RISK FACTOR: This week in cybercrime.

FIVE YEARS AGO. It's hard to believe it's been five years.

ONLY IN AMERICA

Only in America could politicians talk about the greed of the rich at a $35,000.00 a plate campaign fund-raising event.

Only in America could people claim that the government still discriminates against black Americans when they have a black President, a black Attorney General, and roughly 18% of the federal workforce is black while only 12% of the population is black.

Only in America could the two people most responsible for our tax code, Timothy Geithner, the head of the Treasury Department and Charles Rangel who once ran the Ways and Means Committee, BOTH turn out to be tax cheats who are in favor of higher taxes.

Only in America can terrorists kill people in the name of Allah and have the media primarily react by fretting that Muslims might be harmed by the backlash.

Only in America would people who want to legally become American citizens wait for years in their home countries and pay tens of thousands of dollars for the privilege while we discuss letting anyone who sneaks into the country illegally just 'magically' become American citizens.

Only in America could the people who believe in balancing the budget and sticking by the country's Constitution be thought of as "extremists."

Only in America could you need to present a driver's license to cash a check or buy alcohol, but not to vote.

Only in America could people demand the government investigate whether oil companies are gouging the public because the price of gas went up when the return on equity invested in a major U.S. oil company (Marathon Oil) is less than half of a company making tennis shoes (Nike).

Only in America , could the government collect more tax dollars from the people than any nation in recorded history, still spend a trillion dollars more than it has per year , and complain that it doesn't have nearly enough money.

Only in America could the rich people - who pay 86% of all income taxes - be accused of not paying their "fair share" by people who don't pay any income taxes at all.

From my email

X-51A WAVERIDER TEST FAILURE likely caused by early fin release. A fourth flight is scheduled in 2013. The goal of the research program is to get in-flight data of an operating scramjet to further understand the technology and its potential applications.

YES. NEXT QUESTION? Are the TV Anchor People Rooting for President Obama?

PUNCH BACK: "It's time for all small businesses to file a class-action lawsuit against President Obama and the federal government for creating a 'Hostile Work Environment that terrorizes us and prevents us from earning a living."

MCCAIN: Pentagon of being unprepared to respond to Libya attack. Color me unconvinced. I think the Pentagon was fully prepared, but directed by the White House (i.e., Obama) not to respond. My sense is that Obama is so invested in his 'there is no such thing as Islamic terrorism' beliefs that he is willing to sacrifice his own people to avoid a military response.

OH, SHIT.

LEAF FALL 2012: Second in a series.

Taken October 26th. The earlier picture is here.

I KNOW, I KNOW. The sky is falling, hurricane Sandy is coming, and Armegeddon is only a few days away, so I'm keeping the radio/TV off as much as possible. I'm well aware that the average liberal/progressive can't find his ass without both hands and an instruction manual, but I see no reason to subject myself to the nanny-state buffoonery that has infected the media and political class.

NO SURPRISES: the Washington Post's 2012 election endorsements are out; all Democrats with the exception of one Republican. The one Republican, unfortunately, is my congressman, Frank Wolf. I voted against him in the primary -- and lost -- so I'll have to hold my nose and vote for him as the better of two bad choices.

'TWISTED LIGHT' for 2.5 Tb/s communications. At that speed, you could damn near download every book in the Library of Congress before you could release the mouse button.