court on February 18, 2013 by e-commentary.org

. . .

A           “Ben Franklin.”

B           “Me too.”

A           “At least he is memorialized on the hundred dollar bill.  Imagine how different the national experience would be if some of those who took silver had taken gold.”

B           “Jefferson’s reputation is declining in some quarters.”

A           “And yet he has a Memorial and is memorialized on my favorite dollar bill.  The great irony is that Grant’s mug is still on the fifty and some think his mug should have been on the police wall.”

B           “Granted that his reputation may never change.  And Jackson remains on the twenty despite his attitude toward slaves, Indians and Supreme Court decisions.  Rather than spending Benjamins today, I scratch a few sentences about each president and file them away.”

A          “My perception of each president’s legacy changes with changes in my world view and with information disclosed about presidents, particularly recent ones.”

B          “And be aware of and wary of those ideologues whose views of the Presidency changed on January 20, 2009.”

. . .

[The Supreme Court continues to resist the placement of cameras in the Big Court to keep an eye on them.  See the “e-ssay” titled SCOTUS on TV: “They Might Not Be Such Bastards” (March 26, 2012).]

[But we are still willing and able to place cameras in the sky to spy on each other.  http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/16/technology/rise-of-drones-in-us-spurs-efforts-to-limit-uses.html?hpw&_r=0.]

Bumper stickers of the week:

In order to service as many customers as possible, all ammunition sales are limited . . . .

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Holding The Raters Accountable? (February 11, 2013)

Posted in Banks and Banking System, Drones, First Amendment, Judges, Kleptocracy, Perjury, Perjury/Dishonesty, Rating Agencies on February 11, 2013 by e-commentary.org

. . .

NNN     “So the government is going after the rating agency Standard & Poor’s for its grossly inflated ratings of toxic mortgage securities.”

OOO    “It is a start, yet they were among the bit players in the grand fraud.  Madoff made off with millions from connected characters who were not willing to let him off.  Corzine still has enough stroke as a former Senator to avoid prosecution.  The banksters and the brigands and the big players at the core got away with it and are getting away with it and no one in power does anything about it.”

. . .

NNN     “Some bonehead judges have looked for an excuse to let them off and resorted to the First Amendment.”

OOO    “The First Amendment is a limitation on government restrictions on speech not a source of individual rights, so a person does not have ‘First Amendment rights.’  The government did not restrict or regulate Standard & Poor’s speech in any way.  Standard & Poor’s is seeking to avoid prosecution for what it said not for what the government would not allow it to say.  That ends the First Amendment inquiry.”

NNN     “When S & P spoke, they lied and intended others to rely on the lies; they are culpable.  The government must start somewhere.”

. . .

[See the “e-ssay” titled Rating The Rating Agencies And The Courts That Should Berate Them: FFF (May 3, 2010) and other “e-ssays” under the Category titled “Rating Agencies.”]

[The charges against Standard & Poor’s are discussed at http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/06/opinion/standard-poors-stands-accused.html?_r=0.]

Bumper sticker of the week:

FFF:       Rating Agencies

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The Dow At 14 K. Again. (February 4, 2013)

Posted in Banks and Banking System, Economics, Federal Reserve, Housing, Inflation, Stock Market on February 4, 2013 by e-commentary.org

. . .

C          “Back above 14,000 again.”

D          “Happy daze are here again.  I guess.  14,000 is better than 7,000, but how much better and for how long and for whom and for what reasons are anyone’s guess.”

C          “Beaucoup dollar electrons are given to those who already have beaucoup dollar electrons.  There are no other places to plug in the dollar electrons, so the stock markets are the default investment.”

D          “And money market funds and certificates of deposit are paying .0000001 percent which is crippling current retirees.”

C          “And those who know that the stock market is rigged and instead seek a safe refuge have no remunerative alternative.”

. . .

C          “Real estate continues to fool everyone.  The value of commercial properties is likely to slide as brick and mortar businesses board up their doors and windows.”

D          “The banks cannot mark to the actual market value their vast portfolios of repossessed and returned houses and underperforming loans.  Their collective insolvency would be manifest.  A collective lie undergirds the system.”

C          “Housing starts may be up but only at the upper end of the housing market.”

D          “With these low interest rates, a 30 year note is very appealing and may be prudent and prescient for the right person.  The homeowners who can manage to hold jobs and fund and feed a mortgage with a low interest rate may find that they have a bird’s nest on the ground.”

C          “When inflation takes off.”

D          “Yup.”

. . .

C          “One arm of the government – the Federal Reserve – is funding and fueling the other arms of the government with bogus electronic chits.”

D          “The way I see it, one arm of the bankers – the Federal Reserve – is funding and fueling the bankers and fooling and defrauding the body politic.”

C          “Anything that cannot go on forever.”

. . .

[See the “e-ssays” titled The Dow Jones (the Murdoch ?) Hits 14 K In A Hollow Economy (July 23, 2007) and “Fiat Stock”: Taking Stock Of The Stock Market (May 16, 2011).]

Bumper stickers of the week:

Shouldn’t it be Obsessive-Compulsive Order?

Anything that cannot go on forever will not go on forever.

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