DarkStar Spouts Off

A Very "Simple" Cyber Conundrum

Here is a simple cyber and political conundrum...

If, as the Pentagon now says, a cyber attack is to be considered an act of war:

WASHINGTON—The Pentagon has concluded that computer sabotage coming from another country can constitute an act of war, a finding that for the first time opens the door for the U.S. to respond using
traditional military force.

How does the United States now handle China?

What The Cornel West Mess Really Means

Cornel West is blasting President Obama on what he, West, believes is the president's inaction on "Black issues" as well as progressive/liberal issues. As a strong defender of President Obama, Al Sharpton, somewhat rightly, has defended the president by saying he, Obama, is the president of the United States and not just president of Black America.

That last point is something I heard many Black supporters say about Obama soon after he won election and that was something I expected to hear since then candidate Obama couldn't win with just the Black vote.

In 2010, I wrote that I thought the election of Obama as president meant the change within Black America politics was manifesting itself.

West's polemics are a clear indication of a "civil rights agitator/thinker" trying to get a non-civil rights based politician to "get in line." But what, I think, people are missing, is that some so-called "Black leaders" are now calling for accountability. What has been missed in this mess is, even Al Sharpton has criticized President Obama.

401(K) In the Crosshairs of the Higher Tax Promoters

How does it make sense to want to tax 401(K)s when pension plans are on the way out?

To determine the loss to the government, the Joint Committee on Taxation and the Treasury look at taxes lost each year because of new 401(k) contributions, as well as the interest earned on existing contributions, and then subtract taxes paid on distributions from 401(k)s. The difference ranks 401(k) retirement plans as the third most expensive provision on the administration’s list of tax expenditures, projected to deprive the Treasury of an estimated $67 billion in 2012.

Because 401(k)s have only been around for a few decades, however, the value of the contributions and interest earnings still far exceeds the value of distributions to retirees, Graff said. That means traditional methods dramatically overstate the amount of revenue that ultimately will be lost.

The study says that a more accurate measure of retirement savings incentives would estimate the value of the tax breaks over the lifetime of the accounts. By that measure, the study shows, the loss to the government would be as much as 77 percent lower than official estimates.

This is a direct attack against 401(K)s. A company can have a pension plan, go out of business, and the pension plan disappears. A company can have a 401(K) plan, go out of business, and the employees still have their retirement money.

"The loss to the government" as in the government DESERVES to get MORE of your payroll check?

Not An Oprah Fan, But Giving Props Where Due

Because of early encounters with Oprah Winfry in Baltimore, I'm not an Oprah Winfrey fan, but I have to give her respect for what she has done.

I was watching the second to last show with my wife where I found out:

1. She has help fund the education of 60,000+ children.
2. She has a scholarship for the young men at Morehouse College.
3. She is the best television talk show host in television history; period.

She has my respect on those 3 points.

Once Again, The Consequences of NCLB Shows Its Head

Once again, as was shown in Texas when George Bush first implemented
the mandatory testing, teachers are cheating to boost the number of
students who do well on the standardized tests:

http://washingtonexaminer.com/local/dc/2011/05/dc-schools-investigate-security-breaches-2011-tests

D.C. school officials are investigating 14 security breaches by
students and teachers during last month's standardized testing, after
throwing out last year's scores from three classrooms with "evidence
or a strong suspicion of a test security violation."

Amid heightened scrutiny of the chronically troubled school system's
large testing gains, the Office of the State Superintendent ordered an
investigation into 18 classrooms with a suspicious number of incorrect
answers erased and corrected in the 2010 testing.

This Sharpton Quote Is Going To Bite Him In His Butt

This is an Al Sharpton quote that is going to bite him, Sharpton, in
the butt and this is a good thing: http://tinyurl.com/65vp46p

The Rev. Al Sharpton, a close Obama ally who has sparred with West
over the president, said Tuesday that the issue comes down to a
misunderstanding of Obama’s role for some in the black activist
community. “This is the first time in this country that we have an
African American president. He is not the president of African
Americans,” Sharpton said. “The problem we’re seeing with too many
older-minded people is you don’t want the next generation. You want
clones. And people don’t have to be your clone to validate your
sacrifice.”

Yep, this is going to bite him, GOOD.

Police State Increasing, Part 2

I am at a loss of words for this one: http://tinyurl.com/3pox6gs


INDIANAPOLIS -- People have no right to resist if police officers
illegally enter their home, the Indiana Supreme Court ruled in a
decision that overturns centuries of common law.

The court issued its 3-2 ruling on Thursday, contending that allowing
residents to resist officers who enter their homes without any right
would increase the risk of violent confrontation. If police enter a
home illegally, the courts are the proper place to protest it, Justice
Steven David said.

"We believe ... a right to resist an unlawful police entry into a home
is against public policy and is incompatible with modern Fourth
Amendment jurisprudence," David said. "We also find that allowing
resistance unnecessarily escalates the level of violence and therefore
the risk of injuries to all parties involved without preventing the
arrest."

Justices Robert Rucker and Brent Dickson strongly dissented, saying
the ruling runs afoul of the U.S. Constitution's Fourth Amendment
against unreasonable search and seizure, The Times of Munster
reported.


Wow.
How many public conservatives have said anything about this one?

Police State Increasing, Part 1

While people were waiting on Trump to confirm he won't run but where
indulging on building his ego, the Supreme Court re-affirmed their
commitment to building a police state.

And public conservatives continue to re-affirm they love the police
state while talking out of the side of their mouths about freedom. How
many public conservatives have complained about this ruling? Or does
it have to be a Janet Reno type of Nifong type to get them in an
uproar?

http://tinyurl.com/6zdhj3q

The Supreme Court on Monday gave law enforcement officers new
authority to enter a home without a warrant when they have reason to
believe that drug evidence is being destroyed.

The court ruled 8 to 1 that Kentucky police who smelled marijuana at
an apartment door, knocked loudly and announced themselves, and then
kicked in the door when they thought the drugs were being destroyed
did nothing wrong.

Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr., writing for the majority, said the
conduct of the police before they entered the apartment was “entirely
lawful” and neither violates nor threatens a person’s Fourth Amendment
protection against unreasonable searches or seizures.

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg strongly disagreed.

“The court today arms the police with a way routinely to dishonor the
Fourth Amendment’s warrant requirement in drug cases,” Ginsburg wrote.
“In lieu of presenting their evidence to a neutral magistrate, police
officers may now knock, listen, then break the door down, nevermind
that they had ample time to obtain a warrant.”


The police lie, and everyone knows it. Who expects the police to say
they announced themselves before busting into a home? They lie now and
say they do announce and then multiple witnesses OUTSIDE will say the
police didn't, but the prosecutors will still believe the police.

Simple Question

What the hell is a member of the IMF doing staying in a $3000 a night
hotel room?

Goldman Sachs Con Men

This is the ending of a long read on the con Goldman Sachs pulled.

Lloyd Blankfein went to Washington and testified under oath that Goldman Sachs didn't make a massive short bet and didn't bet against its clients. The Levin report proves that Goldman spent the whole summer of 2007 riding a "big short" and took a multibillion-dollar bet against its clients, a bet that incidentally made them enormous profits. Are we all missing something? Is there some different and higher standard of triple- and quadruple-lying that applies to bank CEOs but not to baseball players?

This issue is bigger than what Goldman executives did or did not say under oath. The Levin report catalogs dozens of instances of business practices that are objectively shocking, no matter how any high-priced lawyer chooses to interpret them: gambling billions on the misfortune of your own clients, gouging customers on prices millions of dollars at a time, keeping customers trapped in bad investments even as they begged the bank to sell, plus myriad deceptions of the "failure to disclose" variety, in which customers were pitched investment deals without ever being told they were designed to help Goldman "clean" its bad inventory. For years, the soundness of America's financial system has been based on the proposition that it's a crime to lie in a prospectus or a sales brochure. But the Levin report reveals a bank gone way beyond such pathetic little boundaries; the collective picture resembles a financial version of The Jungle, a portrait of corporate sociopathy that makes you never want to go near a sausage again.

Upton Sinclair's narrative shocked the nation into a painful realization about the pervasive filth and corruption behind America's veneer of smart, robust efficiency. But Carl Levin's very similar tale probably will not. The fact that this evidence comes from a U.S. senator's office, and not the FBI or the SEC, is itself an element in the worsening tale of lawlessness and despotism that sparked a global economic meltdown. "Why should Carl Levin be the one who needs to do this?" asks Spitzer. "Where's the SEC? Where are any of the regulatory bodies?"

This isn't just a matter of a few seedy guys stealing a few bucks. This is America: Corporate stealing is practically the national pastime, and Goldman Sachs is far from the only company to get away with doing it. But the prominence of this bank and the high-profile nature of its confrontation with a powerful Senate committee makes this a political story as well. If the Justice Department fails to give the American people a chance to judge this case — if Goldman skates without so much as a trial — it will confirm once and for all the embarrassing truth: that the law in America is subjective, and crime is defined not by what you did, but by who you are.

Baltimore City Public School System Screws Teachers and Tax Payers, Again

The Baltimore City Public School (BCPS) system is screwing the
teachers and the tax payers again. First, some background.

The Maryland state assembly was going to cut millions of dollars from
the education budget for the state. Because BCPS, and Prince Georges
County, gets money directly from the state as a result of a settlement
of a lawsuit, known as Thorton, the BCPS faced "drastic cuts." City
and county legislators protested the cuts and parents got involved to
restore the money cut from the budget. They were successful in the
effort. Also, historically, BCPS is administration heavy and, in fact,
has the highest ratio of administrative costs to education costs in
the state.

School head Alonso, who stinks in my opinion, previously said BCPS has
to decrease its costs, and asked for a SECOND round of incentives for
experienced teachers to retire:

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/baltimore-city/bs-md-ci-second-school-buyout-20110509,0,5203590.story

On the heels of 330 teachers' accepting early retirement packages from
the city school system, officials will propose a similar deal for 500
of its most experienced instructional support staff.

According to an early retirement incentive plan scheduled to be
presented at the city school board meeting Tuesday night, the school
system will look to trim its pool of paraprofessionals who have more
than 10 years' experience by offering them 50 percent of their base
salary for a year and a sick-leave payout to be put into a school
investment plan.

According to the proposal, 10 job titles are eligible,
including paraeducators in ESOL, pre-kindergarten and
special education. Those eligible will have to decide
by June 16 whether or not to take the deal. At least 100, but not more
than 500, paraeducators would have participate for it to be offered.


So, let's get this clear, the BCPS system has had two rounds of
incentives to get the most experienced teachers, meaning most
expensive teachers, to quit to save money. After this, the putz Alonso
does this: http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/baltimore-city/bs-md-ci-school-management-positions-20110511,0,5337862.story


Even as city schools are losing hundreds of thousands of dollars for
staff and programs, schools CEO Andrés Alonso has proposed hiring 14
new executives and a deputy CEO at six-figure salaries as part of his
central office reorganization.

Alonso informed the city school board this week that the system wants
to hire the directors at salaries of $125,000, for a total
cost of $1.75 million, to strengthen management and support
school leaders. Alonso has also budgeted a $175,000-a-year deputy CEO
position that has been vacant for the past two years.


Alonso, the putz, wants to get teachers to retire early to save money
so that he can increase the BCPS administration staff, which is
already top heavy and the most top heavy in the state, DESPITE the
BCPS system being the worst performing school system in the state of
Maryland.

If politicians who worked to get BCPS system funds restored didn't
know about Alonso's plans, they should feel like suckers. The parents
DEFINITELY should feel like suckers, AGAIN, as they got it without
benefit of Astroglide.

I repeat: the BCPS system needs to be blown the hell up.

Defense Against Sex Abuse Charges: I Didn't Do It I Don't Like Black Women!

Football player, Albert Haynesworth, is facing sexual assult charges:

WASHINGTON -- Washington Redskins defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth was charged Tuesday with misdemeanor sexual abuse for allegedly fondling his server's breast at a Washington hotel.

A grand jury returned an indictment formally charging Haynesworth. The waitress' allegations have been reported by the media after the alleged incident in February.

...

According to the U.S. attorney's office, the government's evidence shows Haynesworth slid a credit card down the front of the server's dress and fondled her breast.

So, this fool goes to court and won't plead out. That makes sense if you didn't do it or if you think you can defeat the charges. But HOW does dude defend himself? He says he doesn't even like Black women!

"I didn't touch her. I don't even like black girls. I know what this is about, she is just upset I have a white girlfriend. I couldn't tell you the last time I dated a black girl. She was trying to get with me, " Haynesworth said.

Dude has had many issues before this, but this defense for being a brute is really over the top. For this one, not only do I throw the NP flag, I also nominate this fool for being Drop Squaded.

Wait, forget the Drop Squad. He's waaaaaaaayyyyyyyyy beyond gone.

 

Schools Are Out of Control

The following items show how much public schools are out of control.

Item 1: Zero tolerance run amok:

Outrage is growing after two high school students are suspended– one
taken away in handcuffs– over items found in their lacrosse equipment
bags. Those items are banned from school property.

...

Laura Dennis’ son Graham had a pen knife and a Leatherman that school
authorities found while they searched a team bus before it headed to a
game. He now faces jail time and damage to his permanent record.

“A police officer came and took him away in handcuffs and they said
‘Give us 40 minutes, we have to process him,’ Laura Dennis said. “So
they did mug shots and they fingerprinted. I was able to pick him up
from the police department 45 minutes later.”

Doug Edsall’s son Casey had a lighter he also used to fix his lacrosse
stick. The school classified it as an explosive device.

Both items are used to fix lacrosse sticks. And, to make this clear,
both students were playing for the school team, which doesn't provide
anyone to repair the equipment.

Item 2: Fat patrol

 

http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/illinois/article_ce1a393c-7b4e-11e0-b418-0019bb30f31a.html

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. • An Illinois lawmaker says parents who have obese
children should lose their state tax deduction.

"It's the parents' responsibility that have obese kids," said state
Sen. Shane Cultra, R-Onarga. "Take the tax deduction away for parents
that have obese kids."

Cultra has not introduced legislation to deny parents the $2,000
standard tax deduction, but he floated the idea Tuesday, when
lawmakers took a shot at solving the state's obesity epidemic.


If your kid is fat, the kid is fat. It's not up to the school to
tattle tale and it's not the government's damn business!

Item 3: Cutting a fart got kids in trouble?

http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2011/05/11/for-parents-sons-suspension-smells.html

Two Canal Winchester Middle School students were booted off the school
bus last week for, well, passing gas.

James Nichols and Kristine Kuzora are upset that their son's
flatulence was designated as an obscene gesture by school officials.

Their 13-year-old son and another boy were on the school bus Thursday
when they both experienced an emission. Children being children, the
flatulence apparently caused a ruckus on the bus amid a flurry of
laughs, jeers and lowering of windows, Nichols said.

Canal Winchester Middle School officials cited the boys for making an
obscene gesture in violation of the student code of conduct in
revoking their rides to school Friday.


My kid loves milk. My kid farts as a result of drinking milk. If I
drink milk, I blow out everyone in the room. Kicking kids off the bus
because they bust butt?

Don't schools have more important issues to go after than the ones presented?

No Money And Whooops

When the Pakistan spy agency can't find OBL when he is in your back yard, literally, but can out the CIA:

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — The public outing of the CIA station chief here threatened on Monday to deepen the rift between the United States and Pakistan, with American officials saying they believed the disclosure had been made deliberately by Pakistan’s main spy agency.

If true, the leak would be a sign that Pakistan’s powerful security establishment, far from feeling chastened by the killing of Osama bin Laden in a Pakistani garrison city last week, is seeking to demonstrate its leverage over Washington and retaliate for the unilateral U.S. operation.

I think it's time to decrease the money Pakistan is getting and let a drone "stray off course" and hit a strategic "non-strategic" location.

Release The Damn Photo!

Pres. Obama won't release the photograph.

RELEASE IT!

Don't want to incite more violence? Then why kill OBL??????

Damn! You look like a PUNK!

You think it was bad, BEFORE, when they were asking for the birth
certificate? OH, now it's ON!

Pakistan, In Plain View

1. Osama bin Laden was in Pakistan, in a urban area living in a big
compound; not in a cave. So much for common assumptions, huh?
2. He was in Pakistan.
3. The Navy Seals met no resistance getting to the compound, which to
me says, Pakistan authorities knew he was there and let the killing
happen because they are tired of the U.S. placing drone strikes all
over the place.
4. See # 3.
5. See # 3.

Job Well Done: Osama bin Laden, Burning in Hell

President Obama has announced that after getting a tip and doing intelligence follow up, U.S. special forces struck a compound where Osama bin Laden was hiding and killed him. The special forces group has the body.

This shows the United States of America, when determined, can accomplish what it sets out to accomplish.

I don't agree with all of the policies President Obama is pushing. But he gets kudos for this one. The U.S. special forces gets kudos for this one. I bow my head and cover my heart in remembrance of those killed in the 9-11 attacks and all of the lives of the service men and women who have died hunting down that bastard.

Osama bin Laden is burning in hell and it is well deserved.

God Bless the United States of America.

P.S. Wanna bet Fox News makes a big deal about Quadaffi still being alive?