It's Not Optional

From ATT aka NSA

If you have a WEA capable device, you are automatically enrolled to receive Wireless Emergency Alerts. Based on FEMA guidelines, you may opt out of the following types of alerts:

Alerts involving imminent threats to life or property issued by the National Weather Service or other authorized emergency management agency
Amber Alerts (missing child alerts)

You cannot opt out of Presidential Alerts.

To opt out of receiving Wireless Emergency Alerts, update the specific settings for your device. Please check your device manual for instructions.

I don't want alerts from the king.

Red Alert! Be Afraid! Submit!

I’m getting a lot of communication from big state nanny these days and it’s more and more an assault on my time an attention. It keeps getting worse and I can only image what might be next.
I don’t want to know how many people died on the highway this year in Texas. When I drive by the big signs every morning along the interstate with these “public service messages” my thoughts lean to how much did we pay for that? Who decides what messages go on the sign? Are they just conditioning us so that we obey when the message reads “drop everything, bring your family and report to the re-educations center by 10pm tonight”! “We know who you are. It’s on your easy tag, obey or be droned.”
Tell me something I’d like to know about. How many people were saved reading signs about how many people were killed this year? Hey there is an accident up ahead, take another route. Turn off your phone, put away your makeup, take the dog off your lap, put down your coffee, shut the hell up, stop reading the signs and watch where you’re going!
Now we’re assaulted at home with wireless alerts. You can’t opt out! I don’t want to get amber alerts, weather alters or “presidential” alerts on my phone while my attention is elsewhere. When is my attention elsewhere? All the time! Alert! Pick up your phone, read the signs, obey!
What an incredible intrusion. What do they expect? Should we all get up from whatever we’re doing, go to the window and look for a silver caprice with a missing elderly from a town 200 miles away? Get in my car, get up on the toll road and scan for child abusers in late 70’s firebird with a missing side mirror? Stand up, say the pledge of allegiance, sing the national anthem, curse terrorism, pay some extra taxes and buy something on my credit card?
Last night it was a flood alert. It’s already been raining for 24 hours straight don’t you think there might be some flooding? Should be all go up upstairs in the attic to wait it out? Maybe we should cut a hole in the roof just to be “safe” so we can sit up there and wait for the nanny to swoop down with a helicopter and rescue us?
What the hell is a presidential alert? Do I get to speak directly to the president with my alarm “hey asshole leave me and my stuff alone!” “Shut up and let me drive!” “Stop killing people!” What would you tell him?
What kind of War of the Worlds, false flag national emergency trick are they going to play on us next? How are they going to scare us into submission next? Anyone with half a brain stopped watching the “news” on television years ago. I haven’t listened to NPR in years so how are they going to make us afraid? Newspapers? Ha. With our phones of course! No! Stop assaulting me, I don’t want it.

Evening Commute

Beautiful Sunset Friday night coming home from Greenway Plaza around 7:00pm.

The days are getting a little bit longer so we might be able to see the sun before turning into the driveway. At least on the way home.

Underwear Bombing Boogeyman

Kurt Haskell was on the flight with the underwear bomber and has an interesting story to tell. In Michigan crime victims are permitted to make a 5 minute victim impact statement. Mr. Haskell explains how he saw the underwear bomber escorted through security and onto the plane without a boarding pass. Hmmm, something a little strange here and might be worth reading more about.

I wish to thank the Court for allowing me these 5 minutes to make my statement. My references to the government in this statement refer to the Federal Government excluding this Court and the prosecution. On Christmas Day 2009, my wife and I were returning from an African safari and had a connecting flight through Amsterdam. As we waited for our flight, we sat on the floor next to the boarding gate. What I witnessed while sitting there and subsequent events have changed my life forever. While I sat there, I witnessed Umar dressed in jeans and a white t-shirt, being escorted around security by a man in a tan suit who spoke perfect American English and who aided Umar in boarding without a passport. The airline gate worker initially refused Umar boarding until the man in the tan suit intervened. The event meant nothing to me at the time. Little did I know that Umar would try to kill me a few hours later as our flight approached Detroit. The final 10 minutes of our flight after the attack were the worst minutes of my life. During those 10 minutes I sat paralyzed in fear. Unfortunately, what happened next has had an even greater impact on my life and has saddened me further.

Read more at the Haskell family blog.

When Seconds Count...

Used to be that the police were minutes away.  Now we're out to hours and in some cases days.

911 IS A JOKE

Detroit citizens no longer rely on police as self-defense killings skyrocket

PHOTO: James Fassinger for The Daily

Dale Brown, the owner of Threat Management Group, says the private security business is booming in Detroit.

From The Daily

The people of Detroit are taking no prisoners.
Justifiable homicide in the city shot up 79 percent in 2011 from the previous year, as citizens in the long-suffering city armed themselves and took matters into their own hands. The local rate of self-defense killings now stands 2,200 percent above the national average. Residents, unable to rely on a dwindling police force to keep them safe, are fighting back against the criminal scourge on their own. And they’re offering no apologies.
“We got to have a little Old West up here in Detroit. That’s what it’s gonna take,” Detroit resident Julia Brown told The Daily

I had dinner with some folks from Calgary this week and they explained how in Canada there is no justifiable resistance to criminal assault.  The victim is supposed to call the police and wait.  At lease it hasn't come to that in this increasingly paternalist, socialist, authoritarian state, the USA.  In Detroit urban survival is here.  Let's hope it's not like this in your neighborhood anytime soon.

MSM = Time Magazine

Check out William Banzaii7
http://williambanzai7.blogspot.com/2012/02/time-need-to-know.html

He has a post showing the cover of Time Magazine in the US vs. the covers in the rest of the world.  The US cover is significantly dumbed down and irrelevant like the rest of the "news".

Duck Hunt

Had a nice duck hunt this morning with Michael and Mark.  We hunted Stienke South and it was slow.  Before shooting hour the ducks were all over the place but mysteriously disappeared once the time came.  I shot one spoonbill but that was it.

We hunt in the brush under an old oak tree.  The geese were sqwauking and landing in the field next to us but we didn't get a shot.

Money Powers the Media

Well, money and power at least. An article of interest in this area from the American Dream  details the ownership by Bain Capital, Mitt Romney's company, of a large piece of Clear Channel Corporation.  Clear Channel went private in 2006 and a large percentage was purchased by Bain Capital.

One of the subsidiaries of Clear Channel is Premiere Radio Networks.

Premiere Radio Networks distributes a whole host of conservative talk radio shows.  Everyone in the conservative world knows names such as Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity and Glenn Beck.  Clear Channel also controls some other conservative talk radio hosts (such as Michael Savage and Mark Levin) that are not part of the Premiere Radio family.

The power that Premiere Radio Networks has is absolutely staggering.  The following is directly from the official Clear Channel website....

Premiere Radio Networks Inc., a subsidiary of Clear Channel Communications, syndicates 90 radio programs and services to more than 5,000 radio affiliations and reaches over 190 million listeners weekly.  Premiere Radio is the number one radio network in the country and features the following personalities:  Rush Limbaugh, Jim Rome, Casey Kasem, Ryan Seacrest, Glenn Beck, Bob (Kevoian) & Tom (Griswold), Delilah, Steve Harvey, Blair Garner, George Noory, John Boy and Billy, Big Tigger, Dr. Dean Edell, Bob Costas, Sean Hannity and others. Premiere is based in Sherman Oaks, California, with 13 offices nationwide.

So do you think that any of those hosts is going to risk viciously attacking Mitt Romney and Bain Capital during this election season?

Understand, real journalism is dead in the mainstream media.  Obviously, journalism is flourishing on the web but until the web generations gain more influence the MSM will still cater to the AARP crowd who still somewhat believes there is any value in watching the nightly news.  The radio stations will cater to those who can be emotionally stirred by there arguments and propaganda.  

Another interesting piece of the article shows how conservative talk radio hosts have been paying actors to call in to their shows expressing the "correct" views.  From Raw Story March, 2011 

Exclusive: Limbaugh’s parent company still using actors to fake radio call-ins, exec tells Raw Story

These shows are a farce!  

Read the American Dream article it's like smelling salts after a lifetime of being knocked on the head.

Mainstream Media

from George Washington blog:

Most Americans believe the lie that the mainstream media is "fair and balanced" and is looking out for the interests of average Americans.  Well, that simply is not true.  Those in the mainstream media serve those that are providing them with paychecks.  The reality is that just 6 gigantic corporationscollectively own most of the major mainstream media outlets in this country.  Reporters are simply not going to be allowed to report stories that are severely damaging to those corporations or to the owners of those corporations.  In addition, reporters are simply not going to be allowed to report stories that are severely damaging to those that spend millions of dollars on advertising (such as pharmaceutical companies) on those mainstream media outlets.  At this point, our "news" is absolutely packed with propaganda.  Way too often, things are not what they seem to be on television.  The mainstream media lies, lies and then lies some more.  They give us the version of "reality" that their owners want us to have.

The following are 23 things that are not what they seem to be on television....

http://bit.ly/zNoQhQ

I can't watch or listen to it even for a few minutes.  Who watches, who then believes?

Police State at the Space Center

Security check at the entrance to space center Houston.  As I'm leading my three year old niece to the entrance. "Do you have any weapons, pepper spray or mace?"

Metal detectors at the tram ride with armed security goons.

Inspirational sales pitch at the Kraft mission control center by some junior space man in shorts.
"And yes it cost a lot of money but that doesn't really exist so I don't count that."
"Why because we just decided to do it."

Even had an inspirational speach set to music from GA bush at the fallen astronaut grove of trees.

The Saturn 5 rocket was awesome but I'll try not to go back.  My understanding is you can go back to the rocket park and see the Saturn 5 without paying or going through any police state hassles aside from telling the gate guard where you're going.

It's painful out there.

Kyle Bass on BBC

Another interview where the interviewer is beaten up by the logical answers to their own condescending questions. Kyle Bass talks about Greece, Europe, Japan, Credit Default Swaps. He come across as credible and sensible in the face of the establishment MSM stooge. MSM is going to have to stop having sensible people on their programs. The obviously credibility gaps between the government and banker shills vs. people like Ron Paul and Kyle Bass is hurting the MSM and their owners, governments, corporations and banks... Enjoy.

Texas Duck Hunt

Shot ten ducks between the three of us at the #5 blind at blockers. Had a great time with Dylan and Beaumont.

Ron Paul Owns Schieffer on Face the Nation

In an obvious hit interview Bob Schieffer, (establishment stooge) gets more than he bargained for and cut the interview short by 10 minutes. Dr. Paul has become more skilled in defending himself, going on the offense and stating his message.  People no longer believe the MSM mouthpieces and as they wake up to the world they're looking for cogent answers.  The MSM silence on Ron Paul's candidacy and message are deafening and judging by Schieffer's beating, they may be even more reluctant to have him on their show.  Give them hell! Here is the link in case the embed isn't working.

The Issue with Liars

They're annoying because they think that they're getting away with it.  In most cases the liar and the person being lied to are complicit because someone has to choose to believe the lie.  When someone lies to us we know something is not right.  Either it is evident at the time or shortly thereafter we realize that everyone just doesn't connect.  We want to believe that people are telling us the truth.

Pamela Meyer from Liespotting.com gives us a few tools based on her analysis of well know liars. http://liespotting.com/2010/08/pamela-meyer-on-the-huffington-post/

There are television liars then there are people in our normal lives and course of business that we work with every day that may be less than truthful.  My concern is for people who's real feelings and intentions don't match their words or intentions particularly when those intentions are malicious but the words are deflecting or comforting.

Gladwell's 2002 article in the New Yorker http://www.gladwell.com/2002/2002_08_05_a_face.htm describes researcher Paul Ekman's studies of the human face and expressions.  We all read faces but we listen to the words first.  This article suggests that the real information comes from the faces.  Believe what you see, not what you hear.  You have to trust your first instinct, not your logical rationalization or thought around the words.

When you're running in the woods for hours at a time your mind wanders but somehow you're able to avoid the roots and rocks and keep your balance.  You're not consciously thinking about placing your feet or keeping yourself upright but your visual input and some place in your mind keeps you moving and safe.  When you catch that hint of movement across the trail somehow deep in your reptile brain a danger flag pops, you get a jolt of adrenaline and manage to jump over or around the snake.  If you pay attention that flag will pop up when people are lying to you.  You just have to watch for it.

Bankers Explained

This is fun and puts the current situation in historical perspective. Enjoy!

New York's Finest

New York City cops are on the banksters payroll so it's no big surprise.  Not looking good out there.

99% Houston Demonstration

Occupy Wall Street protesters were out in a force of about 100, maybe 120 people on Allen Parkway for the Friday commute.  There were five mounted police on horseback side to side to the East presumable blocking the protesters from going downtown.  It looked like a lot of Moms and some kids as well as a younger crowd.  What I didn't understand was if the protesters were marching down Allen Parkway or had specifically picked that spot.  The irony of it all is that 200 yards West is the Houston Branch of the Federal Reserve Bank.

Houston Brand of the Fed,
Source -Wikipediea

Source - World Architecture News

There were no police blocking the protesters to the West and indeed no police in front of the building during the protest.   It's not entirely clear what their message is aside from we're mad as hell and we're not going to take it anymore. This over-sized, imposing, in your face building is the perfect metaphor.  You aren't allowed in, this place cost a fortune of your money to build so what! Protest this!

US Injects Billions Into Foreign Central Bank

Who got the TARP money?

US Dollar Democracy

This from Doug Casey should not be missed.  Those with the most votes (dollars) make the rules.

Democracy is just mob rule, dressed up in a coat and tie. It is too bad people confuse democracy, which is mob rule, with liberty and freedom. Democracy in most of the world is everybody voting for the person that promises him or her the most stolen goods from other people. Democracy is a political system, and all political systems rest on institutionalized coercion. Whether it is a king, a president, a congress, or a mob of chimpanzees, they dictate having to pay 50% of my income over to them so they can fund wars, welfare programs, the police state, oligarchic corporations, or whatever. That is what democracy is today. Regrettably, the average person has been programmed to think democracy is a high moral good, much as his ancestors were programmed to believe that monarchy was the way. The only kind of democracy that can be supported is the democracy of the free market. Vote with the dollars. Anything that wanted or needed can be gained by production and trade. The democracy we currently know is a fraud and a delusion."




The rest at the Daily Bell

Rogue Trader!

Whenever a big bank or large trading operation loses a large chunk of change we immediately hear about the lone wolf, the young gun caught up in a glamorous trade, biting his nails, considering suicide, waiting for his position to come back.  He's the ROGUE TRADER!  Like dawn of the dead when they find out you're not one of them you're a rogue trader!  Typically this drama plays out as a convenient smoke screen for much larger risk management issues that senior management at the negligent company would rather not come to light.

Why don't we hear about the rogue trader who makes a lot of money abandoning risk management guidelines, skirting compliance issues, management turning a blind eye.  Does this guy ever get fired or outed by his community as a pariah trader?

UBS has fired their CEO and rightly so, over their latest incident with big losses brought about by over-sized positions and risk taking.  This is rare.  Normally the young guy caught in the wrong position,  flapping in the breeze is rolled under the bus and ground up by the media machine and the corporate pr protection gang.  He's thrown to the wolves, fired, degraded, often jailed or barred from their profession for life, tattooed Rogue Trader on the forehead.

Never mentioned in the whole affair is the company's risk management framework, position limits, risk monitoring, mark to market P&L reporting system.  Is this guy reporting his positions in a spreadsheet?  Doesn't the risk manager check in with his broker every day, confirm his trades monitor his position limits and delegation of authority?

If not then the the CEO deserves to get fired.  Typically these traders do well for a time and are rewarded with more and more DOA or daily VAR.  What management of traders often fail to realize is that if a trader breaks his profit target and DOA to the upside there is every chance in the world that they will experience a similar event to the downside.  Typically the downside events are worse in proportion to the gains and managed less effectively because the trader doesn't want to admit the loss and take it.  They ride the loss and even double down thinking that is will get better, that it will come back, that they can hide it for a few days.  They've been successful in the past and an enormous portion of their professional ego is tied up in being right, being successful.  After all how can you be a successful trader if you're not right most of the time?  (quite a few ways actually but that's another post).

Often, these positions are sanctioned by someone higher up because they also don't want to take the loss and have to report it to their bosses.  If the company is managing positions on a spreadsheet, fails to confirm daily trading activity and mark to market  P&L daily, who is responsible for that decision?  What is $10 million dollars spent  on your risk management system when you're daily VAR is $50 million and some dude right out of business school with a spreadsheet, three girlfriends, credit and broker can take you down $2 billion?  It's not that guy's fault.

More Evidence of the Big Lie

Can you believe your own eyes?  How does the woman stand in the entry hole in WTC if it is hot enough to melt steel?

This is a great video logically explaining how things are not as we were told.