SAR #12079

Institutions do what they think they can get away with.

They Lie: Why are the media droning on and on over the deaths of 16 Afghan civilians by a single soldier(?) when the deaths of dozens by drone strikes are ignored as the US flails about pretending to win a lost war?

Word To The Wise: AARP, the insurance company which used to represent the interests of retired Americans, is sneaking off to secret meetings with anti-Social Security types, intent on making sure the company can profit from helping to dismantle the program.

Full Spectrum Monitoring: Okay, we know that Big Brother knows who we call, where we shop and what we buy, reads our email, knows what we've got on the Kindle and tracks us by photo cameras and GPS chips. But soon our lives will be filled with “connected” devices – not just the computer, the TV and the phone, but the refrigerator, electric meter, thermostat, doorbells and ovens. Better yet, David Petraeus is looking forward to the day when these can all be centrally monitored and controlled, 24/7.

Shaye On You: you either believe (1) that the imprisoned journalist Abdulelah Haider Shaye is a terrorist or (2) that Barack Obama is a “murderous sociopath”, willing to disregard all of the evidence.

Single Prayer Healthcare: In the US, health insurance is (nearly always) obtained through an employer. But today only 53.5% of working-age families have employer-sponsored health insurance. The other half do not have employer-sponsored access to health insurance because 1) they are unemployed, 2) they work part time and do not qualify for benefits, or 3) they work for employers who do not offer health-care coverage. Tell me again why we link health care with working 30 or more hours a week for an employer who hasn't found a way to slip out of the process.

One More Reason: NYPD detectives now use facial recognition software to browse through Facebook looking for the usual suspects.

Gestalt: It only seems like the conservatives on the Republican right have gotten crazier. They have not, the crazies have been there all along, but now they have taken over and cowed the moderates into submission.

Exhibit 21 : Wannabe senator Republican Ted Cruz of Texas says that liberals, lead by George Soros, intend to let the UN to take over our cities and "eliminate golf courses, pastures, and paved roads." Paved roads?

Simple Math: Beginning October 1st, Nevada required that mortgage servicers filing a notice of default also file a copy of the actual deed of trust, a copy of the controlling mortgage note, and a copy of each assignment of the note proving the servicer's authority to file. Filings fell from 5,000 in September to 40 in October. In 25 words or less, please draw the obvious conclusion.

Played For Fools: Imagine a car that gets 40 mpg or more, runs on regular gas, costs a lot less than a hybrid and has the throaty sound of a V-6. Imagine all of that is true in a 3 cylinder car, except for the engine noise, which is played for your psycho-sexual pleasure through the car's stereo system. The soft female voice admiring your manliness will cost extra.

Walk This Way: For a couple of decades the FAA has insisted that "all electronic devices must be turned off during takeoff and landing." Ever wonder why? If turning on your MP3 or computer or such would bring down the plane, why didn't more planes crash? But there must be a reason, right? Yeah, to teach you docility; beyond that there's no apparent reason.

Porn O'Graphic: Policy debate.