Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category

He Said That? 2/24/15

Posted: February 24, 2015 by gamegetterII in Uncategorized

Robert Gore's avatarSTRAIGHT LINE LOGIC

From a question and answer session on reddit.com, from Edward Snowden:

Question (from mason dog13): What’s the best way to make NSA spying an issue in the 2016 Presidential Election? It seems like while it was a big deal in 2013, ISIS and other events have put it on the back burner for now in the media and general public. What are your ideas for how to bring it back to the forefront?

Answer (from Edward Snowden)(bold-face added): This is a good question, and there are some good traditional answers here. Organizing is important. Activism is important.

At the same time, we should remember that governments don’t often reform themselves. One of the arguments in a book I read recently (Bruce Schneier, “Data and Goliath”), is that perfect enforcement of the law sounds like a good thing, but that may not always be the case. The end of crime sounds…

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NRA-ILA

Last Thursday, February 19, the House Committee on Judiciary passed House Bill 1857, sponsored by Laurie Jinkins (D-27), with an amendment by a narrow 7 to 6 vote.  This bill has since been referred to the House Committee on General Government and Information Technology and has been scheduled for executive action on Wednesday, February 25, at 8:00 am.

As previously reported, HB 1857 would allow a family or “household member” or police officer to apply for an order that does one thing and one thing only: deprive someone else of his or her Second Amendment rights.

Under current law, people who pose a danger to themselves or others may be dealt with in a number of ways, depending on the circumstances.  They can be arrested for a crime and subject to bail conditions or pretrial detention.  They can have a restraining order or other protective order issued against them.  They can be held for a mental health evaluation and committed to a mental institution.  Any of those things can lead to a prohibition on firearm possession under current law.  All of them require some type of judicial process, so people are not arbitrarily deprived of their liberty or their rights.

HB 1857 seeks to make the fundamental rights guaranteed by the Second Amendment subject to summary judicial cancellation by allowing virtually anybody to call for the confiscation of anybody’s firearms.  No other fundamental right is subject to such infringement and HB 1857 has a high potential for abuse.  Supposed indications in the bill of what qualifies as “dangerousness” include ordinary things people have a legal right to do, including buying firearms and consuming alcohol.

It is critical that HB 1857 does not make it through the House Committee on General Government and Information Technology.  Please contact the members of this committee TODAY and urge them to oppose this bill.  Contact information for committee members is provided below:

House General Government and Information Technology Committee:

Representative Zack Hudgins (D-11), Chair
Phone: (360) 786-7956

Representative Tana Senn (D-41), Vice Chair
Phone: (360) 786-7894

Representative Drew MacEwen (R-35), Ranking Minority Member
Phone: (360) 786-7902

Representative Michelle Caldier (R-26)
Phone: (360) 786-7802

Representative Gina McCabe, (R-14)
Phone: (360) 786-7856

Representative Jeff Morris (D-40)
Phone: (360) 786-7970

Representative Dean Takko (D-19)
Phone: (360) 786-7806

NPFD 2015/1: Draft 5WH

Posted: February 24, 2015 by gamegetterII in Uncategorized

70 years ago, Marines raise flag on Iwo Jima

Posted: February 23, 2015 by gamegetterII in Uncategorized

FILE – In this Feb. 23, 1945 file photo, U.S. Marines of the 28th Regiment, 5th Division, raise a U.S. flag atop Mount Suribachi, Iwo Jima. Strategically located 660 miles from Tokyo, the Pacific island became the site of one of the bloodiest, most famous battles of World War II against Japan. (Joe Rosenthal, File/Associated Press)

EDITOR’S NOTE — On Feb. 23, 1945, Associated Press photographer Joe Rosenthal took a photograph that would become one of the most recognizable and reproduced images in history. It showed five Marines and a Navy corpsman raising an American flag atop Mount Suribachi during the World War II Battle of Iwo Jima.

Seventy years after its original publication, the AP is making Rosenthal’s photo and the story about the assault on Mount Suribachi available.

(Reuters) – A former police officer shot a Georgia county sheriff and his deputy when they intervened in a domestic dispute in which three people were killed, local media said on Monday.

Habersham County’s Joey Terrell and Deputy Bill Zigan had been called out late on Sunday to a house in Clarkesville, northeastern Georgia, where they had found a woman dead in the garage, the Atlanta Journal Constitution (AJC) reported, citing the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.

Neither men had life-threatening injuries, AJC said.

The woman in the garage has been identified as the ex-wife of the gunman – a former police officer in Gainesville, Florida – and he was also among the dead, local media said.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation could not immediately be reached for comment.

(Reporting by Victoria Cavaliere in Seattle; Editing by Louise Ireland)

Herbal medicine and the National Institute of Health

Posted: February 23, 2015 by gamegetterII in Uncategorized

Ed Grouch, MD's avatarHogwarts School of Grid-Down Medicine and Wizardry

herbal-medicine

Most of you know by now, that I am simultaneously open and closed to the idea of herbal medications.

On the one hand, it is no secret that a substantial number of medications currently used by Western medicine, originated in a plant or fungus somewhere.  On the other hand, the world of herbal medications is drenched in poor science, marketing gimmicks, outrageous claims, and pure falsehoods.

Replace “swords” with “unfounded opinion”, “executive power” with “medical confidence”, and “masses” with “data”.

The NIH has established the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, whose purpose is to evaluate these claims.  I recommend their website for your consideration.

Some of you will note the “Herbs at a Glance” section, which I also recommend.  In point of fact, you can download the entire section as a free ebook in whatever format your e-reader likes.  Which seems like a good deal.

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Feds: America Should Adopt ‘Plant-Based’ Diet

Posted: February 22, 2015 by gamegetterII in Uncategorized

h/t Wirecutter

Read the entire article-these people are insane-they want to control everything you eat-everything you do-where you get your food,how your food is cooked,and they want to “monitor” your every move. If you are not marching in lockstep with their system-they plan on calling in “trained interventionists”.
Remember-can’t eat beef or pork-raising livestock is bad for Gaia- and causes climate change,droughts,hurricanes,tornadoes,blizzards,earthquakes-and leads to Gaia worshiping women protesting in front of your home-women who don’t believe in shaving their legs or armpits-or bathing daily.These people seek to control everything you do,where you live,where you work,where you can and can not drive-or walk-how much Tee Vee you watch,how much time you spend on the interwebz,what sites you visit while on the interwebz,what light bulbs you can use,and what toilet you can install- in your own homes,what  kind of car you can drive,what kind of lawnmower you can buy,what kind of weedwhacker and chainsaw you can buy-and on and on and on-(okay,some of that’s not in the article-but is already  in place,or being enacted)-all in because of earth -(Gaia)-worship,disguised as “environmentalism”. This bullshit is the U.N.’s Agenda 21 on ‘roids.

Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee calls for taxing dessert, ‘electronic tracking’ of time spent watching TV

The federal committee responsible for nutrition guidelines is calling for the adoption of “plant-based” diets, taxes on dessert, trained obesity “interventionists” at worksites, and electronic monitoring of how long Americans sit in front of the television.

The Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (DGAC) released its far-reaching 571-page report of recommendations to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Thursday, which detailed its plans to “transform the food system.”

The report is open for public comment for 45 days, and will be used as the basis by the government agencies to develop the 2015 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. The guidelines are used as the basis for government food assistance programs, nutrition education efforts, and for making “decisions about national health objectives.”

DGAC proposed a variety of solutions to address obesity, and its promotion of what it calls the “culture of health.”

“The persistent high levels of overweight and obesity require urgent population- and individual-level strategies across multiple settings, including health care, communities, schools, worksites, and families,” they said.

In response, DGAC called for diet and weight management interventions by “trained interventionists” in healthcare settings, community locations, and worksites.

“Government at local, state, and national levels, the health care system, schools, worksites, community organizations, businesses, and the food industry all have critical roles in developing creative and effective solutions,” they said.

DGAC also called for policy interventions to “reduce unhealthy options,” limit access to high calorie foods in public buildings, “limit the exposure” of advertisements for junk food, a soda tax, and taxing high sugar and salt items and dessert.

“Align nutritional and agricultural policies with Dietary Guidelines recommendations and make broad policy changes to transform the food system so as to promote population health, including the use of economic and taxing policies to encourage the production and consumption of healthy foods and to reduce unhealthy foods,” its report read.

“For example, earmark tax revenues from sugar-sweetened beverages, snack foods and desserts high in calories, added sugars, or sodium, and other less healthy foods for nutrition education initiatives and obesity prevention programs.”

The amount of sedentary time Americans spend in front of computers and TV sets is also a concern to the federal panel.

They recommended “coaching or counseling sessions,” “peer-based social support,” and “electronic tracking and monitoring of the use of screen-based technologies” as a way to limit screen time.

The screen-time recommendations came from The Community Guide, a group affiliated with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which reviewed studies that used an “electronic monitoring device to limit screen time” of teenagers.

As expected, the committee recommended that Americans move toward “plant-based” diets, after months of discussions in meetings regarding environmentalism and food policy.

DGAC said its recommendations to eat less meat are intended to “maximize environmental sustainability” out of concerns for climate change.

“The major findings regarding sustainable diets were that a diet higher in plant-based foods, such as vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds, and lower in calories and animal-based foods is more health promoting and is associated with less environmental impact than is the current U.S. diet,” DGAC said.

DGAC recommended Mediterranean-style and vegetarian diets as the best options. Vegan, lacto-ovo vegetarian, pesco-vegetarian, and Mediterranean diets are the most environmentally friendly, with the least greenhouse gas emissions, it said.

“All of these dietary patterns are aligned with lower environmental impacts and provide options that can be adopted by the U.S. population,” the report said. “Current evidence shows that the average U.S. diet has a larger environmental impact in terms of increased greenhouse gas emissions, land use, water use, and energy use, compared to the above dietary patterns. This is because the current U.S. population intake of animal-based foods is higher and plant-based foods are lower, than proposed in these three dietary patterns.”

The report added, “no food groups need to be eliminated completely to improve sustainability outcomes over the current status.”

The committee also said that “altering individual and population dietary choices and patterns” would be necessary to meet its sustainability goals, as well as policy changes.

“New well-coordinated policies that include, but are not limited to, agriculture, economics, transportation, energy, water use, and dietary guidance need to be developed,” DGAC said. “Behaviors of all participants in the food system are central to creating and supporting sustainable diets.”

The report did drop its recommendation to limit cholesterol intake to no more than 300 milligrams per day, after warning of its dangers for nearly 40 years. The panel also signed off on three to five cups of coffee a day, saying moderate caffeine consumption can reduce the risks of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

DGAC concluded that in order to achieve its goal of a population-wide “culture of health,” personal health must become a “human right.”

“In such a culture, preventing diet- and physical activity-related diseases and health problems would be much more highly valued, the resources and services needed to achieve and maintain health would become a realized human right across all population strata, the needs and preferences of the individual would be seriously considered, and individuals and their families/households would be actively engaged in promoting their personal health and managing their preventive health services and activities,” they said.

Feds: America Should Adopt ‘Plant-Based’ Diet

What justification can government give for not keeping track of police shootings of citizens?

From David Codrea…

A woman has been shot dead by police in Gastonia, N.C. Betty Sexton had called 911 to have unwelcome guests removed from her home, and was in the process of obeying orders to put down an old musket she was protecting herself with when Officer LaDoniqua Neely shot her in the chest, WCCB Charlotte reported Tuesday, quoting the dead woman’s sister.

Per Steve Watson of Infowars, “Gastonia Police have already shot and killed three people so far this year.” In that report, he links to another in which Gastonia Police killed a sick veteran.

In the Sexton case, the State Bureau of Investigations has taken over. Additionally, and this is important, a neighbor warns against drawing “conclusions based off one-sided information. That’s reckless.”

That’s a valid point. As we would expect a presumption of innocence until proven guilty, so too are law enforcement professionals entitled to the same rights. As has been pointed out in my explanation for the “Only Ones” meme established on The War on Guns blog, a main purpose of that feature is to ensure police are not exempted from standards of conduct “ordinary citizens” would be punished for. The flip side to that is, it would be grossly unfair to penalize a cop for shooting in a situation where gun rights advocates would support a non-LEO’s self-defense claim.

Unfortunately, the scope of the problem is unknown, and that’s something Neill Franklin, a “34-year veteran of the Maryland State Police and Baltimore Police Department,” is trying to change.

Franklin has authored a petition posted at Change.org to “Create a national database for police shootings.” To date, he’s collected over 50,000 of the 75,000 signatures he’s seeking

“[I]t troubles me that there is no national database to track police shootings of civilians,” Franklin explains. “This means that we don’t know exactly how many people are killed by police each year. And lawmakers and other authorities don’t have the information they need when making decisions about policy changes that could save lives.”

In his role as Executive Director of LEAP (Law Enforcement Against Prohibition), Franklin has been a leading voice in opposing the “ignorance, stubbornness, unsubstantiated fear and greed” associated with criminalizing drugs, and now works “to reduce the multitude of harmful consequences resulting from fighting the war on drugs and to lessen the incidence of death, disease, crime, and addiction by ending drug prohibition.”

With his additional effort to establish real knowledge about police shootings, Franklin is once more showing how positive change can be effected by those who value civil liberties working within law enforcement, and how citizens partnering with them can help to bridge the gulf of “us vs. them” mistrust.

Such a database would, of course, not affect the outcome of the current Gastonia investigation, but what it would do is ensure those results are properly recorded and categorized. That would provide a superior means of providing oversight, both by government investigators and private citizens acting in the capacity of lawyers, journalists and watchdog activists. That, in turn, should complement Franklin’s ultimate goal when he’s wearing his LEAP hat, “to reduce the multitude of harmful consequences … and to lessen the incidence of death.”

http://www.examiner.com/article/gun-death-at-hands-of-police-demonstrates-public-s-need-for-relevant-data?CID=examiner_alerts_article

Hypothermia and cold injuries

Posted: February 21, 2015 by gamegetterII in Uncategorized

Good things to know-avoid having your hands and feet look like the pics-dress for the weather-and always carry extra dry clothing including multiple pairs of socks. I wear wool socks in winter for two reasons- first is they are warm-second is wool is still warm when it gets wet.

IvyMike's avatarHogwarts School of Grid-Down Medicine and Wizardry

frozenJack

As of this writing, if you are living in the eastern half of these United States, chances are you are smack in the middle of the Siberian Express cold spell that has temperatures 20, 30, and even 40 degrees cooler than normal.

The winter wonderland it has brought us is bracing, refreshing, and deadly if you are not careful. Let’s take a quick look at hypothermia.

Hypothermia is a reduction in core body temperature below 95°F as measured by a rectal thermometer placed six inches into the rectum. The best way to avoid a thermometer six inches into your rectum is to not get hypothermia. The best way to not get hypothermia is to not do dumb stuff. Let’s look at some prevention before we look at fixing injuries.

Be aware of the macro environment. Watch the weather report and see how cold, wet, and windy it is going to…

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Stephen Sargent, a new officer on the Houston police force, was arrested at a Academy Sports and Outdoors store for allegedly stealing $60 worth of ammunition. KPRC reports:

Officials with the Houston Police Department said Sargent has only been on the force for a few months and was still listed as a probationary officer. As to why he would allegedly steal ammunition — for now, we are waiting to hear from Sargent himself.

“Obviously he shouldn’t need it for his job,” says [customer Chris] Kelly.

Sargent was charged with theft, and his bond is set at $500. His first court appearance is set for Feb. 23.

http://houston.suntimes.com/hou-news/7/76/73663/houston-police