Ahi Jerky

This stuff was actually the worst jerky we had the whole Trans Pac. Cut from a wimpy little guy (our first catch) and way too close to the blood line. But it was still pretty good. 

‘Merica

[I]n a May 2013 interview with CNN, former FBI counterterrorism agent Tim Clemente disclosed that the federal government is keeping track of all digital communications that occur within the United States…All of that stuff [meaning phone conversations occurring in America] is being captured as we speak whether we know it or like it or not.” A few days later, Clemente was asked to clarify his comments, at which point he said, “There is a way to look at all digital communications in the past. No digital communication is secure.”…Despite federal court rulings to the contrary, the Department of Justice continues to assert that it does not require a warrant to access Americans’ emails, Facebook chats, and other forms of digital communication…

For the Birds

A few ravens on the wall.

Nothing New Under the Sun

The disturbing thing about the recent IRS scandal, is that it’s not at all surprising. Using the IRS as a political tool has been the commonplace since at least the days of FDR. Indeed, it’s surprising that anyone is surprised. We all know Lord Acton’s truism that power corrupts; nearly everyone agrees with it. Yet everyone is always surprised when it proves so.

Spice Markets, Houses On Tombs, and the Church of Mary Magdalene

On the train from Santa Barbara to Chico. Unfortunate golden hue to these.

What if What Happened in Boston Was a Weekly Occurance?

Reblogged from Thinking Out Loud:

Noah Beck writes at The Christian Post:

I genuinely empathize with the victims of the Boston bombing. They were killed, maimed, injured, and/or forever traumatized only because they happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. As they gathered to compete in or watch the marathon underway, they were – like all terrorism victims – the epitome of innocent.

Read more… 264 more words

While we sympathize with the Israelis, perhaps we ought to recall that we are largely responsible for the exact same thing happening in Afghanistan and Iraq on an even more horrific scale. Or in Pakistan where, and this is not disputed, our drones kill near as many innocents as terrorists. Or indeed, we might think of what the Israelis do to the Palestinians, who indubitably house some terrorists but who also have a good many women and children. Just to say, lets not forget that there are other people suffering every day, or that we are in a large part responsible for it. I can heartily agree with the last paragraph though. Lets not let isolated events of terrorism change our lives. So maybe Boston should call off the drones it is considering for the next marathon.