According to this article from the Atlantic, in Venezuela, a labor union at a private business has a clause in its contract which says that the bathrooms must always have toilet paper. I agree with the union on this.
Since price controls caused a shortage of toilet paper, the only way the employer could get enough toilet paper was to illegally buy it on the black market for a price that was higher than the government controlled price.
Now the government is accusing the business owner of “hoarding,” and he could end up going to jail for it.
Interestingly, the article also says that the government might have seized his business if he had not properly stocked the employees’ bathrooms with toilet paper. Darned if you do, and darned if you don’t!
When a Venezuelan entrepreneur we know launched a manufacturing company in western Venezuela two decades ago, he never imagined he’d one day find himself facing jail time over the toilet paper in the factory’s restrooms. But Venezuela has a way of turning yesterday’s unimaginable into today’s normal.
The entrepreneur’s ordeal started about a year ago, when the factory union began to insist on enforcing an obscure clause in its collective-bargaining agreement requiring the factory’s restrooms to be stocked with toilet paper at all times. The problem was that, amid deepening shortages of virtually all basic products (from rice and milk to deodorant and condoms) finding even one roll of toilet paper was nearly impossible in Venezuela—let alone finding enough for hundreds of workers. When the entrepreneur did manage to find some TP, his workers, understandably, took it home: It was just as hard for them to find it as it was for him.
Toilet-paper theft may sound like a farce, but it’s a serious matter for the entrepreneur: Failing to stock the restrooms puts him in violation of his agreement with the union, and that puts his factory at risk of a prolonged strike, which in turn could lead to its being seized by the socialist government under the increasingly unpopular President Nicolas Maduro. So the entrepreneur turned to the black market, where he found an apparent solution: a supplier able to deliver, all at once, enough TP to last a few months. (We’re not naming the entrepreneur lest the government retaliate against him.) The price was steep but he had no other option—his company was at risk.
But the problem wasn’t solved.
No sooner had the TP delivery reached the factory than the secret police swept in. Seizing the toilet paper, they claimed they had busted a major hoarding operation, part of a U.S.-backed “economic war” the Maduro government holds responsible for creating Venezuela’s shortages in the first place. The entrepreneur and three of his top managers faced criminal prosecution and possible jail time.
Here are some photographs from a Wall St. Journal article from last year. Hugo Chavez and his hand picked successor Nicolas Maduro have certainly turned the country into a police state. Chavez called this “socialism.” This is what happens when the government owns the means of production and controls the distribution of resources. In the long run, it must result in a police state. By comparison, in the Scandanavian countries, the farms and supermarkets are owned and operated by the private sector.
I’d be curious to see if Bernie Sanders, Dolores Huerta, Barack Obama, Sean Penn, Michael Moore, or Oliver Stone have ever said anything specifically against what Chavez and Maduro have done in regard to the kinds of things that are in these photographs. All six of those people have either praised Chavez, given an award to someone who praised Chavez, or called themselves a “socialist.”
Venezuela’s Food Shortages Trigger Long Lines, Hunger and Looting
Violent clashes flare in pockets of the country as citizens wait for hours for basics, such as milk and rice
August 26, 2015
Shoppers wait in a long line to enter the “Latino supermarket” in the Dr. Portillo area of Maracaibo, Venezuela, on August 12.
Shoppers have their fingerprints scanned while buying government-controlled corn flour at the “Latino Supermarket” in Maracaibo to prevent them from coming back for another ration.
National Guard soldiers stand guard in Maracaibo over bags of food confiscated from people who illegally sought to contraband state-controlled food goods for higher prices.
National Guard soldiers guard food confiscated from people who sought to sell it for more than the government-set prices.
A National Guard soldier leads detainees accused of illegally selling contraband state-controlled food goods in Maracaibo on Aug. 13.
The White House website has censored a video of French Pres. Francois Hollande saying that “Islamist terrorism” is at the “roots of terrorism.”
The White House briefly pulled video of a press event on terrorism with Pres. Obama, and when it reappeared on the WhiteHouse.gov website and YouTube, the audio of Hollande’s translator goes silent, beginning with the words “Islamist terrorism,” then begins again at the end of his sentence.
Even the audio of Hollande saying the words “Islamist terrorism” in French have, apparently, been edited from the video.
According to the official White House transcript of Hollande’s remarks, Hollande refers to “Islamist terrorism.” The audio of the text in brackets is missing from the video – the only point in the video were the audio is absent:
“We are also making sure that between Europe and the United States there can be a very high level coordination.
“But we’re also well aware that the roots of terrorism, [Islamist terrorism, is in Syria and in Iraq. We therefore have to act both in Syria and in Iraq, and this is what we’re doing within the framework of the coalition.] And we note that Daesh is losing ground thanks to the strikes we’ve been able to launch with the coalition.”
In 2010, Freedom House included Saudi Arabia on its list of “the world’s most repressive societies.”
On page 17 of this PDF, Freedom House wrote the following about Saudi Arabia:
Saudi Arabia is not an electoral democracy.
The country’s 1992 Basic Law declares that the Koran and the Sunna (the guidance set by the deeds and sayings of the prophet Muhammad) are the country’s constitution.
Political parties are forbidden, and organized political opposition exists only outside of the country.
The government tightly controls the content of domestic media and dominates regional print and satellite television coverage. Government officials have banned journalists and editors who publish articles deemed offensive to the ruling authorities or the country’s powerful religious establishment. The regime has blocked access to over 400,000 websites that are considered immoral or politically sensitive.
Religious freedom does not exist in Saudi Arabia. All Saudis are required by law to be Muslims, and the government prohibits the public practice of any religions other than Islam.
Women are not treated as equal members of society, and many laws discriminate against them. They may not legally drive cars, their use of public facilities is restricted when men are present, and they cannot travel within or outside of the country without a male relative.
However, in September 2015, after Saudi Arabia was put onto the United Nations’ Human Rights Council, U.S. State Department spokesman Mark Toner said
My concern here is not about whether or not the tweet is offensive, as that is a matter of opinion.
My concern is that he was arrested even though the tweet did not contain any threats of violence. The fact that someone could be arrested for this non-violent tweet is absolutely horrible.
The Guy Behind the Viral ‘Mealy Mouthed’ Tweet Has Been Arrested in London
The allegedly anti-Muslim tweet spawned a wave of parodies
March 25, 2016
A British man who posted an allegedly anti-Muslim message on Twitter following Tuesday’s terror attacks in Brussels has been arrested on suspicion of inciting racial hatred.
Matthew Doyle was apprehended by police on Wednesday in the south London suburb of Croydon, the BBC reported. He subsequently “expressed concerns for his health” and was taken to a nearby hospital, according to authorities.
Doyle’s tweet, which has since been deleted, read: “I confronted a Muslim woman yesterday in Croydon. I asked her to explain Brussels. She said ‘Nothing to do with me’. A mealy mouthed reply.”
Tuesday’s attacks, which targeted Brussels Airport and a major subway station, claimed at least 31 lives and injured more than 100 others.
The tweet went viral and prompted several parodies on a variety of topics, ranging from Bono to muesli.
I confronted an Irish women yesterday in Camden. I asked her to explain Bono. She said “Nothing to do with me”. A mealy mouthed reply.
— Rob Manuel (@robmanuel) March 23, 2016
I confronted a man who was eating a bowl of muesli yesterday in Croydon. He said “mmfflfffmufflrgh”. A mealy mouthed reply.
— Robbie Collin (@robbiereviews) March 23, 2016
I confronted Shaggy yesterday in Croydon. Asked him to explain creeping with the girl next door. He said “wasn’t me”. A mealy mouthed reply.
— Zan Phee (@zanPHEE) March 23, 2016
@MatthewDoyle31 I confronted Pingu yesterday in Croydon. I asked him to explain climate change. He said “MEEP MEEP”. A mealy mouthed reply.
— Joe Slack (@WhyHeeeyImJoe) March 23, 2016
I confronted a dog today & asked him about that time when I was 4 and a dog bit me. “woof” he said. A mealy mouthed reply.
— TechnicallyRon (@TechnicallyRon) March 23, 2016
Doyle’s account, meanwhile, continued to tweet apparently racist messages and even retweeted a lot of the parodies insulting him.
Who cares if I insulted some towelhead ?? Really.
— Matthew P Doyle (@MatthewDoyle31) March 23, 2016
Holy Fuck ! The Towel head in my local kebab shop speaks no English? Has no NI number and was on his mobile to Syria #help
— Matthew P Doyle (@MatthewDoyle31) March 23, 2016
The 46-year-old public relations executive told the Telegraph on Wednesday that Twitter’s 140-character limit made the encounter sound far more confrontational than it was. He also said his controversial tweets were meant as a joke.
“That’s absolutely not who I am,” he said. “I’m not some far-right merchant, I’m not a mouthpiece for any kind of racism or radicalism.”
However, he did add that he feels Muslims are not being vocal enough in denouncing terrorism.
“The horror that happened in Brussels could happen here,” he added, “and you’re naive if you think London isn’t on some terror shortlist.”
The Muslim Brotherhood is a terrorist organization. In April 2012, the Obama administration allowed members of the Muslim Brotherhood to skip TSA screening at the airport.
Meanwhile, the Obama administration has treated non-terrorists in a very different way.
In March 2012, the Obama administration gave a very invasive patdown to a three-year-old boy in a wheelchair, which caused him to tremble in fear.
In April 2012, the Obama administration gave an aggressive patdown to a seven-year-old girl with cerebral palsy, and caused her to miss her flight.
Also in April 2012, the Obama administration said that a four-year-old girl was a “high security threat.”
In May 2012, an 18-month-old girl was forced to get off a plane because the Obama administration had placed her on its no fly list.
Also in May 2012, the Obama administration gave a patdown to Henry Kissinger.
In July 2011, the Obama administration forced a 95-year-old cancer patient to remove her adult diaper and fly without it.
In March 2011, the Obama administration ripped open the urostomy bag of a 61-year-old bladder cancer survivor, and forced him to fly covered in his own urine.
In October 2013, the Obama administration harassed a sick 3-year-old boy, and caused him to miss his flight.
And now we have the latest outrage: in the video below, which was filmed on December 30, 2015, the Obama administration sexually assaults a 10 year-old-girl. In this video, the security guard repeatedly touches the girl, over and over, again and again, in the same private areas. And the guard uses her palms and fingers, instead of the backs of her hands.
How this is security guard not acting like a pedophile?
Why is this behavior not being prosecuted as sexual assault?
And why did they make the girl remove her shoes, when they never actually checked to see if there were any explosives inside the shoes?
This has nothing to do with security, or with looking for explosives. Instead, it has everything to do with power and control, and with making people feel helpless, and with making people feel frightened of their own government. The government is trying to condition people into being blindly obedient, and into accepting anything that it does to them, no matter how awful.
I am 100% certain that Obama’s own daughters will never have to go through this.
In 2015, testing showed that the TSA failed to find “fake explosives, weapons and other contraband” 95% of the time.
And to top it all off – the final insult – the Obama administration labels anyone who objects to this sexual assault as a “domestic extremist.”
Maybe I’m over reacting ? I would have no problem submitting myself for a pat down, I support a high level of security, but I feel invasive touching of Children crosses the line, unless credible evidence exists.
On 12/30/15 TSA ordered a full Pat Down of my 10 year old daughter & detained us for over an hour.
TSA policy states PAT Downs of children under 12 should be method of last resort.
In my 10 yr old daughter’s case, after clearing metal detector, a forgotten Capri Sun juice pack was found in her hand bag by x-ray & agent swabbed bag resulting in a false positive.
Rather than retesting bag or alternate screening methods, my daughter was immediately ordered to submit to a full body Pat Down, and I was told I could not record the process. Luckily I knew the law regarding video recording and agent subsequently allowed me to record.
TSA policy states children under 12 will receive a “Modified Pat Down” yet my 10 year old received a full adult pat down. I feel it was intrusive, invasive, and unnecessary.
TSA made it clear I would be arrested if I resisted the search of my daughter.
TSA attempted to persuade me to allow my daughter into a private room, I felt safer with the general public surrounding us and refused several efforts to whisk us away.
TSA agent repeatedly touched my daughters buttocks and other sensitive areas with her palm & fingers not back of hand.
I agree with the law professor who said this could be troubling for free speech. I worry about the precedent that it creates, and about the possibility of it eventually being expanded to any kind of political speech that anyone makes on the internet.
Judge: School’s Facebook post a campaign contribution
DENVER — A Colorado judge has ruled that a charter school’s Facebook post amounts to an illegal campaign contribution to a school board candidate.
In August, Liberty Common School in Fort Collins, Colo., shared a newspaper article about a student’s parent running for a board seat in a neighboring school district. Liberty Common’s principal, former Colorado GOP Rep. Bob Schaffer, then shared the post and called candidate Tomi Grundvig an “excellent education leader” who would provide “sensible stewardship” of Thompson School District.
An administrative law judge, Matthew E. Norwood, called the violation “minor,” and ruled that “no government money of any significant amount was spent to make the contribution.” He also focused on the post to the school’s specific page, not Schaffer’s personal page.
“The school’s action was the giving of a thing of value to the candidate, namely favorable publicity,” Norwood wrote in his Oct. 14 ruling, which became public Wednesday. “It was given indirectly to her for the purpose of promoting her election.”
Law professor Scott Moss of the University of Colorado called that point troubling for its implications on political speech.
“I don’t buy that under the First Amendment speech about a candidate can be deemed a contribution,” Moss said after reading the ruling. “Is speech valuable? Yes. But that’s not a basis for restricting core political speech.”
In May 2013, the Washington Post reported that the IRS had illegally targeted conservative groups for additional reviews. Organizations with the words “tea party” or “patriot” were singled out for harassment, such as requiring them to provide a list of donors, details about their internet postings on social networking websites, and information about their family members. (more…)
Kalief Browder, an innocent black male teenager who spent three years in prison without a trial, during which time he was repeatedly beaten and tortured, has committed suicide.
I’m against political dynasties, and that includes the Paul dynasty. Before today, I thought the most notable thing about Rand Paul was his last name. (more…)
Anyone who has been following the self-described “progressive” politicians since FDR should not be surprised at Obama’s war against medical marijuana.
Obama’s war against medical marijuana is a direct result of the policies of the self-described “progressives” in the White House, Congress, and the U.S. Supreme Court, going all the way back to FDR’s New Deal.
Hillary Clinton is a polarizing, calculating, disingenuous, insincere, ambitious, inevitable, entitled, over confident, secretive, out of touch candidate who represents the past, and will do anything to win.
And if you are wondering why I would say such a thing, here is the reason.
U.S. Sets New Record For Denying, Censoring Government Files
March 18, 2015
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Obama administration set a new record again for more often than ever censoring government files or outright denying access to them last year under the U.S. Freedom of Information Act, according to a new analysis of federal data by The Associated Press.
