Early Storm Warning, and yet more burning "Zero-Tolerance" stoopid. . .

First up: a storm warning.  If President Stompy Foot does NOT get his way by Halloween, and we're still in Shutdown and/or the Debt Limit hasn't been raised. . . . .do NOT go grocery shopping, or near
ANY store that accepts EBT cards in early November. . . . .

Why, you ask ??  Because the Department of Agriculture has told all the states that it will NOT be funding SNAP, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, better know as Food Stamps, or, more recently, EBT, as of November 1, 2013.

Read for yourself. . .

So, why avoid them ??  Perhaps you weren't following the news: there was a "glitch" at a Xerox Data Center. . . and 17 states lost their EBT programs.   And people lost their ever-lovin' MINDS. . .  And at two Wal-Marts in Louisiana, it didn't go down: instead, it showed NO LIMIT. . . and very quickly, both stores were mobbed, and the shelves stripped bare. . .

Well. . .   I've worked in IT for 20+ years, and I'm not buying it, and here's why:

They claim it was due to an issue in backup at one site, during a maintenance period.

RIIIGHT.   I've worked mission-critical apps.   Which are engineered with automatic failovers to backup (or clustered systems).  For a system that serves multiple states with a mission-critical app, you have entire failover SITES, at LEAST one, geographically separated from the main site, so that a disaster does not take down the system.

And doing maintenance on such a system at 10AM during a high-use period ?  Sorry , not even CLOSE to Best Practices.  You schedule a Maintenance Window during a known period of low activity, say, Midnight Saturday until 6AM Sunday morning.  AFTER manually failing over to the backup site(s).

THEN, claiming a backup error caused this.  Sorry, that doesn't make sense EITHER for a high-volume, mission-critical app.  Best practice for at LEAST the last 6-8 years, is do a flash copy of the database to a totally separated and dedicated disk array, and then do backup from the array,  So Production keeps running at full speed.

No, friends, this was a trial run.  Of what's been come to be known as "Making the Music Stop", the purposeful shutdown of the EBT system, INTENDED to cause social chaos by inflicting pain for political points. . .

I'll let Matt Bracken explain it to you, in both of the excellent links above.  And, BTW, for the next three weeks, his "Enemies" trilogy is free on Amazon. . . recommended reading, and did I mention free ??

Anyway, that's your storm warning.   Hopefully, it will not happen.  But forewarned is half an octopus. . .

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And now, moving from national-level Burning Stoopid, to the source of MOST of teh Burning Stoopid in America today, our schools. . .

Meet High School Senior, and until recently, Captain of the Volleyball Team, Erin Cox. .  .

She's been stripped of her captaincy and suspended from the team for five games for violating the school's zero-tolerance policy on drugs and alcohol.  Except, she wasn't drinking.  She got a text from a friend who said she was too drunk to drive, and could she pick her up and drive her home ?

And, as a good friend, and following the advice given to kids these days, that if you shouldn't drive, call someone to pick you up. . . .she did.   Her timing was, apparently, inauspicious, because a minute or three after her arrival, police from **4** different jurisdictions swooped down on the party and arrested 12 students for drinking, and issued summons to 15 others for ALLEGEDLY drinking. 

Although one of the arresting officers vouched, in writing, that she was, in fact, sober and NOT drinking, the school suspended her anyway.  Because "being at a party where alcohol was served" was considered an infraction as well. . .

Her family did what any other red-blooded American family would do: they appealed, and when the appeals were ignored, the sued.  And that's where the REALLY nasty part occurs:  The Judge ruled that the Court had no jurisdiction, and the Lawyer for the school district materially lied under oath, claiming she had, in fact, been arrested.

Now, maybe it's just me, but I'd think that any activity in a judges' district falls under the jurisdiction of their court,  but apparently not, when the mavens of Zero-Tolerance/Zero-Thought are involved. 

And Erin is just another casualty of their ill-placed zeal. . .

Call to Patriots. . . . .time to get out and DO something.

OK, people. . . . I don't know about you, but your Wizard is mad enough to shoot Fireballs out of each and every orifice, at the crap the Administration is pulling.

Going out of their way to close open-air monuments.  Throwing people out of homes they've lived in for 40 years.  Closing a road because you MIGHT see Mount Rushmore from it.  Even trying to close the fricking OCEAN.

This has gone too far.  And it's time for We, the People, to make our voice heard.  And as such, I'm asking you to support and come out for two events:  The Trucker's Ride for the Constitution and the Million Vet March on the Memorials.

Remember the  Two Million Biker Ride on 9/11 ??  The one that the Media barely covered, and that DC Traffic Cameras were, mysteriously, not working for ???  Or, as they said "Heavy Internet Traffic, Cameras are down".   RIIIIGHT. . . Well, if at first we don't succeed. . . .

THIS Weekend.    Thursday, October 11th through Saturday, October 13th, 2013,  Starting with the (depending who you're talking to), Truckers To Shut Down America , the Trucker's Ride for the Constitution, or the 1 Million Truckers to DC.  It's all the same.  People who are sick and tired of all the Beltway Insiders playing their silly little power games are going to LISTEN to the roar of a million rigs, bringing traffic around Washington to even MORE of a stand-still than usual.

IF you come to DC this weekend, you NEED to show your colors.  Your rear window should have a visible "T2SDA" in your rear window.  Nothing fancy, but I've taken the liberty of making a printable sign/strips for your rear window, you can download it HERE.  (Color PDF).

 

(or just save this and print. . . )

Then, Saturday the 13th,  the Million Vet March on the Memorials.

If in DC, be at the World War II Memorial at 9AM.   If you're not in DC, here's a list of local sites where we're also gathering. . 

Ground rules:  PEACEFUL PROTEST.  We leave trashing the town to the Anarchists, Hippies, and other left-wing groups.   

We're better than that. Pick up your trash.  If confronted by counter-protesters, turn the other cheek and walk away. . .

Be there.   I will . . .

OK, this is just beyond the Pale. . .

It really IS turning into Bizarro World out there. Due to the Shutdown, National Park Service Rangers have evicted an elderly couple from their home.  Meet Joyce and Ralph Spencer.  She's 77, he's 80.  They've owned the home since the 1970s, and were given 24 hours to gather belongings and leave.  They never were evicted in any of the OTHER 17 shutdowns since they built their home there. 

Now, it's QUITE obvious what's going on here: just like the Doomsday Sequester, the Administration has made a conscious decision to inflict maximum pain on the little people.  They've stopped people from pulling over on public roads and LOOKING at Mount Rushmore. . .  I've already mentioned the shenanigans at the World War Two memorial, but they're doing it at the Vietnam Memorial as well.

But the real over-the-top stunt is ordering the Ocean closed.  King Canute ordered the waves to stop, Obama claimed the seas would stop rising under his rule. . .  but now Obama has ordered the OCEAN closed.

Well, since we're closing the Parks and evicting private property owners, I figure what's good for the goose is good for the gander.  You see, the White House is, technically, a National Park (Google cache, since the NPS.gov site was TAKEN down.  An effort that, BTW, COST MONEY. . .)

You see, a crucial part of American Jurisprudence is Equal Treatment Under Law. Remember the Spencers ??  They OWN their house, and were forced out.  The Obama's don't even pay rent on the Residence.  It's only applying existing law that they need to decamp as well.

Of course, we know that won't happen.  Because, after all Some Animals are More Equal than Others. . .

But that may be changing.  The Bikers came to DC yesterday to support the WW2 Vets. The Truckers are coming next weekend. . .

One or two more of these outrages, and I could see another Tahir Square or "People Power" revolution starting. . .  Hell, the way things are going, in another week, it could be crowds around the White House with torches and pitchforks. . 

And, heck, I might join them. . .

Today's news from inside that Eight-Lane Deathstrip that Separates Washington from Reality. . .

First, up, this is based on a DEVELOPING news story.  We don't have all the facts in, yet.   But still, initial reaction and commentary.. . .

Leaving work, and driving home, I switched on the radio, expecting my usual Talk Radio. . . .   Instead. . .

If you haven't been following recent news, apparently a woman tried to ram the White House Barricades on Pennsylvania Avenue, then led a car chase to Capitol Hill, where, reports say she was shot dead.  This was a little after 2PM Eastern.  The usual chattering heads, passing on what little info they had, over and over again.  An unfortunately familiar pattern these days. . . .


Several points I noted in the coverage. The White House, The Capitol, and the House and Senate Office buildings went into lockdown. But tourists in Lafayette Park, behind the White House ? No protection. They apparently shut the Capitol Visitor Center down, and shooed out the tourists, but then the Capitol Police ordered it re-opened, and "herded" the tourists into it. But Senators ?  Staffers ??  THEY got Police Escorts to their buildings and safety,


Moral: Our Betters in the Ruling Class, and their attending Mandarins **must** be protected. But the Little People ? Afterthought, if at all.


The woman was reportedly shot to death on Capitol Hill. She is reported as NOT having a weapon, and no weapons were found in the car. So why was she shot, instead of Pepper-Gassed or Tazed ??

Last observation, as the news is still coming in. She was driving a leased car with-out-of-state plates, had a small child in the car (reportedly uninjured), and zero identification or clues to why she did this. I'm willing to guess she will turn out to be mentally ill and off her meds. . .


Situation still developing, but it was all over before 3PM Eastern by all reports. . . . Will update as actual data gets released. . .

UPDATE: Looks like I was right. Suspect is reported as "Miriam Casey", a 33-year-old dental hygienist from Connecticut with a history of mental illness. . .

http://nypost.com/2013/10/03/capitol-shooter-was-conn-based-dental-hygienist/

And guess what ?  She looks like Obama's daughter.  Assuming Malia and Sasha are actually his. 

And, of course, the loving, accepting, tolerant left was showing their usual grace. . .

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Now, what I was GOING to lead with, today.  Remember, just a few months ago ??  When the topic du jour was gun control after Newtown ??   The Mantra was:  "If our actions result in only saving one life..."

Fast forward to October, 2013.  Senator Harry Reid, Majority Leader of the Senate. . . 

 

Oh, but that's DIFFERENT. . . . .  because it doesn't support our agenda.  Of course, that's almost to be expected, given the stories already coming out of the Exchanges.   Oh, and by the way, NICE 1-800 number. . . .   try getting through. . . although we DO have an update. . . 

 

And someone who DID get though, did NOT like what he found. . .

(Additional data here)
Gee, pay about 50% over par for a normal plan, and get a HUGE deductible, or pay a large fine.



Now, I'm currently on what would be considered a "Silver" plan from work, at least according to the letter I got from my insurer last week.  And what the Large Print Giveth, the Small Print Taketh Away.   From what I've personally received, it looks like a 50% increase in premium and deductibles rise from 5K individual and 10K family, to $7500 and 12.5K.  The fine print also states that the "office visit" charge is only AFTER the deductible is met, likewise, the discount prescription plan.


Note, that's PRIVATE, CORPORATE insurance.  I don't even want to THINK what the official Obamacare Exchange Rate might look like. . .

**************************************************************************

 And another update.  Remember Kaitlyn Hunt ??  Her mugshots:she plead no contest. . .



**************************************************************************

Signing off for now, will update the DC story as more real data develops. . .

Welcome to Bizarro World. . . .

It's almost not worth pointing out teh Stoopid anymore.  Because it seems to be The New Normal.

Consider: the Park Service is threatening to ARREST 90+ -year old World War Two vets, for DARING to visit an open-air memorial during the Shutdown. . . because the White House told them to.   With more reinforcements than Benghazi ever got. . . .

Trust me, the guys who did this. . . .

. . . .and this. . .

Are NOT going to be afraid of these guys. . . .

Oh, and by the way, that World War Two Memorial ??    I have a message for you, Mr. President.  . . .

YOU DIDN'T BUILD THAT. . .

But. . . .   I have a genuinely  bi-partisan solution to the underlying budget problem.  An Amendment to the Constitution.

With the following terms:

A budget, NOT a continuing resolution, must be passed by the House and submitted to the Senate by June 1st of every year.   The Senate must hold a vote on the budget by July 1st of every year.

If the House and Senate cannot agree on a budget, they MUST go into conference on the budget on the next business day, and neither the House or Senate may consider ANY other business until the Budget is settled.

A Continuing Resolution may be allowed from October 1st until November 1st.

Enforcement: If any deadline is missed for any reason, the entire membership of the offending body (i.e. the House or Senate) is automatically recalled from office, and the entire current personal and committee staffs of the offending body are immediately dismissed from their employment for cause, without possibility of appeal.  No elected member shall be eligible for re-election to the Congress in any district or State, for a period of five complete terms of office for the last office held.   And in case of auto-recall, all pensions for elected members are forfeit, less any contributions made directly from the elected members' salary.

(And yes, that WILL clear out the geriatrics in the Senate.  That's a Feature, not a Bug. . . . )

No staff member may be employed by any Federal Agency or Organization for ten calendar years after auto-recall.

(And the staffs are an even worse problem: de-facto mandarins. . .)

And, after recall/dismissal, neither elected members or staff enjoined from being employed by, or compensated in any way by, any organization that participates in Lobbying to the Federal Government.

(Which tries to fix the Revolving Door Problem in Washington. . . )

Should both bodies fail to pass a permanent budget by November 1st, the budget of the previous Fiscal Year shall be adopted for the new Fiscal Year.

That should clear the deadwood, both political and institutional, from the Hill, stop the shutdowns, and maybe, just maybe, get some actual citizens elected. . . .