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Is Amazon trying to be the first to implement the retailing version of “The Minority Report” (emphasis mine, reformatted)?:

Amazon is watching you and shipping your next package…even if you didn’t order it. The Seattle, Washington retailer has just obtained a patent that they call “anticipatory shipping,” which targets customers based on their historical shopping trends.

This new software system Amazon hopes will reduce waiting time for customers to receive shopping items and “may dissuade customers from buying items from online merchants.” Although a customer hasn’t yet clicked on buy, Amazon is predicting that he/she will, based on previous orders, product searches, wish lists, shopping-cart contents, returns and the amount of time an Internet user’s cursor lingers over an item.

I think that line should read “from buying items from OTHER online merchants”.  Certainly with advanced data mining, a lot of things can be put into a “possible” or “never” sold status in the aggregate – but there is always uncertainty in the individual case.  Heck, they might be right in what I would want next – but is that sufficient even if they want to keep their lead in customer service (which as online sales increase, is increasingly being measured by delivery times – when we Americans want something, we want it RIGHT NOW!): 

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And of course, there is that small thing call “holding someone accountable”, eh?  From CNSNews (reformatted, emphasis mine):

Two members of the Senate are pressing for significant changes to how presidents consult with Congress on sending the military into war.  Sens. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Tim Kaine, D-Va., unveiled legislation on Thursday that would repeal the 1973 War Powers Resolution, often ignored by presidents of both parties, and replace it with a new law that requires greater consultation and a congressional vote within 30 days on any significant armed conflict.

“The Constitution gives the power to declare war to the Congress, but Congress has not formally declared war since June 1942, even though our nation has been involved in dozens of military actions of one scale or another since that time,” McCain said. “There is reason for this: The nature of war is changing.”

I’ve listed the relevant parts of the Constitution as to War responsibilities after the jump.  But ask yourself – if the President (current and past) has unilaterally decided to ignore the US Constitution in ordering our troops into military actions, ignoring the current War Powers Act law, where has the Congress been and done in calling him (and prior Oval Office denizens) to account?  Was the War Powers Resolution written to be Potemkin law – a mere punching bag or an invisibility cloak when needed?  And which is worse – ignoring a law or ignoring the Constitution?  And are Congressman / Senators just using this as a bully pulpit and bellow “We’re being ignored!” without actually have the political courage to do something (e.g., defunding such military actions or impeachment)? 

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I’ve written before about Laconia’s Hathaway House (here) that is considered to be a historic landmark and the animus that “community stakeholders” have towards the owner simply because the owner won’t keep it up to “their” standards.  Well, two of these chuckleheads are at it again in sending Letters to the Editor excoriating the corporate owners (a Dunkin Donuts franchisee) and their Letters to the Editor are shown after the Jump.  I sent this into the Laconia Daily Sun:

To the Editor:

I dryly note that Progressives became so hated during the last century, they needed to rebrand themselves. They chose “Liberal” to next redefine and abuse.But their intent was not to elevate Classic Western Liberalism that emphasized the Individual and Rights granted by God but the regressive idea that the Individual should be subservient to the Collective which would grant (and therefore, could revoke) those Rights which otherwise should be held inviolate including the Right to Private Property. And as we know, they blew that word up and have retreated to the original word, Progressive. Either way, I call them incremental Socialists.

The Hathaway House situation provides us with yet another GRAND example of people absconding with a word’s original meaning: “stakeholder”. Previously viewed as simply a person that held the stakes for erecting a tent or a fence, they have redefined its usage by involving themselves into “the process” as “interested and involved citizens”. At the national and international level, they are generally known as Non-Governmental Organizations. Think of the EPA, its royal decrees (void of legislation) – and the environmental groups that insert themselves and “advise” on policy. Even though they have no ownership interest in property whose value may well be diminished, they have no problem in helping to promulgate regulations that diminishes the Rights of the owners to use that property. They call themselves “advocates” – we used to call these people Busybodies. 

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From Big Government:

1. A Record 91.8 Million Americans Are No Longer in the Workforce

…According to the U.S. Census, 317 million people live in the United States.

2. Since Jan. 2009, the Number of Jobless Working-Age Americans Has Risen 9.6 Million People

…That means that the number of working age Americans that are not working has grown by close to 10 million since Barack Obama first took office.

3.  47.4 Million Americans Now Rely on Food Stamps

…roughly one out of every six Americans – now receives food stamps 

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I sent this in to the Laconia Daily Sun:

To the Editor,

This is in response to Niel Young’s Letter to the Editor (after the jump) of today.  I dryly note that while Jane Cormier may be in his “NOT friends” category (a rather large set of people, I imagine), I am quite sure I rate much lower than that (if at all, eh Niel?).

That said, ditto pretty much the rest of what he said; my vote is going to the Conservative in the Special Election for District 1 Executive Council seat – Joe Kenney.  He knows how the State political system runs, the doggedness and discipline of a prior Marine, and the conservative values as a foundation.  It is time to elect someone who follows and stands by his values instead of the go-along-to-get-along mantra that waver in any political breeze.

He certainly has my endorsement.

Kindest regards,

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But no United States of America – ostensibly, “the Land of the Free” – in the latest version of  Economic Freedom Report.

“You know, if you like your freedom, you can keep it. Or maybe not,” said Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) at an Index panel hosted by the Heritage Foundation on Tuesday in Washington, D.C. “This year the United States slips in a ranking for economic freedom. Why? Because economic freedom is inversely proportional to the size of your government. And government continues to grow at an alarming pace.”

“The government takeover of health care is a significant loss of freedom,” said the senator. “In fact, I would argue that Obamacare involves the largest loss of freedom of choice in 50 years.”

It isn’t just the laws that are passed –

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