Twitter bans alt-right's @Ricky_Vaughn99 and other news of note
Why Twitter chose to ban ardent Trump supporter and darling of the alt-right @Ricky_Vaughn99 is unclear. One thing is clear, this is not a First Amendment or Freedom of Speech issue. Let's review that apparently complicated First Amendment text to help clear this up.
"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."
Congress has not done anything to infringe Ricky Vaughn's freedom of expression. Nor has any other government entity at any level done so. Twitter, a publicly held company, with very clear Terms of Service published on their website, chose to suspend him. That is their choice.
Is it a good business decision? Only time will tell.
* * *
Whenever I'm helping a tax client and there is something that has to be mailed to the IRS service center in Fresno, I always get a kick out of joking about how complicated their mailing address is. The truth is, the address is amazingly simply.
IRS
Fresno, CA 93888
That's all you need to write on the envelope. Now comes word that the IRS will close the Fresno service center, along with others located in Covington, KY and in Austin, TX. Covington will close in 2019, Fresno in 2021 and Austin in 2024. Some 6000 IRS employees will have their jobs eliminated. By 2024 there will be only two IRS service center to process paper returns, one in Ogden, UT and the other in Kansas City, MO. That is down from ten such centers that were in place in 2003 when the consolidation of paper return processing began.
The IRS has lost a large number of employees over the last decade as the Congress continues to cut their funding. Considering that these cuts appear to lead to a reduction in tax collections, they may not be the wisest course of action. But considering the growth in electronically filed returns and the corresponding reduction in the filing of paper returns, this consolidation makes logical sense.
* * *
Senator John McCain is defending the comments made by Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump regarding veterans who "can't handle" what they've seen.
That is what Trump actually said. He said we should not be losing 22 veterans a day to suicide. That was the only truly accurate portion of his comments. Lauding those in the room for being able to handle the horrors they saw while indirectly denigrating those who "can't handle" the horrors of war is insulting. Especially coming from the mouth of a coward who avoided the draft because of his heel spurs.
* * *
Matt Drudge is making claims that the National Hurricane Center is distorting the real strength of Hurricane Matthew to bolster the argument in favor of climate change. He tweeted out the following:
"The deplorables are starting to wonder if govt has been lying to them about Hurricane Matthew intensity to make exaggerated point on climate"
"Hurricane Center has monopoly on data. No way of verifying claims. Nassau ground observations DID NOT match statements! 165mph gusts? WHERE?"
The above video answers that question for Mr. Drudge. There are a number of ways to measure the strength and wind speed of a hurricane but the most accurate measurements are obtained by flying an aircraft into the eye of the storm. That's just what the Hurricane Hunters did.
If Mr. Drudge is so convinced that the NHC and NOAA scientists and aircrews are lying, he should volunteer to ride along on one of these "storm penetration" missions. Just make sure you pack some barf bags, Mr. Drudge.
* * *
During the first presidential debate between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, Mr. Trump commented on the U.S. and its aging fleet of B-52 bombers. "Russia has been expanding their — they have a much newer capability than we do. We have not been updating from the new standpoint. I looked the other night. I was seeing B-52s. They're old enough that your father, your grandfather, could be flying them. We are not — we are not keeping up with other countries."
The announcement of completion of the retrofitting of a retired B-52 airframe from the "Boneyard" where retired aircraft are stored is a good point of reference to debunk Mr. Trump's claim. The B-52 fleet of some 80 plus aircraft celebrated its 60th anniversary of operation last year and with the continual program of upgrades that has been in place throughout that period, they are expected to be useful for another 30 years or so. High levels of performance and lower operational costs make them a bargain.
Once again, Trump opens mouth and inaccuracies flow forth.
* * *
The Nevada Gaming Control Board issues monthly reports showing revenue from gambling by game. In their report for the period that ended in August of this year, their 12 month report showed that there were over 146,000 slot machines in the state. But a story in the Los Angeles Times points out that less than 3% of the more than $50 billion "drop" (amount wagered) in the state came from actual coins. The Circus Circus Hotel/Casino has the majority of those machines on the Vegas Strip, all of 30. They are a dying breed, possibly going to become extinct in our lifetimes.
I read that article and was reminded of a night back in the 1980s when I was living in Las Vegas. I wasn't at a casino, or the 7-11 location where I was lucky enough to hit a royal flush on the video poker machine on three different occasions. BTW, I hit all three of those $1,000 jackpots when I stopped in at that location to buy food and drink to take with me to work at a radio station.
I was at my local laundromat, doing a week's worth of wash. My wash was in several dryers, I'd finished my Political Science class homework and so I bought one roll of quarters. I was rewarded a few minutes later with the clanging bells of a royal flush. A jackpot of $1,000. But instead of the attendant coming out from the office with a fistful of bills, quarters kept pouring into the bowl at the base of the machine. 4,000 quarters. I asked and was told the laundromat would not convert the quarters into bills. I would have to take the quarters home with me.
Just in case you were wondering how much 4,000 quarters weighs, it turns out to be 50 pounds. I had to get enough buckets to hold 50 pounds of quarters and lug them out to the trunk of my car. Thank goodness I knew of a nearby casino that would allow me to bring in outside change and cash it in.
Today when you play a slot machine in a casino, you cash out with a slip of paper. Another machine turns that into cash. There is no human interaction. Is that a good thing? You tell me.
* * *
I was channel-surfing today and came on this episode of the original Star Trek. Hard to believe that this guy would go on more than a decade later to play this character.
Charles Napier, a very talented performer. Can't believe it was five years ago this week that he passed. RIP.
"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."
Congress has not done anything to infringe Ricky Vaughn's freedom of expression. Nor has any other government entity at any level done so. Twitter, a publicly held company, with very clear Terms of Service published on their website, chose to suspend him. That is their choice.
Is it a good business decision? Only time will tell.
* * *
Whenever I'm helping a tax client and there is something that has to be mailed to the IRS service center in Fresno, I always get a kick out of joking about how complicated their mailing address is. The truth is, the address is amazingly simply.
IRS
Fresno, CA 93888
That's all you need to write on the envelope. Now comes word that the IRS will close the Fresno service center, along with others located in Covington, KY and in Austin, TX. Covington will close in 2019, Fresno in 2021 and Austin in 2024. Some 6000 IRS employees will have their jobs eliminated. By 2024 there will be only two IRS service center to process paper returns, one in Ogden, UT and the other in Kansas City, MO. That is down from ten such centers that were in place in 2003 when the consolidation of paper return processing began.
The IRS has lost a large number of employees over the last decade as the Congress continues to cut their funding. Considering that these cuts appear to lead to a reduction in tax collections, they may not be the wisest course of action. But considering the growth in electronically filed returns and the corresponding reduction in the filing of paper returns, this consolidation makes logical sense.
* * *
Senator John McCain is defending the comments made by Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump regarding veterans who "can't handle" what they've seen.
That is what Trump actually said. He said we should not be losing 22 veterans a day to suicide. That was the only truly accurate portion of his comments. Lauding those in the room for being able to handle the horrors they saw while indirectly denigrating those who "can't handle" the horrors of war is insulting. Especially coming from the mouth of a coward who avoided the draft because of his heel spurs.
* * *
Matt Drudge is making claims that the National Hurricane Center is distorting the real strength of Hurricane Matthew to bolster the argument in favor of climate change. He tweeted out the following:
"The deplorables are starting to wonder if govt has been lying to them about Hurricane Matthew intensity to make exaggerated point on climate"
"Hurricane Center has monopoly on data. No way of verifying claims. Nassau ground observations DID NOT match statements! 165mph gusts? WHERE?"
The above video answers that question for Mr. Drudge. There are a number of ways to measure the strength and wind speed of a hurricane but the most accurate measurements are obtained by flying an aircraft into the eye of the storm. That's just what the Hurricane Hunters did.
If Mr. Drudge is so convinced that the NHC and NOAA scientists and aircrews are lying, he should volunteer to ride along on one of these "storm penetration" missions. Just make sure you pack some barf bags, Mr. Drudge.
* * *
During the first presidential debate between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, Mr. Trump commented on the U.S. and its aging fleet of B-52 bombers. "Russia has been expanding their — they have a much newer capability than we do. We have not been updating from the new standpoint. I looked the other night. I was seeing B-52s. They're old enough that your father, your grandfather, could be flying them. We are not — we are not keeping up with other countries."
The announcement of completion of the retrofitting of a retired B-52 airframe from the "Boneyard" where retired aircraft are stored is a good point of reference to debunk Mr. Trump's claim. The B-52 fleet of some 80 plus aircraft celebrated its 60th anniversary of operation last year and with the continual program of upgrades that has been in place throughout that period, they are expected to be useful for another 30 years or so. High levels of performance and lower operational costs make them a bargain.
Once again, Trump opens mouth and inaccuracies flow forth.
* * *
The Nevada Gaming Control Board issues monthly reports showing revenue from gambling by game. In their report for the period that ended in August of this year, their 12 month report showed that there were over 146,000 slot machines in the state. But a story in the Los Angeles Times points out that less than 3% of the more than $50 billion "drop" (amount wagered) in the state came from actual coins. The Circus Circus Hotel/Casino has the majority of those machines on the Vegas Strip, all of 30. They are a dying breed, possibly going to become extinct in our lifetimes.
I read that article and was reminded of a night back in the 1980s when I was living in Las Vegas. I wasn't at a casino, or the 7-11 location where I was lucky enough to hit a royal flush on the video poker machine on three different occasions. BTW, I hit all three of those $1,000 jackpots when I stopped in at that location to buy food and drink to take with me to work at a radio station.
I was at my local laundromat, doing a week's worth of wash. My wash was in several dryers, I'd finished my Political Science class homework and so I bought one roll of quarters. I was rewarded a few minutes later with the clanging bells of a royal flush. A jackpot of $1,000. But instead of the attendant coming out from the office with a fistful of bills, quarters kept pouring into the bowl at the base of the machine. 4,000 quarters. I asked and was told the laundromat would not convert the quarters into bills. I would have to take the quarters home with me.
Just in case you were wondering how much 4,000 quarters weighs, it turns out to be 50 pounds. I had to get enough buckets to hold 50 pounds of quarters and lug them out to the trunk of my car. Thank goodness I knew of a nearby casino that would allow me to bring in outside change and cash it in.
Today when you play a slot machine in a casino, you cash out with a slip of paper. Another machine turns that into cash. There is no human interaction. Is that a good thing? You tell me.
* * *
I was channel-surfing today and came on this episode of the original Star Trek. Hard to believe that this guy would go on more than a decade later to play this character.
Charles Napier, a very talented performer. Can't believe it was five years ago this week that he passed. RIP.
posted by me at 3:06 PM
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