Trans Pacific Partnership Terms Agreed On

These people today aren’t really conservatives.  Conservatives don’t believe in judicial activism such as Citizen’s United demonstrates.  There are other laws liberals pass that get struck down by Judges appointed by conservatives.  Judges are appointed for this very reason of advancing a political agenda.  There are states that are over-bearing with counties and cities such as is the case with Detroit.  States pass laws that say counties and cities will NOT pass certain anti pollution laws.  Also the Federal government has passed a law, or is trying to, that mandates that no state shall pass GMO food labeling laws.  The Trans Pacific Partnership was officially agreed upon a couple of days ago.  The principles of the TPP are anathema to classic conservatives.  This agreement will overrule both legislatures and courts in this country in favor of some shadow government ruled by transnational corporations to do their bidding.  Thom Hartman and others have stressed that all of the provisions of the TPP are not for “free” trade at all but to advance the cause and financial interests of these trans nationals.  It is pointed out that the US still won’t be able to sell to many countries covered because most every other nation has a value added tax or VAT.  This is a tax that is levied at every stage along the production process every time “value” is added to any product or raw material.  If this figure if fifteen percent- this is a VAT or value added tax added for goods going, for instance, from the USA to Mexico.  But if Mexico sells a product here there is no VAT so American citizens end up paying fifteen percent less than they would in their home country in Mexico.  This is a double edged tariff and anti-tariff at the same time.    It’s said that Reinz Pervis will never allow Trump to be nominated by his Republican party because Trump doesn’t buy into this trans-national bit.  It has been my belief that we should all be economic nationalists, doing what’s in the interest of America.

  Wesley Clark in late 2007 said it was our secret policy after 9 – 11 to take out five regeme Mideast countries in seven years, or seven regemes in five years, or something.  And Wolfiwitz and Scudder Libby were around in 1991 during Gulf War I and Clark talked to them then too.   Michael Moore needs to start putting out movies again.  He was on such a roll for a while under the Bush administration with critiques on Bush and Health Care and Bowling for Colembine or what have you, but the past five years Michael More hasn’t done a thing.  It can’t be for any lack of new revelations because we have gotten plenty of those.

Here's your soap news.   Jack Junior is the one who has made a lot of mistakes when it comes to Clyde Weston and now he’s about to be killed barring a miracle.  Meanwhile Chad has some plan himself to “entrap” Clyde.  Ben is paranoid because Abigail turned down Clyde’s (repeated) requests to help pay for the wedding.  Meanwhile I don’t know if “Colic” is an actual disease of what but little Tate, Teresa and Brady’s son has it.

Yesterday Jerry Brown signed the latest right to die bill, or physician assisted suicide.  I think it’s a dark day for the dignity of man.  California joins four other states- - Vermont, Montana, Oregon, and Washington state.  Governor Brown didn’t like the “tricky procedure” the “special session” used to pass this death bill.  Despite the Governor's protests he signed the bill yesterday.   Life is suddenly cheaper than it was yesterday.  It's even easier now to get these DNR or "do not recessitate" notices on patients, where if you go in for a hang nail you're likely to end up dead if you're not careful.  The California plan was modeled after Oregon's law.

I had a strange dream last night involving going to the liquor store to the east intending to buy two Mickey’s beers.  It was just after ten and I knew Stater Brothers would no longer be open and I needed something.  Suddenly I was on Lincoln headed twords Rio Vista and crossed a bunch of railroad tracks instead of the 57 Freeway.  There was a store there but it was at the SE corner of this mini mall.  And there was a long check out line.  And I guess I finally got through it, but (here is where it gets really strange) there was a hall leading to the exit of the store and it said Lincoln toll tunnel (under the railroad tracks) $1.50 and I wasn’t sure I had that remaining with me.  “Why would they put in a west bound tunnel and not an east bound tunnel?  So I got in some complaint line but somehow glass windows descended around me so I was tapping on the pane wanting to be heard.  Finally a police officer got my attention and he raised the window (somehow) and he just said to me “You look like a guy who needs a cop” and I told him of my complaint about the toll and he just left and said “Good luck”.  And I was left muttering to myself as by now I had found a dollar and a half in change- - and the guy said “It’s after eleven.  The complaint window is closing”.

“I think the American people should be extremely concerned about their personal rights and privacy. As I was being searched at the airport, there was a Latino couple to my left, and an Asian couple to my right also being aggressively searched. I briefly had to remind myself that this was not North Korea or Nazi Germany. This is the land of the Free.

– Anthony Silva, Mayor of Stockton, California

Just in case you’re still under the infantile illusion that you reside in a free country.

From ArsTechnica:

Stockton, California Mayor Anthony R. Silva attended a recent mayor’s conference in China, but his return trip took a bit longer than usual. At the San Francisco International Airport (SFO) this week, agents with the Department of Homeland Security detained Silva and confiscated his personal cell phone among other electronics. According to comments from the mayor, that may not even be the most alarming part.

“Unfortunately, they were not willing or able to produce a search warrant or any court documents suggesting they had a legal right to take my property,” Silva told SFGate. “In addition, they were persistent about requiring my passwords for all devices.”

The mayor’s attorney, Mark Reichel, told SFGate that Silva was not allowed to leave the airport without forfeiting his passwords. Reichel was not present for Silva’s interaction with the DHS agents, either. The mayor was told he had “no right for a lawyer to be present” and that being a US citizen did not “entitle me to rights that I probably thought,” according to the paper.

Evidently, Silva was well aware of the situation and only had his concerns heightened by first-hand experience. Talking to SFGate, he briefly compared the government battle on privacy to notorious dictatorships worldwide.

“I think the American people should be extremely concerned about their personal rights and privacy,” Silva told the paper. “As I was being searched at the airport, there was a Latino couple to my left, and an Asian couple to my right also being aggressively searched. I briefly had to remind myself that this was not North Korea or Nazi Germany. This is the land of the Free.”

This is not what freedom looks like.