(Couldn’t find the article posted on line, so I’m quoting from the print edition of the Barre/Montpelier Times Argus of 06/23/10.)

“If some drilling equipment parts are flawed, is it rational to say all are?” [Judge Martin Feldman] asked. Are all airplanes a danger because one was? All oil tankers like Exxon Valdez? All trains? All mines? That sort of thinking seems heavy handed, and rather overbearing.”

(Judge strikes down ban on offshore drilling, Barre/Montpelier Times Argus, 06/23/10)

Let us be clear: THEY DO GROUND ENTIRE FLEETS OF AIRCRAFT WHEN A MAJOR PROBLEM HAS BEEN DISCOVERED IN ONE!

Heavy handed? Oh … you mean as in we want to protect our only source of food, water, air and shelter from known defects in offshore drilling equipment? REALLY?

And while you are here … you really, really, really have to visit this link and watch the short video.

I make no guarantee of any kind for any purpose and am not liable for any loss of anything of any kind due to following or attempting to follow these instructions.

The daughter got caught by what one would call scareware or hostageware: it’s an app that pretends to be an anti-virus program.

This app tells you all about any number attacks on your computer, and then it asks you if you want to purchase a license. I have no idea what the end result of this “purchasing” a license is, and I know I have no intention of finding out.

This particular app calls itself “AV” and is quite sneaky. It makes use of official looking warning messages, installs itself in your computers start up list, puts itself in the quick start bar (MS Vista) and uses microsoft look alike icons and even tries to get you to install it as the system firewall.

I finally found the executable in the following directory:

C:\Users\[user_name]\AppData\Local\ktvbpysxb and it is named knxgpottssd.exe

THIS APP INTERFERES WITH THE NORMAL WORKINGS OF AT LEAST Norton Internet Security! I don’t know if it does the same with others.

You will have to do the following to remove it manually:

1) Start computer in ‘safe mode’. Do this by COMPLETELY SHUTTING DOWN and then starting the computer and tapping the <f8> key until you get a screen asking how you want to start Windows. Choose safe mode without networking.

2) Once you are at the safe mode desktop go to ‘Start’ -> ‘Run’ and enter ‘msconfig’ and look for suspicious entries. These entries could have ‘Manufacturer’ listed as ‘unkown’, be in directories that don’t look similar to other entries, etc.

3) Uncheck any suspicious looking entries so they’re not run at start up.

At this point you need to reboot the computer and see if the scareware AV is showing again. If it is forget the amateur manual thing and get some professional help.

BUT

if the above process worked, go back to start -> run -> msconfig (you don’t have to reboot), check on the startup tab and find out where that file exists you unchecked.

as long as you are comfortable with what you are doing REMOVE THE FILE AND DIRECTORY ENTIRELY … DO NOT RELY ON THE STARTUP SETTINGS! Make sure you empty any recycle bins … do not leave copies of this file running around your computer.

If you are not comfortable GET SOME GOOD HELP!

This process did the job for me. WHAT EVER YOU DO DO NOT RESPOND TO ANY ANTI-VIRUS MESSAGES THAT ARE NOT COMING FROM AN APPLICATION YOU INSTALLED ON YOUR COMPUTER YOURSELF! AND BE ABSOLUTELY SURE OF WHATEVER YOU INSTALL “FOR FREE” FROM THE INTERNET!

Also not I make no guarantee of any kind for any purpose and am not liable for any loss of anything of any kind due to following or attempting to follow these instructions.

I just got off the phone with Vermont’s federal representative welch (Mark Johnson Show) and asked welch when he intended to apologize to the good people who were involved in ACORN now that we have a litany of investigations clearing ACORN of any wrong doing.

(For the latest report clearing ACORN see this recent post)

And the weasel’s answer? Why he just repeated the list of the lies that he originally used to attack ACORN.

The weasel is still a weasel … he does not deserve to return to congress.

I also suggest that due to welch’s obvious inability to explore the facts behind allegations we probably need to revisit every case he ever prosecuted in Vermont.

The Vermont News Guy seems to love starting his post off by affirming how fair, honest and non-judgmental he is …. and then proceeds to be unfair, dishonest and judgmental.

His latest post, One House, Two House, 06/16/10, provides a perfect example.

Margolis starts by telling us he’s going to begin with a suggestion and (my emphasis)

That’s “suggestion,” not “proposal.” This site does not customarily take sides in policy disputes, and none will be taken here. But now that Burlington has done away with its Instant Runoff Voting (IRV) system, political activists there (and elsewhere in Vermont) might want to take a look at yesterday’s election in Port Chester, N.Y.

He then proceeds to talk about cumulative voting … so good so far … BUT THEN

That, of course, is not the intention of IRV supporters. In Vermont, the real purpose of IRV is to serve as a Progressive Party Protection Act, saving the Progs from the “spoiler” label when they effectively elect a Republican by siphoning off votes that would otherwise have gone to the Democrat.

A claim that can only have come from Margolis’ butt.

Here’s reality: folks like me support the Vermont Progessive Party in part because the Vermont Progressive Party supports instant runoff voting and will actually work hard to see it instituted. I most certainly do not support IRV because I support the Vermont Progressive Party.

Margolis tries to pass himself off as a new breed of electronic based reporter, but in truth he operates on level with the Vermont tigger … basically full of crap.

Vermont tigger already has the spot when it comes to faith-based, factually vacuous, hypocritical statement filled posts. I’m sorry to see Margolis go this route, and until he decides to change he is no longer on my reading list.

As for the Green Mountain Daily? I thank you folks for being honest, and although I may disagree with some, all or none of you (depending upon the subject) at least there is a deliberate effort to stay real.

oh … and Rob “republican party talking point repeat parrot” Roper too …

This link is to the preliminary GAO investigation into all the alleged and found without basis accusations leveled against ACORN by Vermont Representative Peter “The Weasel” Welch and his rabid right wing allies.

I’m not going to excerpt so please read. I know Peter “The Weasel” Welch and Rob “Republican party talking point repeat parrot” Roper won’t … otherwise they’d have to admit they’re both equally full of shit!

HEY WEASEL .. way to help destroy an organization who’s mission was to help empower those the likes of welch and roper have helped to disempower.

So … where’s the apology?

the Democratic gubernatorial nominee needs:

“Dubie stands in contrast to his Democratic opponents on a number of issues: He supports the continued operation of the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant while they all oppose it. He is anti-abortion while they are pro-choice. He was against Vermont’s 2009 same-sex marriage law while they are for it.”

Source: Dubie kicks off campaign for governor, Burlington Free Press, 06/13/10

Serial republican party talking point repeat parrot Rob Roper had a post put up on the timid Tigger yesterday titled The Lottery Is A Winner. Roper performed two of his favorite twists of reality in the post by going after non-defunct ACORN* for being “the outfit caught on tape helping a pimp and prostitute set up a brothel filled with under-aged, illegal alien prostitutes” and the teachers’ union NEA.

I tried to post a response to right wing rob’s lies, but apparently the timid tiggers didn’t feel it was appropriate (they don’t mind liars I guess .. better talking points from liars than reality from honest folks). So here now is my response as I tried posting:

Let’s start with THE HUGE LIE: “you remember ACORN: the outfit caught on tape helping a pimp and prostitute set up a brothel filled with under-aged, illegal alien prostitutes”.

Nope, didn’t happen, all the evidence proves that. But you would know that multiple investigations by prosecuting attorneys from New York to California proved what I say is true IF you hadn’t stopped reading as soon as you read what you wanted to read.

All you’re doing, Rob, is repeating a huge lie. If you want a touch of reality: http://www.bradblog.com/?p=7780 and http://www.politico.com/blogs/…

Secondly, Rob, you’ve been a major apologists for the Catholic Church regarding its active participation in covering up child molestation by priests. Your primary vehicle for this has been to accuse the VT NEA of doing the exact same thing.

So here’s a chance to give us one example of the VT NEA actively covering up for or defending a known child molester.

Try getting past the convenient talking points, Rob.

I’m not going to waste my time holding my breath … because you are full of crap republican rob the talking point repeat parrot.

*(hey … thanks weasel welch … still no apology for the damage you’ve help cause by joining your rabidly right wing allies in congress to attack a community based organization devoted to empowering those you and your rabidly right wing allies in congress have helped to dis-empower)

( – promoted by GMD)

(or Must really suck to be Vermont hater Dubie/Douglas)

THE UPDATE (thanks to The Vermont News Guy):

The latest issue  of  Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine named Burlington one of the “ten best cities for the next decade.” Praised  for its “creativity and entrepreneurship” Burlington was tagged the eighth best city for both living and working over the next several years. Austin, Texas, was first.

In addition, recently released  (or, perhaps more accurately, hitherto ignored) Census figures confirm that Vermont is one of the most affluent states, with a relatively low poverty rate, and one of the lowest rates of child poverty in the country. The statistics are from 2008, the most recent available.

The News Guy has the links in his post … so just click right here for more detail (story is titled Random Notes For a Monday).

END UPDATE

Not long ago I helped to expose the seamy underbelly of Vermont life by helping to spread this article from VermontBiz discussing, among other things, how business owners really liked Vermont … even despite having to (insert gasp of understanding here) pay taxes.

Now it is the turn of 7 Days’ own Shay Totten and the glaringly liberal (not) Addison County Independent.

From Shay we learn that “Forbes rated Burlington among the prettiest cities in the United States. But looks aren’t everything. The magazine also declared B-town to be the second most likely location in the U.S. to find a job this spring.”

And the Addison Indie? “Editor’s note – You’ve seen the headlines, you’ve heard the personal stories from friends and neighbors: Vermont needs to create more opportunities for its young people or else they will leave the state. But many young adults choose to stay here and many others return after a few years away.” So they’re presenting the first in a series about the (insert another gasp of understanding here) reasons people like Vermont.

Along with the reality that Vermont’s schools are regularly ranking at the top (or directly adjacent to it) in national rankings … why next thing you know politicians are going to have to start running on the “Vermont is a great place to live” platform.

The Deepwater Horizon is not the only well leaking oil into the Gulf of Mexico for the last month.

A nearby drilling rig, the Ocean Saratoga, has been leaking since at least April 30, according to a federal document.

(Another Gulf oil spill: Well near Deepwater Horizon has leaked since at least April 30, AL.com, 06/07/10)

Some video at CONFIRMED: Aerial Video Shows Second Leaking Rig Near The Deepwater Horizon, Coto Report, 06/08/10.

Thanks to Buzz Flash for the original pointer.

LONDON-As the crisis in the Gulf of Mexico entered its eighth week Wednesday, fears continued to grow that the massive flow of bullshit still gushing from the headquarters of oil giant BP could prove catastrophic if nothing is done to contain it.

(Massive Flow Of Bullshit Continues To Gush From BP Headquarters, the Onion, 06/07/10)

Unfortunately under the heading of No Bullshit

WASHINGTON – BP’s runaway Deepwater Horizon well may be spewing what the company once-called its worst case scenario – 100,000 barrels a day, a member of the government panel told McClatchy Monday.

BP well may be spewing 100,000 barrels a day, scientist says, McClatchey, 06/07/10)