1984 All Over Again...

Excuse me, ma’am,” says the man. “Our records show that your eleven-year-old daughter has not been immunized for genital warts.” “And your four-year-old still needs the chicken-pox vaccine,” says the woman. “He will not be allowed to start kindergarten unless he gets that shot, you know,” says the man—smiling from ear to ear.

“So, can we please come in?” asks the woman. “We have the vaccines right here,” she says, lifting up a black medical bag. “We can give your kids the shots right now.”

“We are from the government,” says the man, “and we’re here to help.”

No! this is not a paragraph from the George Orwell's novel, 1984 where Big Brother is running the country, but it's an actual news article from a right-wing outlet. I'm usually not too involved in politics but this caught my attention. So I read into it. The actual Act does not read like this but the 'press release' issues by the Senate HELP (Health, Education, Labor and Pension) Committee does.

It's funny how the press release seems to add fuel to the propaganda fire...

Sounds crazy! I know, but here is the language of the press release:

Authorizes a demonstration program to improve immunization coverage. Under this program, CDC will... improve immunization coverage .... through the use of evidence-based INTERVENTIONS. States may use funds to implement interventions that are recommended by the Community Preventive Services Task Force, such as reminders or recalls for patients or providers, or HOME VISITS.”
---- HELP Committee Press Release (Emphasis & capitalization are mine)

OK! My Orwellian mind just created a storyline. I am picturing a nice female nurse in a nurse uniform and a 1960's nurses hat. The odd thing is - she is wearing a badge! Hello! Officers coming to my house to intervene in my decisions to recommend how I am to seek out health care or not - all for MY BENEFIT!!!

Have we lost our minds... I don't know what to make of the press release, but the media is definitely spinning some web.

As you may have noticed, my last few posts have been labeled "Conspiracy-theor-itis" as if I've caught a new disease. Maybe I have, because I can't discern what to believe in. But in keeping with the theme of this blog, I want to be empowered - in spite of what the current circumstances may look like.

So what I intend to do with these Conspiracy-theor-itis posts is only to open my eyes and to stay present to what is going on around me. What is being said (by both sides) & discern for myself what to believe. I can no longer go about my everyday existence believing that the government will fix it all and all I need to worry about is who to vote for.

I need to be attentive & involved & decisive.

Anyway, I did say I wanted to create a context that will empower me! so here it is: I was reading Andy Andrews' "Traveler's Gift" - here he shows the "Seven Decisions that Determine Personal Success." The story is about David Ponder, a man down on his luck. He is confronted by where he is in life & not seeing the fact that decisions he has made in life has lead him here. The first decision is "The Buck Stops Here" it is a context for taking responsibility for how the past was. Not as a blaming-what-went-wrong kinda way, but in a way to "free myself to move into a bigger, brighter future of my own choosing."

With this new 'perspective', I am taking responsibility of keeping my mind in check. Not buying in wholesale to the crap, but having myself "live in a solution of the future."

And stand behind that decision...

As California Goes, So Goes the Nation...

I am reminded of an old saying :

As California goes, so goes the nation."

Not sure who said it, but it is what has happened in the past. When California adopted the clear air initiatives, so did - shortly thereafter - the rest of the states. In many positive ways California has been influential and a forerunner in the growth of this country. After all, Calfornia is the largest economy in the United States and one of the biggest in the world in its own right.

But for the past while, I've been keeping up with California and its woes. The IOU's almost -in my mind - sounded like a joke. But then when three of California's biggest banks (Wells Fargo, JPMorgan Chase and Bank of America), 'refused' to honor the IOU's I stopped laughing. It is really concerning what that means. Imagine California's banks refusing to accept the IOU's! Where does that leave the government employees who got them. Where does that leave the recipient's of the "130,000 IOUs worth a total of $436 million"

And on Marketwatch.com's report, it stated that:

California delayed a $4 billion payment to its Education Department, and the president of the state's university system proposed furloughing tens of thousands of employees.

Today in reading an AP report, things started to seem really freaky! I mean - stock up on canned goods, vegetable seeds & survival gear kind-a-freaky.

[Arnold Schwarzenegger's] administration would cut another 2,000 jobs to help close California’s $26.3 billion budget deficit."

This comes in the heels of "layoff notices to 4,600 state employees." What would these people do when they can't cash these IOU's to make their mortgage payments? In Florida, when the housing & foreclosure crisis hit, lots of people just moved away. People were displaced & move on to another state that is doing better. Near-by states have to deal with the migration. So, in the foreseeable future, we may see this happen in California. And what would happen to the near-by states that will be forced to take in the migration.

The article continues with:

Moody’s Investor Services downgraded California bonds to near-junk status, from A2 to Baa1

As many states are 'corporations' (by this I mean their bonds are publicly-traded in the financial markets) what would the devaluation of their bonds do to the overall value of the financial markets?

But then I read a little further & saw this statement that left me wondering"

"We recognize the seriousness of the budget crisis, but we also wonder if this is just another ploy by the governor to use state workers as pawns in his budget negotiations," said Zamora, whose union represents about 95,000 state employees.

In the past I would have laughed off (I gotta stop using that language - it is no longer laughable) dismissed this statement as a conspiracy nut-job, but I don't hear Obama speak of bailing out the state! He jumped right in an bailed out the banks and finance companies immediately! Dammit, they were the ones who caused the financial failure of this country, in the first place! He even allows those executives to get their million-dollar bonuses - even after they caused their companies to fail.

Where is he when California is in a major crisis? Back to the saying "As California goes, so goes the nation." Where is Obama going to be when the next state fails? and the next & the next... New York has the next largest deficit at 17.9 Billion.

Now don't take this as Obama-bashing. The way I see it, he is only a pawn in a bigger game, controlled by bigger fish. The game is played the same no matter which pawns are in place. This is where I fall down that rabbit-hole and into the trap.

Wow!!! this leads to a bigger question. Could it be true what the conspiracy theorists have been saying all along: this is what the Powers-That-Be want to happen!!! I'm starting to believe this may just be the case. a NEW WORLD ORDER

How much more unstable can it get - is full, total collapse of the U.S. Dollar possible for the near future??? As the Web Bot's 'time monks' predicted, Hyperinflation is here! They also predict total collapse/devaluation of the U.S. Dollar for the next few months - so maybe it is time to get your seeds & survival gear ready.

Happy Independence Day! Be Free....

On this day, in celebration of our country's Independence, I feel that I must share & refresh my mind with the original intent our Founding Fathers had for this country. This is the time to stand for our rights and freedom that our fore-fathers gave thier lives for.

When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation."

Our Founding Fathers asserted that it is a Natural Law that people have the ability to assume political Independence. We are the 'governed' who can say what our government needs to be. And if that government no longer serves the purpose of the 'governed,' then we have the right to do something about it.

It is the 'right of the people' to abolish such government - not unpatriotic as we are lead to believe.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed.

But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security."

The Founding Fathers put their money where their mouth is. Not only did they risk fortune, but they risk their lives and honor as well. They put their whole faith and trusted in the 'Divine Providence' to get them though. This we must also do - trust in the Divine to get us through...

And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.

John Hancock
Button Gwinnett
Lyman Hall
Geo. Walton
Wm. Hooper
Joseph Hewes
John Penn
Edward Rutledge
Thos. Heyward, Junr.
Thomas Lynch, Junr.
Arthur Middleton
Samuel Chase
Wm. Paca
Thos. Stone
Charles Carroll of Carrollton
George Wythe
Richard Henry Lee
Th. Jefferson
Benja. Harrison
Thos. Nelson, Jr.
Francis Lightfoot Lee
Carter Braxton
Robt. Morris
Benjamin Rush
Benja. Franklin
John Morton
Geo. Clymer
Jas. Smith
Geo. Taylor
James Wilson
Geo. Ross
Caesar Rodney
Geo. Read
Tho. Mckean
Wm. Floyd
Phil. Livingston
Frans. Lewis
Lewis Morris
Richd. Stockton
Jno. Witherspoon
Fras. Hopkinson
John Hart
Abra. Clark
Josiah Bartlett
Wm. Whipple
Saml. Adams
John Adams
Robt. Treat Paine
Elbridge Gerry
Step. Hopkins
William Ellery
Roger Sherman
Samuel Huntington
Wm. Williams
Oliver Wolcott
Matthew Thornton

Iphone App Thats Help You Avoid a Speeding Ticket! Oh my What Else Does it Do???

I was searching for a new app for my blackberry when I ran into this interesting bit. Trapster.com has made an app for the smartphone (BlackBerry, IPhone, Nokia Ovi, Andriod, etc) & even for a GPS device that will help you avoid getting a speeding ticket.

What the heck?!?! An app that will detect every cop with a radar gun? Not really, it basically shows you a Google Map with pinpoints that show you locations of upcoming police speed trap, ticket cameras, etc.

This really caught my attention! I knew that there are cameras all over the place & that we are being watched in more places then ever. And I've even heard of cops sending a ticket by mail (WSJ Story), for a speeding/running red light violations caught on a traffic camera. But what I didn't know was the extent of tracking devices that are now being used by our policing agencies.

Here in Boynton Beach, I've seen new poles go up on the side of the Fla. Turnpike & Sawgrass Expressways with cameras on top. But lately I have seen a new device being installed. I've always wondered what these devices are - since they are so many of them! They are white flat plates hanging off the pole, below where the cameras are located. They are located about every 1/2 mile on both sides of the road.

These plates are RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) receivers!

According to an RFID Journal story, these devices will receive an RF signal sent out from 'individual' Sun-Pass & E-Pass transmitters that we all have in our cars. I thought they were only for toll payments!!

Now, let me warn you, I may have caught a new found illness called 'Conspiracy-Theor-itis', and the symptoms are contagious. So you may be wondering where am I going with this, but bear with me.

Every Sun-Pass, E-Pass, etc. transmits an RFID signal & this device will read it even though there is no toll to be collected. What's the purpose then? They say "traffic-flow management" but I offer a quote from the RFID Journal that gives a different hint:

The goal is to implement a system that would trace the travel time of individual cars as they pass the roadside readers, create an average trip time and then disseminate that information to the public."
---RFID Journal Nov. 17, 2004

What would the public want with that information? I read the article with more interest this time & I got some more info:

readers, positioned about a half mile apart on the expressway, will track travel time and send traffic-flow data to be monitored by the Florida Department of Transportation."

OK traffic-flow control sounds interesting, but why collect individual information, why not just aggregate info. Sure they say that once the info is recorded, the personal identifying info is 'discarded.' OK! so why collect it in the first place?

My theory: Rate of Speed = Distance traveled multiplied by Time it takes to travel that preset distance (S = D x T). Sounds like not only a speeding ticket coming your way, but tracking movement of individual vehicles.

You might be saying, "I've got nothing to worry. I don't use a Sun/E Pass!" Well, you might be surprised to see the latest in gadgetry that the DMV is using. How about replacing your auto tag/license plate with a new and improved "tag w/RFID chips that contain VIN information" of the car's registration. There is a patent application that is pending! The vendor even hints at the privacy implications:

Note: Since a motor vehicle can often cross state lines during it’s lifetime, individual state DMV’s... would not be accurate locators in determining it’s (current) state of registration... This would be better served by ... a proprietary database set up by law enforcement agencies themselves."
--- RFID2VIN.com

Are they suggesting a 'Federal' regulatory agency for vehicle registration & information??? At this point I am reminded of what Benjamin Franklin said:

Any people that would give up liberty for a little temporary safety deserves neither liberty nor safety."
--- Benjamin Franklin

Are we giving up too much freedom to have a 'safe' society?

Is this too crazy yet?

Here is another quote from another RFID Journal article:

RFID reader at the Nida Check Point, in Lithuania: As trucks travel past fixed interrogators placed on poles throughout the trade lanes, vehicle and cargo information is recorded. At border crossing check points, custom’s officers are then able to retrieve that information from a remote server..."
--- RFID Journal April 15, 2008

OK, damn! the symptoms of conspiracy-theor-itis are really flaring up now!!! My heart is racing, my palms are sweaty! But if I can come up with these things, don't you think the inventors & the police dept have as well. Tracking of individual cargo is already in use in Europe!!!

Did you notice the wording of this article? The devices are 'interrogators' not just receivers. What are they interrogating? Well, the article continues with:

to make data about cargo movements available on their own databases... The customs agency attaches seals on the cargo doors of incoming trucks... On-board sensors on the seals monitor the state of each seal and provide alerts in the event of any attempts to tamper with it or open the doors, by transmitting a signal to the closest receiving RFID interrogator, located either on a highway or at border crossings.

How much further down the rabbit hole do you want to go?

It is not only his right, but his duty...to find the verdict according to his own best understanding, judgment and conscience, though in direct opposition to the direction of the court."
--- John Adams

I was thinking, what if this tracking is not just for traffic-flow control but to track the movement of individuals throughout the country? Sounds like symptoms of the disease - I know! And you may be wondering - A transmitter in the car reveals only who is the owner of the car. Not the person driving it, right?

So guess what many states are now pushing for their citizens? An WHTI (Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative) - Compliant Enhanced driver's licenses (EDL)& an Enhanced non-driver photo ID cards (ENDID). New York is advertising it as a "Smart way to Travel!"

What makes us think that, one day they won't be tracking that new WHTI-compliant EDL in your wallet as you drive down the highway. They can track anybody and without commiting a traffic violation, stop us. See technically the borders of the U.S.A. extend 100 miles inland from the coast lines. All of Florida is within a Constitution-Free Zone and they have the right to do just that as they please.(This is another rabbit hole - sorry, I digress!!!)

All the components are there & If I can put 2+2 together, what makes you think that they haven't!!!

So am I trying to scare you? No, the real reason for this post is to make you & me aware - open up our eyes - of how we are passively giving up our rights. On this day of Independence, question everything & get your Senator/Congressman to keep an eye open & protect your freedom! Because the real question is:

who is watching the watchers... Who is watching out for us - the citizens - to make sure that they do not abuse the systems they have at hand?

---

Freedom makes a huge requirement of every human being. With freedom comes responsibility. For the person who is unwilling to grow up, the person who does not want to carry is own weight, this is a frightening prospect.

---Eleanor Roosevelt