Monday, September 29, 2008
Black Monday victory?
And shame on you, Nazi Pelosi, for calling the Republicans who "didn't come to the table" as being "unpatriotic". You locked them out, you had them thrown out of meetings, you tried to sneak "earmarks" into this bill that had NO PLACE in it. You also were only too willing to grant Hank Paulson virtually unlimited powers to buy ANY assets he deemed necessary to preserve his profits, and likely your own profits as well, including bad foreign-owned financial instruments. I have no respect for you or your gang of thieves, shame on you for trying to give our country away. There is a reason your Demican/Republicrat party turned their backs on you and your siamese twin Jorge Arbusto, and that reason is US! We, the people! We spoke, our representatives listened, for once, and defeated the bill you and Jorge tried in vain to shove down our throats. The reason for your secrecy and your rush to pass this legislation? I have my suspicions that you, too, are making bets against the economy, shorting the US economy, as it were. YOU are the unpatriotic one, Grandma! I am ashamed of you, and those of your ilk!
For the rest of us on Main Street who pushed back against this bad piece of legislation, please- keep it up. Be involved. This is but a small victory in the taking back of America. The monsters on Wall Street are very much against Main Street, don't let their lies and perversions of the truth fool you. They are out to make a buck. Your buck. We need more vigilance, more involvement in our government than we have been given to exercising lately. Our complacency has nearly cost us our very freedom, and the attacks came from within. Nice to see not everyone was asleep at the wheel this time- don't nod off now. They will try again by the end of the week.
When they DO try, look at the bill as it is drafted. Look carefully for protections for the common man, look for true oversight- the dead bill had an oversight committee consisting of Paulson, Cox, the Secretary of HUD. THAT, my friends, is giving the fox the keys to the henhouse! Not wise, even by today's lax standards! Look also for unbridled power to be given to either Paulson, or one (or more) of his cronies, such as the Federal Reserve Board, or even the GAO. Watch for tricks in the wording that will allow great latitudes in powers, or in what types of financial instruments are allowed to be bought or sold. What we really need right now is a complete overhaul of the system, but the weasels of Wall Street are screaming for more cash. They're pathetic, like junkies looking for their next fix. It sickens me. The crafters of this bill also told us (Hank Paulson & friends) that there would be "protections against golden parachute clauses". That, dear readers, was an outright lie. The only thing mentioned in the bill that referred to "excessive compensation" was a small passage that said "Excessive compensation will be levied a tax at the rate of 20% on the excessive gains of the top 5 persons leaving any firm". Not even what I pay on my puny salary! And it opens the door to the "carryout profits buffet". Just underpay the next 5 in line, and have them carry the profits out the door and to the alley, where the top fat cats will be waiting in the line of limos. Thievery. Utter trash.
I expect tomorrow's market will see a 400-800 point drop, especially since the European markets are undergoing their own bank failures right now (Fortis). In fact, some are calling for up to a 4-6,000 point drop in the Dow before we settle out. That, my friends, is what I call devastating. But it can happen. Be prepared, as much as you can. Unemployment will likely exceed 10% in the coming months. I don't think that it will be as bad as the 1930's, when unemployment hit a whopping 25%, but it could get close. The difference this time is that firms aren't experiencing as much contraction to preserve capital as before. With the credit market bone-dry, I don't expect to see too much growth, but it may not be the end of the world.
So, be aware of every penny for the time being, and don't spend needlessly. We must prepare ourselves for a new paradigm- living on what we truly need, not on what we truly want. We will adjust to this new lifestyle, I already have. Sure, I have some toys, I'm not rich, I live in a modest little home in a modest little neighborhood, and I don't own a single new car. I also don't have as much debt as most average Americans, which is good. But I also don't have as big a cushion as I'd like. I'm working on that part, and so should you.
Happy "Black Monday" to you all, and celebrate the victory, but not too much, there is still a very large war, and this is but one small battle. Be brave, have courage, and know that "we done good" this time.
As always, I am...
Amir Fazadh
And the hangman pulls the lever....
Main Street is just about there. We are on the cusp of a major revolution. We the people are getting VERY ANGRY at what is perceived as the big guys preserving their buddies' "golden parachute funds". The time has come.
The only thing that will stop the situation at this point would be to hold the elections today, and have everyone vote out the incumbents, and write in a candidate for president that is not currently on the ticket. But that isn't going to happen. What they'll do is fund this trillion-dollar "bailout" of the financial sector. This is not for our own good, I'm telling you. This is not capitalism, it is fascism, pure and simple. And we're going to let this happen? I've been writing that this country is in a death spiral for a while now, and I'm predicting at least a 300-pt drop in the Dow today, perhaps double that. The market is broken, and our fearful leaders are taking the cash register and going home.
What about the average Joe Sixpack? The gang of thieves in Weaselton DC seem content to saddle us with the bill while they print ever more worthless fiat currency known as the "almighty dollar". The "almighty dollar" is looked upon with scorn in the world now, they see how thin the trappings of "success" are, they know we are going down for the count, and accordingly are saying "thanks, but no thanks" to our overtures for more investment here. The world's capital has dried up, the ATM is now unplugged. This nation's excessive, consumer-driven expenses are coming home to roost, and the waiter has just slipped us the bill. Our goose has been cooked, and the people know it.
This situation is being seen as "the beginning of the end" by most. I see it as the "end of the beginning". It's going to get much, much worse. If you were planning, like me, to retire at some point and enjoy "the golden years", please be aware that you will now have to work for approximately 137 more years, if you are nearing retirement. Your "golden years" are now a "lead ballon"- unless, of course, your name happens to be Bush, Cheney, Paulson, Bernanke, or Cox. Or the name of any CEO on Wall Street. That is where my little daughter's future is being sold out.
Despite Bush's "the sky is falling" speech, I don't buy for a second the specter of total anihilation of the markets if we let Goldman-Sucks fail. It will be yet another bank failure. We have seen large firms fail before- witness Enron, and the dreadful knee-jerk reaction of the politicos known as "Sarbanes-Oxley Act". That one crippled normal businesses, in an effort to "protect the shareholders". It was supposed to result in more transparency, but the net result is that no company can do anything without going through a checklist of Byzantine proportion, and a whole industry developed around it to siphon off profits. Entire corps of lawyers and accountants sprung up from the ashes of the failed energy giant. Think of what it will be like now, er, "going forward", to use a now common biz-speak term.
Protect your assets, and invest in commodities like gold and silver, and lead. It's time to rise up, unified, grab OurPitchforksAndTorches, and put this matter to rest once and for all. Greed is NOT good. It is the cancer that has taken over this nation, and driven us to ruin.
As always, I am...
Amir Fazadh
Thursday, September 25, 2008
$700 Billion dollar reward for screwing our economy?
I asked my lenders for a bit of help coping with this national disaster, and was rebuffed with a hearty "Sorry, pay your bill. No help for you, and no, you can't have one payment put off to the end of the loan."
I was charged $75 to cancel my flight.
My cruise line cheerfully refunded my money in full for our December cruise that we can no longer go on. They will get my booking next time.
What irks me is that I was given no quarter, no relief from ANYONE from this storm, despite living less than 10 miles from where Ike rumbled ashore, and the eye passed directly over my house. I wasn't asking for a lot of assistance, just a little relief from the ravages of the storm. Enough breathing room to not go under. What I got was the proverbial "sharp stick in the eye".
After 13 days, we finally have power. Life will return to normal.
What will NOT return to normal, in my opinion, is the venereal, er, venerable, institutions known as "Wall Street". What they are doing is asking us, the taxpayer, to foot the bill for the multi-million-dollar "exit packages", the bonus that executives get for ruining a company and sending it into the abyss of history. They want us to bail them out, to save them from the abyss they threw themselves into through bad decision-making, and plain, unadulterated greed. They want us to save them from the fires of hell with our own money. I am against this "plan". They want US to give them more money? After they have plundered the US treasury, ruined our economy, offshored our jobs, debased our currency, robbed my children of their futures, and now they want to saddle us with even MORE DEBT? The kind that takes generations to pay off? Are they insane? We're supposed to trust these vermin? We're supposed to give them even more money to reward them for this thievery? No. Not only no, but HELL NO! These people have nothing in the game. I would make this loan only under the following conditions-
1) All profit comes back to the people after the principal is paid, and with a stiff penalty.
2) All property, including thier personal residences, retirement accounts, golden parachutes, and stock options, all bank accounts, cash, and vehicles should be immediately forfeit. They can serve as the "down payment", so to speak. Let's get these bastards to have some "skin: in the game.
3) Immediate cancellation of all bonuses and regular salary for the CEOs of the affected companies. Put those twoard the repayment of this debt. They can have it back if and when the markets recover.
What is happening with Bush and cronies proclaiming the end of the world if we don't approve their looting of the Treasury is nothing short of financial terrorism. It's like rewarding the captain of the Exxon Valdez with a bigger ship full of oil, and a case of Scotch to go with it. If my banks won't even grant me ONE DEFERRED PAYMENT to help me get past a declared national disaster, why should I be expected to give my child's future to them? Let Goldman Sachs fail. It would probably do MORE for the world economy's trust to let them fail than to reward bad behavior with saddling the taxpayer with debt and risk.
What they are doing, in a nutshell, is giving us the risk while they reap the rewards. This is flat-out WRONG. It is thievery, plain and simple. "Hank" Paulson was the CEO of Goldman Sachs up until 2 years ago. Why would he give up the $16Billion bonuses and the salary of that job for a $400,000 a yr job in the government, unless he knew that this was going to happen? He was one of the architects of this destruction, let him enjoy the reward of seeing his creation through. Let him give up all his ill-gotten gains. Let him feel the pain he is causing us. He earned it!
We need to get out OurPitchforksAndTorches and give ol' Hank a sharp stick in the ass. Just like he's doing to us! How's it feel, Hank?
Friday, August 29, 2008
McCain/Palin
In the Democrat's corner is a previously unknown city councilman from Chicago, home of the notoriously corrupt Richard Daley political family, who Obama has close ties with. He also has some very shady associates, including Bill Ayers, former Weatherman (Communist group) and terror bomber of the 60s-70s. His ideology included such gems as:
"Kill all the rich people. Break up their cars and apartments. Bring the revolution home, Kill your parents."
Nice guy, huh. And Barack Hussein Obama claims him as a mentor. Hmmm. So I'd have to assume that the liar Obama actually stands for the "redistribution of wealth", which is a code word for "Communist", and I'm not too far off in my assumption. If you listened at all to his speech at the DNC, where he assumed the mantle of President-Elect a tad early, he is a magnetic and charismatic speaker on camera. But then, so was Hitler, and look what he did for Germany. The parallels are staggering. He came out ot nowhere, made grandiose speeches, was adored by the populace...then he took power and showed his real face. We're witnessing the same thing. The architecture of the stage alone is enough to make me wonder- the Greco-esque columns, like a mutant Parthenon of Greece for him to speak as Zeus, you gotta wonder about his ego...
Now the hockey mom, Sarah Palin, may end up being more of a liability than an asset, with her lack of experience. Despite her lack of experience, she has been in charge of the National Guard up there for a couple years. Not exactly battle-tested. But I'd take her and McCain over Obama's promise of change, especially since his change might be to make us a communist nation. Of course, we'll all have our own rainbows and ride unicorns if he's elected, but I'm hoping that I won't have to see that. Besides, it'll be hard to load up a unicorn with household goods and ride it to another country. I'm thinking that if we become an Obamanation, I'll have no choice but to leave the country and never turn back.
We're in for a weird election season. I'm getting really tired of having to choose the lesser of two evils. Many people I talk to tell me of their frustrations as well. Perhaps this Barracuda chick will have some influence in cleaning up Weaselton, DC, before they corrupt her, too. That wouldn't be such a bad thing...
The way I see it, we have a disproportionate amount of corporate corruption, a dysfunctional, puppet media, and lobbyists who decide what is best for us. It would behoove the government to cede power back to the people where it belongs, rather than trying to be all things to all corporations, people be damned. But unless we can get rid of the corruption and reign in the influence peddlers, as well as get the media to report on the things that matter, I don't see this country being here for a 2012 election. It's time we grabbed OurPitchforksAndTorches, and inform our neighbors of the danger we really face.
As always, I am...
Amir Fazadh
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Massive US naval armada heads for Iran...
Massive US naval armada heads for Iran...
Eurobusiness blogspot, Thursday, August 7, 2008
Operation Brimstone ended only one week ago. This was the joint US/UK/French naval war games in the Atlantic Ocean preparing for a naval blockade of Iran and the likely resulting war in the Persian Gulf area. The massive war games included a US Navy supercarrier battle group, an US Navy expeditionary carrier battle group, a Royal Navy carrier battle group, a French nuclear hunter-killer submarine plus a large number of US Navy cruisers, destroyers and frigates playing the "enemy force".
The lead American ship in these war games, the USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN71) and its Carrier Strike Group Two (CCSG-2) are now headed towards Iran along with the USS Ronald Reagon (CVN76) and its Carrier Strike Group Seven (CCSG-7) coming from Japan.
They are joining two existing USN battle groups in the Gulf area: the USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN72) with its Carrier Strike Group Nine (CCSG-9); and the USS Peleliu (LHA-5) with its expeditionary strike group.
Likely also under way towards the Persian Gulf is the USS Iwo Jima (LHD-7) and its expeditionary strike group, the UK Royal Navy HMS Ark Royal (R07) carrier battle group, assorted French naval assets including the nuclear hunter-killer submarine Amethyste and French Naval Rafale fighter jets on-board the USS Theodore Roosevelt. These ships took part in the just completed Operation Brimstone.
The build up of naval forces in the Gulf will be one of the largest multi-national naval armadas since the First and Second Gulf Wars. The intent is to create a US/EU naval blockade (which is an Act of War under international law) around Iran (with supporting air and land elements) to prevent the shipment of benzene and certain other refined oil products headed to Iranian ports. Iran has limited domestic oil refining capacity and imports 40% of its benzene. Cutting off benzene and other key products would cripple the Iranian economy. The neo-cons are counting on such a blockade launching a war with Iran.
The US Naval forces being assembled include the following:
Carrier Strike Group Nine
USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN72) nuclear powered supercarrier
with its Carrier Air Wing Two
Destroyer Squadron Nine:
USS Mobile Bay (CG53) guided missile cruiser
USS Russell (DDG59) guided missile destroyer
USS Momsen (DDG92) guided missile destroyer
USS Shoup (DDG86) guided missile destroyer
USS Ford (FFG54) guided missile frigate
USS Ingraham (FFG61) guided missile frigate
USS Rodney M. Davis (FFG60) guided missile frigate
USS Curts (FFG38) guided missile frigate
Plus one or more nuclear hunter-killer submarines
Peleliu Expeditionary Strike Group
USS Peleliu (LHA-5) a Tarawa-class amphibious assault carrier
USS Pearl Harbor (LSD52) assult ship
USS Dubuque (LPD8) assult ship/landing dock
USS Cape St. George (CG71) guided missile cruiser
USS Halsey (DDG97) guided missile destroyer
USS Benfold (DDG65) guided missile destroyer
Carrier Strike Group Two
USS Theodore Roosevelt (DVN71) nuclear powered supercarrier
with its Carrier Air Wing Eight
Destroyer Squadron 22
USS Monterey (CG61) guided missile cruiser
USS Mason (DDG87) guided missile destroyer
USS Nitze (DDG94) guided missile destroyer
USS Sullivans (DDG68) guided missile destroyer
USS Springfield (SSN761) nuclear powered hunter-killer submarine
IWO ESG ~ Iwo Jima Expeditionary Strike Group
USS Iwo Jima (LHD7) amphibious assault carrier
with its Amphibious Squadron Four
and with its 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit
USS San Antonio (LPD17) assault ship
USS Velia Gulf (CG72) guided missile cruiser
USS Ramage (DDG61) guided missile destroyer
USS Carter Hall (LSD50) assault ship
USS Roosevelt (DDG80) guided missile destroyer
USS Hartfore (SSN768) nuclear powered hunter-killer submarine
Carrier Strike Group Seven
USS Ronald Reagan (CVN76) nuclear powered supercarrier
with its Carrier Air Wing 14
Destroyer Squadron 7
USS Chancellorsville (CG62) guided missile cruiser
USS Howard (DDG83) guided missile destroyer
USS Gridley (DDG101) guided missile destroyer
USS Decatur (DDG73) guided missile destroyer
USS Thach (FFG43) guided missile frigate
USNS Rainier (T-AOE-7) fast combat support ship
Also likely to join the battle armada:
UK Royal Navy HMS Ark Royal Carrier Strike Group with assorted guided missile destroyers and frigates, nuclear hunter-killer submarines and support ships
French Navy nuclear powered hunter-killer submarines (likely the Amethyste and perhaps others), plus French Naval Rafale fighter jets operating off of the USS Theodore Roosevelt as the French Carrier Charles de Gaulle is in dry dock, and assorted surface warships
Various other US Navy warships and submarines and support ships.
The following USN ships took part (as the "enemy" forces) in Operation Brimstone and several may join in:
USS San Jacinto (CG56) guided missile cruiser
USS Anzio (CG68) guided missile cruiser
USS Normandy (CG60) guided missile cruiser
USS Carney (DDG64) guided missile destroyer
USS Oscar Austin (DDG79) guided missile destroyer
USS Winston S. Churchill (DDG81) guided missile destroyer
USS Carr (FFG52) guided missile frigate
The USS Iwo Jima and USS Peleliu Expeditionary Strike Groups have USMC Harrier jump jets and an assortment of assault and attack helicopters. The Expeditionary Strike Groups have powerful USMC Expeditionary Units with amphibious armor and ground forces trained for operating in shallow waters and in seizures of land assets, such as Qeshm Island (a 50 mile long island off of Bandar Abbas in the Gulf of Hormuz and headquarters of the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps).
The large and very advanced nature of the US Naval warships is not only directed at Iran. There is a great fear that Russia and China may oppose the naval and air/land blockade of Iran. If Russian and perhaps Chinese naval warships escort commercial tankers to Iran in violation of the blockade it could be the most dangerous at-sea confrontation since the Cuban Missile Crisis. The US and allied Navies, by front loading a Naval blockade force with very powerful guided missile warships and strike carriers is attempting to have a force so powerful that Russia and China will not be tempted to mess with. This is a most serious game of military brinkmanship with major nuclear armed powers that have profound objections to the neo-con grand strategy and to western control of all of the Middle East's oil supply.
The Russian Navy this spring sent a major battle fleet into the Mediterranean headed by the modern aircraft carrier the Admiral Kuznetsov and the flagship of its Black Sea Fleet, the Guided Missile Heavy Cruiser Moskva. This powerful fleet has at least 11 surface ships and unknown numbers of subs and can use the Russian naval facility at Syria's Tartous port for resupply. The Admiral Kuznetsov carries approximately 47 warplanes and 10 helicopters. The warplanes are mostly the powerful Su-33, a naval version (with mid-air refueling capability) of the Su-27 family. While the Su-33 is a very powerful warplane it lacks the power of the stealth USAF F-22. However, the Russians insist that they have developed a plasma based system that allows them to stealth any aircraft and a recent incident where Russian fighters were able to appear unannounced over a US Navy carrier battle group tends to confirm their claims. The Su-33 can be armed with the 3M82 Moskit sea-skimming missile (NATO code name SS-N-22 Sunburn) and the even more powerful P-800 Oniks (also named Yakhonts; NATO code name SS-N-26 Onyx). Both missiles are designed to kill US Navy supercarriers by getting past the cruiser/destroyer screen and the USN point-defense Phalanx system by using high supersonic speeds and violent end maneuvers. Russian subs currently use the underwater rocket VA-111 Shkval (Squall), which is fired from standard 533mm torpedo tubes and reaches a speed of 360kph (230mph) underwater. There is no effective countermeasures to this system and no western counterpart.
A strategic diversion has been created for Russia. The Republic of Georgia, with US backing, is actively preparing for war on South Ossetia. The South Ossetia capital has been shelled and a large Georgian tank force has been heading towards the border. Russia has stated that it will not sit by and allow the Georgians to attack South Ossetia. The Russians are great chess players and this game may not turn out so well for the neo-cons.
UPDATE 8 August 2008 ~ War has broken out between Georgia and South Ossetia. At least 10 Russian troops have been killed and 30 wounded and 2 Russian fighter jets downed. American Marines, a thousand of them, have recently been in Georgia training the Georgian military forces. Several European nations stopped Bush and others from allowing Georgia into NATO. Russia is moving a large military force with armor towards the area. This could get bad, and remember it is just a strategic diversion....but one that could have horrific effects. Link to story "Russia sends forces into Georgia rebel conflict".
FURTHER UPDATE ~ Russian military forces in active combat; now total of four Russian fighter jets reported downed.
ADDITIONAL UPDATE ~ Georgia calls for US help; Russian Air Force bombs Georgian air bases.
DEBKA, the Israeli strategy and military site, states that Israeli military officers are advising the Georgian armed forces in combat operations and that 1,000 Israelis are in-combat on the side of Georgia at this time.
Kuwait has activated its "Emergency War Plan" as it and other Gulf nations prepare for the likelihood of a major regional war in the Middle East involving weapons of mass destruction.
The two-ton elephant in the living room of the neo-con strategy is the advanced biowar (ABW) that Iran, and to a lessor extent Syria, has. This places the motherlands of the major neo-con nations (America, France, the United Kingdom), as well as Israel, in grave danger. When the Soviet Union fell the Iranians hired as many out-of-work former Soviet advanced biowar experts as possible. In the last 15 or so years they have helped to develop a truly world class ABW program utilizing recombination DNA genetic engineering technology to create a large number of man made killer viruses. This form of weapon system does not require high tech military delivery systems. The viruses are sub-microscopic and once seeded in a population use the population itself as vectors. Seeding can be done without notice in shopping malls, churches, and other public places. The only real defense to an advanced global strategic biowar attack is to lock down the population as rapidly as possible and let those infected die off.
Unless the public gets it act together and forces the neo-cons to stop the march to yet another war in the Middle East we are apt to see a truly horrific nightmare unfold in OUR COUNTRIES.
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This article is troubling on so many levels it's not funny...there is a real possibility that our beloved leader, GWB, is going to press some buttons he has no business pressing. And that may be the end of life as we know it.
It's a play to grab most of the Middle East for the US. Actually, our "leaders" don't give a rat's ass about the people or histories of the countries, what the powers that be care about is OIL. Control that, and you control the world's commerce. There is another piece at work here, also behind the scenes, and it is named Codex Alimentarius. Look up Monsanto's "Terminator Seeds". I firmy believe that the world's elite is out to cut the population of the globe by around 90%. Don't remember where I heard it, but about 15 years ago, I was moving across the country from California to Georgia, and was listening to talk radio at night through the Sonora Desert. There was a guy on who was talking about a plan of the world's elite, given the rapidly dwindling resources (food, water, oil), to reduce the population of the world through warfare and starvation, and for the US (or what was left of it) to emerge as the leader of a unified world government. The figures that he gave were shocking, as the top elite of the world that control 99% of the global resources number only about 6-7000. Those people with the resources would survive, most of the rest would die. The survivors of the coming war would be the new slave class, and would serve their new masters. I recall the names of the CFR and the Bilderberg Group being mentioned, as well as timeline target of 2009. After looking into the Codex, which was an idea by a Nazi first put into effect in the early 60s, I realized why 2009 stuck out so much- that's when the Codex Alimentarius becomes the law of the world, criminalizing foods, medicines, even vitamins and drugs, unless they are produced by a consortium of very large companies. Those companies include Monsanto, which is why I mentioned the Terminator program. It will force almost all farmers to pay exorbitant fees to "license" their seed stock, and any seeds collected from that year's crop would not germinate the next year. They would be forced to buy new seed stock every year, thousands of dollars worth, year in and year out. Many farmers in the US, already hard-hit by the failing dollar and razor-thin profits, simply could not afford this, and plenty have left agriculture all together.
This current buildup is very scary, and there is nothing about it in the US media (for obvious reasons- we have Olympics coverage to distract us, as well as the upcoming announcements about the cast of "Dancing With The Stars" for this fall); the Russians have been steadily deploying out to the PG to back up the Iranians, and their subs in the Gulf have something we don't have an analog for- they have 230-mph, rocket-powered torpedos! There is no defense against them as of yet, sonar just doesn't "see" them until it's too late. The Admiral Kusnetsov, their most modern carrier, and its battle group are also headed out for the Gulf, if they're not already there. They have several squadrons of Su-33s, mainly, that supposedly have some sort of plasma-based "cloaking" ability. A few months back, a squadron of these 33's suddenly "appeared" directly over the USS Roosevelt (I think it was the Roosie, I'll double-check), causing quite a stir! They were COMPLETELY undetected! Puto has really upped the Russian military, and is hell-bent on putting the old USSR back together, including the Eastern Bloc. The Georgian-started (or is it George W-started?) "war" is only a small diversion. Kind of funny that it started at the same time as the Olympics, it got very little coverage over here. Bush is still telling Puto "You best stand down, boy. There WILL be consequences!" But I think that the rest of the world knows that we are stretched pretty thin- fighting a 3-front war is suicidal, at best. But think of the billions in no-bid contracts that will spring up from destroying the world! Halliburton and the Bushco go way back...even if Cheney isn't the CEO again until he steps down Jan 20th (providing we still have elections!). More angles on this than on a Chinese Checkers board! Just for the record, I have a real bad feeling about this one- it would set up Bush to be President-for-Life, especially if he calls off the elections due to the war(s). He's already given himself the authority to do that. Executive privilege and all...
Friday, August 1, 2008
Pelosi needs to be recalled...
I call on all of my Californicated friends to rise up on November 4th, and vote against Pelosi, as well as EVERY incumbent. You say you want change? Here's your chance! All new people in Congress, this year, and every other year, and we'll have a new face on the government that is not beholden to corrupt corporations. "We The People" means ALL of us should be represented, not just the "captains of industry". We are sick of the games, the pandering, the corruption, the outright lies that our government tells. It's time to hold them responsible for their actions! Vote them OUT. Get out of our House, Pelosi. Your imperial strut has more than lost its charm.
We need to get out OurPitchfoksAndTorches and take back our country before it is too late!
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/08/01/politics/politico/thecrypt/main4314586.shtml
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Something Big Is Happening...
He makes some very salient point about the giant scam that is the Fed, and about the problems with fiat currency; he also points out how far we have really strayed from the principles of our Constitution (a document that I am fairly sure 99% of the Senate and House has either never read, or doesn't care to understand), and he warns of the dangers of granting dictatorial powers to the Executive Branch, which we are perilously close to anyway. He also looks down on the welfare state, with it's "culture of entitlement" that has sucked away the drive and determination of the poor in this country. He ties it all in with the arguments, both pro and con, of "globalization".
Yes, the world is getting smaller. I plan to write in Ron Paul this November, if the elections still happen. He's the only politician who speaks truthfully and with an unvarnished pride in what we really are as a nation. Not these cut-throat corporate shills that currently occupy our government and enrich themselves and their buddies at our expense. Perhaps we should all grab OurPitchforksAndTorches and let Weaselton, DC, know just what the American people are REALLY capable of! So please join me on election day, and vote against incumbents- throw the rascals out on their asses!
As always, I am...
Amir Fazadh
Statement: "Something Big is Happening"
9 July 2008
Rep. Ron Paul, M.D.
Madam Speaker, I have, for the past 35 years, expressed my grave concern for the future of
Though the world has long suffered from the senselessness of wars that should have been avoided, my greatest fear is that the course on which we find ourselves will bring even greater conflict and economic suffering to the innocent people of the world--unless we quickly change our ways.
The problem we face is not new in history. Authoritarianism has been around a long time. For centuries, inflation and debt have been used by tyrants to hold power, promote aggression, and provide “bread and circuses” for the people. The notion that a country can afford “guns and butter” with no significant penalty existed even before the 1960s when it became a popular slogan. It was then, though, we were told the Vietnam War and the massive expansion of the welfare state were not problems. The seventies proved that assumption wrong.
Today things are different from even ancient times or the 1970s. There is something to the argument that we are now a global economy. The world has more people and is more integrated due to modern technology, communications, and travel. If modern technology had been used to promote the ideas of liberty, free markets, sound money and trade, it would have ushered in a new golden age--a globalism we could accept.
Instead, the wealth and freedom we now enjoy are shrinking and rest upon a fragile philosophic infrastructure. It is not unlike the levies and bridges in our own country that our system of war and welfare has caused us to ignore.
I'm fearful that my concerns have been legitimate and may even be worse than I first thought. They are now at our doorstep. Time is short for making a course correction before this grand experiment in liberty goes into deep hibernation.
There are reasons to believe this coming crisis is different and bigger than the world has ever experienced. Instead of using globalism in a positive fashion, it's been used to globalize all of the mistakes of the politicians, bureaucrats and central bankers.
Being an unchallenged sole superpower was never accepted by us with a sense of humility and respect. Our arrogance and aggressiveness have been used to promote a world empire backed by the most powerful army of history. This type of globalist intervention creates problems for all citizens of the world and fails to contribute to the well-being of the world's populations. Just think how our personal liberties have been trashed here at home in the last decade.
The financial crisis, still in its early stages, is apparent to everyone: gasoline prices over $4 a gallon; skyrocketing education and medical-care costs; the collapse of the housing bubble; the bursting of the NASDAQ bubble; stock markets plunging; unemployment rising; massive underemployment; excessive government debt; and unmanageable personal debt. Little doubt exists as to whether we'll get stagflation. The question that will soon be asked is: When will the stagflation become an inflationary depression?
There are various reasons that the world economy has been globalized and the problems we face are worldwide. We cannot understand what we're facing without understanding fiat money and the long-developing dollar bubble.
There were several stages. From the inception of the Federal Reserve System in 1913 to 1933, the Central Bank established itself as the official dollar manager. By 1933, Americans could no longer own gold, thus removing restraint on the Federal Reserve to inflate for war and welfare.
By 1945, further restraints were removed by creating the Bretton-Woods Monetary System making the dollar the reserve currency of the world. This system lasted up until 1971. During the period between 1945 and 1971, some restraints on the Fed remained in place. Foreigners, but not Americans, could convert dollars to gold at $35 an ounce. Due to the excessive dollars being created, that system came to an end in 1971.
It's the post Bretton-Woods system that was responsible for globalizing inflation and markets and for generating a gigantic worldwide dollar bubble. That bubble is now bursting, and we're seeing what it's like to suffer the consequences of the many previous economic errors.
Ironically in these past 35 years, we have benefited from this very flawed system. Because the world accepted dollars as if they were gold, we only had to counterfeit more dollars, spend them overseas (indirectly encouraging our jobs to go overseas as well) and enjoy unearned prosperity. Those who took our dollars and gave us goods and services were only too anxious to loan those dollars back to us. This allowed us to export our inflation and delay the consequences we now are starting to see.
But it was never destined to last, and now we have to pay the piper. Our huge foreign debt must be paid or liquidated. Our entitlements are coming due just as the world has become more reluctant to hold dollars. The consequence of that decision is price inflation in this country--and that's what we are witnessing today. Already price inflation overseas is even higher than here at home as a consequence of foreign central banks' willingness to monetize our debt.
Printing dollars over long periods of time may not immediately push prices up--yet in time it always does. Now we're seeing catch-up for past inflating of the monetary supply. As bad as it is today with $4 a gallon gasoline, this is just the beginning. It's a gross distraction to hound away at “drill, drill, drill” as a solution to the dollar crisis and high gasoline prices. Its okay to let the market increase supplies and drill, but that issue is a gross distraction from the sins of deficits and Federal Reserve monetary shenanigans.
This bubble is different and bigger for another reason. The central banks of the world secretly collude to centrally plan the world economy. I'm convinced that agreements among central banks to “monetize”
This time--since there are so many dollars and so many countries involved--the Fed has been able to “paper” over every approaching crisis for the past 15 years, especially with Alan Greenspan as Chairman of the Federal Reserve Board, which has allowed the bubble to become history's greatest.
The mistakes made with excessive credit at artificially low rates are huge, and the market is demanding a correction. This involves excessive debt, misdirected investments, over-investments, and all the other problems caused by the government when spending the money they should never have had. Foreign militarism, welfare handouts and $80 trillion entitlement promises are all coming to an end. We don't have the money or the wealth-creating capacity to catch up and care for all the needs that now exist because we rejected the market economy, sound money, self reliance and the principles of liberty.
Since the correction of all this misallocation of resources is necessary and must come, one can look for some good that may come as this “Big Event” unfolds.
There are two choices that people can make. The one choice that is unavailable to us is to limp along with the status quo and prop up the system with more debt, inflation and lies. That won't happen.
One of the two choices, and the one chosen so often by government in the past is that of rejecting the principles of liberty and resorting to even bigger and more authoritarian government. Some argue that giving dictatorial powers to the President, just as we have allowed him to run the American empire, is what we should do. That's the great danger, and in this post-911 atmosphere, too many Americans are seeking safety over freedom. We have already lost too many of our personal liberties already. Real fear of economic collapse could prompt central planners to act to such a degree that the New Deal of the 30's might look like
The more the government is allowed to do in taking over and running the economy, the deeper the depression gets and the longer it lasts. That was the story of the 30s and the early 40s, and the same mistakes are likely to be made again if we do not wake up.
But the good news is that it need not be so bad if we do the right thing. I saw “Something Big” happening in the past 18 months on the campaign trail. I was encouraged that we are capable of waking up and doing the right thing. I have literally met thousands of high school and college kids who are quite willing to accept the challenge and responsibility of a free society and reject the cradle-to-grave welfare that is promised them by so many do-good politicians.
If more hear the message of liberty, more will join in this effort. The failure of our foreign policy, welfare system, and monetary policies and virtually all government solutions are so readily apparent, it doesn't take that much convincing. But the positive message of how freedom works and why it's possible is what is urgently needed.
One of the best parts of accepting self reliance in a free society is that true personal satisfaction with one's own life can be achieved. This doesn't happen when the government assumes the role of guardian, parent or provider, because it eliminates a sense of pride. But the real problem is the government can't provide the safety and economic security that it claims. The so called good that government claims it can deliver is always achieved at the expense of someone else's freedom. It's a failed system and the young people know it.
Restoring a free society doesn't eliminate the need to get our house in order and to pay for the extravagant spending. But the pain would not be long-lasting if we did the right things, and best of all the empire would have to end for financial reasons. Our wars would stop, the attack on civil liberties would cease, and prosperity would return. The choices are clear: it shouldn't be difficult, but the big event now unfolding gives us a great opportunity to reverse the tide and resume the truly great American Revolution started in 1776.