Remember the elections? I made the mistake of telling a friend I wasn't going to vote. She totally flipped out and told me, "Your HAVE to vote!" I asked her why and she just stared back at me for a few awkward seconds before rolling her eyes and turning away. It got me thinking about how successful our government has been in drumming their version of patriotism into our heads… regardless of how me will never admit it.
Read More![\"Kelly](\"http://static.squarespace.com/static/507cb3fee4b043a0058639ca/507cb4f0e4b0ea4e444581c9/507cb512e4b0ea4e44458551/1336949194000/?format=original\")
[/caption]I know that it is impossible, but for a second try to put the hideousness of the gleeful maceration of Kelly Thomas' body by these animals out of your mind, and look simply at the proportionality of the incident. A mentally-ill man \"disrespected\" the sub-human Manuel Ramos (and his partner Jay Cicinelli), and for that offense against His Radiant Personage, he was pounded, literally, into hamburger, in such an extended effort that they had to tag-team the helpless, dying man to finish the job;","wysiwyg":{"engine":"code","isSource":false,"mode":"htmlmixed","source":""}}" data-block-type="2" id="block-507cb5d3e4b0ea4e44459769">
[caption id="attachment_1371" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="No Words For This, Just Pain"]
![\"Sounds](\"http://i.zdnet.com/blogs/koreantacostand-shuttle.jpg\")
\nMuch hoopla is being expended over the retirement of Discovery, the last Space Shuttle, with reporters waxing poetic, and senior officials crying over the carcass of the blasted thing, ostensibly because of the heroism and audacity of the world's most expensive commuter conveyance, but in all likelihood over the loss of a gravy train such an end represents. \nHere, as an antidote to all the maudlin, weepy statism, are the real facts. The Space Shuttle was a hideous waste of money. Its technology was obsolete before it ever launched. Its cost per payload pound skyrocketed from $120 to $24,000, and the two disasters killed 14 astronauts entirely needlessly. NASA is nothing more than a covert missile development program coupled to a jingoistic propaganda program. Good bye, Socialist Space Antique, and good riddance.
","wysiwyg":{"engine":"code","isSource":false,"mode":"htmlmixed","source":""}}" data-block-type="2" id="block-507cb5d2e4b0ea4e44459764">
Much hoopla is being expended over the retirement of Discovery, the last Space Shuttle, with reporters waxing poetic, and senior officials crying over the carcass of the blasted thing, ostensibly because of the heroism and audacity of the world's most expensive commuter conveyance, but in all likelihood over the loss of a gravy train such an end represents.
Here, as an antidote to all the maudlin, weepy statism, are the real facts. The Space Shuttle was a hideous waste of money. Its technology was obsolete before it ever launched. Its cost per payload pound skyrocketed from $120 to $24,000, and the two disasters killed 14 astronauts entirely needlessly. NASA is nothing more than a covert missile development program coupled to a jingoistic propaganda program. Good bye, Socialist Space Antique, and good riddance.
The term ‘insurgent’ has been used (and misused) a whole lot since about ten minutes after the officially announced ‘end’ of the Iraq War. Lucky for us, the US Army Special Forces Counterinsurgency Field Manual
(the book that ‘Surgin’ General’ Petraeus is said to have ‘written’ on the subject)
contains, along with tips on how to win friends, subvert democracy and destroy due process in an occupied country, a handy field guide to three main types of insurgency.
One of these, in light of the end of Ron Paul’s Republican presidential bid, and the beginning of his new vehicle for change, The Campaign For Liberty, is pretty interesting;
“Foco Insurgency.
A foco (Spanish word meaning focus or focal point) is a single, armed cell that emerges from hidden strongholds in an atmosphere of disintegrating legitimacy. In theory, this cell is the nucleus around which mass popular support rallies. The insurgents build new institutions and establish control on the basis of that support.”
Except for the “armed” part (The Revolution has always been explicitly peaceful and anti-war) and the “establish control” bit, this essentially describes the new strategy – to establish a core group of liberty-loving people and to have them (democratically) infiltrate the current system so that they will be ready to liberate the masses when the corrupt, incompetent Empire falls flat on its face.
“The insurgents build new institutions and establish control on the basis of that support. For a foco insurgency to succeed, government legitimacy must be near total collapse. Timing is critical. The foco must mature at the same time the government loses legitimacy and before any alternative appears. The most famous foco insurgencies were those led by Castro and Che Guevara.”
Bad role models from a philosophical perspective, for sure, but in terms of strategy pretty relevant.
“The distinguishing characteristics of a foco insurgency are The deliberate avoidance of preparatory organizational work. The rationale is based on the premise that most peasants are intimidated by the authorities and will betray any group that cannot defend itself. ”
This part doesn’t apply, because this revolution is peaceful, democratic, and overt, the ‘counter-insurgency’ strategies to this will be completely ineffective. Unfortunately, many other CI strategies are already in place and are well-advanced;
“Restrictions. Rights on the legality of detention or imprisonment of personnel (for example, habeas corpus) may be temporarily suspended. This measure must be taken as a last resort, since it may provide the insurgents with an effective propaganda theme. PRC [Population & Resources Control] measures can also include curfews or blackouts, travel restrictions, and restricted residential areas such as protected villages or resettlement areas. Registration and pass systems and control of … critical supplies such as weapons, food, and fuel are other PRC measures. Checkpoints, searches, roadblocks; surveillance, censorship, and press control…”
You get the picture.
Apparently ‘Counter-Insurgency’ has become ‘Pre-emptive Counter-Insurgency’.
We have our work cut out for us.
Watch Ron Pauls Speech After New Hampshire Primary - YouTube.
","wysiwyg":{"engine":"code","isSource":false,"mode":"htmlmixed","source":""}}" data-block-type="2" id="block-507cb5d2e4b0ea4e44459757">Ron Paul New Hampshire Speech MAGNIFICENT. Last time, New Hampshire was such a bitter defeat, this time, an incredible vindication;
Watch Ron Pauls Speech After New Hampshire Primary - YouTube.
This, after all, is the basic moral logic of capitalism - success is rewarded, failure mercilessly punished. And this is EXACTLY what the politicians prevented from happening - all of them, except Ron Paul, who warned about it, and tried to stop it.
","wysiwyg":{"engine":"code","isSource":false,"mode":"htmlmixed","source":""}}" data-block-type="2" id="block-507cb5d1e4b0ea4e44459752">"...capitalism has been hijacked, and I'm infuriated. For capitalism to work, people who assume risk should reap the rewards of success, but they also must suffer when losses occur." ~Leland H. Faust In the 2008 implosion, the banks that were bailed out should have been left to go under - their assets stripped and sold, their officers indicted for fraud or driven out into the street, their profits disgorged, they and their children made outcasts, leaving them in the outer darkness,wailing and gnashing their teeth.
This, after all, is the basic moral logic of capitalism - success is rewarded, failure mercilessly punished. And this is EXACTLY what the politicians prevented from happening - all of them, except Ron Paul, who warned about it, and tried to stop it.
![\"Michael](\"http://static.squarespace.com/static/507cb3fee4b043a0058639ca/507cb4f0e4b0ea4e444581c9/507cb512e4b0ea4e44458546/1321660806000/?format=original\")
[/caption]\nIn Atlanta yesterday, I \"opted out\" of the pornotron. An unhappy-looking middle-aged gentleman was summoned to give me my Federally mandated physical. Visibly uncomfortable, he did his 'job' such as it was, all the while being coached by a group of apparently low-intelligence, but senior \"workers\". I felt sorry for the man.","wysiwyg":{"engine":"code","isSource":false,"mode":"htmlmixed","source":""}}" data-block-type="2" id="block-507cb5d1e4b0ea4e44459747">
[caption id="attachment_1347" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Michael Chertoff Can Kiss My Fat, Pale, Hairy Ass"]
![\"End](\"http://static.squarespace.com/static/507cb3fee4b043a0058639ca/507cb4f0e4b0ea4e444581c9/507cb512e4b0ea4e44458543/1320711467000/?format=original\")
\nI cancelled my American Express card today. Throughout most of the past eleven-odd years, American Express has always treated me as well as their spendiest platinum-card holder - letting me buy what I wanted, pay the way I wanted, and helping me any time my card was lost, misplaced, etc., anywhere in the world I went. They ran a decent rewards program that I took full advantage of, their annual fee was reasonable, and, grateful, I never failed to give credit where credit was due, pardon the pun. \nSo what changed? Well, my life, mostly. When I got married, and started having kids, I realized that the life of a \"road warrior\" was not compatible with the kind of family life I wanted. So I took a job with a LOT less travel, which meant I had much less use for the rewards program, for one thing. Alongside that, tough times in the credit-card business apparently led them to trim back on the rewards, and increase their annual fees. My no-interest \"green card\" was beginning to lose its lustre.
\nThen, last September, I was picked to attend the International Occupational Hygiene Association conference in Rome, Italy. Having relatively little available cash, but plenty of credit freeboard on my trusty AMEX card, I embarked on my trip confident that it would render me capable of traveling - if not in style, exactly, then at least relative comfort. Boy was THAT a miscalculation.
\nI discovered that virtually none of the shops, restaurants, pubs, and other attractions I wanted to attend in Rome would accept the American Express card! Aside from high-street luxury-goods shops (and the ever-present moneychangers), my card, which had served as my little plastic passport for so long, in so many places, had apparently worn out its welcome. I started to feel like a customer at Big Pete's House of Munch.
\nTo be fair, credit cards of all issuers were slightly less welcome than a bum's handful of faintly urine-scented euro notes in Rome, the local pastime having become, apparently, the evasion of sales taxes, said pastime being far easier to engage in successfully in cash. But not being able to spend as much as I would have liked on excursions and gifts for the folks at home caused me actual distress. Everywhere I went, the story was the same - 'we don't take the card, the fees are too high'. A welcome loan from one of my traveling companions eased my discomfort a bit, and allowed me to enjoy my trip more than otherwise. Traveling with the boss does have its compensations too.
\nI resisted the urge to cancel the card precipitiously, deciding that one bad experience shouldn't compromise an otherwise mutually-beneficial relationship. But ultimately I could not let bygones be bygones. So I called today to cancel. The service rep I talked to sounded genuinely sympathetic, but the \"member services\" person I was transferred to simply tried to sell me a different (revolving interest) card, in which I had no interest, HO HO. She promptly then closed the account with little fanfare.
\nIt's sad for me personally, and it felt like the passing of an era in travel.
","wysiwyg":{"engine":"code","isSource":false,"mode":"htmlmixed","source":""}}" data-block-type="2" id="block-507cb5d1e4b0ea4e44459744">
So what changed? Well, my life, mostly. When I got married, and started having kids, I realized that the life of a "road warrior" was not compatible with the kind of family life I wanted. So I took a job with a LOT less travel, which meant I had much less use for the rewards program, for one thing. Alongside that, tough times in the credit-card business apparently led them to trim back on the rewards, and increase their annual fees. My no-interest "green card" was beginning to lose its lustre.
Then, last September, I was picked to attend the International Occupational Hygiene Association conference in Rome, Italy. Having relatively little available cash, but plenty of credit freeboard on my trusty AMEX card, I embarked on my trip confident that it would render me capable of traveling - if not in style, exactly, then at least relative comfort. Boy was THAT a miscalculation.
I discovered that virtually none of the shops, restaurants, pubs, and other attractions I wanted to attend in Rome would accept the American Express card! Aside from high-street luxury-goods shops (and the ever-present moneychangers), my card, which had served as my little plastic passport for so long, in so many places, had apparently worn out its welcome. I started to feel like a customer at Big Pete's House of Munch.
To be fair, credit cards of all issuers were slightly less welcome than a bum's handful of faintly urine-scented euro notes in Rome, the local pastime having become, apparently, the evasion of sales taxes, said pastime being far easier to engage in successfully in cash. But not being able to spend as much as I would have liked on excursions and gifts for the folks at home caused me actual distress. Everywhere I went, the story was the same - 'we don't take the card, the fees are too high'. A welcome loan from one of my traveling companions eased my discomfort a bit, and allowed me to enjoy my trip more than otherwise. Traveling with the boss does have its compensations too.
I resisted the urge to cancel the card precipitiously, deciding that one bad experience shouldn't compromise an otherwise mutually-beneficial relationship. But ultimately I could not let bygones be bygones. So I called today to cancel. The service rep I talked to sounded genuinely sympathetic, but the "member services" person I was transferred to simply tried to sell me a different (revolving interest) card, in which I had no interest, HO HO. She promptly then closed the account with little fanfare.
It's sad for me personally, and it felt like the passing of an era in travel.
Ugh! Where do I start on this one? The US Congress officially \"deplored\" Iraqi atrocities by a vote of 365 to 50. Am I to believe that they didn't feel a need to actually declare war on Iraq but now feel justified in officially feeling bad over the consequences?
\nRon Paul (R-TX), by the way, voted against the resolution on the grounds that it is not one of Congress' enumerated duties so I guess he'll be ridiculed by his democratic challenger this fall for \"condoning\" Iraqi atrocities!
\nhttp://capwiz.com/liberty/issues/votes/?votenum=150&chamber=H&congress=1082&tally=1
\nI, myself, would like to officially register \"disgust\" at the whole matter.
","wysiwyg":{"engine":"code","isSource":false,"mode":"htmlmixed","source":""}}" data-block-type="2" id="block-507cb5d0e4b0ea4e4445973f">(5/10/2004)
Ugh! Where do I start on this one? The US Congress officially "deplored" Iraqi atrocities by a vote of 365 to 50. Am I to believe that they didn't feel a need to actually declare war on Iraq but now feel justified in officially feeling bad over the consequences?
Ron Paul (R-TX), by the way, voted against the resolution on the grounds that it is not one of Congress' enumerated duties so I guess he'll be ridiculed by his democratic challenger this fall for "condoning" Iraqi atrocities!
http://capwiz.com/liberty/issues/votes/?votenum=150&chamber=H&congress=1082&tally=1
I, myself, would like to officially register "disgust" at the whole matter.
Sheldon Richman points out in The Freeman today that Elizabeth Warren, late of presidential advising, and snubbed for a prime sinecure is running for Senate from Massachussetts. Her ads mar all my Facebook pages, and as Sheldon points out, her entire schtick is that rich corporations benefitted from taxpayer largesse, so they should pay more, a lot more. Left out of this equation are the other 100 - 200 million taxpayers, and what THEY would rather have done with the money. But that's life in the Left Lane, isn't it? Full of sleight-of-hand and rhetorical tricks. I commute in southern New Jersey on either I-295 (taxpayer-paid) or the New Jersey Turnpike (user-fee paid with some taxpayer subsidy) – they run roughly parallel along this stretch, so they “compete” for users. Because the NJTPK is tolled, while I-295 is not, you would think that a business using this route, say Bolt Bus or one of the Chinatown buses would use I-295 exclusively. In fact, while there is some of both, most of them appear to prefer the Turnpike. Why is that so? After all, they are already paying corporate tax, payroll tax, fuel tax, and apportioned highway taxes, but on TOP of that, to use the Turnpike, they ALSO have to pay a (presumably significant) TOLL. Why, exactly, IS that?
Is it, really? Then let them try it, with no subsidies.
No monopoly distribution model.
No State PUC, NRC, or Department of Energy protection from competition.
No Price-Anderson Indemnification.
No carbon taxes.
No disposal subsidy.
No lawsuit protection or "tort reform".
No EPA pollution "permits".
No favorable tax treatment.
Build it on the market, or not at all.
Is Thorium the Biggest Energy Breakthrough Since Fire? Possibly. - Forbes.
I would love to study the safety culture of this plant - if it is even half as safe as the manager claims it is, we could learn a tremendous amount about what it takes to run a truly safe operation;
New York Manhole Covers, Forged Barefoot in India - New York Times;
“We can’t maintain the luxury of Europe and the United States, with all the boots and all that,” said Sunil Modi, director of Shakti Industries. He said, however, that the foundry never had accidents. He was concerned about the attention, afraid that contracts would be pulled and jobs lost...
India’s 1948 Factory Safety Act addresses cleanliness, ventilation, waste treatment, overtime pay and fresh drinking water, but the only protective gear it specifies is safety goggles.
Mr. Modi said that his factory followed basic safety regulations and that workers should not be barefoot. “It must have been a very hot day” when the photos were taken, he said...
...At the Shakti Industries foundry, “there are no accidents, never ever. Period,” Mr. Modi said. “By God’s will, it’s all fine.”
via New York Manhole Covers, Forged Barefoot in India - New York Times.
[caption id="attachment_1262" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Actual Photo of Coal-To-Gas-To-Electricity Technology"]
When is the approval coming for the plant that produces electricity by burning piles of thousand-dollar-bills? OH WAIT - ITS THE SAME PLANT
It would be hilarious, except that real people need the tax money more.
(PHOTO: NASA Global Warming Propaganda Pages)
"I most emphatically do not hate America. I was not born in some foreign despotism, but in a domestic one known as Oklahoma, which I understand to be the very heart and soul of this country so far as culture and refinement are concerned. Moreover, for what it is worth, some of my ancestors had been living in North America for centuries before a handful of ragged, starving white men washed ashore on this continent, planted their flag, and claimed all the land they could see and a great deal they could not see on behalf of some sorry-ass European monarch. What chutzpah! I yield to no one in my affection for the Statue of Liberty, the Rocky Mountains, and the amber waves of grain, not to mention the celebrated jumping frog of Calaveras County. So when I am invited to get out of the country, I feel like someone living in a town taken over by the James Gang who has been told that if he doesn’t like being robbed and bullied by uninvited thugs, he should move to another town. To me, it seems much more fitting that the criminals get out." via Consent of the Governed? | The Beacon.
[caption id="attachment_1250" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Standing Around While Rome Burns"]
[caption id="attachment_1252" align="alignleft" width="225" caption="Italy Is Not Greece"]
If it does turn out that Italy needs a bailout, it is going to change the entire game in Europe.
What is going on in Italy right now is potentially far more serious than what has been going on in Greece. Italy is the fourth largest economy in the European Union. If Italy requires a bailout, the rest of Europe might not be able to handle it.
An anonymous European Central Bank source told one German newspaper the following on Sunday....
"The existing rescue fund in Europe is not sufficient to provide a credible defensive wall for Italy"
The source also added that the current bailout fund "was never designed for that".
Compare that to a household in 1950 that earned $25,000 per year (the approximate equivalent to $250,000 today). Assuming all the income was earned by the husband, which was the norm at the time, the total tax take using the standard deduction and including both the employee and employer social security taxes, would have been just below 22%. In other words, despite claims that taxes are at their lowest levels in 50 years, today\u2019s high earning couple pays over 80% more in federal taxes than their 1950 counterpart!\"
\nvia Don\u2019t be Fooled by Political Posturing | Euro Pacific Capital.
","wysiwyg":{"engine":"code","isSource":false,"mode":"htmlmixed","source":""}}" data-block-type="2" id="block-507cb5cae4b0ea4e444596c9">Whenever I hear a proposal to "tax the rich", they are talking about a couple making over $250,000 in EARNED (salary) income (or 'S' corporation business). I point out that in a high-cost area like New York City or Los Angeles, this would include a hypothetical couple consisting of a cop and a nurse, making a good bit of overtime, which is already drained away by high living expenses and local taxation. Peter Schiff explains why these "rich" are already being taxed at historically high levels; "Today a married couple with a combined income of $250,000 (assuming each spouse earns 125,000) will pay about 40% of their combined incomes in Social Security, Medicare, and federal taxes, if they take the standard deduction. (I have included as part of their incomes and taxes the Social Security and Medicare taxes paid on their behalf by their employers – which in reality are borne by the employee anyway. I then added that figure to their incomes, and divided the total tax paid by that higher income. I did not factor in this year’s one time 2% payroll tax holiday.)
Compare that to a household in 1950 that earned $25,000 per year (the approximate equivalent to $250,000 today). Assuming all the income was earned by the husband, which was the norm at the time, the total tax take using the standard deduction and including both the employee and employer social security taxes, would have been just below 22%. In other words, despite claims that taxes are at their lowest levels in 50 years, today’s high earning couple pays over 80% more in federal taxes than their 1950 counterpart!"
via Don’t be Fooled by Political Posturing | Euro Pacific Capital.
This is the latest incarnation of what started as an email thread between a handful of liberty-loving friends back in the late 90′s. After the 9/11 attacks, some of us began to feel our liberties, big and small, slipping away under the pressure of the GWOT. In the aftermath of the invasion of Iraq, we decided to do something more structured, to try to, in some small way, preserve those liberties, large and small, that we still had left.
