Government

End runs

Let’s say that the police want to search your home, but they don’t have the probable cause needed to get a warrant. So to solve this “problem” they come up with a plan. They have a criminal on speed dial who they recently caught committing a burglary do them a favor in exchange for the cops not arresting them. In this case, the burglar breaks into your house then anonymously calls the police to report seeing a dead body in the home. Or perhaps bomb making material. It doesn’t matter what he claims to have seen. This call falls under one of the exceptions that would allow the police to enter your home.

That’s a dick move, right? Would you consider that to be a violation of your Constitutional right against unreasonable search and seizure? In this case, the police didn’t have the legal ability to search your home, so they got another person to do it on their behalf.

Isn’t having a private business violate your First Amendment rights the same thing?

The “liberal” or “progressive” stance has always been that free speech is only about state suppression, not about private companies or individuals.

The argument has always been that Facebook/Twitter/Google etc. are private companies that have every right to decide what appears on their platforms. Of course, if the state is actively instructing the private companies on what to remove…that argument crumbles to dust.

Now do a little thinking and let me know what other Constitutional rights are being subverted because the government has enlisted others to do the violating.

By Divemedic, ago

Only one

The US government has decided that only their employees can be called astronauts, unless you do what they say.

According to the FAA, space explorers must go through training and fly beyond 80 kilometres above the Earth surface as a flight crew on a permitted launch or reentry vehicle to be considered an astronaut. They also must have “demonstrated activities during flight that were essential to public safety, or contributed to human space flight safety.”

By that definition, there were no US astronauts from 2011 to 2019, since all Americans who went into space in that time period were passengers on Russian spacecraft.

By Divemedic, ago

Murder and the truth

A man kills two people and is driving around with their bodies in the bed of a stolen pickup truck that belonged to one of the victims when he is seen by a third man, who he also kills.

The bodies of the two in the bed of the truck were bound with tape on their hands and feet and had suffered several gunshot wounds. The third victim, who apparently was killed because he came upon the crime in progress was shot five times, including a coup de grace to the head.

There is no description of the killer, even though he is named in the article as 23 year old Bryan Rhoden. They also make no guesses as to the motivation of the killer. I wonder why not?

Oh, now I see. News reports describe the shooter as an up-and-coming rapper who goes by the name B Rod, who has more than 18,000 followers on Instagram. Aren’t they ALL up and coming rappers? In this case, he was a drug dealer with a history of violent crimes, including shooting two men during a drug deal in 2016.

That isn’t all- he had a LONG and busy criminal career. He was a one man crime spree.

In May 2020, he was driving a maroon Chevy Silverado when Atlanta police pulled him over for allegedly driving with a cell phone in his hand. Police said they smelled marijuana coming from the car and placed him under arrest. A search of his vehicle revealed 44 individually rolled and packaged marijuana cigarettes and $3,000 in cash. He was cited for distracted driving and possession of marijuana. During that arrest, police learned that Rhoden had a warrant out of East Point and took him into custody. I couldn’t find out what the warrant was for.

In August 2020, Rhoden was arrested in Indiana after a high-speed chase. A state trooper reportedly attempted to pull Rhoden over for speeding in excess of 100 miles per hour when he fled the scene. After a three-mile chase at speeds up to 150 miles per hour, he was arrested and charged with resisting law enforcement, a felony, and two misdemeanor counts of reckless driving. He was released on a $5,000 bond.

In April of 2021, an Uber driver called Atlanta police claiming that Rhoden and his group got into an argument with him so he decided to pull over and kick them out. According to a report, the Uber driver told police that Rhoden threatened him with a gun. Police said Rhoden admitted having a gun but denied using it to threaten the driver. Police couldn’t determine which party was telling the truth, so they let them go their separate ways- even though Rhoden was a convicted felon and should not have had a gun at all.

If this were reversed, and the killer were white with the victims being black, we would already be hearing about how the killer had racist motivations. But a black killer with a long, violent criminal history involving drug dealing and firearms with three white victims? Well, we can’t have people rushing to conclusions. Nope, no idea why he did it.

It gets harder and harder every day not to judge people on the basis of race. How many times do you have to be hit in the face with the facts of crime in this country before you just can’t overlook race any longer?

We are supposed to ignore the fact that blacks commit nearly half of the homicides in the country, despite the fact that only one in eight Americans is black.

We are asked to ignore that murder rates don’t increase with population, but instead increase in proportion to black population. For example:

  • Atlanta has a population of 524K, of which is 51% black, and had 157 murders for a murder rate of 30. If Atlanta were a country, it would have the 12th highest homicide rate in the world.
  • Baltimore has a population of 593K, which is 62% black, and had 335 murders for a murder rate of 56.4. If Baltimore were a country, it would have the highest homicide rate of any country in the world.
  • Dallas has a population of 1.3 million, which is 24% black, and had 200 murders for a murder rate of 15.4.
  • Sacramento has a population of 500K, which is 13 percent black, and had 43 murders for a murder rate of 8.6.
  • San Antonio has a population of 1.5 million, which is 7 percent black, and had 128 murders for a murder rate of 8.5.

While I still believe that we cannot predict the behavior of an individual by looking at demographics, it is undeniable that blacks are more likely to be violent criminals than any other demographic. Convince me otherwise. What other explanation fits the data?

Everyone is so afraid of being labeled a ‘racist’ that they are being forced to ignore what is right in front of them. This is gaslighting at its most potent. A black man walking through the whitest neighborhood in America is supposed to be in danger of a racist attack, but the facts rarely support that. How many white people could walk through a black neighborhood in Los Angeles, Atlanta, or Memphis without being attacked?

You know the truth. Blacks know the truth. Everyone does. To admit the truth is to invite the destruction of your entire life: lose your job, become labeled a racist, become a pariah. THAT is why no one dares speak the truth.

White Americans are the Jews in the attic of today’s America. I have seen this movie before. It always ends in a bloodbath.

By Divemedic, ago

No F15s or nukes needed, just pussy

The US Army is investigating this lieutenant colonel for reportedly creating a series of lies over several years in order to carry out affairs with several women. Scummy enough, but it gets worse.

Lt. Col. Richard Kane Mansir, a civil affairs officer based at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia, has had “serious, long-term relationships” with at least six other women over the last five years, while still married to his wife of 18 years. That’s a bit worse, you say, but this isn’t even close to the worst part.

He lied about being on deployments, going so far as to fake papers claiming that he was deploying to Afghanistan and that he received the Silver Star. He rented a townhouse for one woman who was pregnant with their child, went on trips with another woman he was engaged to, and even met the womens’ parents. He told them he was divorced, and told them that one of his three children had died. Wow, but wait, there’s more.

He had serious relationships with at least five women in as many years. He apparently targeted subordinates and widows of men who died in combat—women who’d be too embarrassed to say anything about it, or whose careers would be ruined if they did. Oh, so this guy is a complete whoring scumbag.

He eventually got caught, like all such people do, and now has to pay the price for his stupidity.

This is not the sign of a well disciplined military. The “politically unreliable” troops are all being run out of the service while whoremongering, pencil pushing douchebags like this are the only ones who will remain.

Too bad Afghanistan is over. The Army should send this dude to command an isolated firebase staffed with security troops consisting of the buddies of the dead soldiers whose widows this guy was fucking, all armed with a big bag full of frags. Bringing back the time honored tradition of fragging officers would be the only justice to be had here.

Is the title of this post crass? Of course it is. It is still not as crass as a commissioned officer preying on the widows of dead soldiers.

By Divemedic, ago

Rents and inflation

For months I have been posting about how the eviction moratorium is killing landlords. Many landlords are leaving the business, on top of that, there is inflation to deal with. The increased costs, increased risk, increased demand, and falling supply has combined with record inflation to put a lot of pressure on rental prices.

So now Orlando area residential rents are seeing the highest rate increases in history. In the last year, rent in the Orlando market has increased nearly 14%. I know that we have seen increases in our costs: insurance, taxes, lawn maintenance, and other expenses have increased. This means that we will be increasing rent on our properties, I just don’t know by how much yet. The increase will be at least four percent, maybe as much as ten. I will know more in the fall. Our next lease renews right before Thanksgiving, so I will know by mid October.

By Divemedic, ago

There’s a lesson here

The FAA has removed the requirement that forced airlines to allow emotional support animals on aircraft. The people who fly with these animals are saying it is unfair because flying “triggers” them.

They are especially angry because the trade association for major U.S. airlines wrote in a letter to Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao that emotional support animals led to an increase in “incidents” that have “ranged from mauling and biting to urinating and defecating.”

“This misbehavior not only threatens the health and safety of our passengers and crew, but also passengers with disabilities traveling with legitimate service animals,” the statement said.

So the airlines claimed that emotional support animals aren’t legitimate, and the people who want to travel with them are angry that they are seen as not having a legitimate disability. I wonder why that is? Could it be all of the websites out there that claim they can give you a letter certifying your emotional disability which will force airlines and landlords to allow your pet without being able to charge you a dime extra?

Read the actual statement from one of those websites:

Did you know that with a signed ESA letter from us you will be allowed to have your animal with you wherever you choose to live*, even if there are restrictions for pets at your complex or rental… and with an ESA letter your monthly “pet” fee can be waived? So stop paying $500-$1000 a year in “pet” fees, or living without your ESA and get an Emotional Support Animal letter for your landlord.

Emotional Support Animals are a scam. Claim to have a fake disability so your pet can fly for free. Unscrupulous medical professionals certify your “disability” over the Internet and now your pet flies free. The system was so absurd that one passenger brought a support turkey onto a plane, and other brought a support pony.

The same scam has moved into the realm of rental property. My sister even used the scam. You get a letter claiming your “disability” and need for an emotional support animal. Your landlord is then required to allow this pet for no extra charge or pet deposit, even if pets are prohibited. If he refuses, he is in violation of the Fair Housing Act and can be sued into bankruptcy.

So landlords respond to this sort of thing pragmatically: raise rents and deposits for everyone. That “free” pet? Nope. Not free. Everyone now pays more for YOUR pet.

By Divemedic, ago