This really chaps my ass.

There just isn’t a better way of me saying that.

What? Is it friggin’ 1860 again?

We have Hispanics of multiple origins pouring over our southern border that our current Administration refuses to secure and furthermore refuses to address (save for amnesty). The vast majority of them are not contributing to our economy, in fact they are draining it quickly. $65 Million dollars...in just one state!

But if your from Mexico, China or India the doors open! Never mind the fact that Ireland’s migrants have just as much education or experience….the short version is: they are the wrong colour. If your from one of those countries this is a great program, and I applaud the ideal of making it easier to get in to the country legally. However setting a standard as to who should go is not a standard of equality.

Reverse discrimination against the Irish, twice now , has never been so disgustingly blatant. In a age when Democrats are constantly repeating how wonderful immigrants are and how necessary they are to our culture, it apparently only applies to certain immigrants from specific places.

But America has taken it a step further, no longer are they simply saying “No Irish need apply”

Now they simply say “No Irish are Welcome here.”

The Irish have already proven themselves in this country, we have done our time and our hardships. The railroads that criss cross the nation were built on Irish backs, with Irish labour.

Unfortunately the same folks who declared immigration necessary are freezing out a proven group of workers, and opening the flood gates to a group that wants a free ride…versus one that has paid its dues. Again great program from one of those countries, everyone else who is affected though? Not so much.

There is no justification for this. I am not racist, I have friends of many cultures, and have been to many countries. But this ruling is not just a travesty of human rights, and an assault to basic human respect it’s a sham and a obvious ploy to buy votes by an Administration that is desperate to receive any support it can get even if it means buying those votes through back door legislation.

This action is in a word: disgusting.

This is the third time we have placed such a stranglehold on the Irish community. First in the 1860′s, again in the 1960′s and again now. Furthermore here’s a jaw dropper: The number of people who will emigrate from Ireland in 2010 and 2011 will add up to 120,000. And as the business editor of the Irish Independent pointed out last week, that is the figure given by the last census for the population of Cork City. Compare that to the estimated 10 Million  illegal immigrants in the country currently.

Making it harder for a group who is willing to come here legally, is counter to any sane immigration program.

Want to make a difference?

Legalize the Irish. Contact your elective representative. Sanity needs to be restored.

Our regular contribution From Missouri State Representative David Sater

Special session, when will it end? It could last until November 15^th, 2011, but it should not. As I mentioned in a previous report, it is costing you around $25 thousand dollars a day for us to be in session.

Two weeks ago, the Senate and House passed two pieces of legislation. The Missouri Science and Reinvestment Act encourages investments in science and technology companies in Missouri. We repealed a provision of a new law that prohibits teachers from using sites such as Facebook to privately message students. The Legislature and the Governor thought this was a good idea, at the time, but freedom of speech was a concern. Our mission in this law was to keep our school children safe from teachers that acted badly. The Governor will sign both of these bills.

Last week we met for a few days to discuss an economic bill. We were in caucus last Wednesday to see if there was enough support for the bill. I try and keep in good contact with my senator, Jack Goodman, and three other senators in Southwest Missouri. They told me before caucus that our bill in the House was dead on arrival and they would not endorse it. In caucus, I mentioned that since the bill we were discussing would probably not go anywhere, it sure took away from some good crappie fishing. It got a laugh, but the point was made. House leadership is still insistent we pass the bill and send it to the Senate.

The key pieces of this bill are incentives to attract new businesses and jobs in Missouri. I still believe that government should not be in the business of creating jobs, the private sector does a much better job. Anyway, this bill would offer tax incentives to attract amateur sporting events in Missouri and encourage the creation of data storage centers. The bill would also create the Missouri Export Act, which creates incentives for exporting Missouri products – such as pork products. The bill would provide funding for job training and create a fund to both retain companies that are considering leaving Missouri and attract businesses that are looking for a new location. An amendment added to the bill on the House floor would reduce Missouri`s corporate income tax from 6.25 percent to 5.5 percent. The tax would be offset by savings generated by reforms to existing tax credit programs. We decreased the Historical Preservation Tax Credit by $28 million per year, decreased the RemediationTax Credit per year (Brownfield Redevelopment Program) by $17.5 million, and the Low Income Housing Tax Credit by $32 million dollars. We also kept a no sunset condition, which means it continues without reauthorization, on the Historical and Low Income Tax Credits. We took off the sunset, which is usually 4 or 5 years, on the Food Pantry and Pregnancy Resource Tax Credits. In the bill, there was also a provision that the Legislature would review any tax credit program by September 1^st of the calendar year prior to the sunset of the program to analyze the effectiveness of the program and to see if the money we are giving these programs is worthwhile.

I was able to get one amendment through on the House floor. There is a new tax credit program for the Development Disability Care Providers which was in this legislation. I noticed that it did not have a cap on the amount to be given out. I added an amendment to cap the tax credits $5 million dollars per year. According to my conversations with leadership, this was an omission and they welcomed the amendment.

As mentioned, probably all of this could of waited another three months for the regular session that starts the first of January. But this was the Governor’s call and by law we have to attend.

The Governor will be in Springfield at Missouri State University on October 14 for a ceremony that celebrates the start of a UMKC-Missouri State Pharmacy Program at Missouri State. They will be able to graduate 25 to 30 students from Missouri State with a degree in Pharmacy. This will help southwest Missouri in the shortage of pharmacists. I have been invited to attend because I placed the money in the budget for the program this year. I attempted it in 2010 and it did not stay, but this year there was enough support to keep it in the budget.

Hopefully this will give you an explanation of the legislative process. If you have any questions, call me at my home in Cassville (417/847-4661) or my Capitol office (573/751-1480). Thanks for letting me serve you.

xxx

Best Regards,

David Sater

68th District

866/485-0759

Tags: 68 District, Capital Straighttalk, David Sater, Missouri, Politicians, Politics, State Representative, states, Technorati

The Armorer is taking a break. Possibly a permanent one.

And he’s right. As is evidenced here hiatuses typically kill blogs. Even those that have two bloggers. Unfortunately as you may have noticed only one of us has shown up for duty lately and the other is swamped under work. The former is just treading water himself as his career has taken off in the last three months.

Good things and bad things.

The good news is The Armorer is not shutting down. Personally, given the mans occasional pontifications, I doubt he will be able to completely walk away. However given the disenchantment many of us whom I think I can say are relatively middle of the road I can see how politics, and the world in general would grind us to the point that we find our selves spitting at the wind. The spammers, and fickle nature of some commenter’s can play in to that as well.

Well, more he than I. I don’t think I could buy a regular commenter around here as of late.

That said, we aren’t going away. Neither is he. The doors remain open. Volunteers are always welcome to write here. He has his own staff.

As for myself, it seems like I’m watching another ship leave the harbor. Folks are moving on, as they did years ago when Calimus and I first started Techography.

The more things change. The more they stay the same.

However I can not allow him to close that door without saying thanks. The Armorer opened his home, and his armory to me on several occasions. He has put up with my incoherent rambling e-mails on several occasions, and even furnished cold frosty adult beverages. Insofar as blogging goes he and The Commissar (when he still blogged as such) both showed much kindness and politeness to a web writer who was trying to adapt to the changing format of the Internet.

The Internet has much discourse, but little in the way of civility. He may walk away, but he deserves to know that he furnished one of last bastions of reasonable discourse that I am aware of on line. And for that he deserves a salute.

This story was originally written by me at our sister site Techography.com June 5th, 2006.  the original article is no longer in the archives there. I republished it here in May of l2010. It’s that time of year again, to bring it back to the front page. The time to Remember. Always, Remember.-BS

Our supporting Naval Fire got us in….without that gunfire we positively could not have crossed the beaches…” Col S. B. Mason Chief of Staff, 1st Division

I mentioned before I owned a picture of that painting. (You can too But mine has more history as I got mine from the now dissolved Navy Aviation Ordnance School out of Oceania, VA.)

Water.

It surrounds the Landing craft, reminds you of that old poem

“Water water everywhere, and not a drop to drink…”

The wind is cold, the spray is miserable. The clothes are soaked thru, and the landing craft is pitching and yawing like a kite in a windstorm. The boys vomit from the rollercoaster aaffects of the seas and smashing waves that jar your teeth out of your head.

The place, is Normandy, the beach is Fox Green.

Welcome to the Invasion

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Tags: (Destroyer Squadron 18), (L)- 92, 116th Infantry Regiment, 16th Infantry Regimenta, 1st Infantry Division, 29th Infantry Division, 2nd Battalion US Army, 3rd Batt, 6th Naval Beach Battali, Act 3 Sc, Antoine de Saint-Exupery, beach, Chin Music, David Kenyon Webster, DESRON, DUKWs, Fox green, Invasion, J M Barrie, John Stuart Mill, King Henry V, LCI(L)-91, LCIs, LCTs, Lord Byon, LST-266, Memorial Day, Naval Combat Demolition, Normandy, Omaha, Operation: Neptune, PC-1225, Rainer Maria Rilke, Rangers, Technorati, techography, The Battle For Easy, USS Doyle, USS McCook, USS Arkansas, USS Augusta, USS Baldwin (DD-624), USS Carmick, USS Emmons (DD-457/DMS-22), USS Frankford (DD-497), USS LCI(L)-490, USS LCI(L)-496, USS LST-373, USS Nevada, USS Samuel Chase (APA-26), USS Texas, USS Thompson, USS Tide, Voyage to Victory, WIlliam James, William Shakespeare

This article started as a paper for one of my college classes on research, as such it has APA style references etc which I have included at the end of the article for your own bemusement.  I have expounded upon the original story a great deal, as the subject matter is interesting. I draw no conclusions as to the vile of the Project itself. I leave that to the reader.  Sorry it took me so long to get it done! – BloodSpite

From the early 1950’s until the late 1960’s the Central Intelligence Agency in two countries (The US and Canada) conducted a long running series of experiments under auspicious heading Project MKULTRA. Due the clandestine nature of the project, much of the research material has been lost or destroyed; although over 20,000 pages of material were recovered in 1975.

Some 2 years ago, the Senate Health Subcommittee heard chilling testimony about the human experimentation activities of the Central Intelligence Agency. The Deputy Director of the CIA revealed that over 30 universities and institutions were involved in an ‘extensive testing and experimentation’ program which included covert drug tests on unwitting citizens ‘at all social levels, [high and low], native Americans and foreign.’ Several of these [tests involved] the administration of LSD to ‘unwitting subjects in [social] situations.’ … The Central Intelligence Agency drugged American citizens without their knowledge or consent. It used university facilities and personnel without their knowledge.” – Senator Edward Kennedy, 1977

Numerous leading scientists and world leaders were part of the program, including former Canadian World Psychiatric Association chairperson Dr. Donald Cameron as well as CIA Director Richard Helms. The basis of the program was to use human experimentation with a variety of illicit drugs to identify everything from a perfected truth serum, to brainwashing and the ability to sway the decision-making process in a foreign leader.

The results were anything but what they wanted.

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Tags: Allen Dulles, Army, Charles Erwin Wilson, Church Committee, CIA, Cold War, Donald Cameron, Experiment, Harris Isabel, James Bulger, Janine Huard, Jim Jones, Jose Delgado, Ken Kesey, Linda McDonald, LSD, Mind Control, MKULTRA, Monarch, OSS, Project, Psychology, Richard Helms, Robert Hunter, Rockefeller Commission, Sidney Gottlieb, Sirhan Sirha, Stanley Glickman, Technorati, Theodore Kaczynski

Until recently the majority of my adult life has been spent as a technical or managerial contractor in one form or another.

If I had a nickel for every time I was told I would be “Brought on board shortly” I would never have needed to take another contract.

It appears that MarketWatch has caught up with me

Temp workers are a boon to companies, but a nightmare on the economy.

As a contractor you may spent 3 to 8 months on a contract on average. The really fortunate may see a year. When those are over however its either A: look for a new contract or B: file unemployment.

Benefits are nil, the hours are long. There is little to no legal respite if you are wronged by a company. I once drove from Buffalo, NY to Atlanta, Ga after being told I would have a position on my arrival. I waited a week but was never contacted again and my calls stopped being answered.

H1B has not helped. With the new regulations foreigners can be hired at half the salary you or I would make thanks to the exchange rate.

Employers shifting to contract workers is a bad sign. For companies its great. For the American workforce…not so much.

Whereas workers have a regular and steady income, with contracting its feast or famine, and when famine bills do not go paid in order to eat.

Personally I think this situation is dire. When these new contractors are compounded by the rising gas costs,  the lower pay of contracting and the lengthy times of unemployment: the economy will rumble to a even further decline.

When they are given the choice of paying their house payment versus buying groceries because of the cost of gas. When groceries cost more because of the cost of fuel, and as credit gets stretched to breaking in a effort to stay afloat, these contractors will discover what I discovered several years ago: You can’t maintain a family, or credit as a contractor.

As the rising costs put basic purchases out of reach or on the envelope of breaking, furthered by the lower salary of contracting and lengthy unemployment, and it creates a perfect economic storm.

Think the last housing crunch was bad? Toss in lower wages with $5 gas. Reduced healthcare and more expensive coverage.

Contracting may be work, but its work without a safety net. And given the current economy, a safety net is something everyone needs.

If inflation continues look for companies to possibly start laying off, typically in FIFO (First in First out). Why FIFO? Because those employees earn more money and a replacement can be hired from outside for less or a contractor used for even further savings (no 401k, no healthcare and lower wages to boot).

Here’s some tips to help:

*Put no less than $10,000 dollars in to savings. This is your emergency money.

*Try to put at least $2,000 in to a high interest CD. A 1 year or 2 year is preferred.  Most banks will loan you money against a CD so think of this as a emergency credit collatoral without the high interest rate.

* The above 2 items may have stretched your purse but if you have anything left ignore the TV and the News: now is the time to buy stocks. Look at companies like Ford, GM, Target, Wal-Mart and others. These are companies who supply something people need even when at the breaking point financially. Buy Gold. Buy Oil.

*Every chance you get pay off a debt. Eliminate your credit cards. Ignore the hype about credit ratings and length of time. This is about survival, not buying a new house. Pay extra n any debts you have. Every debt or credit card you eliminate is more money in your pocket in the long term. Better to suffer in the short term before it gets out of hand.

* Don’t pull your money out of your 401k or Mutual Fund. The losses reflected are temporary in the grand scheme. In other words its just digital numbers. Continue to contribute during the decline if you can. When the market recovers in 5 to 10 years you’ll thank me.

When the smoke clears you may be one of the few left standing.

Posted from WordPress for Android

Tags: contracting, Economy, Financial, Gas, Inflation, survival, Technorati

How many years has it been now?
Without Google can you recall?

It’s pretty easy really. Almost ten.

Ten years since I spent time at Ground Zero. Ten years since I was reactivated. Nine years since the dust settled.

The Witch is Dead says the news.

Color me pessimistic. But Hopeful.

So we have 11 days. In the next 11 days I will be wrapping up a lot of details at my current job, and preparing for my new one. After that time I’ll be joining the quote “Big Leagues” and will be changing some of my habits.

After much discussion, folks input, and E-mails as well as commentary, the decision has been made to keep the doors open here at Registered Evil, and see how it goes.

If we attract no H&I fire, we’ll keep it operation.

If we start taking rounds, I pull the plug.
Sorry folks but family welfare takes priority over much beloved hobbies.

I, personally, will be cutting back not only on when I blog, but what I blog. Sports, Military and History will probably become my forte. Look for more stories like this, to give you an example.

V00d3w will be picking up the slack on political commentary, as well as anyone else who wants to sign up.

We have only a few rules: no pr0n, no Boonie Rat speak*, always consider OPSEC** and keep it civil***. That’s it. Any subject is a go, and nothing else is taboo.

So you want to be a blogger? Want to be a MilBlogger?
Consider this your recruiting call.

Drop us a line here, on Twitter or on Facebook.

* below the jump

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Tags: blog, Blogging, changes, Hiring, OPSEC, PSA, Technorati

Tags: Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marine's, Military, Monday, Motivator, Navy, Support our troops, Technorati

No April Fools here. Totally Dead Serious, and is the wrap of events culminating that I alluded to both here and here.

400 feet up...and still going...

During the course of my career I received the minor reputation as a bit of a madman.

Long hours were my hallmark. The ability to sleep under ones desk and work at a computer station for over 48 hours can not be under rated when talking about project support. The ability to subside purely on coffee, nicotine, and finger nails is a survival ability needed in very few occupations, but practically second nature when on a IT Roll out spanning the entire country.

Back in the states from Venezuela...also known as How I spent my 10 yr High School Reunion

I have worked almost every position that can be had on a roll out. Field Tech, Help Desk, Help Desk manager, Project coordinator, Project Manager, Logistics, SME, QA Inspector even Safety and Field trainer. I have worked in 38 states. 4 countries. Thats not even including the places I went in the service. Over 1,000 projects, and who knows what the monetary value of all the projects I have worked on would be if I even tried to add them up. I wouldn’t mind having 1% of that, heh.

The Cingular expansion team in St. Louis

Now I have been given one step below my dream job: Roll out Specialist. However it’s not just the job, but with who. The number one company on the Fortune 500 list. No other company has more roll outs, and does it on less money than they do. No one. period. You can’t find a bigger, or better, challenge than that.

It’s a corner stone for me, a turning point, and as pilots refer to it: Bingo.

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Tags: advancement, blog, Blogging, Career, goal, Information technology, Life, Point Bingo, Privacy, projects, Registered Evil, Technorati, techography, telecommunications

Click to Embiggen!

Tags: Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marine's, Military, Monday, Motivation, Motivator, Navy, Support our troops, Technorati

As always click the pic for the big version!

Tags: Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Department of Defense, Marine's, Military, Monday, Motivator, Navy, Support our troops, Technorati

The U.S. Army's 3rd Infantry Regiment, "The Old Guard," changes the guard as the body of former Army Cpl. Frank Woodruff Buckles, the last surviving American veteran of World War I, lies in honor in the Memorial Amphitheater Chapel at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va., on Tuesday, March 15, 2011.

Former Army Cpl. Frank Woodruff Buckles, the last surviving American veteran of World War I, passed away and was honoured this week.

He was laid down yesterday in Arlington National cemetery, the last of a generation who did what I think the current generation would be aghast to do, to sacrifice, to rise to meet.

He stands at parade rest, with his brothers and sisters who went before. The last man standing in a noble line.

A fellow Missourian, during the war Buckles served in England and France, driving ambulances and motorcycles for the Army’s 1st Fort Riley Casual Detachment.After the Armistice in 1918, Buckles escorted prisoners of war back to Germany. Following his discharge in 1920, he attended the dedication of the Liberty Memorial in Kansas City, Missouri, in honor of the Americans who died in World War I.

He died on Sunday, Feb. 27, 2011, at his West Virginia home at age 110. Mr. Buckles enlisted in the Army on Aug. 14, 1917, at the age of 16; he was discharged in 1920

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Tags: A Soldier Died Today, A. Lawrence Vaincourt, Arlington, Corporal Frank Buckles, Parade Rest, Support our troops, Technorati, World War I

The Famine began quite mysteriously in September 1845 as leaves on potato plants suddenly turned black and curled, then rotted, seemingly the result of a fog that had wafted across the fields of Ireland. I have been told that the cause was actually an airborne fungus originally transported in the holds of ships traveling from North America to England. Somewhat ironic then if you consider home many Irish families in turn fled to North America because of it. Let no one say we Irish have not had a sense of humor in the annuals of history.

In Any event, The Great Famine was a period of mass starvation, disease and emigration between 1845 and 1852. Outside of Ireland it is more commonly called The Irish Potatoe Famine. Within Ireland, and amongst my own family it was referred to as an Gorta Mór or great hunger.

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Tags: an Gorta Mór, Boston, Buffalo, Emigration, England, History, Ireland, Irish Famine, Memorial, Potatoe, Potatoe Famine, Technorati

As always click the pic for the big screen version!

Tags: Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marine's, Military, Monday, Motivator, Navy, Support our troops, Technorati

I wrote this in June of 2010, not long after the published apology from Britain. It was a hard time those day, and the events and the handling of those events have only made the chasm wider over the years. This apology, i think, was a good first step in the right direction for both countries to come to a peaceable impasse. – BS

Bloody Sunday Monument

Broken bottles under children’s feet
Bodies strewn across the dead end streets
But I won’t heed the battle call
It puts my back up, puts my back up against the wall

Sunday, Bloody Sunday

U2, Bloody Sunday

January 30, 1972
The Bogside area of Derry, in Northern Ireland.
On one side over 15,000 civil rights protesters against British rule.
On the other, British Para’s, the cream of the British Army.

In the outcome over 27 people shot, and 14 dead.

This was the time of Troubles in Ireland.

“… it is expedient that a Tribunal be established for inquiring into a definite matter of urgent public importance, namely the events on Sunday 30th January 1972 which led to loss of life in connection with the procession in Londonderry on that day, taking account of any new information relevant to events on that day”

Resolution of the House of Commons, 30th January 1998,
and of the House of Lords, 2nd February 1998

The world has changed since those days. Do not take this apology lightly my peers. Let us not return to those days of Belfast and yon. There need be no violence on this day. The point is made. They have admitted their errs. Use it to your advantage and push, politically, diplomatically for the freedom you have fought for.

But if we’ve learned one thing in these past years, is that bloodshed never washes away bloodshed.

Be better than that.

Be Irish.

A tribute to the victims:

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Tags: Alana Burke, Alexander Nash, Bloody Sunday, British, Damien Donaghy, Daniel McGowan, Danny Gillespie, Erin Go Bragh, IRA, Ireland, irish, Joseph Friel, Joseph Mahon, Margaret Deery, Michael Bradley, Michael Bridge, Michael Quinn, Patrick Campbell, Patrick McDaid, Technorati

One of the many things accused of folks who lean Right, is the ideology that we prefer life from the 1950′s. Women are subservient, religion is our hallmark, and single women parents are the scourge of society.

Mike Huckabee, is not helping that image.

When this broke it sent yours truly in to a Twitter debate with none other than Ben Shapiro.

I have read Mr. Shapiro’s work, and he and I ended our debate on amicable terms, both noting that we respected the others ideas but did not agree with their position. If only all such debates could end just. Civility is not completely dead.

However Huckabee’s remarks and Shapiro’s position force me to question if civility isn’t on life support, soon to be dead.

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Tags: Ben Shapiro, Michelle Bachelet, Mike Huckabee, Moral, Natalie Portman, Single Mom, Technorati

Jim of the sunken New Dawn has returned to the Blog World. A New dawn of a different kind has peeked it’s head in to his world, drawing him back in to the fray.

Welcome back Jim. The blogosphere needs more with words such as yours.

Tags: blog, Blogger, New Dawn, Technorati