Sekiur My Thoughts

So funny. MUST SEE.

The Rolling Stone Magazine ran a story on Meet the bankers and brokers responsible for the financial crisis and the officials who let them get away with it.

Rolling Stone: The Dirty Dozen
http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/story/26868968/the_dirty_dozen/print

What’s so amazing to me is how private sector left and right is being nationalized and people just don’t equate this to socialism. The U.S. Government has become so power hungry that the politicians we elected to represent us have become corrupt and forgotten who their real master is.

There is nobody to blame but elected officials for the mess that we are currently going through, from Democrats who held control of the house to Republicans who were in the Whitehouse to the newly elected president Barack Hussain Obama, that despite the fact that the government has failed miserably is on a path to massively grow the broken system.

This is long overdue…..

Yet another one I had to post.

One Recent Morning On Mount Rushmore…

Great work from the guys at http://www.thenoseonyourface.com/

About I week ago I traveled to Orlando for a conference.

The hotel I stayed in only carried a couple of cable news networks which included CNN and Headline News, which is a CNN subsidiary originally named CNN2.

I regularly only get news from MSNBC and Fox News and having heard what both of what the right and the left call extreme, I make my own opinions.

The little time I spent at the Hotel (about five days), I was amazed at the media bias showed by CNN towards Barack Obama. Any attack launched by the Obama campaign was affirmed without scrutiny and any attack from the McCain campaign was always, without exception dissected and countered by a response from the Obama campaign. The anchors who had partisan commentators from both sides, even corrected democratic strategist when their point wasn’t too effective supporting the democratic candidate Barack Obama.

The most fragrant journalistic behavior from an anchor on CNN came from Anderson Cooper, who clearly supported Barack Obama’s agenda on all discussions held by the democratic and republican commentators, and moderated by him. The bias was amazingly evident.

I have been wrong many times and specially if I see that my objectivity might be clouded, I am driven towards research proving me wrong.  I kept watching CNN which attempted very hard to remain unbiased as opposed to MSNBC or Headline News, even going as far as turning down a multi-million dollar Obama 30 min infomercial which ran on seven networks including NBC, CBS, MSNBC and FOX. Not having access to other channels, I can’t really talk about what the after-effects of the infomercial were, but CNN replayed clips from the 30 min for much longer than the 30 minutes, all with positive reviews.

I twitted recently that the only real act on CNN was Lou Dobbs and right after hearing him ask for viewers vote on a poll on the CNN website on media bias, I voted and got a snap-shot on the results which I post below.

I am glad to see its not just me, thinking that the national media has abandoned its objectivity in the coverage of the presidential campaign. Polls are so all over the map, leading me to firmly believe that they can not be trusted.

Last year the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and several Federal Banking agencies issued a new regulation named the Red Flag Rule, which is intended to reduce the risk of identity theft.

Background on Red Flags Rule

The FTC issued the Red Flags Rule under sections 114 and 315 of the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act (FACT Act), which amended the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA). The rule requires “financial institutions” and “creditors” that hold “covered accounts” to develop and implement an identity theft prevention program” for new and existing accounts.

The Red Flags Rule is actually three different but related rules, one or two of which apply to many colleges and universities:

(1) Debit and credit card issuers must develop policies and procedures to assess the validity of a request for a change of address that is followed closely by a request for an additional or replacement card. (This provision is likely not applicable to colleges and universities, because, as discussed in the preamble to the Red Flags Rule, the definition of “debit card” specifically does not include stored value cards. However, this provision could implicate student ID’s that also can be used as part of a national debit card network, such as Visa or MasterCard.)

(2) Users of consumer reports must develop reasonable policies and procedures to apply when they receive notice of an address discrepancy from a consumer reporting agency. (This provision applies to colleges and universities when they use consumer reports to conduct credit or background checks on prospective employees or applicants for credit.)

(3) Financial institutions and creditors holding “covered accounts” must develop and implement a written identity theft prevention program for both new and existing accounts. (This provision likely applies to many colleges and universities).

This rule adds to the burden institutions already have having to comply to law already on the books, including FERPA, HIPPA, GLBA, DMCA and Federal Copyright Laws.

Even though there needs to be something done about the escalating problem of identity theft, I seriously doubt that additional laws are going to make a difference, specially if those laws go too far.

With the extensive laws already on the books, what really need to happen is for them to be enforced. Too many times institutions take for granted these laws and only go as far as writing some paragraphs and naming it their policy.

No real enforcement of any kind, but instead drafting a piece of paper to say something was done when the shut hits the fan.

Examples need to be made from the big guy to the little guy, to send a message that the customer information these institutions hold is valuable and not taking appropriate steps to guard it will be dealt with swiftly and with severe consequences for management of those institutions.

Getting back to identity theft, one of the major reasons identities are stolen is for fraud.

LifeLock’s approach to this offers some interesting lessons on the way credit is issued.

In December 2003, as part of the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act, or Facta, credit bureaus were forced to allow you to put a fraud alert on their credit reports, requiring lenders to verify your identity before issuing a credit card in your name. This alert is temporary, and expires after 90 days. Several companies have sprung up — LifeLock, Debix, LoudSiren, TrustedID — that automatically renew these alerts and effectively make them permanent.

This method is simple and straight forth.

This is what policy should be about. Simple to write, simple to implement and simple to execute.

Some examples of this within a company could be:

1. Scanning PC’s for Social Security Numbers (SSN) and Credit Card numbers and erasing them using software like Identity Finder.
2. Wiping all computer hard drives and media before it leaves the premises for disposal. Darik’s Boot and Nuke is a tool which securely wipes information on media.
3. Implement policies for the centralization of data, making IT responsible for the security and integrity  of the data. (Its not feasible for IT to protect an undetermined number of data repositories)
4. Implement polices preventing the communication of SSN’s and credit card information via e-mail.
5. Enforce password changes on a regular basis.
6. Restrict outbound access from servers, only allowing limited access for required tasks.
7. Deploy Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS) and/or Intrusion Prevention Systems (IPS)
8. Deploy solutions capable of logging transactions and monitor them.
9. TRAINING, TRAINING, TRAINING.

The original date for compliance for the new Red Flag Rule was November 1, 2008; which has now been extended to May 1, 2009.

Another one I had to post….

http://www.palinaspresident.us/

I wonder why there isn’t anything on Obama?

‘If you don’t read the newspaper you are uninformed; if you do read the newspaper you are misinformed.’
- Mark Twain

Suppose you were an idiot. And suppose you were a member of Congress…. But then I repeat myself.
- Mark Twain

I contend that for a nation to try to tax itself into prosperity is like a man standing in a bucket and trying to lift himself up by the handle.
- Winston Churchill

A government which robs Peter to pay Paul can always depend on the support of Paul.
- George Bernard Shaw

A liberal is someone who feels a great debt to his fellow man, which debt he proposes to pay off with your money.
- G. Gordon Liddy

Democracy must be something more than two wolves and a sheep voting on what to have for dinner.
- James Bovard, Civil Libertarian (1994)

Foreign aid might be defined as a transfer of money from poor people in rich countries to rich people in poor countries.
- Douglas Casey

Giving money and power to government is like giving whiskey and car keys to teenage boys.
- P.J. O’Rourke, Civil Libertarian

Government is the great fiction, through which everybody endeavors to live at the expense of everybody else.
- Frederic Bastiat, French Economist (1801-1850)

Government’s view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it.
- Ronald Reagan (1986)

I don’t make jokes… I just watch the government and report the facts.
- Will Rogers

If you think health care is expensive now, WA it until you see what it costs when it’s free!
- P.J. O’Rourke

In general, the art of government consists of taking as much money as possible from one party of the citizens to give to the other.
- Voltaire (1764)

Just because you do not take an interest in politics
Doesn’t mean Politics won’t take an interest in you!
- Pericles (430 B.C.)

No man’s life, liberty, or property is safe while the legislature is in session.
- Mark Twain (1866 )

Talk is cheap…except when Congress does it.
- Unknown

The government is like a baby’s alimentary canal: a happy appetite at one end and no responsibility at the other.
- Ronald Reagan

The inherent vice of capitalism is the unequal sharing of the blessings. The inherent blessing of socialism is the equal sharing of misery.
- Winston Churchill

The only difference between a tax man and a taxidermist is that the taxidermist leaves the skin.
- Mark Twain

The ultimate result of shielding men from the effects of folly is to fill the world with fools.
- Herbert Spencer, English Philosopher (1820-1903)

There is no distinctly Native American criminal class….save Congress.
- Mark Twain

What this country needs are more unemployed politicians.
- Edward Langley, Artist (1928 – 1995)

A government big enough to give you everything you want, is strong enough to take everything you have.
- Thomas Jefferson

A little over three years ago I wrote about possible world conflicts on the horizon including Israel-Iran, US-North Korea and Venezuela and the price of oil. I predicted the barrel of oil above the $100 mark and after war breaking, reaching near $200 a barrel.

I also mentioned that the United States would not consider any military actions against North Korea, who was seeking nuclear weapons at the time. I saw one of two options in this case: Either this would be solved diplomatically or countries (South Korea, Japan) in the region would set off an arms race.

Regarding Venezuela, many people held the idea at that time (when Saddam Hussein Fell) that the United States had too much interest in Venezuela to let Hugo Chavez continue promoting his agenda and would overthrow the democratically elected president. My views at the time were that the United States had little interest in Latin America, which was mistake in my view but its foreign policy.

With the public threats and rhetoric that Iran’s Akmadinajad, I held the firm position that Israel would strike Iran in order to prevent its own demise.

Three years have passed and things have gotten a little more complicated.

Socialism and totalitarianism has continued to spread within Latin America expanding from Venezuela and Brazil to Ecuador, Nicaragua, Bolivia and Argentina.

The United States pursuit of a missile defense system in eastern Europe and the support of previous Soviet Union block nations joining NATO, had gotten Russia all roweled up. Even though Mikhail Gorbachev is revered in the western world for playing a key role in end the cold war, the Russian people did not appreciate their once held great nation, being broken up into parts bringing with it very tough times.

Russia decided to take an active role against what they see as an American threat in their pursuit of re-uniting the USSR by invading Georgia, continuing to sell weapons to Iran and Venezuela and now sending a fleet of warships led by the nuclear powered missile cruiser Peter the Great for military exercises in the western hemisphere. The first of these actions after the end of the cold war.

Additionally Russia has pledged to help Venezuela with nuclear initiatives for “peaceful” purposes.

On another front, North Korea’s Kim Jong-Il had accepted to and began to dismantle their nuclear program but recently decided to back out of the deal made within the 6-party framework. Israel also accused North Korea of covertly supplying weapons to at least six middle eastern nations.

Last but not least Iran’s defiance of the international community and pursuit for nuclear power. Despite increasing U.N. sanctions placed on Iran, Akmadinajad remains resolute on the acquisition of nuclear power for “peaceful” purposes while at the same time announcing a world without Zionism and America.

French Foreign Minister has urged Israel not to launch a military strike against Iran, and to continue  to support Western-backed sanctions and dialogue to press Iran to halt its atomic project, while at the same time Moscow refuses to discuss further U.N. sanctions aimed at curbing Iran’s nuclear program.

I believe that the presidential election in the United States plays a factor in the Israeli decision making process on when to attack Iran. It seems apparent that a democratic president would be less supportive of an Israeli strike on Iran’s nuclear installations, than a republican would be and with Senator Barack Obama up in the polls recently largely due to the economic crisis, I believe Israel will launch such a campaign before the end of the year.

John McCain said it best during his acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention, in St. Paul Minnesota several weeks ago, when he said: “Their lives should matter to the people they elect to office. They matter to me.”, referring to how he has and will fight for the American people.

Having experienced a very difficult time some years ago, this hit a very personal chord with me. During this time I sought the help of our elected officials and just started to write letters to my state Governor, congressman, senators, Department of State, Department of Justice and even the Whitehouse.

After doing some research on committees and sub-committees a list was made, as well as adding to the list the candidates running for president. The final list included Senators Barack Obama (D), Bill Nelson (D), Blanche Lincoln (D), Bob Bennett (R), Charles Grassley (R), Charles Schumer (D), Chris Dodd (D), George Voinovich (R), Hillary Clinton (D), Joe Biden (D), John Cornyn (R), John McCain (R), Johnny Isakson (R), Kay Bailey Hutchison (R), Lamar Alexander (R), Mark Pryor (D), Mel Martinez (R), Mike Crapo (R), Mitch McConnell (R), Orrin Hatch (R), Patrick Leahy (D), Richard Shelby (R), Sam Brownback (R), Ted Kennedy (D), a governor, and two congressman.

Now this list was not hand picked but its interesting to see the composition regarding their party affiliation, which basically amounts to 10 Democratic Senators and 14 Republican Senators making a total of 24 Senators.

At that dark time and not knowing fully well how government operated, I wrote to all these elected officials; of which only five replied.

Three of the letters offered support and also noted very kindly that the Senator from the state of residence, be given the opportunity to assist the constituents they were elected to represent. One of the letters mentioned how busy the Senator was dealing with its constituents. The last letter was of course from my state Senator.

So should our lives matter to our elected officials?

Should one of their many assistants take the time to read and reply a two paragraph letter acknowledging a request for help?

As it turns out the majority of our elected officials do not seem to think so. Out of the five Senators who replied, four were republican senators and one was democratic. Putting numbers to it 10pct of democratic elected officials responded and almost 30pct of republican elected officials did the same.

The only presidential candidate who responded to my outcry requesting assistance with a federal matter.!

Senator John McCain.

So is this what they mean by out of touch with regular people?