Quote of the Day – Tim Cook (2/17/2016)

While we believe the FBI’s intentions are good, it would be wrong for the government to force us to build a backdoor into our products. And ultimately, we fear that this demand would undermine the very freedoms and liberty our government is meant to protect.

Tim Cook – A Message to Our Customers

February 16, 2016


[First, go read the whole thing; all of it. There are different things that can be used for quotes, but that final line says it all.

If you’re having trouble understanding why they wouldn’t help the government there’s a couple different things going on here. If you read their security document for iOS there is little that can actually be done. While no one on this side of the fence is supporting the actions of those asshats that shot up a Christmas party the most common argument I’ve seen has been appeal to emotion to catch those that supported them.

Yes, I want to catch them. Then break into their phone!!! Apple is aiding and abetting by not helping. No they’re not because there’s a lot more at stake than just one phone despite the claims by the government. Anything they build can be used against any other iPhone. Not only that, if it falls into the wrong hands it can be used for criminal enterprise.

Tim used the following line as well:

Criminals and bad actors will still encrypt, using tools that are readily available to them.

This is most definitely true. As pointed out to me by Ashley, if you replace the words and shift the subject this reads like letter from the President of the NRA.

I came to the following realization which cements just how important and how right this stance is. What the FBI wants fails the Jews in the Attic test. To think that this will only be used in this one case is naïve and without forethought.  There is no way you will keep a genie like this in the bottle. At some point it’s going to get out and it’s not going be pretty.

Say what you will about Apple, but at least they have the balls to stand up and not just play dead due to an “Appeal to Emotion.” -B ]

 

Assault Weapons Ban Comes to Washington

Rep. Jim Moeller (D-49, Vancouver) took steps to ban modern pistols, rifles and shotguns in Washington when he pre-filed HB 2354 for the 2016 Legislative Session on Tuesday.

Moeller would bar the manufacture, possess, purchase, sale or transfer of any pistol or rifle with ability to hold more than 10 rounds, shotguns with revolving cylinders and make possession of such or a long list of accessories a felony punishable by up to 5 years in prison.

As Speaker Pro Tempore for the Washington House of Representatives and one of the leading Democrats running for the office of Lieutenant Governor is clearly a leader of and major force in the Washington Democratic Party. As such, voters must assume that this action reveals the true intentions of his party – imposing gun bans, seizures and entrapment upon law-abiding Washington gun owners.

If you’re from the 49th Legislative District, there is a rally that was already planned for this Friday. I suggest you arrive and pay your representative a visit. I also suggest strongly you start working on finding a replacement.

Quote of the Day – Rob Thubron (12/30/2015)

Specifically, UK ministers want to make it a criminal offence for tech firms to warn users of requests for access to their communication data made by security organizations such as MI5, MI6 and GCHQ (the Government Communications Headquarters).

Rob ThubronTech companies face criminal charges if they notify users of UK government spying

December 30th, 2015


[Coming soon to a country near you…

This right here is a classic case of “it’s fine when we do it and illegal when anyone else does it.” Seriously, you’re required to notify users of a breach of security regarding their accounts, not to mention it’s the morally correct thing to do. Yet somehow all those rules go right out the window merely because it’s a government agency who’s getting into the account.

You want indemnity to prevent disclosure. Simple, get a real honest to god warrant, not to mention the death to the secret courts. Nothing aids abuse better than these types of shenanigans. -B]

 

Quote of the Day – HR 4269 (12/28/2015)

To regulate assault weapons, to ensure that the right to keep and bear arms is not unlimited, and for other purposes.

Mr. Cicilline (for himself, Ms. Adams, Mr. Aguilar, Ms. Bass, Mr. Becerra, Mr. Beyer, Mr. Blumenauer, Ms. Bonamici, Mr. Brendan F. Boyle of Pennsylvania, Mr. Brady of Pennsylvania, Ms. Brown of Florida, Ms. Brownley of California, Mrs. Capps, Mr. Capuano, Mr. Cárdenas, Mr. Carney, Mr. Carson of Indiana, Mr. Cartwright, Ms. Judy Chu of California, Ms. Clark of Massachusetts, Ms. Clarke of New York, Mr. Cohen, Mr. Connolly, Mr. Conyers, Mr. Courtney, Mr. Crowley, Mr. Cummings, Mr. Danny K. Davis of Illinois, Mrs. Davis of California, Ms. DeGette, Mr. Delaney, Ms. DeLauro, Mr. DeSaulnier, Mr. Deutch, Mr. Doggett, Mr. Michael F. Doyle of Pennsylvania, Ms. Duckworth, Ms. Edwards, Mr. Ellison, Mr. Engel, Ms. Eshoo, Ms. Esty, Mr. Farr, Mr. Foster, Ms. Frankel of Florida, Ms. Fudge, Mr. Gallego, Mr. Grayson, Mr. Grijalva, Mr. Gutiérrez, Ms. Hahn, Mr. Hastings, Mr. Higgins, Mr. Himes, Mr. Honda, Mr. Hoyer, Mr. Huffman, Mr. Israel, Ms. Jackson Lee, Mr. Jeffries, Mr. Johnson of Georgia, Mr. Keating, Ms. Kelly of Illinois, Mr. Kennedy, Mr. Langevin, Mr. Larson of Connecticut, Mrs. Lawrence, Ms. Lee, Mr. Levin, Mr. Ted Lieu of California, Ms. Lofgren, Mr. Lowenthal, Mrs. Lowey, Ms. Michelle Lujan Grisham of New Mexico, Mr. Lynch, Mr. McDermott, Mrs. Carolyn B. Maloney of New York, Ms. Matsui, Ms. McCollum, Mr. McGovern, Mr. Meeks, Ms. Meng, Ms. Moore, Mr. Moulton, Mr. Nadler, Mrs. Napolitano, Mr. Neal, Mr. Norcross, Ms. Norton, Mr. Pallone, Mr. Pascrell, Ms. Pingree, Ms. Plaskett, Mr. Pocan, Mr. Price of North Carolina, Mr. Quigley, Mr. Rangel, Miss Rice of New York, Mr. Richmond, Ms. Roybal-Allard, Mr. Ruppersberger, Mr. Rush, Mr. Sarbanes, Ms. Schakowsky, Mr. Schiff, Mr. Scott of Virginia, Mr. Serrano, Mr. Sherman, Mr. Sires, Ms. Slaughter, Ms. Speier, Mr. Swalwell of California, Mr. Takano, Mr. Tonko, Mrs. Torres, Ms. Tsongas, Mr. Van Hollen, Mr. Veasey, Ms. Velázquez, Mr. Vargas, Ms. Wasserman Schultz, Mrs. Watson Coleman, Ms. Wilson of Florida, and Mr. Yarmuth) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary – HR 4269

December 16th, 2015


[Let me quote one thing first.

A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.

What is so fucking hard to understand about that? Let me be clear, since evidently Heller and McDonald were too complicated for these simpletons.

Let me save you reading that entire slop and give you the few lines that matter:

(1) It shall be unlawful for a person to import, sell, manufacture, transfer, or possess, in or affecting interstate or foreign commerce, a semiautomatic assault weapon.

With a definition broad enough to encompass everything but bolt action rifles. While it exempts things manufactured prior to the date it won’t be long for that tune to change. Don’t let anyone ever tell you they don’t want to take your guns.

I have one phrase to cover this, Molon Labe. If the shooting starts, every person who put his name on that bill has declared themselves my enemy. They are willing to kill me and my family when I have done nothing to them. I’m sick of this shit. I’m sick of being abused. I’m sick of being blamed. You want to penalize me for shit I haven’t done, well let me introduce you to the concept of earning the penalty. When the first house’s door is kicked in, the war will not be with the police. It will be with the politicians who sent them there. -B]

 

Quote of the Day – Chris Byrne (12/10/2015)

Our constitution could not be written today… and if by some miracle it were, it would never be ratified. It is too simple, and too radical.

It was radical then, it is still radical now. It was and is intentionally so. It created a nation, and a government, based on a principle that had never been tried before, and I don’t believe has been tried since.

Those who “misinterpret” it, do so intentionally, because they do not understand, or cannot accept, the notion of a government of strictly limited and enumerated powers, and a people of nearly unlimited, inherent, pre-existing, individual rights.

The notion that government cannot do everything they want it to, because they want it to, is entirely unacceptable to them. They cannot even comprehend it, never mind accept it.

And so, they dismiss the “inconvenient” language, as if it was meaningless, and twist it to fit whatever interpretation they find desirable.

They simply pretend the entire basis of the constitution, from which it solely derives its legitimacy and authority, does not exist at all.

That somehow, the “real” basis is some mishmash of communitarianism, authoritarianism, and majoritarianism, which can be altered and reinterpreted to suit the whims of “society”, as they see fit.

Chris ByrneFacebook Post

December 6th, 2015


[I have nothing else to add. -B]

 

Quote of the Day – Barak Obama (12/8/2015)

Because when we travel down that road, we lose. That kind of divisiveness, that betrayal of our values plays into the hands of groups like ISIL…. Let’s not forget that freedom is more powerful than fear.

Barak Obama – National Address
December 6th, 2015


[And then he begins railing on how we need more gun control. How we need ot surrender our rights, in otherwords our freedom, for the illusion of security.  His leverage to make those pleas? Fear.

 

Seriously, that line while true and honest, was merely distraction to draw you from the lunacy of what their goals are. Not to mention the whole no fly list is largely motivated by “fear”. That’s why there isn’t a single amount of due process associated with it. -B]

Quote of the Day – Michael Z. Williamson (12/6/2015)

No, I will not give up my guns.  Now, what are you going to do about it?

If you say you’ll send someone to take them, then you’re admitting to a belief in using pre-emptive state sanctioned violence for political ends.  The state can use that same violence against any other group it disagrees with, and you’ve endorsed the concept. Congratulations. You’ve just justified my reason for having guns.  You’re also a coward, unwilling to act on your own behalf.  You’re only comfortable with contract violence.

If you’re not going to do anything, then you’re just a whining, bleating sheep, and a moral coward I can safely ignore.  This results in no harm to you.  You have every right to be a bleating sheep.  But, the bleating sheep don’t get to herd the sheepdog, and do get eaten by wolves.

So are you a coward or a fascist?

Either way, I am unswayed by your impotent bleating, and choose to ignore it.

Michael Z. Williamson – Facebook Post
December 6th, 2015


[It is amazing the number of people who think that the confiscation of arms will just magically happen. That there will be no violence and everyone will just cooperate peacefully. Not to mention the complete lack of acknowledgement that the state will employ violence against a group of people who have harmed no one.

This is the complete opposite of the American ideal and the character of American’s. The fact that citizens are attacking their fellow citizens who have done nothing wrong idicate just how morally corrupt the opposition has become. Villifying innocent people who want to be able to defend themselves and family for the actions of pure evil.

Michael Z. Williamson puts it quite well. Coward or a fascist, those are their choices. Not a single one of these people would blame all car owners for the actions of a drunk driver. Yet here they are attempting to attribute responsiblity for it. I’m done with the bullshit. -B]

Quote of the Day – Griffeath

If you ARE for denying people the right to own a gun or to get on an airplane because they’re on a secret government list, then it speaks poorly both of your intellect and your character.  

Seriously, that a sitting president would propose it, and people would follow it give me zero confidence the spirit that gave us Japanese internment is in the past.

  • J. Griffeath, Facebook Post, December 5th, 2015

 


[One would think we would have learned from that horrible chapter in history. However as that horrible black eye to American’s everywhere was championed by one of the lefts favorites, FDR, it should be no surprise that the left is more than willing to repeat the same behavior now.

We haven’t grown up, we haven’t changed, people are just as nasty and bigoted towards those they disagree with than ever. Worse is they’re more than willing to swing the power of the state to kill those they disagree with and see no moral problem with it. Keep your powder dry. -B]