Czars by definition

1. also tsar or tzar   (zär, tsär) KEY   A male monarch or emperor, especially one of the emperors who ruled Russia until the revolution of 1917.
2. A person having great power; an autocrat: "the square-jawed, ruddy complacency of Jack Farrell, the czar of the Fifteenth Street police station" (Ernest Hemingway).
3. Informal An appointed official having special powers to regulate or supervise an activity: a racetrack czar; an energy czar. 

ETYMOLOGY:
Russian tsar', from Old Russian tssar, emperor, king, from Old Church Slavonic tssar, from Gothic kaisar, from Greek, from Latin Caesar, emperor ; see caesar

OTHER FORMS:
czardom (Noun)
Usage Note:
The word czar can also be spelled tsar. Czar is the most common form in American usage and the one nearly always employed in the extended senses "any tyrant" or informally, "one in authority." But tsar is preferred by most scholars of Slavic studies as a more accurate transliteration of the Russian and is often found in scholarly writing with reference to one of the Russian emperors.

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Ok. I think the third one has been added kinda recently methinks, but you get the picture. I'm sure you've gone over it, but lets get down to Brass Tacks here.

First, reread the above definition, and then look at this list.

1. Afghanistan Czar: Richard Holbrooke
2. AIDS Czar: Jeffrey Crowley
3. Auto recovery Czar: Ed Montgomery
4. Border Czar: Alan Bersin
5. California Water Czar: David J. Hayes
6. Car Czar: Ron Bloom
7. Central Region Czar: Dennis Ross
8. Domestic Violence Czar: Lynn Rosenthal
9. Drug Czar: Gil Kerlikowske
10. Economic Czar: Paul Volcker
11. Energy and Environment Czar: Carol Brower
12. Faith-Based Czar: Joshua DuBois
13. Great Lakes Czar: Cameron Davis
14. Green Jobs Czar: Van Jones – Resigned
15. Guantanamo Closure Czar: Daniel Fried
16. Health Czar: Nancy-Ann DeParle
17. Information Czar: Vivek Kundra
18. International Climate Czar: Todd Stern
19. Intelligence Czar: Dennis Blair
20. Mideast Peace Czar: George Mitchell
21. Pay Czar: Kenneth Feinberg
22. Regulatory Czar: Cass Sunstein
23. Science Czar: John Holdren
24. Stimulus Accountability Czar: Earl Devaney
25. Sudan Czar: J. Scott Gration
26. TARP Czar: Herb Allison
27. Terrorism Czar: John Brennan
28. Technology Czar: Aneesh Chopra
29. Urban Affairs Czar: Adolfo Carrion Jr.
30. Weapons Czar: Ashton Carter
31. WMD Policy Czar: Gary Samore

Minus Jones, we now have 30 Kings. That's right, Kings, here in America. Answerable to the POTUS only. Now, it's my understanding that kings, by historic definition, do not play nice with their subjects. We're inferior, you see, since we are the unwashed masses.

Now, switch words with me.. instead of, say, Great Lakes Czar, say King of Great Lakes. Manipulate the language (hey, why not, they've been manipulating it for years). King of Domestic Violence. King of Terrorism. King of Health. King of Information.

The euphemism is not lost on me, nor the irony.

Funny things, words and language. We've been manipulating them for eons, yet when stuff slips through the cracks, it slips in a big way. I'm surprised no one has noticed it quite the way I have. Maybe they have, who knows, but no one is talking about it.

You use a word enough, and it looses its meaning, its substance. Sure, the meaning isn't really lost, but it becomes a shadow, a hologram of what it actually is. We take for granted the words that we use, and are used against us, as nothing more than that: words. But words are more powerful than most people realize, because memes and manipulations reach out to our sub-selves and touch lightly upon the things we think about. Do it over and over again, it becomes not a meme, but propaganda, skillfully and stealthily  implemented into your noggin to create thoughts you've never thought, and take actions you've never taken.

Legislation Still Under the Radar Would Devastate U.S. Gun Ownership Rights

I'm sure all of you are aware, but I still think its worth mentioning for those who don't.



Quip:

HR 45, introduced by Rep. Bobby Rush, would make it illegal to own a gun unless you are fingerprinted and can provide a driver’s license and Social Security number.

Additionally under HR 45, a person buying a gun would have to undergo both a physical and mental evaluation before making a firearm purchase. It also would require guns be secured from access by children under age 18, and would empower law enforcement officers to come into your home to check compliance.

S 1317, introduced by Sen. Frank Lautenburg, would give the attorney general the right to block gun sales to people on terror watch lists. A third bill, HR 2647, contains a companion clause to S 1317 that gives the attorney general the authority to determine who belongs on terrorist watch lists.

APF head Hilton has history of legal trouble

 

Michael Hilton of American Police Force arrived in Hardin with promises of Mercedes police cars and expertise in operating prisons. He delivered the cars last week, but may have learned about prisons following a 1993 conviction for grand theft.


Public records from police and state and federal courts in California show that Michael Anthony Hilton, using that name and more than a dozen aliases over several years, is cited in multiple criminal, civil and bankruptcy cases, and was sentenced in 1993 to two years in state prison in California.


Hilton pleaded guilty in March 1993 to 14 felonies, including 10 counts of grand theft, one count of attempted grand theft and three counts of diversion of construction funds, according to Orange County court records. He was sentenced to two years in prison, but it is unclear how much time he served.


Court records in that case list his real name as Michael Hilton, but they also include the aliases Midrag Ilia Dokovitch, Midrag Ilia Dokovich and Michael Miodrag.


Hilton, who speaks heavily accented English, has told reporters that he is a naturalized U.S. citizen originally from Montenegro, a country bordering Serbia, and once part of the former Republic of Yugoslavia.
The same aliases and other similar ones, all with slightly different spellings, show up in many other court documents citing Hilton, including a May 2003 Orange County case in which Hilton pleaded guilty to driving under the influence of alcohol.


A booking photo from the Huntington Beach Police Department from Hilton's DUI arrest on March 14, 2003, shows him heavier, beardless and with more hair than he has now.


It also shows the same facial features, including a distinct arched wrinkle over his left eye, along with three deep brow furrows, small, circular indentations in the center of his forehead and a cleft tip on the nose.
Michael Hilton and his aliases are listed as defendants in various Orange County civil cases alleging fraud and breach of warranty, including a March 2000 case where he is accused of fraud, larceny, breach of contract and false pretenses.


Court documents in that case allege that Hilton and others solicited investments of hundreds of thousands of dollars from the plaintiff for the creation of collectible Super Bowl commemorative coins.


The complaint alleges that Hilton and others falsely told the plaintiff that the money would be used for the design and manufacture of the coins, and to pay for a National Football League license to produce them.
In fact, the complaint states, no such license was ever issued by the NFL.


Court documents show that the plaintiff obtained a 2001 judgment for $200,000 against Hilton, listing his aliases of Miodrag Dokovich and Midrag Ilia Dokovich.


Hilton also declared Chapter 13 bankruptcy twice during a 15-month period.
He filed under his real name, citing the alias Miodrag A. Dokovich, in November 2002, listing a Stanton, Calif., home address and a Fountain Valley, Calif., business address tied to the Belgrade Market Liquor and Deli.


In February 2004, Hilton filed under his real name, citing the alias Miodrag Dokovich, and listing a Santa Ana, Calif., home address. He estimated his assets at less than $50,000, and listed as creditors only a credit union and his landlord.


Both bankruptcy filings appear to have been intended to delay eviction proceedings against him. Under federal bankruptcy law, tenants are generally protected from eviction while they reorganize their finances.
Anh Q.D. Nguyen, a Garden Grove attorney, said in an e-mail that he represented Hilton's landlord in an eviction case against Hilton that was filed in January 2004.


Nguyen said that Hilton "filed an eleventh-hour bankruptcy petition in which my office successfully obtained relief from the bankruptcy automatic stay, in order to reclaim possession of the rented premises."
Hilton had also been named as a defendant in July 2002 as part of separate eviction proceedings before his bankruptcy filing that year.


Hilton filed both bankruptcies without an attorney, paying less than $275 in filing fees for each. Both petitions were dismissed by the court after Hilton failed to provide necessary documentation, including a financial reorganization plan.


Chapter 13 bankruptcies generally remain on personal credit histories for seven years, and show up on standard credit checks.


When asked on Wednesday about Hilton's business dealings before his involvement with APF, company spokeswoman Becky Shay said, "That information is not going to be made available at this point."
"That's his private business. He is a man who distinguishes between private and business, between personal and corporate," she said.


Shay said she would check with Hilton for a comment about his DUI arrest, but did not provide further details.


She did not respond to an additional call made later Wednesday seeking more information about Hilton's other past legal problems.

FBI to Cops: Watch for Bomb Ingredients

..Seriously?

Police departments are being urged to be on the lookout for specific indicators of terrorist activity.

"I believe it's prudent to put that information out. We welcome it," said NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly.

The directive speaks of the possible use of hydrogen peroxide in bombs, and to look for people who may have burns on the face, hands and arms.

Watch out, Kevin Spacey!

Well, there goes my plans for world domination via hair coloring... and I suppose buying it for my med cabinet is now out of the question.

"This is an ongoing investigation that is being treated very, very seriously by the highest levels of the government," Rep. Peter King [aka Gomer Pyle] said.

Your tax dollars hard at work. For the love of Pete....