Really Right – Page 82 – Religion, Politics, and Culture: Explained and Defined

CRA Smackdown 2019

Alliances will be tested. Intrigue. Betrayal. The fate of a kingdom hangs in the balance.

No, it’s not a new Peter Jackson movie or other Hollywood blockbuster, it’s the battle for CRA’s next President. The challenger, Johnny “Captain” Morgan, vs veteran past President, Celeste Greig.

When we last heard from Celeste, she had staked the fate of the CRA and California GOP on then candidate for CRP Chair, Jim Brulte, “If you don’t support Jim Brulte as the next CRP Chairman, there’s the door”.

Jim Brulte conducted the band as the California Republican Party imploded

It is ironic that as Brulte is departing his post as Chair, having led the California Republican Party into oblivion, that Greig is once again emerging from her hiatus.

Celeste Greig hopes to revive the magic of CRA’s past

Does Celeste picture herself as the modern-day Rip van Winkle, emerging from cryogenic sleep to lead us back to the Reagan Revolution?

Sadly, the Republican playbook has not changed since “The Gipper” was in the White House. Promises of less regulation, lower taxes, and less government ring hollow thanks to twelve years of Presidents named Bush, John Boehner and Paul Ryan as speaker, “repeal and replace Obamacare”, and locally as a whole host of GOP sell-outs like Maurice Johannsson, etc. betrayed us every year for crumbs off the Democrat’s table.

In a sense, the playbook isn’t wrong, it’s the weak character of the men who claim to follow it.

What Celeste thinks that she brings to the table just mystifies me. Her inability to see the character of Jim Brulte and what he would do to the Party makes me not trust her judgment. At the time, she was apparently star struck that he would even seek CRA support and never thought twice about the endorsement. It took many years before she changed her mind.

Johnny Morgan has a track record of growth in an area where traditional CRA operatives have never had any inroads. Johnny can’t do any worse than Celeste, and probably will do better. He has served CRA in a number of capacities and I think he deserves the opportunity.

The current leadership is old, white, and intellectually broke. Sadly, many are hell bent to oppose Johnny not because of his race but because he will change things. Change brings uncertainty and the older generation doesn’t like change. If loosing Orange County won’t cause CRA to reevaluate their way of doing things then nothing ever will.

I don’t dislike Celeste or doubt her dedication but isn’t bringing her back akin to the Democrats bringing Jerry Brown back for two more terms as Governor? You would have thought the CRA had a deep enough bench not to resort to the Republican version of “Weekend at Bernie’s” just to maintain power.

Trump: Almost Two years In

Before Donald Trump took office I was telling people two things which have come to pass in spades about his administration.

First, none of the “top-tier” political consultants would work for him. For the most part they were already committed to other candidates because they didn’t see Trump as a serious contender. As a result, Trump got many and assorted leftovers that he was able to cobble together into a victorious team.

Trump was at a disadvantage when cobbling his staff together because he started with who was available not necessarily who was the best. As you may recall, many folks in his administration have bragged about purposely undermining him. Some were people that he inherited from his predecessor and others were not vetted before hiring or not a good fit for their job. As he was able, he replaced these guys with more competent personnel or they rotated out on their own.

Trump took the oath of office for President of the United States on January 20, 2017. Four days later, Jan 24th as Trump was in the midst of setting-up staff in the Oval Office, the FBI sent two guys over to speak with then National Security Advisor, Michael Flynn.

Asked to describe how two FBI agents ended up at the White House to interview Flynn in January 2017, Comey, speaking to MSNBC’s Nicolle Wallace during a forum discussion Sunday, said flatly: “I sent them.”
Comey went on to acknowledge the way the interview was set up – not through the White House counsel’s office, but arranged directly with Flynn – was not standard practice. He called it “something I probably wouldn’t have done or maybe gotten away with in a more … organized administration.”
Describing how it is usually done, Comey said, “If the FBI wanted to send agents into the White House itself to interview a senior official, you would work through the White House counsel, and there would be discussions and approvals and who would be there.”
Recalling his decision to bypass those steps, Comey said, “I thought: ‘It’s early enough, let’s just send a couple guys over.’”
Comey admits decision to send FBI agents to interview Flynn was not standard

Note that Comey knew that the FBI visit was irregular and not protocol but did it anyway because he could get away with it; in part because Trump’s people weren’t Washington insiders. When the FBI spoke with Michael Flynn, they told Flynn that he need not have an attorney present for the interview.

Oh, one of the guys that interviewed Flynn was Peter Stzok. Remember him?

In his report on FBI and DOJ misconduct during the Russia and Clinton probes, the IG additionally noted that Strzok, who was one of the two agents who interviewed Flynn and who was later also fired for violating FBI policies, had compromised the FBI’s appearance of impartiality by sending a slew of anti-Trump texts on his government-issued phone.
“In particular, we were concerned about text messages exchanged by FBI Deputy Assistant Director Peter Strzok and Lisa Page, Special Counsel to the Deputy Director, that potentially indicated or created the appearance that investigative decisions were impacted by bias or improper considerations,” the IG report said.
In one of those texts, Strzok wrote to Page in 2016 that Trump would not become president because “we’ll stop” it from happening.
Flynn says FBI pushed him not to have lawyer present during interview

If you read the linked articles, you will also see that the FBI notes for this meeting were written in August of 2017; six months after the meeting. But we are told, “Nothing to see here, move along”.

Which brings me to my second point, I said that Trump would go thru people almost as fast as they could get confirmed. This comment applied to his White House staff as well. Below is a story from Fox News that illustrates my point.

President Trump has long promised to create jobs, and has consistently delivered — especially in his own White House and Cabinet, where rapid turnover is showing no signs of slowing down as 2018 comes to a close.
High-profile departures in the Trump administration — from former Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price and Press Secretary Sean Spicer to fired Secretary of State Rex Tillerson (whom Trump recently characterized as “lazy as hell” and “dumb as a rock”) — have attracted the most attention. They have contributed to what some analysts have called an unprecedented number of high-level Cabinet departures going back 100 years.
Turnover in Trump Cabinet, White House shows no sign of slowing amid new departures

My third prediction is about to come into play. I said that Trump will wheel and deal with the Democrat majority in Congress and get some legislation passed that he couldn’t get Republicans to approve. If Reagan could do it, I think Trump can too.

Parents to Fight Rainbow Curriculum in Elk Grove School District

Recently, the Elk Grove Tea Party promoted a public meeting to fight the introduction of a new textbook series that is being considered for use by the Elk Grove Unified School District (EGUSD). The controversy surrounds the incorporation of a 2011 mandate to the California Education Code requiring the teaching of the positive value of homosexuality and transgenderism to elementary school children. The district had set three days for public input and viewing of the curriculum at their headquarters. Friday December 14, 2018 is the last such date.

The Tea Party promoted meeting was originally scheduled to be held at the Impact Church, just north of the Elk Grove city limits but was inexplicably moved at the 11^th hour to the Elk Grove Library. The meeting was held on Monday, December 10^th for the purpose of encouraging parents to voice their concern by the Friday deadline. My son and I attended the meeting.

Most of it was dedicated to SB 48 which I will explain before commenting further.

A controversial state law approved in July amid heated debate isn’t likely to affect California classrooms anytime soon.

The Fair Education Act adds lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender Americans, as well as people with disabilities, to existing state law that requires the contributions of women and minority groups be taught in California social-science classes. It also prohibits materials that reflect adversely on people because of race, gender, or other characteristics.

The law officially took effect Jan.1 (2012)
Calif. Districts Unclear on Gay-History Content

Aside from making California the only state to mandate LGBT-inclusive teaching, it lends—at least theoretically—legal cover for teachers.
And yet in other ways, the Fair, Accurate, Inclusive, and Respectful Education Act is typical of education mandates in the Golden State. It did not, as even proponents point out, provide any funding for implementation. Some districts have dawdled in training teachers. And aligned curricula are only now being rolled out.
LGBT Lessons Spread Slowly, Despite Mandate

Per the California Department of Education

The bill added language to Education Code Section 51204.5, which prescribes the inclusion of the contributions of various groups in the history of California and the United States. This section already included men and women and numerous ethnic groups; the expanded language now includes (additions bolded):“…a study of the role and contributions of both men and women, Native Americans, African Americans, Mexican Americans, Asian Americans, Pacific Islanders, European Americans, lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender Americans, persons with disabilities, and members of other ethnic and cultural groups, to the economic, political, and social development of California and the United States of America, with particular emphasis on portraying the role of these groups in contemporary society.”
Frequently Asked Questions: Senate Bill 48

Per other California laws on this topic, parents are not required to be notified prior to this material being taught in class and there are no opt-out rights for parents. Since the legislation’s passage, homosexuality is considered by California’s Department of Education as a normal part of the curriculum.

The meeting was sponsored by a profamily group based out of the Fresno area. The California Family Council and Pacific Justice Institute.

Karen England’s group apparently is no more, and CFC has stepped up to fill the gap as best they can.

CFC presented first, going over the worst of the two choices of textbook series being considered by EGUSD and why. Parents were encouraged to support the lesser of the two evils being offered. From their perspective, the worst of the two began indoctrination in first grade while the other waited until fourth grade to begin inculcation.

The first-grade part of the topic discussed is linked here:

New 1st Grade Textbook Lionizes CA Gov. Candidate for his Gay Activism

Being the influential person that I am, here is my copy of the most blatant of the third-grade lessons on the topic.

Sadly, Pacific Justice Institute made the main part of their presentation a PDF file that once was freely available on their website. Now however their website requires you to register before being allowed to view it. Whether that’s to block Facebook from banning PJI due to content or to boost their email newsletter blasts is not known.

At this point in the meeting I left, partly because I had already read the PDF file and because it was clear that nothing was being done to stop this Ed Code addition to the curriculum. The subject of teachers being offered protection by PJI if they refused to teach this crap was not part of the discussion.

I got the feeling that there is no legal strategy to protect public school children (or their teachers) from this stuff. This mandate is clearly a conflict with the First Amendment beliefs of both parents and teachers; especially since no opposing view is allowed in the language ofSB-48.

This is on the same webpage from the California Department of Education quoted above:

Education Code Section 51501 outlines prohibitions on material included in textbooks or other instructional materials. This section already included prohibitions on matter “reflecting adversely upon persons because of their race, sex, color, creed, handicap, national origin, or ancestry”; this bill added “sexual orientation” to the list.

Thus, you are in violation of the law if you disagree with the public pronouncements on sexual orientation. This is a conflict between religion and protection of sexual orientation. And in this State, religion will lose. Laws like this are on the books to use against us later; especially, if groups like Pacific Justice don’t have the resources to litigate this issue and win. If you want to know where we are heading, as I have said before, look at Canada. In the Great White North, to speak against homosexuality is to risk jail; yes, even from the pulpit.

This is yet another front of the war on Western Culture and our side is enjoying the warm water too much to hop out of the pot.

Elon Musk: Psycho or Savior

“Tesla is the only company positioned to make this world a better place, to really improve the world right now,”

Folks, here is the Liberal mindset when they think of Elon Musk. I highly recommend that you read the profile of him in Wired. It has many more nuggets about Musk.

At about 10 o’clock on Saturday evening, an angry Musk was examining one of the production line’s mechanized modules, trying to figure out what was wrong, when the young, excited engineer was brought over to assist him.
“Hey, buddy, this doesn’t work!” Musk shouted at the engineer, according to someone who heard the conversation. “Did you do this?”
The engineer was taken aback. He had never met Musk before. Musk didn’t even know the engineer’s name. The young man wasn’t certain what, exactly, Musk was asking him, or why he sounded so angry.
“You mean, program the robot?” the engineer said. “Or design that tool?”
“Did you fucking do this?” Musk asked him.

“I’m not sure what you’re referring to?” the engineer replied apologetically.
“You’re a fucking idiot!” Musk shouted back. “Get the fuck out and don’t come back!”
The young engineer climbed over a low safety barrier and walked away. He was bewildered by what had just happened. The entire conversation had lasted less than a minute. A few moments later, his manager came over to say that he had been fired on Musk’s orders…

Dr. Elon and Mr. Musk: Life Inside Tesla’s Production Hell

The article seems like a fair if slightly understanding description of the man’s temperament.

Surprise: Boy Scouts of America File Bankruptcy

The Sith Lord–who is a certified Eagle Scout from back in the days when boys aspired to be men—and the rest of us that remember when BSA was America’s premier organization for young boys are not surprised that the Scouts have filed for bankruptcy.

The Scouts’ membership has cratered since it abdicated its founding values to become politically correct. BSA’s corporate leadership can’t admit their recent foray into social engineering is related to their current woes so instead they are saying that the reason for their problems is litigation for sexual abuse claims. Talk about liberals accusing other of what they do!

BSA trashed all moral rules of conduct and turned the Scouts into a safe haven for sexual deviants of all types to prey upon shall children and then blames the heterosexuals for their woes. Talk about irony.

Participation in the organization’s programs has fallen in recent years, though the group opened some of its programs to girls and transgender boys. The Boy Scouts currently have more than 2.3 million youth members. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, formerly one of the group’s largest sponsors, has said it will withdraw from Boy Scout programs. The church said it would develop its own program for young men.

The Boy Scouts group has drawn scrutiny over its slow pace to become more inclusive, including by lifting a ban in 2015 on gay men and lesbians serving in leadership roles.

The group has also dealt with fallout from its decision last year to expand its recruitment of girls, putting it in competition with the Girl Scouts of the USA, a separate group that offer ssimilar programming and has also seen membership fall.
Boy Scouts of America Considers Bankruptcy Filing Amid Sex-Abuse Lawsuits

This story is spin at its best. Membership fell because BSA allowed these other groups in. Sure many youth pursue sports over Scouting butthings have cratered not just in membership but financial support as well.Please note that the article makes no mention of declining financial support. Also no mention is made of rural verses urban membership in Scouts.

Like the Liberal churches that have abandoned Christianity—Episcopal, Methodist, Lutheran, etc.— surviving on trusts left to the Church back when they were faithful to their values, BSA is in the same boat. They have vast assets deeded to them when they stood for traditional America and Judeo-Christian values. Scouts could not continue to exist without the generosity of past generations.

Liberals want to control the things that they hate and if they can’t control them then kill them. In this case they have done both. They killed Scouting as it was and replaced it with something else. Sadly the only thing that was allowed to survive is the name. It is only a matter of time before Boy Scouts of America is relegated to the dung heap of Liberal victories in their war against Western Culture.

Addendum: In a rare public appearance, the Sith Lord has the following observation concerning the Scouts:

Here is an interesting statistic, of the reported 2.3 million Boy Scouts today, a third are registered to LDS chartered units leaving the BSA at the end of 2019 for their own newly created LDS program.

Additionally, I checked out the websites of the two BSA councils that I have been a member and found something interesting. There has been a significant reduction in the number of Boy Scout camps listed. The BSA councils have closed several summer camps that were leased from the National Forest Service and have sold other camps and properties. Some of these facilities have been used by the BSA for over 75 years.

Wall Street Worries: Looming Tech Bubble

Really?

The big tech companies are collectively called FAANG

What are FAANG Stocks?

FAANG is an acronym for the market’s five most popular and best-performing tech stocks, namely Facebook, Apple, Amazon, Netflix and Alphabet’s Google. FAANG was born out of the original acronym, FANG, which did not have Apple included when CNBC’s Jim Cramer coined the term.

BREAKING DOWN FAANG Stocks
Facebook (FB), Amazon (AMZN), Apple(AAPL), Netflix (NFLX), and Alphabet (GOOG) are the five technology giants trading publicly in the market today, as of 2017. Wall Street grouped these companies into one acronym to capture the collective impact that these companies have on the markets. As of Mar. 20, 2018, the market capitalization of these companies summed up to $472.38B + $760.36B + $888.66B + $136.92B +$757.54B = $3.015 trillion.

FAANG Stocks

Facebook no tangible value

Apple overvalued and in real trouble

Amazon has the most value of the five, partly due to diversity of products offered

Netflix is in trouble due to Disney, CBS All Access, and other competitors coming on line in 2019

Google no tangible value

Of the five FAANG members, Netflix is in the most immediate peril.

First, Disney has announced that it plans to acquire most of the assets of 21st Century Fox. If the Justice Department approves the $52 billion deal, Disney would gain possession of the20th Century Fox film studio, including Fox Searchlight (which has produced Best Picture Oscar winners such as Slumdog Millionaire, Birdman, 12 Years a Slave, and The Shape of Water), the X-Men franchise, the FX and National Geographic cable channels, several regional sports networks, and the television production company that makes Modern Family and The Simpsons. The resulting conglomerate would own as much as 40 percent of the U.S. movie and television industries.

Second, and more important, Disney is building a streaming product to deliver its content, old and newly acquired, directly to consumers—let’s call it Disneyflix. When it launches, in2019, it will include several exclusive series and every film in the Star Wars, Marvel Entertainment, Pixar Animation Studios, and Disney Animation universes.
Disneyflix Is Coming. And Netflix Should Be Scared

I have noticed a significant drop in content that I want to watch on Netflix in the last two years and much of its original content is brooding, dark, and often not suitable for watching with my family or purchased from overseas media companies—much of which is not available with English dubbed audio. At this point I would not miss it if we cancelled the streaming portion of their service.

Folks Facebook and Google have virtually no assets. Facebook is not the destination of youth anymore and their political correctness is driving away current users or causing them to use it less. Part of the reason I opened the Facebook page for this blog is to test the limits of their AI algorithm.

Folks, the danger facing tech companies is that in most cases they are one invention away from obsolescence. Facebook is a one note pony and the next big thing can relegate them to the dung heap of history. Can you say, “My Space”?

Curiously, Microsoft—which currently has more value thanApple—is not listed. Microsoft has more value in terms of assets and revenue stream due to subscriptions and licensing agreements with enterprise customers and a diversity of other products.

Besides the armchair analysis that I offer on this blog from my man-on-the-street perspective, professional observers are noting some cracks on the FAANG consortium. Forbes is asking if we are in the midst of another tech bubble. Forbes dives deep into the technical reasons that you should be concerned.

Very few on trading desks remember the Tech crash of 2000. I remember it all too well after the partying of 1999: it was exhilarating (or painful if you were short) to watch the exponential rally in Tech and dotcom stocks in the last part of the 1990s.

Then sentiment switched from “buy everything”, to “sell everything” almost overnight. In a span of a few weeks in 2000 the Tech sector came crashing down, hard. From the peak in the NASDAQ in the middle of March 2000 to the low in December 2000 the sector lost 50% in a brutal selloff.

While it might be laughable to call for a correction of the same magnitude today, a few grey souls in the Tech industry who were around in 2000 and lost 80% of their net worth on paper have the following advice: don’t be greedy and take some gains off the table. So with an eye towards preserving capital let us look at some parallels between 2000 and today and see what rhymes and what doesn’t.
Tech Crash Echo: It’s Beginning To Feel A Bit Like 2000

Folks another thing of concern is that in the last few weeks short term interest rates (two year) have now gone higher than ten year rates. This is not normal and should cause apprehension.

Lastly, governments are considering more regulatory intervention in the tech sector due to privacy, security, and content concerns. Due to the interconnectedness of these companies, concerns are not just in the United States but the European Union and Australia just to name a few. Compliance will lead to more overhead and less profit for information centric companies. The “wild west” nature and openness of the Internet is facing challenges on many fronts.

I do believe a correction is coming and in fact is long overdue. Generally I think the stock market is overvalued but where else can you put money and get a return on it? Buckle-up. The next two years will be volatile on more fronts than the political.

Apple Woes Continue

Apple iPhone Sales Blocked in China

Here are three recent stories documenting the further troubles of Apple.

Qualcomm today announced that Fuzhou Intermediate People’s Court in China has granted its request for two preliminary injunctions against Apple. As part of the injunction, court has ordered Apple to immediately stop infringing upon two Qualcomm patents. The two patents involved in this case enable consumers to adjust and reformat the size and appearance of photographs, and to manage applications using a touch screen when viewing, navigating and dismissing applications on their phones. Because of this order, Apple cannot import and sell iPhone 6S,iPhone 6S Plus, iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus, iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus and iPhone Xin China.
Chinese court orders immediate ban on sale of various Apple iPhone models in China

Chinese court orders immediate ban on sale of various Apple iPhone models in China

5G Someday

As I have said in previous posts, Apple is purposely staying away from 5G technology. Unless Apple changes their minds, they will have no new phone offerings in 2019.

Apple has been a pioneer as well asan early adopter of technology in the past but it looks like the Cupertino giant will sit out the 5G wave which is supposed to hit next year. We have already seen rumours about 5G supported devices from Samsung and Google while other companies like OnePlus have already confirmed 5G support coming next year.

Apple, on the other hand, has decided that the company is not going to jump in and is rather going to wait before launching iPhones with 5G support. The reason which has been stated a couple of times is that Apple and Qualcomm are not on best of terms right now and this might interfere if the company decides to sign a deal for 5G modems. The other reason which has been cited a lot is that Apple doesn’t adopt newwireless technology unless the company is sure about it.
Apple is in no rush to launch 5G supported iPhones

Apple is in no rush to launch 5G supported iPhones

No longer most valuable company

Microsoft is still the largest tech company in the world, after passing Apple in valuation several weeks ago.

A week ago Microsoft ended the week for the first time in nearly 10 years with a higher valuation than Apple, and therefore also the most valued publicly traded company in the world.
The question since then was whether this could be sustained or if it would be only a blip due to a down Apple day.
Over the course of the week, the companies continued to trade position but their position solidified on Thursday and Friday, with Apple temporarily slipping to the 3rd position behind Amazon on Thursday.
At the close of market the end of the week Microsoft was valued at $804.6 billion, with Apple being worth at$799.6 billion.
In a down market, Microsoft ends another week more valuable than Apple

In a down market, Microsoft ends another week more valuable than Apple

5G is Coming for You Barbara

Ok, that’s no quite the dialogue from George Romero’s movie but it makes my point. From the people that brought you the war against “smart meters” comes the sequel, the war against 5G wireless or as the X Files called it, Fight the Future.

However, before my take on the fight to kill 5G, I wish to briefly give some background on it and the implications of such technology.

5G technology has been in the planning stages from about ten years. Except for a few compatibility tweaks, the standard was finalized early in 2018. Various cellular providers are deploying proof of concept or test networks in various parts of the world. In the United States if you are in a top-twenty media market, you probably live in an area deploying 5G in limited regions.

5G has a theoretical limit of 20 gigabytes per second of data transfer. That is basically the same as transmitting the extended cut of one Lord of the Rings movie on Blu-ray disk with all additional features in one second! In comparison, that’s 28 compact disks or 13,888 3.5” floppy disks per second. This is wireless networking at speeds once only achievable by fiber optic cable.

Knowing that this was soon to happen, back in 2017, the telecommunication companies went to the California Legislature to get the blessing from State leadership to deploy 5G without having to deal with NIMBY (Not In My Backyard) folks and their complaints. The legislation sailed through the labyrinth of California’s infamous “bill mill” but surprisingly, Governor Brown euthanized it with his rarely used veto pen on 09/19/2017.

Here are the specifics for SB-649 Wireless Telecommunications Facilities

Samsung and other cell phone manufacturers will begin marketing 5G phones in 2019. The Samsung Galaxy Note 10 will be their first flagship 5G device.

AT&T announced via its online newsroom on Wednesday that it is working with Samsung to bring another 5G-ready device to the United States in the second half of 2019. The announcement comes a day after the carrier confirmed that it’s launching a 5G-capable smartphone with Samsung in the first half of next year.

Samsung Galaxy Note 10: 5G-Ready Flagship’s Rumored Specs, Features

Qualcomm has made several announcements this week about their next generation 5G chips including this:

Qualcomm today announced the Snapdragon 8cx, the world’s first 7-nm based processor for Always Connected PCs. The new 8cx compute platform is specifically designed for PCs and it will offer great performance, multi-day battery life and giga-bit LTE connectivity. Qualcomm mentioned that this new 8cx processor will not replace the existing Snapdragon 850 processor, instead it will be a premium tier processor for PCs.

The 8cx comes with Adreno 680 GPU that will offer 2x the graphics power and 60% more power efficient when compared to Snapdragon 850. And it will support dual 4K HDR external monitors natively. And the new Kryo 495 CPU will offer 2X the performance when compared to similar Intel Core processor. With respect to LTE, 8cx will support up to 2gbps speeds. Qualcomm is also bringing support for Quick Charge 4 and Aqstic audio technology to 8cx.

Qualcomm announces Snapdragon 8cx processor targeting Always Connected PCs

Apple is the only cell phone manufacturer in the world, yes I do mean anywhere on this planet, not planning to deploy a 5G device until 2020, but they always copy everyone else and then charge premium prices for lagging technology.

If 5G was only about cell phones that would be one thing but it’s not. Every technology company that uses or could use a network is spending money on research and development of 5G devices.

Microsoft’s XBOX Unit is planning a diskless gaming device in 2019. They are also working towards games that will be streamed to your home via Microsoft’s Azure cloud servers. In the next few years, all the heavy lifting will be done on a server and your gaming console will be a simple networked device. Connecting to the game severs will be via a monthly subscription.

Cortana, Siri, Alexa, and other Artificial Intelligence offering are like the modern-day version of Pong compared to what can be done with 5G.

Virtual reality will be mainstream technology. Do you remember the movie Paycheck where the guy created a computer display with no screen, just a 3D display? It’s possible now in some applications.

Self-driving cars and trucks will be possible in 5G coverage areas.

Have you heard about Smart Homes and Smart Appliances? 5G allows that to be the norm in the next decade.

5G plus another technology IPv6 will create new opportunities for a connected world that boggles the mind. IPv6 was first established in 1998. It has been part of your computer’s network settings since Windows XP. Typically it’s not used by many but that will change once 5G becomes commonplace. This Internet Protocol was designed to replace IPv4.

IPv4 is four groups of three numbers which make-up a network address. Perhaps you’ve seen 198.0.1.254 or something similar as your address on the home side of your Internet router at home. IPv6 allows for an incredible increase in the amount of network devices that can be connected. In fact every electronic device in the world could have a unique network address and still have plenty of room for more.

The main advantage of IPv6 over IPv4 is its larger address space. The length of an IPv6 address is 128 bits, compared with 32 bits in IPv4.[4] The address space therefore has 2128 or approximately 3.4×1038 addresses (340,282,366,920,938,463,463,374,607,431,768,211,456, which is approximately 340 undecillion addresses).

IPv6

Folks there’s plenty of wonderful things that this technology can do but much mischief also. I will save that discussion for another day but I want you to understand that many things that were once science fiction will be science fact in the next few years.

There is a small group of people that have decided to oppose 5G on the basis that is will kill you. This being California, I’m not surprised that somebody has risen to the challenge of opposing 5G. What is astonishing is that the group making the most noise to oppose 5G locally is not associated with environmental causes but a group that claims to support free market economics, entrepreneurship, and liberty. Yep the Elk Grove Tea Party.

Due to the age of its members, this is the most technologically challenged demographic in the city and thus the least likely to benefit from 5G. Cynics would describe this group as the buggy whip or dialup coalition. Nevertheless, the city council cancelled their regularly scheduled meeting to dedicate one to a public forum on 5G deployment in Elk Grove. The city fathers had an hour presentation on November 28th followed by a period of public comment. Due to the failure of SB-649, this dog and pony show was a CYA performance and not indicative of how the council feels about 5G.

…the special public meeting that the City of Elk Grove is holding to discuss the proposal from AT&T to place 5G cell towers within the city. This technology affects the health and quality of life of some individuals so it is an important public policy discussion. The meeting is scheduled for December 28th at 6pm at the City Council Chamber. –Elk Grove Tea Party

Please note that the meeting was held November 28th not December 28th. The city calendar for 12/28/18 is blank.

If the EG Tea Party can’t get the meeting date correct in their own announcement, how can they be trusted to be in command of the facts about 5G?

There is also a Facebook group opposed to 5G in Elk Grove.

The Elk Grove Citizen published an article on the meeting.

Multiple public speakers described their own health issues pertaining to radio frequencies.

Teresa Hansen mentioned that she suffers from a sensitivity syndrome that restricts her from functioning well in many areas that have a lot of cell activity.

City Council reviews proposed 5G wireless tech for Elk Grove

Folks, I have some comments on this article and the junk science employed by opponents.

First, in addition to the radio frequency spectrum used by cellular broadcasting now, 5G will be relying mostly on spectrum that is not currently used by cell service. To claim that someone is sensitive to radio frequencies used by cell providers today is ridiculous unless they have a medical device subject to RF interference or a Cold War era implant in their teeth.

Every electronic device emits radio frequencies so unless Teresa Hansen is Amish, I have doubts about her claim that cellular signals are attacking her. I did find a website that does agree with her and heartily recommends tinfoil as a preventative.

If you are constructing a new home or renovating one and the walls are being rebuilt you can install radiant barrier, which is a tough type of aluminum foil that will also very effectively screen out the EMF. This is what I did for my own bedroom.

Be aware that cell phones and WI-FI are not the only EMF sources you need to be cautious of. Essentially, most all electronics will generate EMFs, including the wiring in your home, electric alarm clocks, electric blankets, computers and lamps, just to mention a few.

Turn off all the fuses at night that supply your bedroom. You can install a ‘demand switch’ at your bedside to make this very convenient.

Radiation from Cell Phones and WiFi Are Making People Sick — Are You at Risk?

Such claims about EMF are the stuff of X-File lore. These claims are fringe science at best or snake oil at worst. It’s more likely a person’s problem with EMF is between their ears and not a result of something that can’t be seen, heard, felt, or otherwise experiences by our five senses.

Oh, if exposure to EMFs is too much for you, can look-up a wearable Faraday Cage on your favorite Internet search engine. Said search does require accessing an EMF emitting device so buyer beware. However, such outerwear makes quite an impression and is impermeable to any Electro-Magnet Interference (EMF)

Faraday cage dress shows how to get fashionably struck by lightning

Even the people living on the isolated island where they killed the missionary a few weeks ago using bows and arrows are exposed to electromagnetic radiation. You probably know it better by the name of sunlight.

Most EMFs cannot penetrate your skin.

Our society is built on EMF emitting devices; cars, electric mixers, televisions, dishwashers, dryers, traffic lights, most wrist watches, neon signs, and a host of other things. To suddenly decide to reject such things, not for yourself but for others, is contrary to the reality of our society.

In the article about the recent public meeting, I did have to comment on the quote from councilman, Steve Detrick.

Detrick added that he believes there is more to the story of cell antenna health issues than the Federal Communications Commission is willing to admit.

“They’re relying on some very conservative data that benefits their message and their mission,” he said. “We need to protect the businesses and residents here in Elk Grove.”

“I sure would hate to be the one to move this forward full speed ahead and then it comes back to haunt us.”

Detrick called for further study into the issue

Folks, talk about kissing-up to the audience; wow. Detrick works for PG&E, the epicenter of EMF emissions all across northern California. I would wager that any 12,000 volt transmission tower going thru your town emits a lot more EMF than any cell phone ever could.

As I was contemplating writing this post, I did get into an exchange on the stop 5G Facebook page. In response to other posts on their page, I chimed in with 5G being a necessity for competition in a global economy and that 5G would be necessary for jobs.

Given the content of one response to my post, it had to be from a Tea Party member.

Does that mean you’re all on favor of a “global” economy? A global government, global citizenship, no more boundaries, no more city, county, state elected representative government, private property rights, etc? I’m just curious.

My response was:

Samsung announced their first 5G phone today for Verizon. Other carriers are lining up their 5G devices also. (Except Apple and they are waiting until 2020) Microsoft is introducing a disk free X-box, Google’s self-driving car, I can keep going. 5G is coming whether you like it or not. I believe in private property but there are enough right of ways for utilities to allow 5G anywhere it’s needed. Fighting 5G is like opposing smart meters for utilities. If you really want to escape 5G then you need to live in a rural area not in the shadow of the State Capitol. Opposing 5G is like opposing electricity in the days of Thomas Edison. The city council will hear your complaints but vote for it anyways. The alternative is economic suicide. You can take comfort that in the future, the 5G technology will be able to broadcast at lower wattage. Cell phones were originally 3 or 5 watt transmitters but now they are a fraction of that power and much faster. Competition will make it more efficient not opposition. I believe in the power of the free market and competition.

Oh, today I did find the “California Way” to prohibit 5G in your area, tax the crap out of it.

San Jose, on the other hand, is far from number one in 5G investment. The city at the heart of the tech world ought to be among the 5G leaders, but its leadership chose to charge an annual fee of $3,500 per small cell.

As Carr, who is tasked with leading the FCC’s wireless effort, pointed out in a column in The Mercury News, San Jose saw the installation of exactly zero small cells prior to this year.

And to prove San Jose hasn’t learned its lesson, it’s suing the FCC for the order it passed last month establishing reasonable fees for 5G services.

Verizon was among the providers who are saying that city regulations over small cells are hindering its ability to deploy 5G.

San Jose is not attractive to any company that wants to support the buildout of the next generation of wireless and digital infrastructure. By trying to shake down providers, he is putting his constituents at the end of the line to receive the next generation of wireless innovation and access.

5G holds the key to smart cities, where the combination of lightning-fast wireless technology and sensors can be used to improve services for residents. But a city can only become smart if it stops being dumb with its regulatory policies first.

A Tale of Two 5G Cities: San Jose and Indianapolis

Lastly, this from the article on San Jose:

The implementation of 5G requires what are known as small cells that are about the size of a backpack. These small cells are installed on utility poles, buildings, and other structures, and relay signals over short distances across the network. The technology will require lots of them — perhaps thousands per major city — but it eliminates the need for massive cell towers required for 4G and older technology.

Conclusion, 5G is coming soon to your neighborhood. If you like that idea then embrace the future, if you don’t then find a fashionable way to wear tinfoil and/or get your local government to tax it out of existence.

Johnnie Does: Side Burn BBQ & Brew

Editor’s Note: Johnnie Does is an irregular feature on this blog. Whenever Johnnie has a bone to pick with someone or something and just has to vent by writing about it, he sends it my way. Today, Johnnie presents a food review of a recent lunch at a Dickey-less BBQ establishment.

About a month ago, the Dickey’s BBQ in Elk Grove suddenly closed. It was strange. They were overpriced but the food was generally decent. I frequented the joint about 4 times a year. Truth be told—like any BBQ joint–it all comes down to how much people like your cue’ sauces. There are many different styles of BBQ and I’m not here to educate…so let’s get to the food!

I learned that the old Dickey’s was re-opening as a “Side Burn BBQ and Brew.” This was intriguing; I thought a new independent store was opening. I found out upon my arrival that the local Dickey’s franchisee Jared (omitting his last name) closed all 7 of his local stores (none were Subways) and started his own brand! Good for him!

I entered the venue and found it to be basically the same as the old Dickey’s. The only changes I noticed; no more ice cream machine, and all the references to Dickey’s were removed. Besides a fresh coat of paint and a menu board with a few changes, not much was noticeable in the differences department. The menu, however, was noticeably dissimilar with many new meat items added and sides as well, but the old Dickey’s concept was present overall; the board, large baked potatoes, meat plate combos, pre-selected meat sandwich combos, etc. The prices were similar or maybe even higher than the old Dickey’s…I found this odd; especially since the article I read about the re-launch stated that the change was due in part because the franchisee wasn’t making much $$$ as a Dickey’s owner. They serve BBQ burritos…odd, and only do tri-tip on Tuesdays, and beef ribs only on Saturdays. I don’t understand the burrito thing; I really don’t get limited choices available only on certain days. I get it when a store does a daily special or deal of the day, but limiting a menu item to one day a week seems misplaced. What if someone raved about the tri-tip, and on Friday night I swing by your joint and am told you only serve it once a week?

They are going with the new trend among younger people with the whole “locally sourced thing.” I think it’s a mistake, when people go to a BBQ joint I don’t think they care if their chicken is from a Vietnamese market in South Sacramento or one from MacLean, Virginia. They probably also don’t care if it was raised anti-biotic free or not. I am calling BS on a couple of these “local companies” Harris Ranch does their beef products; they are from Bakersfield, almost 6 hours away. I don’t call that local to the Sacramento area. The chicken is from Petaluma, so I’ll give that t them, but I don’t get the anti-biotic free and free ranged raised thing. The pork is from Smithfield Farms…yes the company owned by the Chinese and based in Virginia. Not local, also I know a local rancher who basically said they are bottom line in terms of quality. Max’s Bakery does their bread, they have a bakery in Fresno, but I don’t really care who bakes my bread, I’m fine with a roll from the local grocer or Sysco truck. Mi Rancho makes their tortilla’s, they are opening a factory in Elk Grove, doesn’t get more local then that! But how many burritos is a BBQ joint serving up? Silva Sausages are local, however they are very bottom end, Safeway will sell me a 4 pack of sausages, not on sale mind you for $4. Color me unimpressed.

I went with the pork sandwich with coleslaw, when asked if I wanted to add two sides for $5 extra I balked, the total ticket would have been over $12. My sando…I guess that hipster for sandwich was $6.50. My counterpart in the office ordered a two item plate, which came with two sides and cornbread or a roll for $13. He chose jalapeno jack sausage and brisket. Apparently they serve two kinds of brisket, juicy or dry, he chose juicy. For his sides he chose hatch mac and cheese, and red skinned mashed potatoes.

The concept is set up the same as Dickey’s; similar to a Chipotle except we had to order and pay first. Only one other person was in the store. We wanted to watch our food being assembled but we were shooed away which was interesting considering there are low counters conducive to being able to watch the sausage being made, pardon the pun. Our food arrived, we both looked disgusted….this was like being told you’re getting a filet mignon and out comes a Salisbury steak. My sando was a burger bun, no more than 4 oz of pulled pork, two Vlassic pickle slices and one red onion circle.

Notice the word circle not slab. I took one bite and immediately ran to the BBQ sauce and doused it. The meat was so bland and flavorless!

My counterpart’s dish was no better. His brisket was dry, and again in bad need of sauce, his sausage was a bigger joke, he got about 4 slices of sausage, cut diagonally to appear like a larger serving. The mashed potatoes were out of a box, guaranteed, no way those aren’t instant mashed potatoes found at your local hospital or retirement home. The mac and cheese was a bigger joke, it was Kraft for certain with a couple hatch chili shavings in it. His cornbread…well we don’t know because a roll came out instead.

Overall, without a doubt average BBQ, average setting playing pop music as opposed to country or western music. Prices way too high, and in general I was so unimpressed. It was only day two since they opened but as stated earlier only 1 other patron was in the store at 12:30, not a good sign for high lunch hour.

Best of luck, but I have a feelin’ ya’ll be closin’ soon,

Johnnie Does

Idiotic Reporters Stumble Badly

Quite a few people in this country have the IQ of a potted plant, meaning the bane of their existence is to be taken care of by someone else, their owner. In other cases, you have people–mostly those who write for newspapers–who have the IQ of a piece of meat.

These two wrote an article about Ruth Bader Ginsberg (RBG) giving “side eye” –a sign of disrespect to a colleague of hers, Brett Kavanaugh–in the annual Supreme Court photo. Jenny Holander and Marie Claire will never win a Pulitzer. Furthermore, I doubt they could ever pass a test that proves their IQ is positive. The article is a thinly veiled hit piece written by a couple women who knowing very little think they know more than anyone else on this earth. This is why they cannot find work anywhere else and have to resort to click bait articles. Kind of ironic, but she is giving “side eye” to Sam Alito, as Brett Kavanaugh is pictured in back over her shoulder…….strange.

Get a load of this quote…..

Don’t get me wrong-I could certainly be seeing what I want to see here, mostly because RBG is a women’s rights icon. Meanwhile, Kavanaugh behaved like a spoiled child when asked about assault allegations at his confirmation hearings and got a spot on the bench anyway. Also, in fairness, RBG has adopted this facial expression in previous SCOTUS shots that did not include Kavanaugh, so there’s that.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg Side-Eyeing Brett Kavanaugh In This New SCOTUS Portrait Is Us All

Hmm…so I guess Americans no longer have the right to defend themselves in court? Throw out the Constitution?

Here’s an even better quote from these two way smarter than you or me authors……

Friday is portrait day at the Supreme Court of the United States, and you know what that means-a spot of shade-throwing by Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, or so it seems. The November 30 portrait is the first that includes now-Justice Brett Kavanaugh, who replaced Antonin Scalia after a bitter tug-of-war about whether the multiple sexual harassment claims against him (which Kavanaugh denies) should render him ineligible. (Meanwhile, Christine Blasey Ford has only recently been able to return home due to death threats, but I digress.)

So, I guess Kavanaugh replaced Scalia (may he rest in peace) ummmmmmmmmmmmm no Neil Gorsuch did, or maybe I’m just too dumb to believe what I think these people just told me. Maybe I should ask the Blog Father’s wife who is a teacher about this one?

Good grief! Journalism is dead but wow. You two really are so off the reservation even Elizabeth Warren won’t call you among her ~~brethren~~ tribe. Maybe you should take up a career with a declining paper like the Sacramento Bee. Their standards were lowered a long time ago and are likely looking for people with IQ’s below that of a slug! But honestly; thank God you’re employed. I wouldn’t want my hard-earned tax dollars paying you two idiots to stay at home. However, if you want to go play in traffic, I endorse it, you won’t be missed. Your journalistic skills make you prime candidates for the Darwin Awards because you clearly have nothing worthwhile to contribute to humanity.

Just a quick lesson; feel free to check my stats on this……. Neil Gorsuch replaced Antonin Scalia……Brett Kavanaugh replaced Anthony Kennedy; but since I’m a white male, you think I probably have Mien Kompf and the Communist Manifesto by my bed every night so check with someone else to confirm my facts!