William – Page 74 – Really Right

Cyber Warfare: Why You Should Care

There is a silent war being waged all around the world and you are up to your neck in it if you own a computer, smart phone, tablet device, smart television, or recent model car. Both multinational companies and nation-states are doing their best to collect information on you.

Tracking cookies and the like are so nineteen nineties. Today, any device that you own can be accessed without your knowledge or permission. Laptop and cell phone cameras and microphones can be turned on by remote means; your television can see into your livingroom; your movement anywhere on the planet is tracked by your car, smart phone, or wrist device.

Stuxnet was just the beginning of what a carefully planned hack can accomplish. If you are not familiar with Stuxnet I recommend that you read up on it. Here are a few links:

Stuxnet is a malicious computer worm believed to be a jointly built American-Israeli cyberweapon, although no organization or state has officially admitted responsibility. However, anonymous US officials speaking to The Washington Post claimed the worm was developed during the Bush administration to sabotage Iran’s nuclear program with what would seem like a long series of unfortunate accidents.

Stuxnet specifically targets programmable logic controllers (PLCs), which allow the automation of electromechanical processes such as those used to control machinery on factory assembly lines, amusement rides, or centrifuges for separating nuclear material. Exploiting four zero-day flaws, Stuxnet functions by targeting machines using the Microsoft Windows operating system and networks, then seeking out Siemens Step7 software.

Wikipedia Link: Stuxnet

Link: Wired Magazine—An Unprecedented Look at Stuxnet, the World’s First Digital Weapon

Link: Business Insider—The Stuxnet Attack On Iran’s Nuclear Plant Was ‘Far More Dangerous’ Than Previously Thought

Apple, Sony, and Lenovo are famous for putting rootkits on computers without user permission to spy on you. Visio televisions are also known to spy on users and report data back to somewhere.

WikiLeaks reportedly used spyware installed purposely by Lenovo to obtain information on the Democrat National Party and Hillary Clinton’s campaign.

Recently, Russia and China have been in the news on this subject.

Russia has stated that they want to move away from any software made by a foreign countries. While the biggest target for this announcement was Microsoft, they also had others in mind. They fear that the software may be compromised by backdoors programmed into the software. It is widely believed that the FBI, CIA, and National Security Agency can access any computer at will.

Link: Microsoft, Google, Adobe Leave Russia Due to Putin’s New Laws

Link: Moscow’s government ditches Microsoft for Russian software

While Russia is trying to strengthen its defenses against spying and foreign snooping, China is again broadening its ability to keep tabs on the rest of the world. Instead of planting listening posts all over the world and circling the globe with satellites like the West, China is programming devices to report personally identifiable information to servers in their country. If you’ve been watching this subject then you know that any electronic device from their country is probably compromised or could be at a later date. Unlike us, they really have a military/industrial complex.

Here’s the latest example to be made public earlier this month. Only 700 million Android devices are affected by this one instance.

The firmware it uses receives automatic updates from the maker. The covert transmission of personal data is taking place periodically every 72 hours for text messages and call logs and every 24 hours for other personally identifiable information. The user has no ability to switch off the eavesdropping.

“The collected information was encrypted with multiple layers of encryption and then transmitted over secure web protocols to a server located in Shanghai,” Kryptowire said. “This software and behaviour bypasses the detection of mobile anti-virus tools because they assume that software that ships with the device is not malware and thus, it is white-listed.”

Link: Made in China’ smartphone spies on users, researchers found

Link: SHOCK REPORT: China Loaded Up to 700 Million Android Devices With Pre-Installed Spyware

For about $50, you can get a smartphone with a high-definition display, fast data service and, according to security contractors, a secret feature: a backdoor that sends all your text messages to China every 72 hours.

Link: New York Times—Secret Back Door in Some U.S. Phones Sent Data to China, Analysts Say

Link: The Hacker News—Chinese Android

Kryptowire has identified several models of Android mobile devices that contained firmware that collected sensitive personal data about their users and transmitted this sensitive data to third-party servers without disclosure or the users’ consent. These devices were available through major US-based online retailers (Amazon, BestBuy, for example) and included popular smartphones such as the BLU R1 HD. These devices actively transmitted user and device information including the full-body of text messages, contact lists, call history with full telephone numbers, unique device identifiers including the International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI) and the International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI). The firmware could target specific users and text messages matching remotely defined keywords. The firmware also collected and transmitted information about the use of applications installed on the monitored device, bypassed the Android permission model, executed remote commands with escalated (system) privileges, and was able to remotely reprogram the devices.
Link: Kryptowire finds Android firmware

So there we are. I bet many readers didn’t know that we were even in a global “Information Cold War”.

Donald Trump’s advocating the return of manufacturing back to the United States is the right thing to do—not just for economic reasons but because it’s actually a national security issue of the highest order. Most of our military infrastructure and weapons systems are dependent on parts from foreign countries—especially China. In addition, last I heard, Russian manufacturers make parts that are vital for our cruise missile weapons systems. Farming out our military to other countries might make globalists happy but in a time of national emergency it’s a suicidal foreign policy.

Purple Haze

I don’t know if there’s too much fluoride in the waters of Sacramento or whether there’s too much smoke from Humboldt County blowing into in the Sacramento Valley but the Purple People at SEIU are charging full ahead at the wage windmill. They have swallowed a bucket load of the economic crap cooked-up by Democrats wanting to cover-up the scope of economic malfeasance in our country.

Are they really dumb enough to believe we are in an economic recovery and the State of California is running a budget surplus?

Apparently so.

California is the sixth largest economy in the world (according to the International Monetary Fund) and has a projected $11.5 billion budget reserve this year (according to the California Legislative Analyst Office 2016 – 2017 budget projection).
Link: SEIU Newsletter 11-16-2016

This isn’t the same story coming from the Legislative Analyst—Mac Taylor—who said today:

If all spending commitments remain unchanged, Taylor projects that California would finish the next budget year in June 2018 with $11.5 billion in total reserves. Most of it would go to required deposits in the state’s rainy-day fund, but about $2.8 billion would be available for the Legislature to spend or save as it chooses.

Link: KCRA TV-2.8 Billion Surplus

Look at this week’s posting to members.

We return to the table today, Nov. 15 and Thursday, Nov. 17, with some additional dates scheduled later this month.

Link: SEIU

Seems like SEIU is running out of time this month to negotiate, plus the State hasn’t budged on their offer. Last time SEIU met with the State, a mere week later they were scheduling the strike vote. Nothing has changed.

Yes the strike vote passed but BFD.

An overwhelming 92% majority of us voted YES to authorize any and all actions, up to and including a strike, in support of a contract we can all be proud of!
Link: SEIU

It seems like the best argument that SEIU can put forward for a 22 percent pay raise over the next four years is that it’s not nice to hit girls…at least not in the wallet.

• Our union is predominately women (66%), yet we are paid 19% less than the average for all rank-and-file state employees

• The state has made deals with male-dominated bargaining units that include wages 43% higher than our average pay

• A staggering 39% of us cannot afford a two-bedroom apartment in the county we live in

• In most parts of the state, we cannot afford childcare
Link: SEIU

Again, SEIU1000 represents non-essential government workers. They will get zero sympathy from the public which is their court of last resort.

Will they begin with a work slowdown or jump straight to a strike? Just in time for Black Friday shopping?

I think CCPOA (California Correctional Peace Officers Association) will have SEIU in court immediately to insure that their members continue to be paid despite any tantrum thrown by SEIU. CCPOA might even seek a 90 day cooling-off period just to put things off to the beginning of negotiations on the 2017-18 budget.

As stated before, many state workers will not be participating in the union action so will it make a difference?

Also, many state workers have several months of sick and vacation on the books so what will be the economic impact?
(Most have yet to learn that they don’t get paid while walking the line.)

Is Golden One Credit Union going to bail-out the striking workers like they did during the furloughs a few years ago?

Oh, lest we forget, it is illegal for state workers to strike. The union hasn’t exactly lead with that little nugget in any of their strike rhetoric.

So how can they strike? Good question. The way it works it that as part of the strike settlement, the state grants amnesty to those who participated in the strike. Thus striking remains illegal and unions are allowed to do it anyway with no repercussions.

It will be interesting to watch this drama unfold as we move into the holiday season.

Mourning in America

As the sun rises on the nation, Liberals are suffering the shock of learning that Donald Trump is the next President of the United States.

My response is “Ding dong, the witch is dead”.

Hillary is feeling the Bern of rejection.

The stock markets are suffering from the thought of having to stand on their own without the voodoo economics stimulation of Quantitative Easing.

America is in the midst of the greatest economic challenge since the Great Depression. Hopefully now the books will be audited and the truth made known. Not that Liberals care about the Truth. Government is their god and the only god with whom they have to do.

Trump has rattled the foundations of the establishment. Yeah, it’s about time.

The most pathetic thing last night was the reluctance of the media not wanting to call it for Trump. If you thought it would be hard to pry the gun from my cold dead hands, you should try extracting the truth from the media. I heard nothing good from the network talkingheads last night on CBS, NBC, or ABC. There was universal denial and doom…and still is today.

It’s morning in America for the first time since 1980. God bless you Mr. Trump. Give ‘em hell.

SEIU Voting Update

I took some time out of my day today to go visit an SEIU polling place here in Elk Grove. I was mostly curious how they conducted the voting; especially, if they required a photo I.D.

I found three people sitting at a table in front of the AT&T store between Starbucks and GameStop Burger (Smash Burger has same color scheme as GameStop and they were there before Smash).

The table was covered with an SEIU table skirt. On top was a ballot box, two stacks of ballots with big boxes to check Yes or No, three stacks of envelopes—two white and one pink, a roll of stickers that said I voted, two lists of names, a clipboard, and some pens.

I observed on person vote. His eligibility was determined by typing his name into a cell phone. He was given a ballot, envelope, and pen. He marked the ballot and then was asked to complete the other side of the envelope before inserting it into the ballot box. On the envelope he had to have name, signature, and union number. The ballot was then placed in the envelope. Once the envelope was sealed it was placed in the ballot box.

As this person was finishing his vote, two other people tried to vote. The next potential voter was not verified with the cell phone but with one of two paper lists on the table. Her name was found on the first listed that was checked. After putting her cell number and email on the list, the poll worker checked the list again and then informed her that she was not a union member and needed to complete an application to join SEIU in order to vote. She commented that it was not clear from the union website that you must be a member to vote. She declined to join SEIU and then she and her companion (who was also hoping to vote) left.

The first guy that voted lingered at the table after his vote was cast and asked some questions of the union representatives working the table. In the course of the conversation, the SEIU rep that he was speaking with dropped a big bombshell. He was informed that it would be helpful for the SEIU if he would vote Yes on Prop 55.

Per the trusty voter guide from the Secretary of State, Prop 55 “Extends by twelve years the temporary personal income tax increases enacted in 2012 on earnings over $250,000, with revenues allocated to K-12 schools, California Community Colleges, and, in certain years, healthcare.”

OK so where in that description is there any mention of exorbitant wage increases for non-essential government workers?

The only analysis that makes sense is that if this temporary tax goes away then the General Fund will have to pick up the slack meaning less money is available to give gifts to SEIU.

Lastly, I asked about the 3.5 percent for retiree healthcare that was mentioned on the SEIU website. I was told that current employees would have to start contributing 3.5 percent of their wages to a trust fund for retiree healthcare beginning January of 2017. Thus the pay increase offered by the state will not even allow SEIU employees to break even with what they are taking home now. This is likely the real reason for all the strike talk and saber rattling.

The ballots are supposed to be counted this weekend but the poll workers did not know when or where; however, they did claim that the vote counting would be open to the public.

Just Us Brothers Mailers Hit Roseville Mailboxes

Saturday, the dual political mailers paid for by George and Aaron Park a.k.a. the Just Us Brothers hit mail boxes across Placer County. The funds from Measure M—the Placer Transportation Tax hike—have made their way to the Roseville School Board and Roseville City Council races.

For those that need a brief map and want to follow the money, here is the cash flow:
Supporters of Measure M gave money to the League of Placer County Taxpayers. $27,000 of this money then went to the Placer County chapter of California Impact Republicans. PCCIR then used some of that money to buy two political mailers for the Roseville City Council and School Board races.

Here are the flyers:

The interesting thing is the commonalities that are shared by this whole thing.

Guess who the Treasurer is for League of Placer County Taxpayers, Placer County chapter of California Impact Republicans, and candidate Andrew Tagg?

Friends of Andrew Tagg School Trustee 2016

Treasurer: George E Park Jr

The second commonality is County Supervisor Kirk Uhler. Placer Impact Republicans, League of Placer County Taxpayers, and Kirk Uhler all reportedly work out of Uhler’s Rensa Group offices.

Just Us Brothers—Money for Nothing

The Just Us Brothers are still at it in Placer County. Their efforts to take their franchise of pay-to-play graft and corruption statewide have failed but the hubris of these guys has no limits or shame. While Impact Republicans of California has failed to catch on as a player in statewide Republican circles and is not even registered as a paper tiger with the California Republican Party, they are still playing in their own backyard. They are mercenaries for hire and still do the bidding and dirty work of folks like the Placer County Mafia. Work for which they are well compensated.

They are like a hydra but not in the traditional sense. This hydra has a hive mind but many tentacles. Every two year election cycle they grow another appendage while doing the same dirty tricks and off the book operations but under a different name. Like a deep cover agent that assumes a new identity each time their cover is blown, these guys just keep at it by reinventing new names for themselves.

Their latest incarnation is operating as Placer County Impact Republicans Political Action Committee. Their self-described purpose is “Contributions or expenditures to support or oppose candidates or measures in Placer County”.

What we learned from the second Star Wars trilogy is that always there are two. With George and Aaron Park, always there are three. In this case the token “red shirt” along for the ride is Kirk Uhler. Uhler is the public face of this cabal of corruption in Placer County. From what I have seen, he certainly could not be called the brains of the operation. The Just Us Brothers—well they are the muscle.

For undocumented services rendered, the Placer County Impact Republicans PAC have been awarded $26,000 by the League of Placer County Taxpayers PAC. My sources in Placer County say that the money is from Pro Measure M contributions.

So I asked myself, who is the League of Placer County Taxpayers? Well they are not the Placer County Taxpayers Association; however, I think their name is intended to mislead people into confusing them with the Placer Taxpayer Association.

I did a web search on these groups. Wow, was I in for a surprise. Most of what I’m about to report can be found at this link.
Campaign Reporting Portal for Placer County
Search for
1390564 Placer County Impact Republicans PAC
1352462 League of Placer County Taxpayers

As I began to research the League, I found a trail that lead to two records with the California Secretary of State’s Office. Both listings for the League of Placer County Taxpayers are inactive.

The first incarnation of the League was put down in 1977

The second League was put down by the Franchise Tax Board in 2012

After seeing that the second and more recent group had a status of FTB Suspended, I looked that up on the Secretary of State website.

Please note that the League had its license suspended due to not filing proper tax documents.

Thus no active California Corporation called the League of Placer County Taxpayers is recognized by the Secretary of State.

Mike Musolino’s name however did continue to appear in filings with the Secretary of State for campaign expenditures for the League of Placer County Taxpayers thru 2015.

The only active Internet search result is a Facebook page for the group. It has five posts since it was created. The first is a shared post that Tom McClintock wrote in 2013. Miraculously, the Facebook page appeared beginning a week ago.
Link: Facebook—League of Placer County Taxpayers

Then my search got more interesting.

Guess who the Treasurer is for the League of Placer County Taxpayers PAC. Yes, George Park.

So Park wrote himself a check for $26,000 from the League of Placer County Taxpayers PAC to Placer County Impact Republicans PAC.
Whiskey Tango Foxtrot!!!!!!!!

January 2016 filing showing George Park as Treasurer of the League of Placer County Taxpayers.

October 27 2016 report showing George Park as Treasurer of Placer County Impact Republicans PAC

Yes, in case you were wondering, Park is still the Treasurer of both groups. Look at the October 2016 Form 460 filings for both groups.

Since my sources contacted me, The Just Us Brothers got another grand.

The only other contribution on file to Placer County Impact Republicans PAC is this one from Committee for Home Ownership of the North State BIA.

Please note that as of the filing with the Secretary of State on 10-22-2016, Placer County Impact Republicans PAC is reporting zero expenses. Due to the closeness of the election most expenditures are required by election law to be reported within 24 hours.

With less than three days to go before the election, Impact Republicans takes in $26K in last minute contributions and has spent none of it? Again is it payment for off the books services rendered? A reasonable person might come to this conclusion.

Literally, as I was doing a final edit for this blog, a new document was posted for the Impact PAC. However, it begs more questions than it answers. Above is the October 22, 2016 filing showing that Impact Republicans of Placer County PAC has $5,145 for their cash balance.

Late filing report posted online after 11 AM Saturday November 5th.

Then on October 26, 2016 they report mailing expenses for $9,561.90

Printing and postage?

Last minute hatchet job?

The $26,000 income they got is then reported as being November 1, 2016.

So they purposely wrote two hot checks a week before they received enough money to cover the expense?

Seeing this timeline, thoughts of “pay-to-play” and “coordination of campaigns” leap into my fertile imagination.

Is it my accounting background or does this look fishy to you?

The Parks have a long history of purposely not keeping any sort of detailed paper trail of their forays into the political arena. It will be interesting to see where the rest of the funds reportedly end up. Are the Just Us Brothers the conduit or the destination? Somehow I think that answer will stay hidden until after November 8th.

Cubs Win So What Does That Mean to the Presidential Race?

First, congratulations to the Cubs. 108 years is a long time to wait. I told my wife this is probably the only time in eight years we’ve probably been on the same side of an issue as President Obama. She asked me “why” and I had to remind her that Obama claims to be from Chicago (before Hawaii, Kenya, and Indonesia).

The purpose of my column today is just to ask the question of what happened to the usual talk of the winner of the Super Bowl or World Series being a predictor of who would be the next President. If there was such talk during the battle between the Indians of Cleveland and the Cubs of Chicago then I totally missed it.

I did a search of the Internet and here is what I found.

Until 1976, it appeared that the World Series was an accurate predictor of the presidential race. From 1952 to 1976, if the American League won the World Series, then the President would be a Republican. If the National League won, then the election would go to the Democrat. However, it all changed after that.

Predicting the Presidential Election with Baseball: Can the Winner of the World Series Predict the Presidential Election?

Then forty years later, a couple of SABR member stats-nerds decided to expand the data set to cover the years 1908 to 2008 and asked, could the winners of the World Series really predict who won the Presidential election?

And of course the answer was no.

Of 27 elections held between 1908 and 2012, there has been a correlation between the World Series winner and the presidential winner 16 times (59%). Statistically speaking, that’s more of a coincidence.

The Best Predictor Of The Presidential Election: Is It The Winner Of The World Series?

Other examples of ‘predictors’ from past and present years include the following:

• If the Washington Redskins win the week of the election, this means a win for the incumbent party. This has held true since 1936.
• Whoever’s Halloween mask sells the most will be the next president.
• When companies produce ‘competing’ products, whichever sells the most is supposed to predict the winner. For example, if a company has cups with images of the Republican and Democratic candidates, the one which outsells the other would be a predictor.
• If the Dow Jones Average gains over the time from August to October, this predicts a win for the incumbent.
• If the Los Angeles Lakers win the championship, then the Republican candidate will win.

Predicting the Presidential Election with Baseball

I knew that the answer would be “no” because God is sovereign. Those that look for signs and wonders—or the “butterfly effect”—are sure to be disappointed. Yes there is “cause and effect” or “reaping and sewing” but that is not all. We live in an open system and not a closed one. God will bring His will to pass. Pray not that He is on your side but that you are on His.

I think Trump will win next week but I know that has always been a longshot in the eyes of most people. In my view, the World Series was just a distraction to get us closer to Election Day to end the drama, vote, and get on with the consequences.

Why Democrats Should Vote for Trump

I could go into a lot of reasons why Democrats should vote for Trump but Democrats are not motivated by logic, facts, or reason so I will give a short synopsis and then explain why.

I know that some games with economic statistics started under George W Bush but the fact is that the Obama Administration has been cooking the economic books for the full eight years of his term.

• Quantitative Easing has been artificially propping up the financial markets.
• The Federal Reserve has been propping up monetary policy but they have already said they will raise the Prime Rate after the election.
• Given that one in five American households have no one working and there are over 94 million adults that are no longer in the workforce out of a population of 308 million people (including children and senior citizens) do you really believe that unemployment is only five percent?
• Economic growth under Obama has never been above 3 percent Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in any fiscal quarter of his presidency—this is the first time in US history
• The auto loan market is in a financial bubble that is ready to burst (Americans owe over one trillion dollars in auto loans)
• The student loan debt is also over one trillion dollars
• Job creation under Obama is less than the number of college graduates entering the works force and has been for all eight years of his administration
• 36 percent of young people between 24 and 31 are still living at home
• Taxes, fees, and regulations have grown significantly under Obama
• Pension plans nationwide are trillions of dollars underfunded (one trillion just in California—State, County, and Local governments)
• Medicare and Social Security are facing insolvency in the next few years

This is only the tip of the statistical iceberg but you get the point, the house of cards will collapse sooner or later. You’ve had a good deal under Obama—or so you think—but the bills are about to come due.

We also learned from Democrats that capitalizing on disaster and tragedy is a cornerstone of how they operate. Spinning a crisis into political advantage is part of their playbook.

Here is your golden opportunity to do both. A vote for Trump is really a vote for future Democrat officeholders. Why? Because the economic system in the country needs a correction. Whichever party is in power when it happens will get the blame and you don’t want your guy (or in this case girl) in office when the stuff hits the fan. Trump can get the blame, fix it and then the next Democrat can ride the economic crisis all the way to the White House. If your Party spins it right then your guys could be in power for the next 16 years or better. Frankly, this might be a good reason to vote a strait Republican ticket. If Republicans own the Congress and Presidency then there is no way blame will go to your Party. In the long run you’ll be better for the experience.

Trust me, you want Trump when the economy takes a dump.

A Prayer for the Election

Last Sunday, I was tasked with doing the congregational prayer. Below is a prayer that I wrote and used concerning the upcoming election. I think that Dave Ramsey would approve this message.

Proverbs 21: 1
The king’s heart is in the hand of the LORD, as the rivers of water: he turns it wherever he will.

A Prayer for the Election

Oh Lord who has foreordained all according to your will, we ask that as our country prepares to cast ballots that the outcome would be to move our nation to repentance and restoration to fellowship with you. Help voters to see through myriad of disinformation and empty promises made to them and not choose to burden future generations with debt and slavery in exchange for our leisure today. Instead help us to choose the path of thrift and honest labor that we may have an inheritance to give to our children’s children. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen

Hillary, God, and the Election

I get several newsletters in my email, but none is as much fun to read as the one I get from Joe Miller. Miller is from Alaska and has run twice for US Senate. Some content is written by Miller while other articles are contributed by others. This article appeared today and concerns the election. Here are a few paragraphs from the story. I think the author (Steve Deace) is correct and I recommend that you read the whole thing.

Hillary Clinton’s Continuing Email Saga Reminds Us That God Is God, and We Are Not

This presidential election is a painful reminder of this truth. For it is being driven not by substantive issues that will really determine the future of our nation for the next four years, but by this very principle. Three men — Bill Clinton, Donald Trump, and now Anthony Weiner — and their unrestrained sexual appetites are going to play the biggest roles in the outcome on November 8th. Not the candidates’ positions on real issues.

Because try as we might, and pretend as we so often do, the real issue has always been character.

…This election is nothing more than that age-old story. Wars have been fought over the unrestrained sexual appetites of men. Like when a face once launched a thousand ships.

…Yet, here we are in the final days before another important election. Caught in the Bermuda Triangle of three men’s genitals, with literally the immediate future of the country at stake.

…But even more than they need accountability, they need forgiveness. Not from us, but from God. The forgiveness they must seek for themselves. We should pray they will seek it, so they can learn as I have that mercy triumphs over judgment. That God’s grace doesn’t mean we escape accountability, but gives us the character to accept it and then the strength to overcome our weaknesses. To be better than we are, and we ever could be on our own.

Christian leaders like Billy Graham used to deliver this message to our politicians, which is why they were often friends to those in power regardless of party. Unfortunately, in this election, it seems as if Christian leaders have delivered every message but this one. How many Christian leaders do you believe are hoping to politically capitalize on the failings of these three men rather than do anything to help them sincerely repent and be truly restored?

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