Hmm, Looks like California is going to allow Digital IDs

Apple Wallet California state ID hero_inline.jpg.large_2x.Honestly, I’m not sure how I feel about this.

On the one hand, it sounds like it would be really neat if I was in my 20s and still likely to get carded in a bar. 

Being able to wave my phone at a doorman’s phone, or reader and share only my valid age is cool and safer than handing my drivers license to a doorman where he may or may not be taking a picture of all the information on the front of my license.

Back in the day the technology wasn’t there for someone to surreptitiously photograph that kind of information. The doorman or bouncer had a flashlight, could do the math, and decided if you could get in to the place, or not.

Now… holy crap! With the little lit up stations for reading an ID in some bars a camera could easily be embedded in the lamp itself. You might not be safe at all, especially if you’re a woman worried about attracting a stalker.

Having the ability to wave my phone at the TSA guy might also be cool… If I traveled via Air or Train. Typically, I don’t travel in venues that are TSA controlled.

So, for me maybe this isn’t the greatest thing since sliced bread. I’d also like being able to store my Passport data in the Secure Enclave inside my phone.

Again, I don’t do a lot of traveling but, that would be very cool and my passport already has the data encoded somehow within it. I think it would be fairly easy to transfer that data to my phone and negate my having to carry a passport if I went to Mexico or Canada.

Come to think of it I should check the countries that my passport card is valid to use. There are some countries that need the big book and others that accept just the card.

I haven’t heard anything about the State Department looking into digital IDs on phones.

Anyway.

I was thinking about Voter ID too. If you think about it, your phone with Touch ID or with Facial recognition is essentially a portable biometric scanner.

Imagine setting up an authentication scanner at a polling place where you wave your phone at a scanner, the biometrics engage, your ID is confirmed with the State or even the Federal databases. Then you’re directed to the line where you get your ballot.

Talk about security! Automatic cross checks could be run to see if anyone else has attempted to vote on your behalf, with the Biometric data being the authoritative source. 

Part of the set up process requires that you take pictures of the front and back of your driver license. Then you’re instructed to move your head around and send a picture to the DMV. I’m sure they’re collecting multiple facial recognition reference points by requiring that the person move their head around.

So there’s the security part.

AND

It’s also unfortunately, capable of providing advanced facial recognition data to the State which increases their surveillance capabilities.

If the government could be trusted, that wouldn’t be an issue. But the government has demonstrated time and again, especially in recent years that they absolutely can not be trusted to use data, secure data, or destroy data in any responsible way.

California screwed up a few years ago and leaked all the concealed carry applications they’d received. Both approved and not approved. The approval issue wasn’t the big deal, it was that every single application had the individuals address, and occupation. It’s a safe bet these folks had guns in their homes otherwise they wouldn’t have applied for concealed carry.

California painted a target on every single one of these people, with criminals.

I’m not sure that I want to give any government entity more ability to monitor my movements. Further, having my State ID plugged into my phone, creates a direct 1-1 association between my phone and government issued ID.

That could be misused to track me not just via my phone number, but literally all of the identifying numbers contained in the phone.

IMEI, IP, Phone Number, Serial Number, MAC address, you name it, all can be used to precisely track an individual phone.

Knowing that, I’m ambivalent if adding my digital ID is really changing the balance of privacy in any way. All the above information is literally already available. Does the ID really matter?

I suppose it’s going to come down to how / if having the digital ID on my phone helps me. I didn’t activate the COVID-19 exposure tracking function on my phone for two reasons. 1) There wasn’t anyplace that I could or needed to go. 2) It didn’t benefit me.

I was also concerned that it would add government intrusiveness into my life via a machine that I’d purchased. If they wanted that kind of information, then they could pay me monthly for the privilege.

I’m interested in this kind of thing. But I also respect there are a lot of ways to misuse benign data beyond what sharing the information was originally intended to allow.

I think I’ll keep doing research. This rollout isn’t going to happen for probably a few weeks and even then I don’t have to load my ID. I’m curious about it though. 

At this point ya still have to carry your physical ID because in the pilot programs only the TSA might use it, and perhaps a few forward thinking bars & restaurants. It’s not like you can flash your phone at a police officer yet.

I’m not to the point of wearing a tin foil hat but I’ve got a roll of heavy duty foil in the drawer.

I know why I’ve never liked being in sales…

I’m going to embellish a bit here because I want to illustrate a point. To do so I’m going to mash a bunch of experiences into one because that will make the point.

For Sale: 2 twin bed frames. 1) Black 1) White. $15 each. Local Sales only, No delivery, No Shipping. Buyer will need to pick the item(s) up.

Seems simple doesn’t it? Oh, but it never is simple.

@transmomma56238: Do you have a pink one?

Seller: No, only what is listed Black or White.

@transmomma56238: I really need pink.

Seller: Then you’ll need to go elsewhere.

@transmomma56238: I’d pay an extra dollar for a pink one.

Seller I don’t have a pink one.

@transmomma56238: Could you paint it?

Seller: Not for a dollar. You can buy one & paint it any color you want.

@transmomma56238: I don’t have the room or paint for that.

Seller: Neither do I. Perhaps you should look elsewhere for what you want.

@transmomma56238: But you have the best price.

Seller: I don’t have what you want, so I don’t have the best price.

@transmomma56238: I’m a single mother of a transgender, autistic, blind, diabetic, child. My little girl is crying so hard that you don’t have a pink bed frame.

Seller: I have a black bed frame  and a white bed frame. That’s it. Take it or leave it.

@transmomma56238: You don’t have to be mean.

Seller: Stating the truth isn’t being mean.

@transmomma56238: I’ll pay $18 for the white one if you paint it pink.

Seller: No. Another buyer is here right now.

@transmomma56238: Don’t sell them the white one I want that one.

@transmomma56238: Answer me!

@transmomma56238: Don’t sell the white one!

@transmomma56238: Where are you?

@transmomma56238: Why aren’t you answering me?

Seller: Sorry, the white one just sold. They paid cash, and loaded it into their truck. It’s gone.

@transmomma56238: You bastard! I’m reporting you to the administrators! I’m giving you a bad seller rating! You’ve upset my child! She really wanted the pink one.

Administrator: We understand that you did not sell a pink bed frame to @transmomma56238 after you agreed to do so. We will suspend your account until you provide good reason for mistreating this buyer.

Seller: I didn’t have a pink bed frame. I didn’t agree to sell one to @transmomma56238. Please review the ad. I’ve included the entire text exchange with @transmomma56238 for your review.

Administrator: Your explanation is insufficient. Pending further investigation and resolution of this matter, your account is hereby suspended.

36 hours later…

Administrator: After review, we have reinstated your account. We caution you to be polite and courteous at all times to potential buyers. Failure to strictly follow our terms of service and community guidelines regarding abuse is not acceptable. We will be monitoring your account for any further Abuse.

@transmomma56238 I’ll take the black bed frame. I suppose I can paint it. But I’ll only pay $10 and you’ll have to deliver it. The Star marks where I am, I guess you’re in California??? I need this by tomorrow.

Seller: Uh… No. During the 36 hour suspension you caused on my account. I sold the second bed frame. I was in fact, updating my account at this moment.

@transmomma56238: You bastard! You knew I wanted one of them! Why didn’t you take the ad down immediately? How dare you disappoint my child like this? I’m reporting you I’ll make sure you never sell anything on this site again.

Seller: I never agreed to sell you anything, contrary to what you thought. I wasn’t able to update the ad, or conduct any further business on this site during the account suspension you caused. Apparently the site administrator believes I somehow abused you, which I did not. The shit is sold, it’s gone, it’s not coming back, you lost out due to your actions, NOT MINE. If you’ve got a problem, I suggest you take it up with the Administrator.

Seller: So, you crazed insane bitch. In the words of Elon Musk… GO FUCK YOURSELF!

Administration: ALERT!!! You have violated our terms of service and community standards your account will be suspended pending further review.

Seller: Clicks [Submit] confirming deletion of account with satisfaction. Spends rest of day placing remaining items previously for sale in large dumpster. 


The above is a complete flight of fancy. However it is illustrative of elements of my online sales experience. 

I’ve run across more flakes than I can count. I don’t understand why people would ask for something you’re not advertising as if you have some back room, or off season Santa’s Elves working to run up their custom order in your garage.

I say what I’ve got, the price I’m asking, and that they’ll have to come and get it. I don’t get what’s so difficult about it. 

Come to think of it, my online dating application experience is pretty much the same. I say what I’m looking for, who I am, and next thing I know, someone is asking me if I can give them a ride to their drug dealer in exchange for a blowjob. Uhh NO! There is no part of that I’m interested in.

Perhaps the issue is with me?

Perhaps the problem is that people are so incredibly stupid and entitled that they think they can get away with anything? Or that they’re so selfish, self absorbed, and shameless, that their “normal” stupidity amplifies my inherent disdain?

In any event, this sort of thing (my disdain for humans in general) is perhaps why I’ve not been in sales in any meaningful way.

Doctor Who Daleks.This is also one of the reasons that humanity should be on their knees every morning and evening thanking God that I do not have a way off this planet or a space craft in orbit. 

I’d make a Dalek, Terminator, or the Matrix AI proud wiping the planet clean of defective humanity if possible, all of humanity if necessary.

Not to be too Alanis Morissette, but isn’t it Ironic Chicago is beefing up police coverage?

DNC 640x480.After all, why would a bastion of the Democrat party, its supporters, and its policies, in a deep blue state like Chicago need police protection?

Haven’t the Democrats championed defunding the police? Aren’t they confident that if left alone, crime will drop all on its own?

Have they no faith in their own policies?

Who would even think about disrupting the DNC?

Oh yeah, apparently they’re worried about the pro Palestine movement. They might also be worried about the Trans-right movement because Walz hasn’t pumped his ass full of estrogen and cut his dick off in solidarity with them. It might be the BLM still trying to be relevant and get those reparations they think they deserve. Didn’t the Democrats promise reparations?

Really? They don’t see the irony?

They fed the BLM protests. They fed the anti police / defund the police movement. Now they’re bringing LEO in from all over the state to assist with crowd control and local businesses have warned their employees to stay home for their own safety. Those same businesses are boarding up their windows because of the anticipated violence.

Ironically, their own favored groups are the very groups likely to perpetrate the violence.

Mark my words, when the shit gets out of hand, (and it will,) the Democrat Party will claim there were MAGA supporters taunting the “mostly peaceful protestors” thereby inciting riots. They say this kind of shit all the time so it’s not like I’m a gifted prognosticator. It’s just they lie about everything and MAGA is their goto boogie man.

Ironically, the Democrats will prove Conservatives and supporters of law and order, correct, once again.

Perhaps the Democrat party should change their name to the Irony party.

Almost everything they champion comes back to spank them metaphorically and ironically.

At least then their party name would match the party experience.

Hmm. I’m not sure if this is a selling point for the Democrats or not.

Planned Parenthood Chicago 640x480.I saw an article this morning the made me laugh. 

Planned Parenthood is offering free neutering and abortions, although they might as well offer spaying services too, during the Democrat National Convention. When I read the headline All I could think of was free sterilization clinic for dogs and cat offered by the county.

Here’s the link…

Planned Parenthood to Offer Free Vasectomies, Abortions During DNC 

As a guy, I’m not sure that’s something I’d want to have done while I was attending a convention. I have it on good authority that getting snipped isn’t that big a deal however, I’ve also been told that for the first day or two after the procedure you just want to sit or lie comfortably with an ice pack, maybe a beer and some of your favorite junk food.

Not being a woman, I can’t speak to having an abortion. I do however wonder if after say, six abortions, perhaps as a benefit to society the woman in question should be spayed. Some people would call that harsh, I call it practical. It save the woman from having to go through the procedure again and again. In some cases it save the taxpayer money.

I suspect that some of the more gender confused Democrats might decide to “have” a procedure not intended for, or appropriate to their biological gender, so they can feel more included. That should be an interesting headline. “Biological Woman offended that doctors won’t perform vasectomy on her.” 

I really started laughing about it when I thought about the neutering/spaying a Democrat angle. That would probably be something that would boost Republican convention attendance. If you could bring someone and check them in for the procedure, while you attended the convention.

Bring your complaining, whiny ‘Karen’ Democrat neighbors to the RNC. Be a responsible neighbor and insure that Democrats don’t breed. Bonus! Act now & they’ never complain about your Trump sign, MAGA hat, You not wearing a mask, or NRA stickers again!

That’s really harsh. I think the concept of Planned Parenthood doing this at the DNC is pretty fucked up. It makes the Democrats seem somehow worse than they already do, but I’m not sure I can put a finger on why that is. 

It’s like with the Abortion thing they’re celebrating death. Then you add the vasectomy component and it’s like they’re saying, “Put an end to the species while you’re at it.” Add a few wars, people struggling to put food on the table, the gender madness, and it really seems like death and destruction is all they’re offering.

I see no “hope” there, I see no “forward” with Democrat policies except into the abyss.

Perhaps I’m being unfair. When I decided to leave the Republican Party years ago, I looked at the Democrat Party and found I was as revolted by their policies as I was by the Republican Party. They really were like two halves of the same coin, neither offered anything substantially beneficial except intrusive governance and ever expanding government.

The Democrats expand the government rapidly until the people say, “STOP” by voting them out. Then the Republicans come in and manage the newly expanded government BUT they never reduce the size to the previous level.

It really is a “Same Shit Different Day” situation.

Until recently, I thought of Democrats as normal folks who thought differently about certain things than I did. I disagreed fundamentally, but I still saw them as people like me. Average folks, just trying to get through their day, have a nice life, and some modicum of peace & quiet.

Now when you say “Democrat” to me, I picture someone, uninformed, fat, with blue hair, enough metal in their face to make clearing a riot possible with an electro magnet, screeching obscenities about nonsensical “wrongs” that haven’t been real problems for at least two decades, dumpster fires of people with no functional abilities, who scream louder when backed into a logical corner if asked to explain how they’re oppressed, carrying Palestinian flags with Queers for Palestine placards.

In other words I see howling lunatics. If they were dogs roving the streets frothing at the mouth as they do We’d be calling animal control to put them down as possibly rabid.

I can tell you this. As a man I wouldn’t go near a planned parenthood clinic for a vasectomy, even if it was free. Those people are out of their damn minds and I don’t want any of them near my dick with a sharp object. I’ll go to a recommended urologist!

Somehow I expect to hear in a comedy routine, 

“Wow I went to the DNC convention and all I got was this vasectomy.”

“I really miss my balls… What? They shouldn’t have cut my balls off? I was wondering how they were going to reverse it if I decided I wanted kids.”

“I guess I should’ve known something was wrong when they didn’t even give me a T-Shirt!”

“Huh that explains why there were only white guys in the recovery room I was in, and we all had the same procedure. I kept thinking the Black guys and Mexicans were tough bastards the way they were dancing out of their recovery room.”

The best they have to offer? I think we deserve more!

Kamala Harris Tim Walz Campaign Event Laughing.I’ve been watching the Harris / Walz campaign. I can’t help thinking, “If this is the best they have to offer, we’re in real trouble.”

Normally, I wouldn’t pay much attention to a dumpster fire like the Democrat presidential campaign.  I pretty much ignored the Biden / Harris Campaign in 2020.

Honestly, I didn’t think Biden had a chance in Hell of winning. That campaign was just soooo stupid! People at rallies in little rings? It was a campaign that looked like the candidate was terrified of setting foot outside.

U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris speaks at L.A.s Families Belong Together March 02-scaled-e1723555079172.Americans typically don’t vote for fearful / timid candidates. We favor the Bold. It was laughable that Biden could win at all. Then he did…

Or rather we were told he won in a “Fair and Secure” election. That Fair and secure line got overused to the point that it crossed over from being a statement of apparent fact, to being pure propaganda. Just as the phrases “election denier”, and later “Antivaxers”

Saying a catch phrase a few times when it is relevant to the news report is one thing, pounding the phrase into the public psyche is quite another. After a while it seemed as if news pieces were being constructed however awkwardly, so that the emotional catch phrase could be incorporated instead of articles simply reporting what happened.

I have no doubt that Kamala is going to “Win” this election. She and Walz are laughably bad. If this was a television show they’d be comedy gold. But it’s not. 

Tim Walz Bagram.I also believe with all my heart that the political machine in Washington D.C. will engineer the election results to Kamala’s benefit. I don’t believe that it’s just the Democrats either, It’s literally everyone in Washington from the lowest level bureaucrats, to the highest levels of elite politicians & well into the wealthy powerful lobbyists, actually pulling a lot of the strings.

Those people in power have painted themselves into a corner. They’ve gotten addicted to the power but forgot that their positions were supposed to be temporary. Now they have no choice but to keep Kamala in the White House. They’re literally fighting for their cushy overpaid jobs and hoping that by keeping Kamala for 2 terms, they’ll have managed 12 years total in their parasitic useless jobs.

Remember Kamala dropped out of the 2020 race because she couldn’t garner enough interest even from people in her own home state.

There was a time when I thought something this obscene would generate a reaction from the American people. It might, particularly on November 6th when Kamala is declared the winner of the election. (Actual votes notwithstanding.)

I’m losing faith that the subjugated, shamed American citizen will say a word. Decades of telling Americans that we’re xenophobic, sexist, and racist, making us all feel ashamed of who we are and our national identity have taken their toll.

We’ve been hammered on by internal & external forces who, for their self interests, wanted America to believe the worst of ourselves, so they could have the moral high ground while bleeding us dry of money and resources. Their constant haranguing worked. About 1/2 of our population believes that America and Americans are pieces of shit.

This self loathing is evident on the streets of our nation daily. Look at any of the protests “beautifying our cities streets”. What do you see? People who in their non-conformity are in fact conformists. People who are trying to emulate pictures of the hippy movement but whose reasons for protest appear to be radically different.

Hippys wanted us out of the Vietnam war specifically, and for us to stop interfering in other countries generally. Protestors today seem to want us in some wars and out of others, but there’s no clear message other than “aren’t we cool mutilating our bodies, so we’re more non-conformist yet conforming.” 

I saw a photo the other day where 5 or 6 female to male trans “things” were showing their symbol of solidarity. A close up of hands holding syringes of testosterone. Ooooh what a powerful symbol of strength.

Yes, you’re dependent on weekly injections of a synthetic drug manufactured in China whose supply could be disrupted at any time, to make you “feel” like you’re in control and “a Man”. Good job

Ladies… One thing, Men, real Men don’t have injection parties. Even if we’re doing HRT, or steroids to bulk up, we’re not typically getting together with a bunch of our best buddies to shoot up.

Yet another item among many others that women don’t understand about men, it’s why trans women are telegraphing to us constantly, they’re not men. In fact that opening falsehood is, I think what turns men off and causes us to close ranks in our social groups, to exclude female to male trans whatsits.

Gay men often notice the same thing when they come out. The men that they grew up with, the men that were their friends for years, sometimes have a real problem that their “Good Friend, or Best Friend” lied about something so basic as not being interested in tits & ass. It’s a betrayal, and it cuts deep. Sometimes too deep. In that case, the gay man finds his circle of friends greatly diminished or gone entirely.

Before I digress too far from my original point…

The point is, men don’t like liars. We shun them, we don’t trust them, we usually don’t associate with them and make no apologies about it.

In politics we have a concentration of liars, almost like they’ve collected in Washington D.C. because they were unwelcome everywhere else.

Harris and Walz may be the epitome of liars. Harris changes her opinion like the wind, or like a $20 hooker you slip an extra $5 to so she tells your buddy he’s the biggest and best she’s ever had.

Tdy anne gore 160523.social share 1200x630 center-314011501.Walz has credibility problems not the least of which is his sort of “dirty exit” from the National Guard. Yes, he served for 24 years. Good. Great! But people that served with him from his unit, and even a Chaplin say he wasn’t a good commander. 

Walz has been called out on his misrepresentation of his military career in the past. He is apparently fond of “embellishing” his service record.

He chose to retire while he knew something was up regarding deployment. After 24 years in the National Guard, if he couldn’t or didn’t recognize the familiar pre-deployment pattern of resources being allocated to his unit, he didn’t deserve to be in his position. So I don’t buy the line that he didn’t know what was happening.

Senator Vance official portrait. 118th Congress.In contrast, JD Vance was a Marine, and did deploy to Iraq for 6 months as a Combat Correspondent. (Interestingly former Vice President Al Gore deployed to Vietnam for 6 months as an Army Correspondent.) Neither of them embellished or claimed higher rank than they’d achieved. It looks like Walz may have claimed higher rank than was actually granted.

The few people in D.C. who speak the truth and are actually there to do good not for themselves but for the people they’re representing are hated and reviled by almost everyone else in D.C.

In other words Washington D.C. has become a complete inversion of most of the rest of the country.

From this viewpoint, Harris and Walz are the perfect candidates.