COLLECTIVE MADNESS


“Soft despotism is a term coined by Alexis de Tocqueville describing the state into which a country overrun by "a network of small complicated rules" might degrade. Soft despotism is different from despotism (also called 'hard despotism') in the sense that it is not obvious to the people."

Sunday, March 09, 2014

Now there may be four suspect passports on Malaysian flight 370


Malaysia Airlines Flight 370: Ticket purchase adds to mystery

By Jethro Mullen and Jim Clancy, CNN
updated 6:50 AM EDT, Sun March 9, 2014


Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (CNN) -- Two people who traveled on the missing Malaysia Airlines flight under the passports of an Italian and an Austrian citizen appear to have bought their tickets together.

The tickets were bought from China Southern Airlines in Thai baht at identical prices, according to China's official e-ticket verification system Travelsky. The ticket numbers are contiguous, which indicates the tickets were issued together.

The new information adds to the mystery that has enveloped the fate of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, the passenger jet that disappeared over Southeast Asia early Saturday on its way to Beijing.

Italy and Austria have said that none of their citizens were on board the plane. And officials say the Italian and Austrian whose names were on the passenger manifest both had their passports stolen in Southeast Asia in recent years.

The two tickets booked with China Southern Airlines both start in Kuala Lumpur, flying to Beijing, and then onward to Amsterdam. The Italian passport's ticket continues to Copenhagen, the Austrian's to Frankfurt.
Authorities say they are investigating the identities of some of those on board who appear to have issues with their passports.

But for the anguished family members of the 239 people on board the Boeing 777-200ER, the agonizing wait goes on.

Big questions far outweigh the few fragments of information that have emerged about the plane's disappearance.
What happened to the plane? Why was no distress signal issued? Who exactly was aboard?

The passenger jet, carrying 227 passengers and 12 crew members, may have changed course and turned back toward Kuala Lumpur, Malaysian military officials said at a news conference Sunday.

But the pilot appears to have given no signal to authorities that he was turning around, the officials said, attributing the change of course to indications from radar data.

Huge search

Altogether forty ships and 22 planes were scouring a portion of the South China Sea on Sunday for any sign of where the flight, operated by Malaysia's flagship airline, might have gone down, Malaysian authorities said.

The large, multinational team is focusing its efforts near the Gulf of Thailand, part of the South China Sea that lies between several Southeast Asian countries.

The area in focus, about 90 miles south of Vietnam's Tho Chu Island, is the same one as where a Vietnamese search plane reportedly spotted oil slicks that stretched between six and nine miles.

Malaysian authorities have not yet confirmed the report of the oil slicks, which came from Vietnam's official news agency.

Late Sunday afternoon, Vietnam sent a boat to investigate a "strange object" spotted by a Singaporean search plane in the area, said Hung Nguyen with Vietnamese National Search and Rescue Committee.
As the search continues, relatives of those on board the plane continue to await news of the fate of their loved ones.

Among the passengers, there were 154 people from China or Taiwan; 38 Malaysians, and three U.S. citizens. Five of the passengers were less than 5 years old.
If all those on board the flight are found to have died, it will rank as the deadliest airline disaster since November 12, 2001, when American Airlines Flight 587 crashed into a New York neighborhood, killing all 260 people on board and five more on the ground.

Passenger manifest questioned

A fuller picture of what happened may not become available until searchers find the plane and its flight data recorder.

"We have not been able to locate anything, see anything," Azharuddin Abdul Rahman, the director general of civil aviation in Malaysia, told reporters Sunday.

Confusion over who exactly was on the plane has drawn particular attention, notably the case of the Italian and Austrian passports.

The passport mystery raised concerns about the possibility of terrorism, but officials cautioned that it was still too early to arrive at any conclusions.
A U.S. intelligence official said that no link to terrorism had been discovered so far, but that authorities were still investigating.

Another possible explanation for the use of the stolen passports is illegal immigration.

There are previous cases of illegal immigrants using fake passports trying to get into Western countries. And Southeast Asia is known to be a booming market for stolen passports.

Interpol database

Malaysian authorities have been in contact with counterterrorism organizations about possible passport issues, Malaysia's transportation minister Hishamuddin Hussein said.

He didn't specify how many potential passport issues there were, saying authorities are looking at the whole passenger manifest.

The U.S. government has been briefed on the stolen passports and reviewed the names of the passengers in question but found nothing at this point to indicate foul play, said a U.S. law enforcement official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Of the two passports in question, the Italian one had been reported stolen and was in Interpol's database, CNN Law Enforcement Analyst Tom Fuentes said, citing sources at Interpol.

Additionally, no inquiry was made by Malaysia Airlines to determine if any passengers on the flight were traveling on stolen passports, he said. Many airlines do not check the database, he said.

Rahman, the Malaysian aviation official, declined to say whether the airline or Malaysian authorities had checked the database.

The National Transportation Safety Board announced late Saturday that a team of its investigators was en route to Asia to help with the investigation, the agency said.

Disappearing during cruise

But there is a precedent for a modern jetliner to fall from the sky while "in the cruise" and lay hidden for months, according to CNN aviation correspondent Richard Quest.

On June 1, 2009, Air France flight 447 was en route from Rio De Janeiro to Paris' Charles de Gaulle International Airport when communications ended suddenly from the Airbus A330, another state-of-the-art aircraft.

It took four searches over the course of nearly two years to locate the bulk of flight 447's wreckage and the majority of the 228 bodies in a mountain range deep under the ocean. It took even longer to find the cause of the disaster.

In May 2011, the aircraft's voice recorder and flight data recorder were recovered from the ocean floor after an extensive search using miniature submersible vehicles.


It was not until July 2012 that investigators published their report, which blamed the crash on a series of errors by the pilots and a failure to react effectively to technical problems.

145 comments:

  1. I appreciate, greatly, posts such as this - posts that deal with important, and interesting, events of the day; and I am tremendously grateful to Deuce for keeping this blog up and running in the face of incessant craziness and bedlam (in truth, even the cranks can be entertaining from time to time.) :)

    However, I also want to express my respect, and gratitude to Rat for the quality of his recent posts. They have been Very interesting, and I have learned quite a lot, while being entertained (that surfing post was a doozy.) :) :)

    Horses, Dogs, Mountain Lions, Babes Surfing - and Current Events. Damn! It's hard to get much better than this. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Respect because he posted a thread about dogs, surfing and horses?

      LOL

      Delete
  2. Folks ask about the Canal, they want stories about puppies, there are folks that do not find War in Europe to be interesting ..

    Some want to talk about the US and Syria.
    The US does not send aid to the Syrian government, it does not fund the activities of the Syrian government.

    The Syrian situation is a sad state of affairs, but one that is not a vital US interest.
    No one can walk from Syria to the United States.

    As for accountability from foreign politicians ...

    We cannot get accountability from US politicians, why in the world should we concern ourselves with two bit foreigners that do not even represent a sovereign country, but a besieged and persecuted minority in an apartheid country, a country whose government the US lavishes aid upon?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. But you see, Jack, Israel is not an apartheid country. Posts and links and evidence galore, overwhelming, have been up here to convince of that, You simply are not an impartial observer.

      While Israel is not an apartheid country, I am beginning to think it might be in its own best interests if it were to do so, like all the moslem countries are apartheid countries.

      I say this because I am beginning to think it is impossible to live with moslems in a truly civilized manner anywhere when they get to a certain percentage of the population.

      My Focus on Nigeria - Nigeria has practically no Jews at all, so that is not an issue there - is meant to awaken people to this reality.

      I could have as easily chosen India and Pakistan, or any number of other places. 90% or more of the conflicts in the world involve the muslims and some other group. The Jewish/Palestinian conflict is only one out of somewhere around twenty.

      If you are taught from birth that you have a God commanded duty to kill other people and you get heaven as a reward, well, it's a tough upbringing with which to come to rational terms.

      Further, if the moslems aren't fighting others, they are often fighting among themselves.

      Delete
    2. After reading about moslem behavior over the past 1400 years, I am in favor of an amicable divorce from moslems whenever possible, in other words.

      Delete
    3. What I was taught, from birth, was to despise those that hate others ...
      based upon mass judgements, not individual actions

      The 'religion' of the hater does not matter.

      That is why I despise you. You are a hater

      Not of individuals, but of stereotypes.
      Stereotypes you try to cram individuals into.

      Delete
    4. Jack HawkinsSun Mar 09, 11:57:00 AM EDT
      What I was taught, from birth, was to despise those that hate others ...
      based upon mass judgements, not individual actions


      You didn't learn well...

      After all how many times have you made MASS JUDGEMENTS about Israel? Jews?

      Delete
  3. Meanwhile, in the good ol' United States of Americie, California reached a new milestone, yesterday. Between the hours of 02:00 PM, and 03:00 PM, the "Sunshine State" received 4,033 Megawatts of Electricity from Solar.

    Between the Wind Power in Texas, Iowa, the Dakotas, and Minnesota, and Solar in California, Nevada, and Arizona, a Lot of Nat Gas did Not get used, yesterday.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Jerry 'Moonbeam' Brown has come out against legalizing marijuana.

      This seems surprising.

      But he is saying society can't function if everybody is stoned all the time.

      Delete
    2. The $700,000 Welfare Man speaks out his re-manufactured ass.

      Delete
  4. I demur, based on this, among several other earlier nasty ones -

    Jack HawkinsSat Mar 08, 09:26:00 PM EST

    You ( meaning me) are illustrative of $700,000 wasted on Welfare.

    *****

    heh heh heh

    I'd really really like to see the claim that I've received $700,000 in welfare payments substantiated. Ain't gonna happen, I'll give you that hint.

    "making false or malicious unsubstantiated charges against another member is not allowed"

    from The Rules

    So I with hold my respect and gratitude from rat, while still saying the posts haven't been bad, though strong on military stuff, military horses to some extent, military dogs, and drugs, guns and violence. which is the best I can do. I am pleasantly surprised they haven't had to do with the mideast.
    *******

    My hunch is that the 777 was brought down by moslems wanting to get some Chinese due to the recent dust ups between the Chinese and moslems in China.

    If I were placing a bet that is where I'd put my money.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The $700,000 Welare Man continues to rant.

      But he NEVER contributed as much in taxes as he has taken in benefits.

      Delete
  5. Focus Nigeria, con't -


    Fill in the blank of this headline -

    Nigeria:________ hacks daughter to death with machete for converting to Christianity

    A) Hindu
    B) Jew
    C) Atheist
    D) Muslim
    E) Other

    Ans: Tomorrow, including article concerning the event

    Answer: D) Muslim

    http://www.jihadwatch.org/2014/03/nigeria-muslim-hacks-daughter-to-death-with-machete-for-converting-to-christianity

    ReplyDelete
  6. Jack the "rat" said:

    We cannot get accountability from US politicians, why in the world should we concern ourselves with two bit foreigners that do not even represent a sovereign country, but a besieged and persecuted minority in an apartheid country, a country whose government the US lavishes aid upon?


    So Jack states that Israel is not a sovereign nation. That is "apartheid"

    I hope some day you meet someone that actually lived thru "apartheid" and that they "educate".

    All you do is dishonor those that actually lived thru it.

    As for israel? It is the Nation State of the Jewish people, where CITIZENS of all faiths are equal in the eyes of the law.

    Thanks for PROVING my point that Deuce allows and encourages bigots like you to post threads.

    Sure Jack the "Rat" posted a lifted thread about dogs or surfing, but does that excuse his thousands and thousands of disgusting anti-israel, anti-jewish, anti-Semitic and anti-zionist rants?

    NOPE.

    But Israel is a sovereign nation, whose palestinian citizens are safe from murder and death that they experience all too often from their brother arabs...

    Today, Palestinian kids starve to death, not in Gaza or the West Bank, but in Syria, Helped by Hezbollah, Russia and Iran.

    This is an important story. Sorry if your un-origial dog and bikini show didn't impress me....

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Jack HawkinsSun Mar 09, 12:02:00 PM EDT
      The $700,000 Welare Man continues to rant.
      But he NEVER contributed as much in taxes as he has taken in benefits.


      Ad Hominem

      Delete
    2. Jack HawkinsSun Mar 09, 11:57:00 AM EDT
      What I was taught, from birth, was to despise those that hate others ...
      based upon mass judgements, not individual actions
      The 'religion' of the hater does not matter.
      That is why I despise you. You are a hater

      Ad Hominem

      Delete
  7. Jack the "rat" said:
    The Syrian situation is a sad state of affairs, but one that is not a vital US interest.
    No one can walk from Syria to the United States.


    Ah so that is the new standard.... "No one can walk from Syria to the United States."


    It's not important if you can't walk to the USA.....

    Now that is deep....

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Now there may be four suspect passports on Malaysian flight 370

      The Malaysian situation is a sad state of affairs, but one that is not a vital US interest.
      No one can walk from Malaysia to the United States.

      Delete
    2. Actually it's not...

      An ad hominem (Latin for "to the man" or "to the person"[1]), short for argumentum ad hominem, is a general category of fallacies in which a claim or argument is rejected on the basis of some irrelevant fact about the author of or the person presenting the claim or argument.[


      The Malaysian situation is a sad state of affairs, but one that is not a vital US interest.
      No one can walk from Malaysia to the United States.


      Delete
    3. there is no "argument is rejected on the basis of some irrelevant fact about the author of or the person presenting the claim or argument."

      Sorry JackRat, you are getting less capable by the day... Your medicines are not working...

      That is an ad hominem

      Delete
  8. Faster, Faster please

    Hamas: Commander killed in accidental Gaza explosion

    GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- The military wing of Hamas said on Saturday evening that a field commander was killed in an accidental "internal explosion" in the Hashashin neighborhood of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, while medical sources said that nine others were wounded.

    The Qassam Brigades said that Ibrahim Nagib al-Ghoul, 30, was killed in the explosion.

    A spokesman for the Gaza Strip Ministry of Health Ashraf al-Qidra said that the majority of the nine individuals wounded in the explosion were suffering from serious injuries.


    LOL

    Great day in Gaza.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Gaza Palestinians protest Egypt's Hamas ban

      (Reuters) - Palestinian protesters raised banners and placards on Friday in the Gaza Strip condemning neighboring Egypt's ban on activities of the Hamas Islamist group.

      Senior Hamas leader Khalil Al-Hayya said Tuesday's decision by a Cairo court to ban Hamas' work and activity in the country was an attempt to "criminalize resistance" to Israel and would not deter it from its fight against the Jewish state.

      "The rifle Hamas is holding to protect our people and our land will never drop," Hayya said as hundreds protested outside a former Egyptian representative office in Gaza City.

      Hamas is an offshoot of Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood, which authorities in Cairo have declared a terrorist group and which they have repressed since the army ousted one of its leaders, Mohamed Mursi, from the presidency in July.



      LOL Saudi Arabia and Egypt have both outlawed the Moslem Brotherhood and Hamas within their borders...

      Now it's getting funny

      Delete
    2. Your sense of humor is perverse

      Delete
    3. Dead Jihadists blowing themselves up is not perverse, now if you blew yourself up someday, after smoking an excessive amount of pot (which you admit you do) that also would be funny and perverse, since even though you are a creep, a pervert, a self confessed criminal? You are an american of sorts.

      I don't like to see americans blow themselves up...

      but if it was a jihadist american, rather than a low life creep like you? I'd find it funny

      Delete
  9. Using Jack's criteria, this ought to be of concern -

    Alleged Mexican Military Incursion Into Arizona May Point To Cartel Collusion

    “Anytime individuals in military uniforms cross a border that’s obviously cause for concern. This incident deserves a close look,” Sen. Tom Coburn said.
    posted on March 8, 2014 at 2:16pm EST
    John Stanton
    BuzzFeed Staff



    Mexican military personnel carrying G3 long arms similar to those carried by two alleged Mexican soldiers who illegally entered U.S. territory in January. The soldiers pictured were photographed in Ecatepec, Mexico, in 2013. Edgard Garrido / REUTERS
    WASHINGTON — Just before 8:30 a.m. January 26, two figures dressed in camouflage and carrying military assault rifles crossed an international border, making their way on foot through the quiet desert terrain, unaware that they were under the constant watch of authorities in the country they had just entered.

    Within minutes a border patrol agent confronted the two men. Weapons were drawn. Asked for identification, the two men provided their names — which didn’t correspond with the names on their uniforms. After a brief, tense standoff, the two men retreated back across the border just as reinforcements were arriving.

    No, this isn’t the opening scene to the next season of Homeland, or some harrowing special-forces mission gone wrong in a distant corner of the world.
    The armed incursion occurred on United States soil, outside Sasabe, Arizona, just north of the U.S. Mexico border. Drug dealers and migrants use a large wildlife preserve to the east and the empty desert to the west of Sasabe as trafficking corridors.

    Both Mexican and U.S. border agents have crossed over the border in this area, pursuing suspects. But according to officials familiar with the situation, border crossings by members of either military are rare. In a January letter to the head of Customs and Border Protection about the incident, Sen. Tom Coburn asked if the agency has “concerns that some members of the Mexican Military could be providing security and/or intelligence to Drug Trafficking Organizations.” The Sinaloa Cartel, widely considered one of the world’s most powerful drug syndicates, operates along the Sasabe stretch of the border.
    “Anytime individuals in military uniforms cross a border that’s obviously cause for concern,” the Oklahoma Republican told BuzzFeed Friday. “This incident deserves a close look.”

    An internal CBP “Foreign Military Incursion” incident report was provided by a confidential informant to BuzzFeed and verified by Sen. Coburn. It makes for riveting reading.

    The border fence running west from the Sasabe, Arizona check point. John Stanton / BuzzFeed
    At about 8:53 a.m. Mountain Standard Time, an official monitoring video surveillance “had a visual of two subjects entering the United States approximately 2.5 miles west of the Sasabe Port of Entry.” Border Patrol Agent David Olaya “reported subjects appear to be Mexican Military personnel approximately 50 yards north of the International Border. At 0920 hours, BPA Olaya stated he positively identified the two individuals.”

    According to the report, “both parties drew their weapons.” The two men in camouflage had H&K G3 long arms, a type of assault rifle commonly used by the Mexican military.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Olaya said the two men identified themselves as members of the Mexican Military’s 80th Battalion. But the names they gave didn’t match the names on their uniforms. Additionally, the men informed Olaya “that they had been pursing [sic] three subjects that were seen in the area.” The incident report does not indicate that the video surveillance system had seen any other individuals in the area.

      By this time, according to the incident report, officials at the border patrol were trying to contact Mexican military officials. “At approximately 0926 Supervisory Border Patrol Agent (SBPA) George Serrano … was contacted and apprised of the situation. SBPA Serrano attempted to make contact with the headquarters of SEDENA 45th Military Zone,” which covers the area around Sasabe. “A voice message was left at the office,” the incident report says.

      Two minutes later, “both Mexican Military personnel turned southbound after they saw other [Border Patrol] units westbound toward BPA Olaya.” Within seven minutes, the two men had crossed back into Mexico.
      Although CPB Acting Watch Commander Eduardo Fuentes was alerted, it does not appear he took much action beyond reviewing the incident report. Additionally an agent with the Border Patrol’s Critical Incident Team — which investigates shootings and other incidents involving agents — “stated they will not be responding to this incident,” according to the report.

      Olaya could not be reached for comment, and CBP spokeswoman Jenny Burke did not respond to repeated requests for comment. The Mexican embassy in Washington also did not respond to a request for comment.
      Congressional investigators have had no better luck in getting answers from CBP, which has a history of ignoring information requests from lawmakers in both chambers.

      For instance, Sen. Robert Menendez has filed multiple requests with CBP for its policies regarding the use of deadly force. Although CBP has conducted a review of the practice, it has yet to provide the New Jersey Democrat or congressional investigators with the policies behind its use of force, particularly against Mexican nationals. Similarly, CBP has been accused of stonewalling congressional investigators and outside watchdog groups over conditions in its detention centers.
      In his January letter, Sen. Coburn asked CBP Acting Commissioner Thomas Winkowski a series of questions about the incursion into U.S. territory, including whether top CBP officials were informed of the incursion and whether CBP has verified the two men were in fact military personnel.

      Coburn, the ranking minority member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, asked CBP to respond by February 3. He told BuzzFeed this week that he has yet to hear back.

      http://www.buzzfeed.com/johnstanton/alleged-mexican-military-incursion-into-arizona-may-point-to

      Delete
    2. Spend the ninety nine cents, Farmer Bob.
      Aztlan Assault - 80,000 words devoted to the Mexican Army entering the US.

      Fictionalized history.

      You would learn something, if you read it.

      Much like the lesson on the Napoleonic Code and its effect on culture,

      Let me know when you are ready to take the quiz

      Delete
  10. The Germans and Japanese of the WWII era couldn't walk to the USA either. We had no business being concerned about them, according to Jack's criteria.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. So basically our resident self proclaimed war hero, expert on all things lethal and canine has proclaimed that only things that can walk here should be on our radar as a threat

      Delete
    2. Iranian nuclear weapons?

      What, me worry?

      Delete
    3. Iranian warships heading to USA to show reach

      Iranian warships headed to the U.S. coast pose little danger to the United States but could be a dry run for the future.




      So Jack Rat loves to dismiss Iran as a non-threat.

      If Iran had one nuclear device on that ship 200 miles off the coast of VA, could they harm the USA?



      "It shows they could put a weapon on a boat or freighter, and if (Iran) has ballistic missiles it could put it anywhere on the U.S. coast," Bolton said. "Down the road it could be a threat."

      Chris Harmer, an analyst at the Institute for the Study of War and a former military planner for the U.S. Navy in Persian Gulf, said one of the two ships is a military cargo ship that has visited China in the past and is suspected of delivering Iranian arms shipments to Sudan on multiple visits to that country in the past few years.


      Hmm?



      Russian spy ship docks in Havana during surprise visit to Cuba
      Arrival of Viktor Leonov SSV-175 warship follows announcement by Russia that it plans to increase military presence worldwide

      A Russian spy ship has slipped into Havana for an unannounced visit, a day after the country's defence minister announced plans to expand Russia's worldwide military presence.

      The Viktor Leonov SSV-175, part of the Vishnya class of intelligence ships, quietly entered Cuban waters this week and docked at a cruise ship terminal on Thursday, its crew casually taking in the view of the old colonial section of the Cuban capital as passersby looked on in surprise.


      What me worry?

      LOL

      Delete
  11. It's the Canadians - like Ash - of which I am most fearful.

    Why, they can walk right in here.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Think of it - how would you like Ash walking right into YOUR living room?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. All enemies, both foreign and domestic.

      Jack the Rat is more of a threat to the nation and us than any ole jihadist.

      After all that is why i actually called the AZ FBI to report him for death threats...

      He can change his sign on all he wishes but he's still who he is. And he can WALK anywhere in the USA (continental United States) and be a threat. Maybe we should have a thread on Jack the Rat's crimes and threats?

      Delete
    2. I agree.

      But if I get bumped off in the night, at least all the law enforcement agencies around here know who to look at first.

      Delete
    3. Gots to LOVE the NSA's spying on blogs...

      By now? they have his entire circle of cronies pegged...

      Delete
  13. now for some funny news...

    Kerry urges US envoys to make climate change a priority

    Washington (AFP) - US Secretary of State John Kerry has called on American ambassadors around the world to make the fight against climate change a top priority ahead of new UN talks next year.

    In his first department-wide policy guidance statement since taking office a year ago, he told his 70,000 staff: "The environment has been one of the central causes of my life."

    "Protecting our environment and meeting the challenge of global climate change is a critical mission for me as our country's top diplomat," Kerry said in the letter issued on Friday to all 275 US embassies and across the State Department.

    "It's also a critical mission for all of you: our brave men and women on the frontlines of direct diplomacy," he added in the document seen by AFP.

    He urged all "chiefs of mission to make climate change a priority for all relevant personnel and to promote concerted action at posts and in host countries to address this problem."

    Talk about funny..

    ReplyDelete
  14. All I have to say is, anyone that can't take a little time off from worrying/whining about crazy, fevered religious/political obsessions to enjoy a few posts about horses, puppies, monster construction projects, and fine, tanned surfing ass probably needs a rest.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, please send me a check so I can "have a raise"

      Delete
    2. Didn't your Lord and Master say we all should get a raise?

      Delete
    3. Rufus, go back and count the number of comments on topic on those other posts - I think the total on one was zero.

      What are we supposed to say about military dogs, for instance?

      I put the link to a military dog adoption agency.

      What comments about military dogs did you make?

      Not even the bikini bottoms drew much comment.

      Delete
  15. I don't recall Obama mentioning a "raise" for the Tel Aviv bunker brigade.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sorry to disappoint you and shatter your bigoted nature.

      I am a american and I live in ohio.

      My family has served and died defending this nation.

      Now have you actually served? Who knows.

      Delete
    2. I do know one thing. you'd suck obama's dick if given a chance...

      Delete
    3. If YOU are an American I'll suck every dick in Washington. And, Ohio to boot.

      Delete
    4. Rufus IISun Mar 09, 12:00:00 PM EDT
      If YOU are an American I'll suck every dick in Washington. And, Ohio to boot.

      Dear Rufus.

      With the most sincerest words I can convey, for the numerous members of my family that served, got wounded and died protecting this great nation.

      You are once fucked up, drunk, lying asshole. really.

      I am JUST as much an american as you.

      Notice you cocksucker, I didn't say MORE than you, but JUST as much as you.

      Not that you are anything to be proud of....

      After all there are numerous examples of Americans, like you, that lie about serving.

      Delete
  16. The Dimwitted Duo don't have much to do, on a Sunday morning.

    No Church for you fellas, aye.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sunday Evening in Tel Aviv, I suppose. Must be a bitch having to go to the bunker on Sunday Evening.

      Delete
    2. Speaking of America, though, there is still one thing we do better than any other nation on earth.

      Can't Touch This

      Delete
    3. Top left Video - "This American Land"

      Delete
    4. Non sense. Brazil is better.

      Delete
    5. Brazil is part of America, dimwit.

      Look at a map.

      Hawaii is NOT part of America, Brazil is.

      Delete
    6. And why are you bringing YOUR favorite topic into a thread about a downed airliner?

      I've said who I think the culprits are - what have you said on the topic?

      Nada - unless I've missed it.

      ;)

      Delete
    7. The United States, that is PART of America.

      Just as Canada, Mexico, Costa Rica, Brazil and Argentina are, PART of America.

      That in your xenophobic ignorance and with typical chauvinist certitude, you continue to deny geography ...
      ... it is comical.

      Delete
    8. That's really stupid, Jackrat.

      "there is still one thing we do better than any other nation on earth"

      But then, it's expected.

      Delete
    9. better than any other nation on earth

      other nation

      nation

      Nation

      NATION

      Delete
    10. Rufus IISun Mar 09, 12:16:00 PM EDT
      Sunday Evening in Tel Aviv, I suppose. Must be a bitch having to go to the bunker on Sunday Evening.

      I remember when I was young, we used to play cowboys and indians. No one ever wanted to be the indians.

      Rufus makes it clear why...

      Delete

  17. George Orwell - (1946)

    Politics and the English Language



    Not only it focuses on a real problem - the link between sloppy language and sloppy thinking -
    but it does so with an acumen and wittiness quite remarkable.


    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Farmer Bob, another illustration of ...

      the link between sloppy language and sloppy thinking

      Delete
    2. There is no NATION named America.

      The is no Constitution of America.
      There is no capital of America.

      There is no American Congress.

      There is no NATION named America.

      To claim such a thing, a denial of reality.

      There is a link between sloppy language and sloppy thinking

      Delete
    3. Take it up with Rufus, moron.

      Ask him what he meant.

      Delete
    4. Oh well, I'll ask.

      Rufus, were you referring to the United States, or all of North and Central America?

      Let Rufus settle it.

      He might know to what he was referring.

      Delete
    5. .

      There is no NATION named America.

      To claim such a thing, a denial of reality.



      Irrelevant within the context in which the word was used and for the audience to which it was directed. This appears to be merely an attempt to turn the conversation from common, and proper, English usage and to instead concentrate on geographical niceties.

      Raising the issue seems to be both picayune and pedantic, merely and attempt to stir the pot. However, if rat is actually serious about this whole matter it could be an indicator or late stage symptom of Asperger Syndrome.

      In either case, the reasons are likely the basis for his and my continuing argument over my referring to him as rat. Rat insists he is not rat. My argument is that given the context in which the name is and has been used, its history here, and the people who frequent this blog, my use of the name is recognizable to pretty much everyone here. The name is short and functional. The only more efficient name might possibly be R or r; however, that sobriquet hasn't the same longevity nor the recognition factor of rat and it could also be misconstrued to be a reference to Rufus.

      But back to the subject at hand. Context is everything. The use of the terms America and Americans is perfectly proper and acceptable English when referring to the USA or its citizens respectively.

      .

      .

      Delete
    6. "However, if rat is actually serious about this whole matter it could be an indicator or late stage symptom of Asperger Syndrome."

      This is certainly possible, as he really is actually serious. He must have been to make a stand on such a stupid and obviously wrong point, because his 'point' is so laughable.

      Delete
  18. Fox News is reporting that fully 50% of the few people who have looked into the "Affordable Care Act" are saying they couldn't afford it.

    :)

    ReplyDelete
  19. College boards are dropping the writing requirement on the SAT tests.

    When reading is finally dropped we will have people going to college who can neither read or write a simple sentence.

    Thus the entire nation will be ratified.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hopefully they will still be able to do simple numbers, so they can answer correctly when asked if they can afford The Affordable Care Act.

      Delete
  20. 'There is one thing that North, Central, and South America do better than any other nation on earth.'

    Rufus, as amended by ratbrain.

    I'm going back to bed.

    ReplyDelete
  21. Jack HawkinsSun Mar 09, 12:02:00 PM EDT
    The $700,000 Welare Man continues to rant.

    But he NEVER contributed as much in taxes as he has taken in benefits.


    That is ad hominem

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Jack HawkinsSun Mar 09, 12:02:00 PM EDT
      The $700,000 Welare Man continues to rant.

      But he NEVER contributed as much in taxes as he has taken in benefits.



      As a self proclaimed member of the armed forces you never contributed as much in taxes as taken in benefits.

      kettle calling the pot black? eh?

      Delete

    2. No reference to color was ever made.

      Delete
    3. :)

      There was never any reference to a kettle, or a pot, either.

      heh

      heh

      heh

      heh heh heh

      You're still full of shit.

      Let's see you substantiate the $700,000.

      "Bullying, outing, taunting and making false or malicious unsubstantiated charges against another member is not allowed"

      In fact, let's see you substantiate your assertion that I've taken more in welfare payments than I've paid in taxes.

      heh heh heh

      Hint: it ain't gonna happen

      Delete
    4. Nature called. My prostate is actually getting larger right now, doc said. Should shrink back to something close to normal after the treatments are over. The predicted fatigue is setting in, for sure. Pooped all the time.

      Info for any other older dudes that might be having troubles and wondering about treatments.

      Delete
    5. Notice when JackRat is proven to be full of crap he simply changes the discussion....


      JackRat, as a self proclaimed member of the armed forces never contributed as much in taxes as taken in benefits.

      kettle calling the pot black? eh?

      Jack HawkinsSun Mar 09, 02:19:00 PM EDT
      No reference to color was ever made.


      Coward.

      Delete
    6. Nope, the subject was Farmer Bob's $700,000 Federally subsidized health care expenses.

      Th question asked if the kettle was not black?

      The answer is that color has nothing to do with Farmer Bob's subsidy.

      That the Question and Farmer Bob do not understand the answer,
      is laid on their perpetual use sloppy use of language, which leads to the slop which is their thinking.

      Delete
    7. Not even worthy of a 'nice try'.

      Quirk thinks you may be late stage Asperger's.

      I think borderline schizophrenic.

      Go do Quirk, I and yourself a big favor and have yourself checked out.

      Do it mostly for yourself.

      Delete
    8. Jack HawkinsSun Mar 09, 12:02:00 PM EDT
      The $700,000 Welare Man continues to rant.

      But he NEVER contributed as much in taxes as he has taken in benefits.


      That is the statement and the answer is? Jack Rat is calling the kettle calling the pot black as Jack Rat, has NEVER, NEVER, NEVER contributed as much in taxes as he has taken in benefits. As a retiree from the USA military? His earnings (unless a General or Admiral) was never anything special.

      Still doesn't change the fact when the coward of the county doesn't like getting cornered in his mistakes? He changes the argument to fir his revised fiction.

      Lying Coward.

      Delete
  22. But Clive Williams, a counter-terrorism expert at Australia’s Macquarie University and a former military intelligence officer, said he doubted the two stolen passports aboard the flight were related to the disaster. The latest Interpol data showed there were 39 million lost or stolen passports reported as of Dec. 2013.

    “Any flight of that size in Asia would be carrying a couple of people with false passports,” he said. “When you think about the number of passports that have been stolen or gone missing around the world … it could be related, but it’s probably not.”

    http://washington.cbslocal.com/2014/03/09/authorities-investigate-4-passengers-on-missing-malaysia-flight-with-suspicious-ids/

    damn prostate

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It is a blessed thing, the prostrate.

      Delete
    2. Perhaps you've had yours removed and placed pickled in a jar by your bed?

      Delete
    3. If you are thinking of having your prostate removed, think seriously about the possible long term urinary effects. You may drip the rest of your life, Also you may get so fat and lazy you can't get out of the chair. Yes, that is what my docs said, you may get so fat and lazy you may not be able to get out of your chair.

      I didn't like the sounds of that, though removal certainly permanently removes the cancer problem.

      your prostate pro

      Delete

    4. No, I was thinking of your prostrate, not mine.

      It is your prostate that is blessed, it being in the hands of a God you have denied.

      Delete
    5. The medical guy on Fox News had another doc on the other day talking about the latest prostate study, which showed very clearly that having the prostate removed is far superior than 'watching and waiting'. Watching and waiting is when you let things slide for two or three years hoping things don't get worse and not doing anything until they do. This excellent study highly recommended against that. I was given the option of watching and waiting for two or three years, but my docs said if at that point you decide to do nothing don't come back to us in another three or four more years down the road if things do get worse because we won't help you then.

      Feeling it's best to attack a problem early I had no problem with this. Just which other treatment option to pick.

      prostate pro

      Delete
    6. I have never denied 'God', whatever that word might designate.

      I have denied the uniqueness of Jesus. Big diff.

      And i have denied the efficacy of someone else dying for another person's sins.

      I wouldn't want even Jackrat to die for my sins.

      One should pay the penalty for one's own misdeeds, and will too.

      It is in the nature of things. It is karma and I agree with the Hindu/Buddhists. Jesus says the same thing in a place or two.

      Delete
  23. A site where people care about that ...

    http://www.menshealth.com/best-life/blogs

    If you want to know the "Real Deal" about prostate health, that's where to go.

    Not Farmer Bob.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. What's it say?

      Keep all dicks outta the farmer's ass?

      Delete
  24. The Camaraderie is Uplifting !!!

    Keep it up boys...

    ReplyDelete
  25. This gets my vote on the 777:

    passcode Rank 729
    Notice this happened after Obamacare went into effect. Thanks, Barry

    ---

    Pure Rufian Logic!

    Works for me.

    ReplyDelete
  26. doghtr Rank 976
    They couldn't all have been run over by drunk fire fighters.

    ---

    The first runs over the girl twice, then a woman "Firefighter" drove over her head and squished her brains out.

    She mighta done it twice, I forget.

    All recorded on Fireman's Helmet Cam.

    The tried to hide the Video from the cops.

    Nice Story: sfgate.com

    ReplyDelete
  27. The Same Malaysian 777 ran into another liner's tail on the ground, and knocked about a meter off it's wingtip.

    Boeing fixed it and declared it airworthy.

    Collision also on video, showing this jet pushing a 747 forward by the tail!

    Oopsy doopsy

    ReplyDelete
  28. Plane-Debris Searchers Find Suspected Aircraft Window Piece

    Vietnamese searchers looking for a missing Malaysian Airline Boeing Co. 777-200 said they found a suspected window fragment as efforts to learn the plane’s fate extended to scrutiny of closed-circuit television images of two passengers using... more »

    ReplyDelete
  29. Boeing 787 Fracture, Issues, Inspection & Cracks: Company Reports Structural Issues

    Boeing's highly advanced and in demand jetliner is experiencing another delay this time related to a structural issue. Repairing the defects will push back Boeing's delivery of airplanes and adds to the problems that have been plaguing the 787 since it was introduced into service in 2011.

    On Friday, March 7, Boeing reported hairline fractures in the wings of a number of planes, according to the New York Times. The defect was highlighted by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, which manufactures the carbon composite wings in Japan. According to Mitsubishi, a change in their manufacturing process had caused hairline cracks in a limited number of shear ties on a wing rib in the airplane.

    Forty-three are affected by the defect, according to the Seattle Times. Boeing has stated that none of the planes have been delivered to airlines and none of the 123 planes already in service are affected.

    http://www.latinpost.com/articles/8597/20140309/boeing-787-fracture-issues-inspection-cracks-company-reports-structural-cause.htm

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. 777 GREAT AIRPLANE, 787 not so much.

      After all these years and millions flights, this is the first Big Disaster.

      Started flying in '98, I think.

      Delete
  30. I'll NEVER buy another operating system from Microsoft if they try to 'kill' the XP

    San Francisco Chronicle

    Perspective: Microsoft risks security reputation ruin by retiring XP


    Computerworld - A decade ago, Microsoft kicked off SDL, or Security Development Lifecycle, a now-widely-adopted process designed to bake security into software, and began building what has become an unmatched reputation in how a vendor writes more secure code, keeps customers informed about security issues, and backs that up with regular patches.

    But the Redmond, Wash. company, which just touted SDL's 10-year history with a flashy, anecdote-filled online presentation, seems willing to risk torching that hard-won reputation by pulling the plug on Windows XP.

    Microsoft plans to ship the final public patches for Windows XP on April 8. After that, it will not deliver fixes for security vulnerabilities it and others find in the 13-year-old operating system.

    The result, even Microsoft has said, could be devastating. Last October, the company said that after April 8, Windows XP would face a future where machines are infected at a rate 66% higher than before patches stopped.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9246837/Perspective_Microsoft_risks_security_reputation_ruin_by_retiring_XP

      Delete
    2. Quite a few businesses still run software that require XP

      i've heard Win8 is a POS, true?

      This old rig is on Vista!

      Never had a problem despite reputation.

      Configured it as much as I could to look like Win98SE, my favorite interface.

      Delete
    3. Jack HawkinsSun Mar 09, 06:37:00 PM EDT
      I'll NEVER buy another operating system from Microsoft if they try to 'kill' the XP


      Like microsoft CARES that JackRat runs an older than shit computer?

      LOL

      A legend in his own mind, AGAIN

      Delete
  31. Let's say that you're a 60 year old woman, living in St. Charles, Mo (zip code 63301,) and making $24,000.00 / year with a small company that does not provide health insurance.

    You're reasonably healthy, albeit with a couple of minor "pre-existing conditions" that have made it virtually impossible to find a worthwhile insurance policy that you can afford to buy. Your biggest concern is a major illness before you turn 65, and qualify for Medicare.

    What will a Bronze Policy cost?

    How about Zero?


    btw, this woman is a friend of mine.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Calculator

      As I said, this woman is a friend, so I know this premium is accurate.

      Delete
    2. I'm me, so I know about me, believe it or not.

      Delete
    3. Screw those that actually make a living... Free insurance for everyone else...

      Delete
    4. She is one of the winners in the ObamaCareLotto.

      Nobody ever said there weren't some winners.

      Until Death Panel Day, then your number is up.

      Delete
  32. So, let's say that you're a 31 yr old woman with many serious health problems/expenses. You have one child, and have barely managed to work enough to slip, ever so slightly, above the poverty line (which is crucial, because your state did not expand Medicaid.)

    You really need the Silver Plan, that, at your income level, has no deductible, and very little co-pays.

    Your premium is $26.17 / mo.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The point that I'm trying to make is, a lot of people that need affordable healthcare the most just have no idea what they can really get. It's probably going to take at least a year.

      Delete
    2. So let's say your a healthy 50 something year old with no health issues of any major issue.

      You have a wife and 2 kids. You work your ass off and make a living

      Your rate is $1557 with a 4k deductible.

      Delete
    3. Times like these I WISH I lived in Israel.

      America the commie wasteland...

      Delete

    4. "Your rate is $1557 with a 4k deductible."


      grrrr, that is really high

      Delete
    5. the small businessman is screwed in rufus's amerika...

      Delete
    6. my agent said we can increase our deductible to 8k and save 350 a month...

      Delete
    7. We always had the 'catastrophic coverage' for everyone. Never used it at all until my hip.

      Can't recall what the deductible actually was, or the cost, but it seemed reasonable at the time.

      Idaho Wheat Growers had a group plan back in the day. We were in that for awhile. It was decent too.

      I've been lucky I guess. Everything seems a little cheaper out here in God's Country. Electricity from the dams for instance.

      Delete
  33. Syria is starving Palestinian refugees in Damascus’s Yarmouk, says Amnesty Int’l report

    Situation worse since report finished, says researcher; Rebel fighters have returned to Palestinian refugee camp where access to food, fuel, and medical supplies has been cut off.

    Syrian forces are committing war crimes by using the starvation of civilians as a weapon of war, according to a new report by Amnesty International on crimes committed against Palestinian and Syrian civilians in the Damascus suburb of Yarmouk.

    The report, “Squeezing the life out of Yarmouk: War crimes against besieged civilians,” comes ahead of the third anniversary of the civil war in Syria and highlights the deaths of nearly 200 Yarmouk residents since the siege around it was tightened in July 2013. Access to food, fuel, and medical supplies was cut off in Yarmouk as well as in other districts of the capital and other areas near major cities such as Homs and Aleppo.

    http://www.jpost.com/Syria-Crisis/Syria-is-starving-Palestinian-refugees-in-Damascuss-Yarmouk-says-Amnesty-Intl-report-344822


    Butlet's have more threads about puppies, bikinis and horses, Rufus respects those... Fuck the starving palestinians...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Final inventory of Iran arms ship: 40 rockets, 180 mortars, 400,000 bullets
      http://www.jpost.com/Defense/Final-inventory-of-Iran-arms-ship-40-rockets-180-mortars-400000-bullets-344797

      IDF recovers forty M-302 rockets, with a range of 90-160 kilometers, hidden in crates on intercepted Gaza-bound vessel.

      40 M-302 rockets, with a range of between 90 to 160 kilometers, hidden in crates.

      The Klos C also carried 180 120mm. mortar shells and some 400,000 7.62mm. bullets.

      Hmmm I guess it didn't cost Iran a dime since Obama released 6 billion from sanctions...

      Delete
    2. Syrian Girl Lynched for having a Facebook Page.

      God's Country

      Delete
    3. Saudi Princesses of the King complain about being held hostage for years.

      http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2576600/Prisoners-palace-Saudi-princesses-plead-help-claim-held-king-against-will.html

      It's not always wonderful to be a Princess.

      Delete
    4. The old humper only has over 30 children. Hard to remember them all.

      Delete
    5. But Deuce, Jack Rat and Rufus only find fault with israel.

      Delete
    6. Maybe he forgot he locked them in. This is called giving the benefit of the doubt.

      Delete
    7. It's like those three are all seeing things in a mirror where left is right and right is left when it comes to the middle east. Though I must say Rufus is the least of these usual suspects. He is much more concerned with the energy sector.

      Delete
    8. I just read today that Saudi Arabia was rated 134th out of 138 nations on women's right issues by some women's rights organization.

      Which makes me wonder what four nations are worse than Saudi Arabia on women's rights?

      Delete
    9. Can't seem to find the exact article but if I do I'll post it.

      Delete
    10. Egypt is rated worse -

      Egypt Ranked Worst Arab Country for Women
      The rights of Egyptian women post-Arab Spring have so deteriorated that they are even worse than in Saudi Arabia.

      http://www.clarionproject.org/news/egypt-ranked-worst-arab-country-women

      'Iraq was ranked the second worse country in the survey. Even though Saudi Arabia has the most discriminatory laws regarding women, it was ranked only third from the bottom due to its number of women representatives in parliament, which now reach 20 percent.

      Syria and Yemen followed Saudi Arabia as some of the worst countries.

      Kuwait, ranked third among the 22 Arab countries, previously could have been ranked as low as Saudi Arabia. However, the last 10 years have seen Kuwait grant the right to vote to women as well as to travel and receive their own passports.


      The Union of Comoros, an Arab island nation located near Tanzania off the eastern coast of Africa, ranked first. Comoros' woman run 20 percent of government ministries. In addition, women in Comoros are also allowed to keep their home and land after divorce.

      Comoros was followed by Oman, Kuwait, Jordan, Qatar, Tunisia and Algeria. The survey was based on factors including violence against women (including sexual harassment and the use of women as weapons of war), reproductive rights, treatment of women within the family, integration of women into society and attitudes towards women's involvement in politics and the economy.'

      The Nordic countries are at the top of the rankings in women's right issues.

      Delete
  34. "Warsaw (AFP) - The United States is sending a dozen F-16 fighter jets to Poland as a part of a training exercise, amid continuing tensions between Ukraine and Russia, the Polish defence ministry said on Sunday.
    Three hundred US service personnel will also be sent to Poland as part of the exercise. The deployment will be completed by Thursday." ...

    ..."The exercise was originally planned to be smaller but was increased and pushed forward because of the "tense political situation" in Ukraine, added Sonta."


    http://news.yahoo.com/us-deploys-fighter-jets-poland-lithuania-200314022.html

    ReplyDelete
  35. I read an article in the NYT the other day that was claiming Putin has bitten off more than he can chew if he goes into greater Ukraine. All of them, east and west, might fight like hell for a long time.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Here it is -

      Russia Has Already Lost The War -
      http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/09/opinion/sunday/how-russia-has-already-lost-the-war.html?_r=0

      'For one thing, Mr. Putin misunderstands the complexities of language and ethnicity in Ukraine. Certainly, Ukraine is diverse, and language, history and culture play a role in some of its internal differences — just as they do in blue- and red-state America, in northern and southern Italy, or in the north and the south of England.

      The error is to believe there is a fratricidal separation between Russian and Ukrainian speakers and to assume that everyone who speaks Russian at home or voted for Mr. Yanukovych would prefer to be a citizen of Mr. Putin’s Russia. The reality of Ukraine is that everyone in the country speaks and understands Russian and everyone at least understands Ukrainian. On television, in Parliament, and in the streets, bilingual discussions are commonplace.

      Mr. Putin seems to have genuinely believed that Ukraine was Yugoslavia, and that his forces would be warmly welcomed by at least half of the country. As Leonid D. Kuchma, a former president of Ukraine and once a senior member of the Soviet military-industrial complex, told me: “His advisers must have thought they would be met in eastern Ukraine with flowers as liberators. The reality is 180 degrees opposite.” '


      Delete
    2. Farmer Bob is taking his cues from Carlos Slim, Mexican billionaire.

      Farmer Bob's sloppy thinking, now the responsibility of Carlos Slim's minions ...


      heh, heh, heh.

      Delete

    3. Don't look to the approval of others for your mental stability

      Delete
    4. Actually Karl is not that what you do? Seek approval of others? After all if your fashion didn't sell? they you'd be a failure and not be famous.,

      So actually if you did not get approval of others? You most likely, like others that fit your persona, would have offed yourself in depression

      Delete
  36. Stalking obsession.

    I'm cursed, WiO.

    I've never been stalked before in my life.

    Why me?

    His comment doesn't even make sense.

    Get help, rat.

    And leave me alone.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. No one is the least interested in your b.s.

      People are rather conjecturing on your illness.

      Delete
    2. Farmer Bob, what 'people' conjecture is for them to digest.

      It is what th they post that mattrs.

      You have posted your rcent medical history.

      You have hit Uncle Sugar up for $700,000, if your treatments were only 'average'.

      You are a Welfare King, by your own illustrations.

      You, Farmer Bob, exemplify the reason the Government is running a deficit.


      Delete
    3. Actually JackRat, Farmer Bob sounds like he has paid, like me, into the system far beyond the 97%.

      It is you that is the leech as you have always been labor, never an owner of a business with employees.

      Delete