President Rand Paul?

Disregard for Civil Liberties= Rand Paul Presidency? | The Blog of Progress:

 "Blowback! Actions being taken that create unintended consequences. The current trend has been to wantonly disregard Civil Liberties on all fronts. The Obama Administration has followed in the steps of the Bush Administration by embracing the world of cloak and dagger, NSA spying, Drones, The Patriot Act. By taking this course and embracing the National Security state the Obama Administration finds itself at odds with anyone who firmly believes in the idea of preserving civil liberties. That being said the Administration which happens to be a Democrat Administration in taking the actions it is taking is actually paving the path for something which would seem incredible but can happen., A Rand Paul Presidency."

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Personally I can't see it because he is just horrible on every other issue you can name but Alberto does make a bit of a case here. I don't agree with his conclusion but you might.

On Voter Suppression

We didn’t intend for conservatives to interpret “motor voter” as a requirement » Balloon Juice:

"A valid driver’s ID, the standard photo identification issued by states, is accepted for purposes of voting. But as fewer young people obtain driver’s licenses, the routine connection between adulthood and a photo ID is increasingly broken. The partisan implications are clear: In 2012, President Barack Obama captured 60 percent of votes cast by Americans ages 18 to 29. And when it comes to driver’s licenses, there is a wide disparity between poor and minority teens, who are even more likely to vote Democratic, and wealthy and white teens.  

Low-income and minority teens are the least likely to obtain a driver’s license before age 18. Only 25 percent of teens living in households with incomes less than $20,000 obtained their license before they turned 18, while 79 percent of teens were licensed by their eighteenth birthday in households with incomes of $100,000 or more. The findings for licensure by age 18 differed significantly by race and ethnicity, with 67 percent for non-Hispanic white teens, 37 percent for non-Hispanic black teens, and 29 percent for Hispanic teens."

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This is what racism looks like

Cowgirl Up • This is what racism looks like. Racism is the...:

"Racism is the utter lack of compassion it takes to see a mother grieving for a boy and afraid for her own sons, and think, “Wow, that would be really easy to tweak in Photoshop to make her look stupid. Wouldn’t that be funny?”   

 Racism is dehumanizing. Racism robs this woman of her individuality, her humanity, and her gender. “And ain’t I a woman?” This mother ain’t a woman to “The Patriot Nation.” She’s an object to be ridiculed for mistakes she never made; mistakes, in fact, that someone intentionally added to a photo of her for the purpose of mocking her grief and fear."

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Sigh

On Civility

On silencing anger to silence minority voices » Blag Hag:

"If the tone of voice someone uses is enough to make you discount their argument, then you didn’t care about the issue to begin with. And the repeated demand to have things ‘calmly’ explained to you simply means you’re looking for an excuse not to listen. This goes double for people who demand calm explanations, and then IGNORE those explanations when they are given. You. Just. Don’t. Care. And while it may make you feel good to SAY you care, your actions shine through the bullshit veneer of “but I want to learn!” So if you don’t care, at least be honest with yourself and with others. You don’t have to care about every issue, but don’t lie. It’s boring."

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This is PRECISELY my take on BS calls for civility.

On GOP Sanity

Poll: Louisiana GOPers Unsure If Katrina Response Was Obama's Fault | TPM LiveWire:

"The latest survey from Democratic-leaning Public Policy Polling, provided exclusively to TPM, showed an eye-popping divide among Republicans in the Bayou State when it comes to accountability for the government's post-Katrina blunders.  

 Twenty-eight percent said they think former President George W. Bush, who was in office at the time, was more responsible for the poor federal response while 29 percent said Obama, who was still a freshman U.S. Senator when the storm battered the Gulf Coast in 2005, was more responsible. Nearly half of Louisiana Republicans — 44 percent — said they aren't sure who to blame."

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I have a hard time thinking about this in any other way than they hear "Obama" and think "Root of All Evil".

On The Rainmaker Model of Business Development

Does anyone have any evidence that it works for companies doing business with governments that are not highly corrupt? I know it can work well in private industry but I am baffled as to how it can work within the Public Sector where there are so many restrictions on how contracts get let and the generally small size of directed or sole source contracts.

If you have a truly unique service that nobody else offers then I can see it working but in a commodity field (which, let's face it, most of IT is seen as having become) how do you get past just being a participant in a race to be the lowest bidder?

Examples and horror stories accepted via email if you don't want to publish in a public place.

Kayakers paddle to Sable Island

Kayakers paddle to Sable Island | The Chronicle Herald

Two Halifax kayakers have successfully braved the unforgiving waters of the North Atlantic to paddle more than 175 kilometres from Nova Scotia to Sable Island in what they are describing as a life-changing experience. “It was nothing short of magical,” said Jan-Sebastian La Pierre, who made the nearly 30-hour voyage from Canso, the nearest point on Nova Scotia’s mainland to the island, with paddling partner Graham Carter.

 Just so that folks understand what these people accomplished ... the nickname of Sable Island is "The Graveyard of the Atlantic". It is basically a jumped up sandbar on the edge of the continental shelf and surrounded by the North Atlantic. Not for the timid.

The Green Card Chronicles - Part another - The Signing - Part Two

Spent several hours at the Lawyer's office today signing papers and going over various bits and pieces of administrivia. Wrote several large checks and it looks like the clock starts ticking on my application for a green card so 10-12 weeks from now we should be looking across the desk at some nice person from the Department of Homeland Security.

Another Reason Ray Kelly Needs to Be unemployed

New York City Police Commissioner: 'No Question' More People Will Die Without Stop And Frisk | ThinkProgress:

 "New York City Police Commissioner Ray Kelly enthusiastically defended the New York Police Department’s use of the controversial “stop and frisk” program during an appearance on NBC’s Meet the Press Sunday morning. Kelly went so far as to claim that more New Yorkers would die without the procedure in place."

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A New Contender For Dumbest CongressCritter

Congressman Doesn't Believe White Collar Crime Exists:

"There’s no such thing as financial crime, according to Rep. Tom McClintock (R-CA). At a town hall meeting in El Dorado Hills, California on Tuesday, a constituent asked McClintock for his “stance on Wall Street criminal practices.” The congressman responded, “Well first of all, for a criminal practice there has to be a gun. It’s pretty simple.”"

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Competence and The Wikileaks party

The Wikileaks Party Lurches To The Right: Preferences Fascists, Mens-righters and Gun-lovers above the Greens | AusVotes 2013: 

"The only people who can lodge the official form with the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) saying what a party’s preferences are is the Registered Officer, or a deputy Registered Officer. Currently listed as Registered Officer for the Wikileaks Party is Gail Malone, with deputy Registered Officers Karen Cochrane, Cassandra Findlay and Omar Todd.
 Given that such an important “administrative error” has been made, no doubt the Wikileaks Party will soon let us know who lodged the wrong preferences with the AEC and how a person capable of making such an error was appointed to such a little-known but very responsbile post."

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Apparently they need a little more?