Facebook Stalking

Senator Chuck Schumer is at it again.  Whenever something happens in the world somehow Mr. Schumer will find a way to propose a law about it.  For instance, last month when a Malaysia Airline was shot down over the Ukraine, Schumer suggested that we equip our commercial airlines with anti-missile defenses so that an event like that doesn't happen here.   Remember when Avonte Oquendo, the boy with autism whose remains were found  after he disappeared at age 14 from his school in October?  Senator Schumer proposed “Avonte’s Law,” which would place electronic tracking devices to be worn by children with autism.  My sister raised an autistic child and never lost her once.  That was just good parenting.  My own mom had a lucrative career building bombs while working at the arsenal.  When she had her first child she quit to become a stay at home mom.  We may not have had two cars and steak for dinner every night but no new legislation was required for my mom to raise four kids.

This weeks Schumerian target are those ubiquitous wristband fitness devices.  There are dozens of them on the market and Senator Schumer has targeted Fitbit.  He claims that these wrist pedometers are a  "privacy nightmare" and that they collect personal information on your health, sleep, and location - information which should be just that – personal.  Without doing his research, Schumer opined that Fitbit will sell your personal information.  Fitbit responded with;  "Fitbit does not sell user data. Our privacy policy prevents us from doing this. We are committed to our users' privacy and welcome the opportunity to work with Senator Schumer on this important issue."  Alas, it is too late for Fitbit.  Just google "privacy nightmare."  I wonder why Schumer didn't target other giants of the industry such as Nike or Garmin. 

Most users of these fitness devices eagerly and willingly register these tools and freely upload their information for the world to see.  Personally, I would register the device under a fake name for I don't want the world to see how lazy I am.  Actually, I am not lazy but as a piano player, I spend much of my time sitting lifelessly at either the piano or computer.  I also spend an enormous amount of time practicing away from the piano either on my sofa or in a deck chair by the pool.  You may think that I'm napping but in reality I am working very studiously at composing, memorization and improvising.

If Mr. Schumer is truly concerned about our privacy, especially the personal information many of us freely post about ourselves, maybe he should look into Facebook.

When I was a kid I had a neighbor who was always looking out her window watching us kids play.  I would look over to her house to see the curtains rustle as she hid from view.  In college, every kid in the dorm practiced the art of voyeurism.  A friend of mine admitted that she was always watching the man next door and it bothered her conscience when she was caught lustily watching him. 

If we knew someone was stalking us and gathering information on us, it would certainly creep us out.  Our personal information is none of their business.  So how come we are accepting of people using Facebook to cyberstalk us?  The answer is simple; we do it to other people ourselves. 

Facebook serves as a covert method of investigation and discovering a wealth of information about people we don't actually know.  Every time we meet someone new, one of the first things we will do is look them up on Facebook in order to learn everything about them and even "friend" them to get more.  We want to know who their parents and siblings are, what they have been up to lately, where they live, where they vacation, who their friends are, where they work, how old they are, who they are they dating, status updates, photo uploads, photo tags, photo comments, wall posts, friend additions, group memberships, attended events, mutual friends, where they may have commented and what they "like."  Facebook doesn't have the physical elements of being stalked in the real world, such as being followed or watched but the ulterior motive is just the same and just as real. 

Online stalking may also consist of people communicating with you in ways that unsettle you (whether purposefully intended or unknowingly), especially with respect to suggesting or implying that they're watching and noting your every comment and update.  Peter Baterip was accused of stalking an ex girlfriend and contacting her on Facebook using a fake identity over the course of 18 months.  There have been numerous stories of teens (and adults posing as teens) who bully and harass people to the point of the victims even completing suicide in some cases.  Many employers take to Facebook to gather information about their employees.  One local man was fired from his job when he called in sick but later posted a selfie of himself at a baseball game on Facebook.  His boss was one of his "friends."  There was a Roman Catholic priest in TX who was accused of Facebook stalking.  There was nothing wrong with that except all his stalkees were teenage boys in his parish.  Without committing a crime, he was removed from active ministry. 

Facebook stalking, like regular stalking, allows the stalker to secretly gather information about the person they are interested in.  Facebook stalking is less likely to have an illegal component and is generally accepted by it's voyeuristic victims.  The argument being, that if you didn't want others to know about your life, you wouldn't post it all over the internet.   But, the real reason is that - we all do it and don't feel we are being voyeuristic about it.  That's actually called denial.  Maybe we are not willing to look into the abyss because we are afraid what will be staring back at us.   I don't know, does the shoe fit?

Have you ever searched Facebook for someone you dated like fifteen years ago?  Have you ever searched Facebook for high school friends to see who aged better, or who has the better job, who went bald, who got fat or who married whom?  Stalking has become a perfectly normal activity.   So you searched an ex-lover or new acquaintance on Facebook, who cares?  If a neighbor watches you out his window or takes a photo of you, why is that different or worse? 

Does Schumer know about Facebook stalking?  Sure he does but no one will ever do anything about it because we all do it, so that makes it okay.  After it was discovered that Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was the Boston Bomber, his Facebook page received  millions of hits within hours before it was taken down.  But, not before people took snapshots of his pages and downloaded all the data.  Nothing creepy about that.  Do you want to see his pages?  Sure you do.  Just go to Google Images and search "Dzhokhar Tsarnaev facebook page."  Want to see who his friends are?  Sure you do.  Want to see him shirtless?  Sure you do.  Nothing creepy here because, *you* are doing it and not some creepy person or organization you don't know, such as Fitbit.   Unlike Fitbit, I wonder if Facebook sells your personal information . . . ?  Does Schumer know about this?

PS, if you are lonely or bored, turn off Facebook and go outside to meet real people.  A high-five is much healthier than a poke.  A real friend is much more healthier than a "friend."  

Let Them Eat Cake

Chuck Schumer recently brokered a deal with Chobani Yogurt of NY to ship 5,000 containers of "nutritious and delicious" yogurt to the U.S. Olympic athletes - without first making sure he could ship the "nutritious and delicious breakfast" into Russia.  The Russian government already has a ban on U.S. dairy products entering their country and Schumer knew this.  Since the Russians rejected the shipment, the yogurt was distributed to food banks so it didn't go to waste.  One hopes.  When I worked for a Roman Catholic Church, a bakery donated five Black Forest Cakes to our food pantry.  Fr. said that there wasn't enough to give to all the poor so he offered me one (which I didn't take), gave one to his sister, put one out for the volunteer money counters, and took the rest to his camp for future parties and picnics which he regularly held there. 

Back to yogurt, Schumer said, “The Russian Authorities should get past ‘nyet,’ and let this prime sponsor of the U.S. Olympic Team deliver their protein-packed food to our athletes.”

I think it is good that Schumer is willing to adopt the Chobani company and seek to get their product distributed around the world.  I'm sure there are no kickbacks or anything illegal going on here.  Schumer is already working on the expansion of a federal school-lunch contract on behalf of Chobani under the banner of “for the children!”  I have to invoke Godwin's Law here and mention that Hitler said you can accomplish anything, even the curtailment of liberty, if you say "it is for the children."  But I'm sure there are no kickbacks or nothing illegal going on here.

Good for Schumer for thinking of the children but he also voted for the $8 billion reduction in food stamp aid and, in New York alone, over 350,000 families would lose about $90 a month in benefits.  This would certainly benefit Schumer's federal school lunch contract since the School Breakfast Program provides cash assistance to states to operate nonprofit breakfast programs in schools and residential childcare institutions.  Thanks to Schumer, by cutting the food stamp program, there are more hungry children for Chobani to feed.  The children from poor families, who just lost $8 billion in food stamp aid will at least get yogurt for breakfast.  See, it all works out when you get politics involved.

Our Olympic athletes, though not paid, do receive sponsorship money to compete so they are not entirely starving themselves.  Gold, silver, and bronze medal winners get paid by the US Olympic Committee. Gold gets $25,000, Silver, $15,000, and Bronze, $10,000. Other than that, they get paid by sponsors who support their Olympic training and travel expenses. 

Then, of course, there's endorsement money, which can be huge for the big stars. For example, Shaun White takes home over $9 million each year from sponsorship deal money.   Sadly, no free yogurt for him.  How will he survive?  As for the poor children who lost $90 per month in food stamps, let them eat yogurt. 

Threats and Enemies of America

Just what we need, more sabre rattling.  Recently Snowden informed the world about a massive, undercover spy program the US was conducting all over the world. Many of our European allies are furious over the revelation but we dismissed it stating that everyone does it so it is okay.  Of course, it is no surprise that Putin and other world leaders would offer Snowden protection.  The rest of the world sees him as a hero.  I am sure we would do the same thing for a Russian whistle-blower if he sought protection in the US.

Many people don't realize that Snowden is the Paul Revere or Thomas Jefferson of our time.  When history books are written, his name will be up there as a liberator of his country from the neo cons.  So now, Snowden is currently seeking asylum from several countries, including Ecuador.

Sen. Chuck Schumer with his Cold War and mobster mentality said this about Ecuador if it gives Snowden political asylum;

"We should cut off the foreign aid we have with them, it's about 10 million.  If Ecuador agrees to Edward Snowden’s request for asylum, there will be serious consequences.  Their economy will pay a very big price.  We will end all foreign aid, repeal trade agreements.  Whatever political benefit the leader of Ecuador thinks he will get by granting Mr. Snowden asylum, it will be far outweighed by the damage done to Ecuador’s economy.”

"Damage?"  Did he say "Damage?"  Will we intentionally damage another country's economy for want of one man?

And, did he say ten million?  It is more like billions.  These trade preferences include items like fruits, coffee, oil, shrimp, gold, vegetables and flowers.  Ecuador is the world's largest exporter of bananas to the US ($936.5 million in 2002) and a major exporter of shrimp ($251 million in 2002). Exports of non-traditional products such as flowers ($291 million in 2002) and canned fish ($333 million in 2002).  If my math is correct, like, you know, that comes out to about 10 million . . . I guess.  I'll take your word Senator Schumer.

Now, FIRST, if we were to cut off ties with Ecuador, what will that do to our own economy when we have to buy our imports from other countries if at all?  Where will we get those export items from and at what additional cost to us?  Is Snowden's freedom worth doubling the cost for some items to US citizens?

Secondly, Ecuador employs at least 50,000 people on about 550 farms across their country and is indirectly responsible for another 110,000 jobs.  Is it fair to to the children, families and innocent workers of that country to punish them because of our own government's ineptitude?   It is always easy to blame the foreign power because the last thing we want to do is admit that the Snowden incident happened because of our secret spy policies and failure to contain them.

Frankly, I think Senator Chuck Schumer has done far more harm to this country than Edward Snowden ever did. In fact, I think Snowden has done the country a great service.  Who does Schumer think he is, a 1950 mobster?  Our own senate is a greater enemy of the Constitution.

Schumer went on to say, “The U.S. should move forward with suspending the thousands of visas we issue to their businesses each year, and let trade preferences expire should they decide to grant Snowden asylum."

Is Schumer willing to mete out his version of justice and ruin thousands of lives to satisfy the letter of the law without considering the damage that will take place both here, there and to countless individuals?

Schumer and his kind dream of preserving Imperial America by endless war and intervention in every conflict. They think this planet is the property of the US and that other nations cannot reside here unless they meet our lease terms.  Do they really want us to be in war with every country?  Are they really willing to impose economic sanctions which can deny food, medicine and housing to hundreds of thousands of innocent people?    Are they willing to punish an entire nation, and ours, over this incident?  Instead of inflicting harm or spewing venom and threats, why don't we just stoop to bribery to get Snowden back?  Money talks.  Everyone will think they win.

In this predominately Christian country, is the church willing to allow such economic sanctions which could starve and hurt thousands of innocent people?  What will be the church's response and demand to all this be?  Is the church a monument or a movement?  Will it sacrifice everything to protect the poor and those persecuted by governments, even if it is their own?   I'm sure its response will be to pray for them. 

You know, Jesus was not the Milquetoast guy our church makes him out to be.  He was a passive aggressive who did not stand down when facing governments, politicians, friends or even his own church.  Those parables about carrying a soldier's cloak for an extra mile and turning the other cheek are not what we think they are about.  Research them. You will be surprised to realize how tough Jesus really was.  The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good people to do nothing.  I am not discounting the power of prayer but, in many of our churches today, prayer is the least thing they can do for someone while still getting to grandstand like they are actually doing something.

Back to Schumer, one of the good people.  In 2009 on a US Airways flight from NY to DC, December 13, during the take off, Senator Charles Schumer was repeatedly asked by a flight attendant to turn off his cell phone.  Later, Schumer called the flight attendant a "bitch." He made the comment to fellow New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, who was seated next to him, and was overheard by a House aide who was also on the plane.  Schumer, after being outed to the press for his behavior issued an apology (because he got caught).  He said it was an "off-the-cuff comment".  I guess that makes hate speech okay if it is off-the-cuff.  Just ask Paula Deen.   According to the aide who overheard Mr. Schumer, the phone rang again moments after the attendant had told Mr. Schumer to shut it off.  But, everybody does it so it must be okay.

Schumer's comments about damaging Ecuador, their people and their economy (and eventually ours) really perturbed me.  He is a bully, no better and no less than a war criminal, willing to hurt other people with impunity so that our government can save face and get what they want.   And, if they don't get what they want, like a spoiled playground brat, they will take their ball and go home, resolving nothing.   Nobody wins.

Arrogant, ignorant and corrupt career politicians must go! We need term limits!