Because laughing at Liberals is our Patriotic
duty!
Felons vote Democratic, see here:
Monday, December 10, 2012
Public Buses Across Country Quietly Adding Microphones to Record Passenger Conversations
Transit authorities in cities across the country are quietly
installing microphone-enabled surveillance systems on public buses that would
give them the ability to record and store private conversations, according to
documents obtained by a news outlet.
The systems are
being installed in San Francisco, Baltimore, and other cities with funding from
the Department of Homeland Security in some cases, according
to the Daily, which obtained copies of contracts, procurement requests,
specs and other documents.
The use of the equipment raises serious questions about
eavesdropping without a warrant, particularly since recordings of passengers
could be obtained and used by law enforcement agencies.
It also raises
questions about security, since the IP audio-video systems can be accessed
remotely via a built-in web server (.pdf), and can be combined with GPS data
to track the movement of buses and passengers throughout the city.
The RoadRecorder 7000 surveillance system being
marketed for use on public buses consists of a high-definition IP camera and
audio recording system that can be configured remotely via built-in web
server.
According to the product pamphlet for the RoadRecorder 7000 system made by SafetyVision (.pdf), “Remote connectivity to the RoadRecorder 7000 NVR can be established via the Gigabit Ethernet port or the built-in 3G modem. A robust software ecosystem including LiveTrax vehicle tracking and video streaming service combined with SafetyNet central management system allows authorized users to check health status, create custom alerts, track vehicles, automate event downloads and much more.”
The systems use cables or WiFi to pair audio conversations
with camera images in order to produce synchronous recordings. Audio and video
can be monitored in real-time, but are also stored onboard in blackbox-like
devices, generally for 30 days, for later retrieval. Four to six cameras with
mics are generally installed throughout a bus, including one near the driver and
one on the exterior of the bus.
Cities that have installed the systems or have taken steps to
procure them include San Francisco, California; Eugene, Oregon; Traverse City,
Michigan; Columbus, Ohio; Baltimore Maryland; Hartford, Connecticut; and Athens,
Georgia.
San Francisco transit authorities recently approved a $5.9
million contract to install an audio surveillance system on 357 buses and
vintage trolley cars, paid for in full with a grant from DHS. The contract
includes the option to expand the equipment to an additional 600 vehicles.
Concord, New Hampshire also used part of a $1.2 million
economic stimulus grant to install its new video/audio surveillance system on
buses, according to the Daily.
Transit officials say the systems will help improve the safety
of passengers and drivers and resolve complaints from riders. But privacy and
security expert Ashkan Soltani told the Daily that the audio could easily be
coupled with facial recognition systems or audio recognition technology to
identify passengers caught on the recordings.
In Eugene, Oregon, the Daily found, transit officials
requested microphones that would be capable of “distilling clear conversations
from the background noise of other voices, wind, traffic, windshields wipers and
engines” and also wanted at least five audio channels spread across each bus
that would be “paired with one or more camera images and recorded synchronously
with the video for simultaneous playback.”
In 2009, transit officials in Baltimore, Maryland, backed down
briefly from plans to install microphones in buses in that city after civil
liberties groups complained that the systems would violate wiretapping laws and
constitutional protections against illegal search and seizure. Transit
authorities then asked the state’s attorney general to weigh-in on whether the
systems violated wiretapping laws. After the attorney general indicated that
signs warning passengers of the surveillance would help combat any legal
challenges, transit officials pressed forward with their plans last month and
announced the installation of an audio recording system on 10 public buses. The
city plans to roll out the system on at least 340 additional buses.
(via wired)
Your Vote Counted: A Damn Lie
I was walking past a polling place the other day and saw this lost and lonely sticker just lying there. I stopped, I looked down. A sense of irony came over me, the sticker said: "My Vote Counted". I don't believe it did. When more votes were cast then there are registered voters, my vote did not count. Some unknown organized force conspired to steal the election and I believe it was successful, the will of the people was thwarted. The sticker is an illusion, a false appeasement, an opiate that cures no pain or suffering administered by the same oppressors who are responsible for the pain and suffering in the first place. In my youth I was idealistic, a bright eyed true believer in our democracy. I believed that most men were good men of high character. Honesty and truth meant something, the good were rewarded and recognized. I think this once was true. Is this some terrible bad dream? The imperfect but noble people that worked so hard to build this country, to create a perfect union, what would they think of us?
They would have it torn asunder and so would I.
I snapped this photo of a Tesla Model S
.JPG)
Sunday, December 9, 2012
Usurper
A usurper is an illegitimate or controversial claimant to power, often but not always in a monarchy. This may include a person who succeeds in establishing himself as a monarch without inheriting the throne or any other person exercising authority unconstitutionally. It may also be applied to an official acting ultra vires, outside his authority or jurisdiction.
Inanimate Objects Killing Spree Shocks Nation—Maybe Costas Was Right
(read snarky article at Canada Free Press:)
Inanimate Objects Killing Spree Shocks Nation—Maybe ....
Smith & Wesson has announced record sales for its most recent quarter.
SPRINGFIELD MASACHUSETTES — Smith & Wesson has announced record sales for its most recent quarter.
Net sales from continuing operations for the second quarter were a record $136.6 million, up 48 percent from the second quarter last year, according to a news release issued this week.
It was the second consecutive quarter of record sales.
The company employs more than 1,200 workers at its factory and headquarters on Roosevelt Avenue.
Federal background checks for gun purchasers were up over Black Friday. Many observers say that's because gun buyers fear that a re-elected President Barack Obama will impose more gun restrictions. But Smith & Wesson has pointed to a long-term upward trend in gun ownership driven by people wanting to get into shooting as a sport and a hobby.Smith & Wesson said the increase was led by continued strong sales across all of the company's firearm product lines, including M&P-branded products, such as pistols, modern sporting rifles and the recently launched Shield pistol designed for concealed carry and personal protection.
Gross profit for the second quarter was $48.5 million, or 35 percent of net sales, compared with gross profit of $24.6 million, or 26.7 percent of net sales, for the comparable quarter last year.
The company also announced a program to repurchase up to $20 million of the company's outstanding shares of common stock from time to time until June 30. Smith & Wesson stock was trading at midday Friday at $10.05 per share, a drop of 80 cents a share. For the year, the stock is up from $4.36.
Smith & Wesson expects net sales from continuing operations for the third quarter of fiscal 2013 to be between $126 million and $131 million, which would represent year-over-year growth from continuing operations in excess of 30 percent.
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