Having survived the wilds of a trip to visit friends

(hey, have you been caught on I-35 in a construction zone? At rush time?), and having gotten all the stuff unloaded, put away, etc., I'm back to it. To find a number of things:
Had a flat on the bike just before I left. Flat kit got me home, but I'm going to have to get a new tire. Yuck.

Oooh, I'm one of the people the Beltway Insiders don't think much of. Just breaks my friggin' heart.
...And one of my sources, who is very well connected, tells me that Noonan was at first rumored to be looking to write a regular column for the New York Times. Why she’d want to work for a paper that is spiraling further down the economic sinkhole, with stocks that are near junk status, is beyond me. But the rumor has escalated beyond the Times and gone straight to the White House: my same source says now the word is that Noonan may be being courted for the job of press secretary for an Obama administration.
She'd want a column at the NYEffin'Times because it is THE paper for the smart people, of course. She, of course, is one of Them, proven by writing things like this:
Bloggers persist no matter their contributions or quality, though most would have little to occupy their time were the mainstream media to disappear tomorrow. Some bloggers do their own reporting, but most rely on mainstream reporters to do the heavy lifting. Some bloggers also offer superb commentary, but most babble, buzz, and blurt like caffeinated adolescents competing for the Ritalin generation’s inevitable senior superlative: Most Obsessive-Compulsive.

Even so, they hold the same megaphone as the adults and enjoy perceived credibility owing to membership in the larger world of blog grown-ups. These effete and often clever baby “bloggies” are rich in time and toys, but bereft of adult supervision. Spoiled and undisciplined, they have grabbed the mike and seized the stage, a privilege granted not by years in the trenches, but by virtue of a three-pronged plug and the miracle of WiFi.
'Conservative pundit' my ass.

I was on the way home when I heard the quotes from Obama's interview, how the failures of the Civil Rights movement include not trashing the Constitution to allow the government to flatly redistribute wealth. This man is indeed a friggin' marxist, as well as a crooked Chicago machine politician.
And let's not forget that interview where the lady actually speared Biden with some actual, nasty questions, and Biden lies. Repeatedly. And knowingly. That man sucks like a shop vac plugged into a 220 outlet.

Want a good look(if you need another) at the sufferers of PDS? Check the comments on this post. Woman points out that Palin is anything but a moron, and the brain-damaged lefties come swarming out of the woodwork; just freakin' amazing. Read an article while I was gone, lady pointing out that it doesn't matter whether you agree with Sarah Palin's positions, she's someone who decided some things needed doing and did them, and her determination and accomplishments should be appreciated. This led to a stream of "So I'm supposed to support her because she's a women?!?" and other equally idiotic comments from people who can't stand the idea of someone not hating her, along with the required comments on her obvious stupidity. Some of these people should not be out without a keeper; they're liable to run into traffic.

Have you noticed that Obama's campaign seems to be positively allergic to anyone who asks questions? REAL questions? And otherwise doesn't bow down to Barack Lightworker Hussein Obama? Or talks about voter fraud?
In other words, I am going to read what you write and watch what you say. Hopefully you will be fair and impartial as you told me you would be.

Thomas L. Rosenberg
Roetzel & Andress, LPA

Columbus, OH 43215
trosenberg@ralaw.com
Wonder if the firm knew this dirtbag was doing this? And using their name to give weight to his threats? If they didn't, they do now. Might have been some interesting conversations about this.

Friend of mine likes the Winchester white-box 9mm for practice, doesn't like to buy anything else. Apparently he's not alone; stuff seems to evaporate off the shelves when it comes in.

On the information that people, official people, used the OH data systems to try to dig up dirt on Joe the Plumber:
Every state has law-enforcement networks to let officers in the field(if they have mobile data terminals) or their dispatcher run people to see if wanted, check their drivers license, see if their tag is good, etc. Those systems link to systems in other states, so if someone's travelling through they information can be checked if they're stopped or arrested. The states also link to the FBI, the National Crime Information Center(NCIC for short) to see if someone is wanted, if a vehicle, gun or article is entered as stolen, etc. There's also the Interstate Identification Index(Triple-I for short) that holds a lot of records. Let's take this a step at a time.
Back when I was a dispatcher, it was pointed out in training and recertification as a terminal user that this information was for law-enforcement use only: running some girl's tag to find out her name, checking someone's driving record for a friend, running somebody to see if they had any criminal or arrest record; any of these things, whether done from curiosity or as a favor or for money, are illegal. Period. Penalties ranged from getting chewed out(if handled informally) to being fired and prosecuted(done all the way). And if it could be shown that the agency knew you(or whoever) was doing it and did nothing to correct it, the agency could lose access to the system. So far as I know that was and is true in all states.

Now we move to NCIC and III. The III system holds not only criminal history information:
If you've been convicted of a crime, the information should be there.
If you've been arrested for a crime, should be there.
If you've been arrested, and cleared, the fact that you were arrested should be there.
If you were tried and found innocent, it's there.
AND
If you've applied for a job that requires a background investigation? A security clearance? Been fingerprinted and checked for a carry permit? It's there.
So there's a lot besides criminal history data in that database. And as a consequence, the use of it is fairly tightly regulated. For instance, you get pulled over for speeding, or a burned-out light, the officer can run your tag to see if the car is stolen, and check your license to be sure it's valid, he can run you to see if you're wanted; he CANNOT legally run you through III just to see if you have a record there. Or to try to find something he can use to pressure you to let him search the car. Last I heard, the only two legitimate reasons for him to run you through III would be
as part of an ongoing criminal investigation, or
subsequent to an arrest.
And a traffic stop doesn't count as an arrest. So if he does run you 'just to see' or whatever, or runs somebody as a favor or for money, it's a violation of law.

Now, so far as I know(I can't imagine this having changed) ANY agency, whether a child-support office or whatever, that is granted access to these systems and databases is under the same kind of rules: for official purposes only. Running somebody because they pissed off the mayor or annoyed a candidate, or looking for dirt on someone for political purposes, is flatly illegal. So, if the FBI is not looking into this along with the state authorities, I'll be very surprised. If they're not, somebody needs to ask them why not. This kind of garbage, besides the general bad, also causes people to lose trust in the systems: if something that's supposed to be used to fight crime, and that they've been promised is protected from misuse, can be used this way without the guilty paying the price, why should the agency that runs and oversees it be trusted? Why should they be trusted with ANY information? So, for multiple reasons, the people who did this need to be strung up, at least to the extent allowed by law.
Couple of links on this here and here.

Ah, well, back to work.