Sandbox – 17jun15

June 2015
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Sandbox – 17jun15

17 June 2015

[Apologies for getting a little pissed in the 'Agnosticism vs Atheism' comment stream. Here's a new sandbox, the old one was getting more than full. gjr]

Posted in Comment Sandbox

390 responses to “Sandbox – 17jun15”

Bill Tozer

17 June 2015

Well, I’ll start off with something that will catch noone’s imigination. Playing it safe tonight. In news you can’t use, this explains why I have seldom seen a vampire in northern Russia. Werewolves of London, yes, vampires northeast of Translyvinia, not so much.
http://mg.co.za/article/2015-06-18-ramadan-in-st-petersburg-the-city-where-the-sun-doesnt-set

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fish

18 June 2015

Seems others are noticing as well…..

“John|6.18.15 @ 9:13AM|#
They are drooling with glee over this. Normal people are horrified and sad. Progressives are happier than on Christmas morning. God they are fucking evil, sick people.
reply to this

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fish

18 June 2015

Hey George B…..if you the Christians were “suspect” from an education perspective you’re really going to be pissed at the Scientologists!
http://www.cracked.com/personal-experiences-1648-5-weird-realities-when-scientologists-run-your-school.html

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Russ Steele

18 June 2015

Obama is “transforming America” more by incompetence than design.
Some of the contractors that have helped OPM with managing internal data have had security issues of their own—including potentially giving foreign governments direct access to data long before the recent reported breaches. A consultant who did some work with a company contracted by OPM to manage personnel records for a number of agencies told Ars that he found the Unix systems administrator for the project “was in Argentina and his co-worker was physically located in the [People’s Republic of China]. Both had direct access to every row of data in every database: they were root. Another team that worked with these databases had at its head two team members with PRC passports. I know that because I challenged them personally and revoked their privileges. From my perspective, OPM compromised this information more than three years ago and my take on the current breach is ‘so what’s new?’”
Details here: http://arstechnica.com/security/2015/06/encryption-would-not-have-helped-at-opm-says-dhs-official/
All the encryption in the world would not have prevented this problem when foreign nationals have complete access to the operating system. Snowden proved the danger to security when there is no control over root access. Even an 8th grade Linux hacker knows the power of root access.
The question is what is Congress going to do now that their information has been compromised along with all the other common people. China now knows what everyone’s security clearance is and all their other secrets.

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Patricia Smith

18 June 2015

We opened ourselves up to cyber terrorism once we shipped our technology manufacturing overseas. Since virtually every computer, tablet, cell phone, etc are made overseas, what is to prevent them from altering these devices so they have access to all of our information (including the governments)?

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fish

18 June 2015

Posted by: Patricia Smith | 18 June 2015 at 07:47 AM
Almost nothing.
Get used to the fact that once your personal information is in a networked computer it is, by definition, insecure.

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George Rebane

18 June 2015

RussS 736am et seq – A very important revelation and good points. It all begs the question (especially for progressives) – why would we ever want to expand an incompetent, and arguably often evil/corrupt, bureaucracy like the government, instead of limiting its function and power to the absolute minimum required to maintain our Republic? The Founders in their wisdom knew that, and today in the aggregate we no longer do.

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Michael R. Kesti

18 June 2015

Patricia Smith 18Jun15 07:47 AM
I honestly intend no insult by telling you that your statements indicate that you clearly do not understand how modern computing devices work and how the security of their data are violated.
To more directly answer your question, the companies who design those devices go to great efforts to analyze how data breaches occur so that flaws can be corrected. In the course of their work they would find design alterations such as you suggest in very short order. What is more, the root causes of data vulnerability are overwhelmingly found to be in the design of the software which is routinely updated in ways that involve no off-shore production facilities.

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Patricia Smith

18 June 2015

George above, At least we can hold the government accountable for their actions. Corporations operate with impunity.
I’m all for limiting the scope of government. Let’s start by dismantling our military complex overseas and invest in America instead. Our infrastructure is crumbling, some schools facilities are worse than prisons, we could develop clean energy, etc.
I think it is disingenuous to compare our current complex structure to the country when it was founded. There are so many aspects that didn’t exist then. Do you want to go back to taking a month or more to get a letter, 6 months to cross country, and (gasp) open immigration?

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Patricia Smith

18 June 2015

Michael K, 9:02am I’ll be the first to admit that I am utterly ignorant of modern technology – and want to stay that way. It’s all I can do to keep up with my emails, websites, and posting on the occasional blog. I’ve never texted, tweeted or twitted in my life and have no plans to do so.
My statement about overseas companies altering hardware to spy on us was meant as an illustration. I have no idea how they mange to keep hacking our records, but they certainly do. is it inconceivable that a foreign power could hijack our military computer systems or shut them down? This seems like a mjor security breach to me.

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Todd Juvinall

18 June 2015

Corporations operate with impunity? Jeeze Patricia have you read the millions of pages of rules and laws on the books regarding corporations? Apparently not. The problem is the enforcement of the laws, not that corporations are exempt from them.
Kind of like Obama saying to America, “screw you” I am disregarding the laws on immigration”. You dumb asses that voted for me now get to be unemployed because I allowed all these foreigners to take your jobs”
Regarding the “complexity” of present day life in juxtaposition with the Founders. Hogwash. There are “truths” that are always the same through the ages and only people that want to change them to accommodate bad behavior would disagree.

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George Rebane

18 June 2015

PatriciaS 908am – You misunderstand. I only hearken to our Founders for their ageless wisdom on governance and the Great Experiment, and have made no recommendation to return our country’s form and function to the 18th century. I cannot fathom how you deduced that I was disingenuously comparing “our current complex structure to the country when it was founded.”
And I believe your greatest error to be that “we can (today still) hold government accountable for their actions” through presumably normative means. Anyone who has paid attention during the last years should have disabused themselves of that notion – and actually our abdication of that capacity is now decades in the past. I know it hard for progressives to grok this, but you cannot construct a controllable government that has the power give and take everything, and in the process to punish resistance with impunity. A good awakening here is provided in Charles Murray’s recent ‘By the People’.

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Michael R. Kesti

18 June 2015

George Rebane 18Jun15 08:08 AM
I believe that the answer to your question is obvious. Those at the lower end of the economic spectrum, of which there are a great many more than at the upper end, see that allowing expansion of an incompetent, evil, and corrupt, government is to their economic benefit and they are willing to trade their freedoms for that benefit.
While Russ’s comments may raise your question they certainly do not beg it.

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Scott Obermuller

18 June 2015

from Patricia: “Corporations operate with impunity.”
That statement explains a lot about ‘progressive’ thinking. GIGO. Garbage in garbage out. The companion statement to that one is that that Wall Street was ‘deregulated’. You cannot make intelligent decisions when your world view is so seriously skewed as to believe this sort of nonsense.

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George Rebane

18 June 2015

MichaelK 1004am – Agreeing with your analysis, I nevertheless stand fast. Your assessment of the answer as “obvious” corroborates that my stated question indeed went begging as intended.
(“Begging the question means assuming the conclusion of an argument — a type of circular reasoning.”)

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Jon

18 June 2015

Here is the Pope’s encyclical today.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/19/world/europe/pope-francis-in-sweeping-encyclical-calls-for-swift-action-on-climate-change.html

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fish

18 June 2015

Posted by: Jon | 18 June 2015 at 11:32 AM
Pope is infallible in this then?

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Walt

18 June 2015

Patricia says,,” At least we can hold the government accountable for their actions.”
Uhhh,,, NO WE CAN’T!!! Gov. sure has been held “accountable” for it’s abuse with the IRS, hasn’t it? How about “O”‘s abuse of power? He still tries to act as King.
The ONLY time in recent history were “the people” actually did something about gov. over reach was the Bundy Ranch incident. To this day the “G” man hasn’t done a thing. They have left the rancher alone.

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Patricia Smith

18 June 2015

Yes, we can hold the gov’t accountable, but rarely do because Americans in general would rather complain than take action. Say what you will about the ACLU, but they are out there protecting everyone’s rights against gov’t overreach. (Most recently, taking the Fed to court over the NSA spying.)
Wall St has NOT been held accountable for their disgusting rape of our economy. They have been rewarded and gained more control than they had before the meltdown.

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Jon

18 June 2015

fish 11:56, absolutely not infallible. But then again I am no Catholic. I simply lay the fact out there that hundreds of millions of people on earth will listen to the man, and he does sway public sentiment.

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Scott Obermuller

18 June 2015

Patricia, you said corporations, then switched to Wall Street. Let’s go back to your original statement. “Corporations operate with impunity.”
As far as Wall Street ‘raping’ the American economy, it seems to have had a very willing victim. The govt has worked tirelessly to destroy our economy – but the left doesn’t seem to mind unless we’re in an election cycle.

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fish

18 June 2015

Posted by: Jon | 18 June 2015 at 01:18 PM
Last week the NY Times was crowing about how organized religion was at an ebb. The majority of practicing Catholics are outside the United States now with Africa, South America, and Asia leading the charge. If these individuals want to follow the Popes guidance than who am I to criticize.
As the left is so fond of pointing out the principle of the Separation of Church and State is still supreme in the US so keep your religious laws off my body!

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Jon

18 June 2015

fish, the Pope’s every pronouncement certainly ain’t what it used to be in the USA. But he is still a major, major leader for the population in many
Catholic enclaves in this country. I remember my very Polish, very pius college roommate plastered every inch of his space with Pope pictures and quotes.

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fish

18 June 2015

Posted by: Jon | 18 June 2015 at 02:53 PM
Well I’m quite sure then that he’ll heed the Popes direction on Climate Change.

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Jon

18 June 2015

Actually he will, and is a fairly big enviro guy I understand.
But yeah, nothing to see recently with Climate Change, move along..after you read the NOAA report.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/weather/2015/06/18/warmest-may-spring-year-noaa-climate-report/28936525/

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Todd Juvinall

18 June 2015

The Pope giveth and he taketh away. Along with his personal observations on weather, he included anti abortion in the encyclical. So maybe he has no use for “liberals” wiping out the children in the canal? Jonnie/MA will be apoplectic.
Funny how the left is so bereft of character they would get into bed with anyone they hate with a passion like the Pope or religious people in general. What whores the left is. Jonnie on top?

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Todd Juvinall

18 June 2015

Here is the actual document.
http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/encyclicals/documents/papa-francesco_20150524_enciclica-laudato-si.html

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Jon

18 June 2015

Todd, how bout you stop the intellectual dishonesty and classless, foul comments without merit. I’ve never met anyone in my entire life who “hates the Pope with a passion.” Who do you know who has said that?
As Kesti says (as others cringe when you post), real classy there Todd.

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Michael R. Kesti

18 June 2015

Jon 18Jun15 at 04:23 PM
You must be thinking of somebody else, Jon. I am quite certain that I have never said that Todd is real classy.
8^/

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Todd Juvinall

18 June 2015

Soryy “jonnie” I don’t debate a troll. Tell us all who you are. Kesti at least does that.
Regading “classy”, never gave it a thought. I am a man who does not care what you or Kesti say about me. In fact, I revel in the praise. What a hoot!
The Pope is hated by a few billion people as evidenced by the screeds from the Muslims for one thing. Most “atheists” such as yourself jonnie have spoken of the hate of the Papa many times in my lifetime. You just weren’t listening.

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Michael R. Kesti

18 June 2015

Todd Juvinall 18Jun15 05:12 PM
There is no way that you can know what most atheists have said about the Pope, Todd, but don’t let that stop you making it up as you go.

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Don Bessee

18 June 2015

TJ- I’ll give you a hint, when ‘the jon’ is preoccupied here the only action in liberal lament land is a couple of lefties debating vaccinations while RR get hundreds of posts a day (which is great but gets hard to keep up on! have to visit more during the day) narcissists need an audience and this is the best game in town. Thanks, Dr. R!

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Todd Juvinall

18 June 2015

DonB, so true.
Kesti, how do you know what I know? Please tell. Here is Number 120 on the Pope’s musing today.
“120. Since everything is interrelated, concern for the protection of nature is also incompatible with the justification of abortion. How can we genuinely teach the importance of concern for other vulnerable beings, however troublesome or inconvenient they may be, if we fail to protect a human embryo, even when its presence is uncomfortable and creates difficulties? “If personal and social sensitivity towards the acceptance of the new life is lost, then other forms of acceptance that are valuable for society also wither away”.[97]”
You tell us how you think this will go over with the Godless crowd Kesti. I dig your opinions.

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Michael R. Kesti

18 June 2015

Todd Juvinall 18Jun15 05:32 PM
According to Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_atheism), “…self-identified atheists comprise anywhere from 2% to 8% of the world’s population…” The population of the world is greater than 7 billion people. You would therefore have to have heard 70 million atheists speak disrespectfully of the Pope in order to know what you claim.
I suspect that some of the “Godless crowd” will not enjoy that the Pope has revealed their hypocrisy.

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Todd Juvinall

18 June 2015

Just an aside about Obama today. He derided gun ownership in America while sending enough of them to arm thousands of troops in the Eastern Europe area. Now if guns are so terrible here, why are they so necessary there?
Kesti, you are a smart guy, can you tell us?

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Walt

18 June 2015

Seems our LIBS have “found religion” all of a sudden when the Pope pipes up being in the AGW camp. He is just a man like anyone else. At least he hasn’t tried to rewrite the Catholic faith to be politically correct and now abortion is fine and dandy.

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Todd Juvinall

18 June 2015

Walt, I think there will be liberals whose heads will explode from sensory and hypocritical overload! LOL

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Michael R. Kesti

18 June 2015

Todd Juvinall 18Jun15 05:58 PM
Thanks, Todd, but I’ll pass on that one.

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Walt

18 June 2015

Well well… The cook fire in Yuba Co. started out as a planed controlled burn!
Cal fire will have PLENTY of explaining to do.

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Scott Obermuller

18 June 2015

The pope’s recent comments show that the man hasn’t got a very good grasp of reality.
“The earth, our home, is beginning to look more and more like an immense pile of filth,” he wrote.
The countries following the capitalist models have mostly been the cleanest countries. All of the former USSR countries were the piles of filth. And good ol’ commie China has the worst pollution of any country. If the pope doesn’t like our nasty anti-Christian money why does he still accept it?

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Todd Juvinall

18 June 2015

Walt is it moving your way?

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Todd Juvinall

18 June 2015

ScottO, I say the Pope has the ability to take a vow of poverty. He could issue an edict to liquidate the hundreds of billions the church owns and turn it over to the poor. I say Papa, lead the way and we will follow. Even though I am not a Catholic.
Capitalist America has spread trillions of dollars to countries that steal it and then spit in our face. The Vatican was never attacked as the rest of Italy was so perhaps they don’t know the true horrors of that.

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Walt

18 June 2015

No, it’s holding in Yuba Co. The air tankers that some LIB thinks are a waste of money have boxed it in well. That red snot is really doing the job.

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Walt

18 June 2015

OK,, THIS is fit for the sandbox.
Some red meat for the AGW libshits to chew on. Belly up to the table true believers.
http://phys.org/news/2010-06-humans-extinct-years-eminent-scientist.html
THE END IS NEAR!!!! ( news at 11…)

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Scott Obermuller

18 June 2015

Human extinction?? Oh dear. You know what the left will say to that –
Women and minorities will be hit the hardest.

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Russ Steele

18 June 2015

If I were Catholic I would be shorting the collection plate until the Pope gets some real science advisors and fires his communist advisors and global warming fear mongering staffers. If the million plus US Catholics that do not believe in AGW all shorted the collection plate, the Pope would soon get the message.

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Jon

18 June 2015

Many wondering- why is the Charleston massacre not considered Terrorism?
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/19/us/charleston-shooting-terrorism-or-hate-crime.html

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George Rebane

18 June 2015

Terrorism’s common definition requires a greater group purpose to be achieved by the act of terror. One person acting spontaneously alone with no prepared commonly held social goal or objective does not constitute terror in that sense, but could well be a random act of insanity connected to nothing but the voices in his head.

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Walt

18 June 2015

Speaking of terrorists,,,
A movie shot by one with a happy ending. A must see.
http://dailycaller.com/2015/06/18/isis-jihadi-captured-his-own-death-on-gopro/
We need to send more Gopro cams to ISIS.

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fish

19 June 2015

Posted by: Jon | 18 June 2015 at 09:41 PM
It’s a shame to see a once great newspaper reduced to this kind of pandering.

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