TSLA: Short of The Century

The volatile billionaire Elon Musk has been in the news a lot lately, so I thought I’d dash out a cartoon about him. The man is quite a character with varied ambitions, but lately he’s been mostly concentrating on making a success of Tesla, the maker of luxury electric cars. I’ve looked at the money-losing company with skepticism for a long time. I’ve also been perplexed that its stock could reach such a high orbit. After all, Tesla has chewed through billions of dollars and many problems remain to be solved. I’ve read that it burns around $6 million per day and has already run up a $9.4 billion debt. These figures are constantly in a flux, but they can be readily obtained through internet searches.

Musk’s ego may soon be crashing into fiscal reality. He has a big stake in the company and naturally wants it to succeed, but his erratic behavior isn’t helping. TSLA is one of the most heavily shorted stocks and he hates those who are doing the shorting. According to ‘Zero Hedge,’ Musk leaned on the boss of a well-known critic and short seller of TSLA going by the handle, “Montana Skeptic.” He voluntarily deleted his Twitter account to keep his job. If this rumor is true, then such behavior by Musk is completely reprehensible. A CEO should never attack shorts because it only makes the situation look worse. Shorts can also be beneficial because they add liquidity and if the company has success, a short covering spike can add shine to that success.

Running a electric car company that has already lost billions should be a full plate for any ‘visionary,' but apparently that’s not enough risk for Musk. He’s also behind ‘SpaceX’ and space is always a risky and expensive venture. He wants to colonize Mars and even joked that he might be named ‘emperor’ of that orange world that is one third the size of Earth. It also has no breathable atmosphere, no magnetosphere to protect humans from on-coming radiation from the sun, no temperate climate, very cold temperatures and no easily obtainable water. Apparently the man likes a challenge. 

My worry is he’ll get government to bail him out. The taxpayers in California are already subsidizing TSLA to a degree because government there is desperate to reduce the smog from all the internal combustion engines on their jammed freeways. Look for a big bailout from California taxpayers, even though that state is a cash-strapped mess. If that’s not enough, look for the US taxpayers to bail out “the too big to fail” TSLA. It will be far worse than Solyndra. 

There is a joke going around the Internet regarding Tesla. Recently it was discovered there was a lot of inventory sitting out in a California field and going nowhere. The joke is Tesla is outstanding in its field. Let’s hope the batteries in those neglected vehicles don’t catch fire in this summer heat.

—Ben Garrison

The Latest Internet Extortion Scam

I've now received a couple of these annoying emails. The anonymous senders with fake names are attempting to extort people. I thought I'd answer them here. They know porn sites are very popular and receive a ton of traffic. Their emails are designed to snag users and strike fear into their hearts. The scam artists' emails are usually filled with bad grammar, but what's especially annoying is their morally superior tone. THEY are doing something outright criminal by means of extortion, but they treat recipients as if they were caught in some dreadful wrong doing and so they're spending a lot of their valuable time doing the work because they're concerned citizens or something. They hope to catch a 'perpetrator' masturbating in the privacy of her or his own home and they want to exploit and profit from the shame. Their unctuous tone is pervasive throughout. The 'fee' varies from sender to sender. Some ask for a few hundred bucks. For me, they demanded $3,200. Now it's up to $5,000. Wow, I'm flattered, but I don't have that kind of dough, so I guess I'll be 'exposed.' Anyway, here's the latest:

[Your] (one of my old and now unused passwords) is one of your Password. Lets get straight to the point. You don't know me whereas I "now" know alot about you and you must be thinking why are you receiving this email, right? The actual once-used password is designed to shock you, but they got it from a hacked site. Yahoo, Adobe, LinkedIn and many others have been hacked and such data has been released and sold to shady folk on the dark web. Always be changing your passwords!

You may be thinking "how?", I actually placed malware on sex vids (pornographic material) and there's more, you visited same sex web site to have pleasure (if you know what I mean). And when you got busy watching those videos, your web browser started functioning as a RDP (Remote Desktop) having a backdoor which provided me with access to your display screen as well as your webcam recordings. Right after that, the software obtained every one of your contacts from your social networks, and e-mail. I'm not a software expert, but I doubt this is possible. I've run a key logger and virus check and my computer has not been taken over.

What have I done? What you have done is commit a crime.
It's simply your bad luck that I found your misadventures. No, you found an email address and old password from a hacked site. Next, I put in more time than I probably should have what a work ethic you have! exploring into your data and generated a two screen sextape. First half displays the recording you were viewing and second part shows the recording of your web cam (its you doing naughty things) I keep tape over my webcam--and everyone should.

Exactly what can you do?
Honestly, I am willing to forget everything about you and allow you to move on with your regular life. How very kind and egalitarian of you! And I am about to give you a way out that will make it happen. How very considerate and 'giving' of you--looking out after the mark's best interest! These two choices are either to disregard this email (bad for you and your family), or pay me $ 5000 to finish this mattter forever. Oh really? I'm supposed to trust you, a criminal stranger to do that? Let us explore these 2 options in details.

Alternative one is to turn a deaf ear my email. Which I will do.You should know what is going to happen if you opt this path. I definitely will send out your video to all of your contacts including close relatives, colleagues, and many others. It does not shield you from the humiliation your household will have to face when friends and family discover your dirty videotape.

Second Option is to make the payment of $ 5000. We’ll name it my “privacy fee”. It's not a 'fee,' as if it's for some service you're performing. it's criminal extortion!! Now let me tell you what will happen if you pick this path. Your naughty secret remains private. I'll destroy the recording. After you you pay me my fees, fees? PLURAL? You slipped because you know this was written for mass mailing. You can freely keep your lifetime and family like nothing like this ever happened. If anyone pays you, you and your colleagues will be shaking them down for even more money.

You will make the transfer via Bitcoins (if you don't know how, search "how to buy "bitcoins" on search engine)
My BTC Address: 186nxWAcEPDzGvxnGvKCjrhfREtcP9n2HS
(It is cASe sensitive, so copy and paste it carefully) Thank you for your kind advice!

Important: You have one day to make the payment. What if someone knows nothing about bitcoin? ONE day is not much time! (I've a unique pixel in this mail, and now I know that you have read this e mail). The solution to this is to block emails with photos in your junk folder! You must not explain nobody what you would be using the Bitcoins for or they will often not give it to you. Because they would probably know about the scam. The procedure to get bitcoin can take a couple of days so do not delay. b-but...you said I have only one day!

If I don't get the Bitcoin, I definitely will send your video to all of your contacts including members of your family, co-workers, and so forth. I don't have any coworkers--don't you know that? having said that, if I do get paid, I will erase the videotape immediately. Uh huh. If you want evidence, reply with "yes!" and I definitely will send out your video to your 6 contacts. "You'd better not ask for evidence--just trust me!" It is a non negotiable one time offer, thus kindly do not waste my personal time & yours by replying to this message. If you had evidence, wouldn't you show it right off the bat? You want me to reply yet you say not to waste your time replying?

THE END

This is an obvious scam, but it should alert recipients to be aware of our dwindling privacy. The NSA has obliterated our 4th Amendment and routinely records all phone conversations. ISP providers sell info and Smart devices record data as well. Never buy an "Alexa" or such device that can also record family conversations. It's already bad enough, but when government becomes the extortionist, they will be able to use far more sophisticated means to shake down citizens.

Swalwell The Punk

Eric Swalwell, the gun-grabbing Democrat congressman from California’s 15th District and spewer of leftist sound bites, continues to ride the coattails of Schumer, Pelosi and Maxine Waters. He’s even giving Adam Schiff some competition for Chief Jackass of his party.

Looking at his site, we immediately see him drumming up fear of Russia while loudly repeating the Russia/Trump election collusion, which has been soundly disproven. Mueller has come up with nothing to prove Trump colluded with Putin. NOTHING! But facts don’t matter to Swalwell. When faced with a proven lie, he doubles down and tells the lie louder, and louder still. He’s even introduced a bill that makes it a LAW to report Russian collusion in our elections. He uses statism in the hopes it will help make a lie seem like the truth! He repeats the tiresome and erroneous line, ‘our democracy’ is in peril. No Eric, we are not a democracy. We are a REPUBLIC, if we can keep congressmen such as you from destroying it. 

Contrast Swalwell’s palaver with what Rudy Peters, his Republican opponent in the upcoming election, has to say. Here’s a sample from his website:

The Second Amendment—Balancing Rights with Safety

The oath of office for a member of the U.S. Congress begins with the following statement:

“I do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic…”

Please note that THIS INCLUDES THE SECOND AMENDMENT.

As written.

Contrast that with what’s on Swalwell’s site. While he claims to support our Second Amendment, he’s also supporting a plethora of bills that will make gun ownership more difficult through means of red tape and confiscation.

Peters is a seasoned, sensible man who made his success in the real world whereas the young Swalwell has been a career politician from the start.

Swalwell is part of the problem in America, not part of the solution. He’s another obnoxious cog in the Democrat's Trump-hating machine. Walk away!

Californians need to reject the callow statism of Swalwell and instead elect a responsible man who will protect our Constitution. That man is Rudy Peters. 

—Ben Garrison

(At fist I accidentally typed Peter Schiff, the gold bug instead of Adam Schiff--my apologies--BG)

Deep State Anti-Trump Hysteria

The Deep State is doing its best to make President Trump look like a traitor after his Helsinki Summit with Vladimir Putin. The kerfuffle seems centered on a Trump ‘misstatement’ that implied he did not trust his own US security agencies.

Well, no kidding. That’s because they’re not trustworthy. Sure, here’s where I must insert the obligatory statement that there are some ‘good, hard-working and dedicated people’ working at the FBI and CIA. The problem is, too many have become politicized arms of the globalist Deep State.

Just what is the Deep State? Some on the left insist it doesn’t exist. Bill Maher recently stated that the Deep State is merely ‘government.’ It may be part of government, but it’s always corrupt. The Deep State is that which exercises government power and influence that is not part of our mandated Republic. That is, it’s government by inside and outside sources that runs contrary to our Constitution. The Deep State can be central bankers who want to make sure we keep Russia as a big-time enemy so they can rake in more money through their wars started by false flags. The bankers can’t stand that Putin, like Trump, is a nationalist who doesn’t want globalist bankers taking over.

How can Obama and Bushes be part of the Deep State? Daddy Bush was involved with the CIA and the assassination of JFK. He pushed the globalist agenda of the "New World Order." His son was unqualified to be president, but pushed in by the Bush machine and he carried on the globalist program of war, lies and open borders. Just look at Jeb went into his virtue signaling mode about 'immigrants' during the Republican debates. The Deep State wants open borders. Presidents are supposed to protect our borders. Obama was put into office by the Deep State machine to further its goals. He was also illegally part of the UN and actually sent the UN's 'Green Climate Fund' $500 million of American taxpayer money. He also illegally sent Iran huge palettes of of cash--billions of dollars--to help bring about a terrible deal with that theocratic country. He illegally began a war with Libya among a myriad other wrongdoings. Read this book by Matt Margolis. Obama claimed his administration was 'scandal free' and the fake news media parroted that line. In actuality, his presidency was chalk-full of scandals!

https://www.amazon.com/Scandalous-Presidency-Barack-Obama/dp/1682615812/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1532111089&sr=8-2&keywords=obama+scandals

The Deep State also consists of big-time financiers such as George Soros, who astro-turfs protests and tries to turn elections in favor of his globalist agenda. The corporate controlled partisan media propaganda outlets influence voters. Paid Deep State lobbyists influence or even write legislation. It should come as no surprise that our so-called ‘security agencies’ are part of that game. After all, the NSA has completely shredded our 4th Amendment.

Presidents may come and go, but the people running those agencies and government bureaucracies in general tend to grow complacent. They begin overreaching and eventually start abusing their positions of power. Peter Strzock is a good example. He’s could be considered the face of the arrogant Deep State. HE was going to make sure Trump was thwarted. Never mind what the voters and Electoral College said. People such as Strzock and John Brennan are part of the Deep State that Eisenhower once warned us about. It’s the Deep State aided by sharks such as Allen Dulles that led to the assassination of President Kennedy.

There’s absolutely nothing wrong with Trump trying to make peace with Russia. It’s clear that no matter what might have occurred, Trump was going to be swamped with waves of shrill invective from the Deep State Swamp hydra. It’s important that our president maintains his focus in order to help make America great again.

—Ben Garrison

JOSHUA GOLDBERG: JUSTICE SERVED!

Joshua Ryne Goldberg was sentenced to 10 years in prison. I'm surprised--I thought he would escape justice by claiming some sort of mental illness 'disability.' Instead he's going to serve hard time in the slammer. I'm happy to hear this--I'm enjoying a bit of justice served. Even if indirectly.

Goldberg is a young man from Florida who harassed me for several years while using the handles "Moon Metropolis" and "European88." He was the troll who pasted my name and signature onto 'hate meme' boxes. Those boxes egregiously libeled me as a 'Nazi' and they were all over the Internet for a time. Some appeared nearly daily on 4chan and 8chan. As European88, he created a Ben Garrison board on Reddit were he published defaced cartoons (more libel) and claimed they were the 'originals.' All of his garbage was readily seen on the search engines and it hurt my commercial art business and reputation. In my book "Rogue Cartoonist" I list him as European88. A cyber detective was certain he was from Australia. For some reason Goldberg liked to pretend he was Australian and had a spate of Australian aliases. We guessed wrong about his location, but as it turned out the FBI was all over him after he incited the shooting in Texas--at the Garland 'Muhammad Draw-In" event.

Goldberg may have gotten away with his libel, but he crossed the line when incited murder and terrorism. The FBI snagged him in the act. In his case, hate speech was definitely not free speech.

Goldberg pretended to be a tough guy behind his keyboard. Now he can try to be tough in the very real and harsh world of prison. Have a good time, Joshua.

http://www.businessinsider.com/florida-terror-troll-australia-bomb-plot-2018-6