tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-197067912024-03-05T10:05:19.856-06:00Wotka World WideMichael Wotkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01229493167039910032noreply@blogger.comBlogger940125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19706791.post-89599804812162549542014-03-16T13:16:00.005-05:002014-03-16T13:16:58.337-05:00<a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/realspin/2014/03/13/5-ways-the-government-keeps-native-americans-in-poverty/">5 Ways the Government Keeps Native Americans in Poverty</a>. Sad to read. Now we just keep them in their place with bureaucracy and insane specialized laws. Michael Wotkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01229493167039910032noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19706791.post-6705757653718867852014-02-20T21:12:00.002-06:002014-02-20T21:12:12.648-06:00Great look at the evolution in media in the US over the last few decades, from <i>The Federalist</i>:<br />
<a href="http://thefederalist.com/2014/02/17/the-new-contras-understanding-the-lefts-grip-on-media/">The New Contras: Understanding The Left's Grip On Media</a>. Michael Wotkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01229493167039910032noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19706791.post-54103369194406469192014-01-09T09:12:00.003-06:002014-01-09T09:12:54.464-06:00<a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-25663992">This</a> is an amazing story of the ultimate sacrifice. Some people really are heroes. Michael Wotkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01229493167039910032noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19706791.post-35487015495066829222013-11-30T12:47:00.006-06:002013-11-30T12:47:53.617-06:00<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;">So the healthcare.gov website is going to <a href="http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303332904579228413800602836">miss the Nov. 30th deadline</a> for smooth and functional operation. Just remember the Democrats shut down the government rather than agree to a Republican plan to delay this nonsense for one year. So, while they were lying to the public that everything was completely ready, they really knew they were months and months away from a usable website that they had three+ years to build. Of course, putting the government in charge of anything this large is completely insane for anyone who has dealt with government bureaucracy at virtually any level, despite the laudable goals of helping the un-insurable and un/under-insured. Note that the payment processing system isn't even built yet. Seriously.</span>Michael Wotkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01229493167039910032noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19706791.post-84864206118219790602013-10-26T02:18:00.003-05:002013-10-26T02:18:50.189-05:00<a href="http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2013/10/25/Major-NSA-Surveillance-Legislation-to-be-Introduced-on-Tuesday?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter">Legislation curtailing NSA surveillance powers</a> might be the most useful bipartisan effort to come out of Congress in a long time. Michael Wotkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01229493167039910032noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19706791.post-26905914156172402792013-09-29T20:16:00.000-05:002013-09-29T20:16:02.729-05:00<a href="http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2013/09/nsa-stalking/">12 True Tales of Creepy NSA Cyberstalking</a>. None were prosecuted. And that is just the ones they know about. Michael Wotkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01229493167039910032noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19706791.post-32267398134664415262013-09-15T22:57:00.003-05:002013-09-15T22:57:42.097-05:00Self defense and the rise of a well regulated militia are helping average people <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/the_americas/in-the-hills-of-michoacan-self-defense-groups-battle-a-mexican-drug-cartel/2013/09/09/6947e47a-119f-11e3-a2b3-5e107edf9897_story.html">push back against gangs in Michoacan, Mexico</a>. Never underestimate the power of average citizens to take things into their own hands, especially in the face of government inaction and ineptitude. Michael Wotkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01229493167039910032noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19706791.post-39713312580882466592013-08-18T12:00:00.001-05:002013-08-18T12:00:22.622-05:00Peggy Noonan really hits one out of the park with her latest piece on privacy rights: "<a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323639704579015101857760922.html?mod=WSJ_Opinion_BelowLEFTSecond">What We Lost If We Give Up Privacy Rights</a>". The 4th Amendment is clearly being ignored by the powers that be in government, and it is time this massive overreach is rectified. It continues to amaze me how many Americans are totally fine with the government reading all their communications and monitoring all their movements. What the heck did we win the Cold War for if this is where we end up two decades later?Michael Wotkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01229493167039910032noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19706791.post-54934398144508033762013-07-23T18:25:00.000-05:002013-07-23T18:25:01.983-05:00Radley Balko, writing for the <i>Wall Street Journal</i>, on the <a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323848804578608040780519904.html?mod=WSJ_hpp_LEFTTopStories">Rise of the Warrior Cop</a>. Scary trend towards police militarization in this country. It needs to be reversed. Michael Wotkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01229493167039910032noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19706791.post-938039840709319362013-07-04T14:31:00.001-05:002013-07-04T14:31:09.308-05:00From Nirvana to Special Ops<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/02/magazine/evermans-war.html?_r=0">Great story</a> from the <i>NYT</i> about a guy who managed to get kicked out of Nirvana <i>and</i> Soundgarden, and then joined the U.S. Army and became a decorated member of the Special Forces. Fascinating life.Michael Wotkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01229493167039910032noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19706791.post-46614104160914834452013-06-22T17:40:00.004-05:002013-06-22T17:40:41.752-05:00<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px; text-align: left;">Seems like all the good reporting these days is coming from the other side of the pond, with <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2013/jun/22/snowden-espionage-charges">Glenn Greenwald leading the charge</a>. He rightly makes the key point about Edward Snowden being charged with espionage, that the terrorists and Chinese and Russians all knew we were monitoring them, and the only ones who didn't were the American people. So it it espionage to inform the American people that their own government is secretly monitoring them???</span><br />
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<br />
<br />Michael Wotkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01229493167039910032noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19706791.post-74637251617654230182013-06-09T14:02:00.001-05:002013-06-09T14:02:09.964-05:00<a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/andygreenberg/2013/06/06/watch-top-u-s-intelligence-officials-repeatedly-deny-nsa-spying-on-americans-over-the-last-year-videos/">Watch</a> NSA officials repeatedly deny over the last year that they are collecting information on all US citizens. From <i>Forbes</i>.Michael Wotkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01229493167039910032noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19706791.post-77742674040163747602013-06-09T13:37:00.001-05:002013-06-09T13:37:31.980-05:00Great idea from Rand Paul and Pat Leahy to <a href="http://www.volokh.com/2013/06/07/george-will-on-reducing-mandatory-minimum-sentences/">limit mandatory minimums for <i>all </i>federal crimes</a>. This could go a long way towards restricting prosecutorial overreach. And letting judges judge, what a crazy idea.Michael Wotkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01229493167039910032noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19706791.post-67026642105363517992013-04-07T12:24:00.001-05:002013-04-07T12:29:50.286-05:00<a href="http://hotair.com/archives/2013/04/05/jake-tapper-shouldnt-obama-and-bloomberg-maybe-learn-the-basics-about-guns-before-trying-to-regulate-them/">Great work by Jake Tapper on CNN</a> exposing President Obama's and Mayor Bloomberg's ignorance about guns. They both have literally no idea what the difference is between fully automatic and semi-automatic. Unbelievable. And then you have <a href="http://dailycaller.com/2013/04/03/gun-bill-sponsor-apparently-doesnt-understand-how-guns-work/">CO Rep. Diana DeGette demonstrating her ignorance</a>, showing that she doesn't even understand what a magazine is or how it functions. But don't worry, she is sponsoring a bill banning high capacity magazines! Michael Wotkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01229493167039910032noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19706791.post-18909871291750655522013-04-03T21:29:00.002-05:002013-04-03T21:29:44.097-05:00<a href="http://www.lamag.com/features/2011/12/01/between-the-lines">LA Magazine</a> has a fascinating look at the science of parking. In LA, this is obviously a big deal, and hopefully they start paying attention. But it should get far more attention everywhere, as far too much real estate nationwide is wasted on unnecessary parking requirements that have no basis in science or reality.Michael Wotkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01229493167039910032noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19706791.post-28776248701064183542013-04-03T21:25:00.003-05:002013-04-03T21:25:54.249-05:00<a href="http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/manhattan/outrage_puQlvJIeZxsT7nFZds0HIJ">Convicted terrorist working as a professor at Columbia?</a> Sure, why not. She is a former Weather Underground, so she gets a pass, even though three people were killed in the attempted robbery she was a part of. Stay classy Columbia. Michael Wotkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01229493167039910032noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19706791.post-11386818756327287522013-03-29T11:32:00.003-05:002013-03-29T11:32:51.739-05:00These a**holes in Congress just don't stop. Now <a href="http://www.ibtimes.com/computer-fraud-abuse-act-2013-new-cfaa-draft-aims-expand-not-reform-worst-law-technology-1158515#">they want it to be a crime</a> to "conspire to commit" a violation of a website's terms of service, with a potential 20 year maximum penalty. Wow, literally every user of the internet could potentially be guilty. Aaron Swartz was just the beginning. Pay attention people, there is more going on in this country than just the gay marriage debate. Call or email your local Congressman and give em a piece of your mind.Michael Wotkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01229493167039910032noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19706791.post-42175787663846871272013-03-13T20:41:00.002-05:002013-03-13T20:41:52.164-05:00The recent <a href="http://reason.com/archives/2013/02/15/dorner-manhunt-reveals-police-contempt-f">behavior of the police</a> in the Chris Dorner manhunt was beyond shameful, with cops opening fire on trucks that sort of looked like Dorner's, but actually were different colors and models, and wounding innocent women in the process. This kind of behavior is completely ridiculous, but also par for the course for police in Los Angeles. I'm sure no one lost their job over this insanity. Michael Wotkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01229493167039910032noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19706791.post-13184453008049466132013-03-13T20:20:00.003-05:002013-03-13T20:20:49.738-05:00It seems obvious to me, but not to everybody, so to reiterate: <a href="http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2013/02/20/you_cannot_make_the_poor_richer_by_making_the_rich_poorer_117079.html">You Cannot Make the Poor Richer By Making the Rich Poorer</a>. From Richard Epstein at Stanford's Hoover Institute. Michael Wotkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01229493167039910032noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19706791.post-39314439713939489842013-03-12T01:54:00.001-05:002013-03-12T01:54:02.394-05:00Victor Davis Hanson offers his take on our <a href="http://pjmedia.com/victordavishanson/brave-new-world/?singlepage=true">Brave New World</a>. It ain't pretty.Michael Wotkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01229493167039910032noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19706791.post-68116790807846522512013-03-09T12:56:00.001-06:002013-03-09T12:56:19.460-06:00<a href="http://techcrunch.com/2013/03/08/how-a-fired-republican-staffer-became-a-powerful-martyr-for-open-internet/">How A Fired Republican Staffer Became a Powerful Martyr for Internet Activists</a>. This isn't an R vs. D issue. It is a new order vs. old order issue. And while the old order has been winning, the new order is rapidly gaining in strength. Hopefully we will soon reach a tipping point on copyright issues. <br />Michael Wotkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01229493167039910032noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19706791.post-57036556115611629822013-03-05T14:00:00.003-06:002013-03-05T14:00:40.370-06:00Clarence Thomas gave <a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2013/02/why-clarence-thomas-uses-simple-words-in-his-opinions/273326/">a great interview at Harvard Law School</a> recently, that is well worth checking out, whether you agree or disagree with his views. Michael Wotkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01229493167039910032noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19706791.post-29292182824551276992013-02-16T17:20:00.004-06:002013-02-16T17:20:26.548-06:00<a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2013/02/the-law-against-unlocking-cellphones-is-anti-consumer-anti-business-and-anti-common-sense/272894/">Crony capitalism strikes again.</a> This time, it is an expiration of the waiver that prohibits unlocking cell phones. Violators face a $500,000 fine and 5 years in prison. Michael Wotkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01229493167039910032noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19706791.post-4525767586691670842013-02-10T00:51:00.001-06:002013-02-10T00:51:51.876-06:00In the wake of Reddit founder Aaron Swartz's tragic suicide, members of Congress and the legal community are looking at ways to staunch the prosecutorial overreach that led to Swartz's over-charging by the overzealous and corrupt US Attorney from Boston, Carmen Ortiz. Members of Congress, led by Zoe Lofgren and Darrell Issa, are collaborating on <a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/13/01/aarons-law/267247/#">Aaron's Law</a>, which will rewrite US computer law to stop prosecutors going after users for violating term of service contracts, while the legal community, led by Glenn Reynolds, Lawrence Lessig, and Radley Balko, among others, have put together <a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2013/01/8-ways-to-stop-overzealous-prosecutors-from-destroying-lives/267360/">a list of ideas</a> to reform the prosecution system to prevent future abuses. It used to be that the rule of law meant something in this country. It would be nice to see a return to that standard, while further limiting the power of government to harass citizens that have engaged in speech they dislike (as that likely motivated the Swartz prosecution).Michael Wotkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01229493167039910032noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19706791.post-88259183225885053582013-02-09T15:31:00.003-06:002013-02-09T15:31:59.245-06:00<br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.ocweekly.com/2013-02-07/news/anaheim-remedy-tree-ogden-memo-dea-kush-expo/">The DEA Wants to Use a $37 Pot Sale to Seize a $1.5 Million Anaheim Building</a>. President Choom had no comment.</span></h1>
Michael Wotkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01229493167039910032noreply@blogger.com0