Tag Archives: utah

Technology, U.S.

United Police States of America: Utah National Guard base to become site of largest personal data center in the U.S. You are the target!

Photo via National Security Agency, 28DEC2011.

This is a 2011 photo of the  National Security Agency’s $340-million Gordon Regional Security Operations Center at Fort Gordon, Georgia, and it wasn’t big enough so they’re building a bigger one in Utah.

“this is more than just a data center….Everybody’s a target; everybody with communication is a target.”-unnamed intelligence official

Camp Williams is expanding by 240 acres to become Utah Data Complex, run by the National Security Agency. It will be the biggest ever, and should be completed by 2013.

The center will not only spy on, and collect, domestic emails and phone calls, but even what you buy!

The domestic spy center is costing taxpayers $2 billion to build.

Opinion, U.S.

Mitt’s Mystery Money NOT explained by latest admissions, Romney is just more Washington DC BS

Once upon a time, very recently, candidate for U.S. president Mitt Romney got three donations from three companies that were created solely to give Mitt Romney money.

The main stream media is focusing on a now defunct company named W Spann LLC.  The property owner, where the company was supposedly located in New York, says no such company ever took up residence.

Now a man named Ed Conard comes forward and says he created W Spann LLC for the sole purpose of giving Mitt Romney money.  Conrad “closed” down his company immediately after giving Romney the money.  Why would you need to create a fake company to give someone money?

But this is just the tip of the iceberg, and the mainstream media seems to be ignoring the rest of the iceberg.  The fact is that one of Romney’s super PACs called “Restore our Future” (an oxymoron of a title) got three, not one, but three mysterious million dollar contributions from three mysterious companies.

Ed Conrad claims he’s the creator of one of those companies, W Spann LLC.  The other two are in Provo, Utah.

Interestingly the two companies in Utah have the same address.  One company is known as Eli Publishing L.C., the other company is called F8 LLC.

Eli Publishing L.C. was founded by Steven J Lund.  The address is 86 N University Ave Suite 420 Provo, Utah 84601.  A local Fox news affiliate (Fox 13), in Provo, caught up with Lund and asked him why he created a company to give Mitt Romney money.  Lund said there were accounting advantages in donating money to politicians through a corporation.

F8 LLC was founded by Jeremy S Blickenstaff. The address is 86 N University Ave Suite 420 Provo, Utah 84601.  Blickenstaff is refusing to talk to the media.

Fox 13 news says they went to the address and found an accounting company at Suite 420, who’s employees claim to have no connection to Eli Publishing L.C., or F8 LLC.   What Fox news didn’t point out is that the address, 86 N University Ave, is also the location of one of several Wells Fargo banks in Provo.

The corporate info on the companies can be found at utah.gov.  There are other companies using the name Eli Publishing, so don’t confuse them.

The real issue here is that a politician named Mitt Romney wants to be elected president, on the grounds that there needs to be change in Washington DC (the usual reason), and that his experience with business finance makes him the right choice.  But the problem in Washington DC is money, how it’s used, how it’s acquired, the corruption and shady deals.  That’s why this country is facing financial disaster.  Yet Mitt Romney has no problem with supporters setting up fake shady corporations for the sole purpose of donating shady mystery money to his campaign?

Sounds like with Mitt Romney you get the same ol’ Washington DC BS.

Official complaints have been filed with the Federal Election Commission, and the U.S. Department of Justice.

U.S.

Texas tries to criminalize TSA grope fest, gets slammed by Department of Justice, Utah says will criminalize TSA

“The absolute overbearing audacity of the federal government in threatening Texas while Texas is trying to protect their citizens should really offend any red-blooded American.”-Carl Wimmer, Utah State Representative

Texas tried to make it a crime if Transportation Security Administration screeners touched your fiddly bits during a pat downs.  The U.S. Department of Justice stopped it by threatening to shut down flights in and out of Texas.

Now Utah says they want to criminalize TSA pat down grope fests as well: “Texas needs us to stand with them.”-Carl Wimmer

The Utah Legislature will vote on their bill next year.

Business/Economics, International, U.S.

Like your online Poker games? The creators are now wanted men, under a new law

“Our 1.2 million members are shocked and outraged. Many players cannot get access to their money. It is a confusing and concerning time for our members.”-John Pappas, executive director of the Poker Players’ Alliance

Players can’t get their money because the online poker company’s bank accounts have been frozen.

Executives from online companies like PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker and Absolute Poker have been indicted by the U.S. Attorney General’s office for bank fraud, money laundering, illegal gambling and other crimes.

Three defendants were arraigned in federal courts in New York and Utah. Eight other defendants remain at large, and Interpol (international police) thinks they’re in Costa Rica, Ireland and the Isle of Man.

Costa Rica is the capitol of online gambling soliciting gamblers in the United States and around the world. Prosecutors are seeking U.S.$3 billion in assets from the three companies and have seized, or frozen, 76 bank accounts in 14 countries.

The Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act, made it illegal to accept or process payments in connection with “unlawful” Internet gambling, but did not define what “unlawful” gambling was. This is the second time arrests have been made under the new law.

Opinion, U.S.

.45 Caliber Pistol now official Gun of Utah

The governor of Utah made it official, the Browning M1911 .45 caliber pistol is the Gun of Utah.

I like the M1911A1.  Back when I was in the California Army National Guard (and later the Idaho Army National Guard) we used the M1911A1, and I always scored expert.  Then we switched to the Beretta M9, and I never scored expert again.

Utah has bragging rights because John M. Browning designed the gun, and he was born and raised in Utah.  The M1911, with .45 ACP ammo, came in response to a U.S. military search for a gun with the stopping power to bring down drugged up tribal rebels during the U.S. occupation of the Philippines, after the Spanish American War in the late 1800s (yes the United States has been an empire for a while now).  When you get knocked down by the .45 you don’t get up.

The U.S. military switched to the Beretta M9 in the 1990s. It uses a higher velocity 9mm ammo, and carries more rounds in its magazine.  The M9 has always had problems.  I’ve always wondered why I could not score expert with the higher velocity 9mm, but had no problem scoring expert with the lower velocity .45.

Despite my affection for the M1911A1, I have to question why state lawmakers would spend time trying to make an official state so and so.  Don’t elected officials have more important things to address?