Industrial Policy

Senator Hollings, right on target, sir!



Here's an oldie but a goodie:



"The Capitalists will sell us the rope with which we will hang them." Vladimir Ilyich Lenin



What the titans of Wall Street, Corporate America, the Banks, the MSM have managed to do with their shortsightedness is murder their own way of life. In the victory over American Labor that American Capitalists have achieved, during the last twenty nine years, their unfettered power has delivered them from being manacled in paradise to wandering, parched in the desert. Here is a short itemization of their self defeating, willful blindness:



1) Outsourcing to foreign countries with standards of living so low they could never afford the products they manufactured for export to the United States.



2) Not recognizing that the well paid American Worker was the ultimate consumer of their products that sustained their wealth.



3) That extending consumer credit was a finite process.



4)That a housing bubble, which enhanced domestic purchasing power, wouldn't collapse.



5) That fraudulent wealth can never replace actual wealth.



6) That tomorrow never comes.



The Titans of the Economy have failed, the only way forward is to leave them wandering in the desert and identifying a new way forward. I hope the President has a good compass.
About Economy
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Generation Jones: Our Time is Now

If the Baby Boomers constituted a Parade then Generation Jones constitutes those who watched the parade pass by, leaning on a broom, and then sprang into work cleaning up the decorations, dismantling the crowd barriers and sweeping up the horse manure.



We Jonesers know our place in the world,
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Cost Of Shoring Up Banks May Reach $4 Trillion

It would be cheaper to Nationalize the entire banking system ... President Obama had better be very careful with this "Bad Bank" nonsense, because there are 68 Trillion Dollars of Credit Default Swaps and an estimated 1.144 Quadrillion in Derivatives and no one can say what the actual value of any of it is. So the American Taxpayer starts swallowing bad assets thinking they are only mortgage related CMOs ... then it is the CDOs ... then it is the CLOs ... then it is the CBOs and all of the sudden generations of Americans are on the hook for the debt, because I have no confidence at all that the Banks have fully disclosed the extent of their exposure.



Stupid ... Stupid ... Stupid ...



Call this mess what it is ... Massive Institutional Fraud ... Nationalize the Banks ... Identify the individuals responsible and prosecute them either in the US or the World Court. But do not pretend that the US can create a "Bad Bank" to eat the losses generated during over a decade of Institutional fraud. The approach will fail. 100%
About The Bailouts
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Obama Had To Try Bipartisanship This Time -- Next Time Will Be Different

Mr. Brodsky, the Republicans and Bluedogs just let it be known to their constituents that the hard times they are facing are not as important to remedy as is standing firm on repudiated principles. If I were represented by these Obstructionists I'd be on the phone to my representative saying "You better fight for me, for bettering my situation or you're FIRED!"



All of these Republican and Bluedog Obstructionists were elected to their positions and until they get the message from their voters they will continue to be the problem, in terms of getting the United States back on track, as opposed to being part of the solution.



People responsible for these Obstructionists, if you don't think your needs are being met, Let your Representatives know how you feel ... it's cathartic!
About President Obama
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Bailout Recipients Hosted Call To Defeat Key Labor Bill

The pompous Eloi ...



What can you say about these parasites? The "civilization" they want to preserve is Multinational Corporate Feudalism ... with them as the venerated "Lords". I'm sorry, no one was put on this planet to serve these esteemed individuals.



Ultimately, there needs to be a Multinational Labor Movement to counter Multinational Business ... so if a factory of workers in Vietnam or Bangladesh is being ill treated by their employer the blow back is the boycott of the products this company produces by workers in the US, EU, etc.



Until a very simple reality is understood ... that Workers=Consumers (therein lies the power) ... we are going to have to endure these pompous self promoters, their inflated sense of importance and their transgressions against us.
About Bank Of America
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Karl Rove Subpoenaed By John Conyers: 'Time To Talk'

I am extremely pleased that Conyers didn't jump the gun on this and indict Rove while Bush was still in office ... that would have been a regrettable mistake.



I think, however, the plot may thicken. I am of the the opinion that President Bush indeed pardoned some of his henchmen (and women) but didn't announce it publicly. We will certainly find out if that is the case soon enough.
About Karl Rove
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Ex-Gitmo Detainee, Al-Shihri, Joins Al Qaeda In Yemen

This ex-detainee is now unambiguously a known terrorist, and can be dealt with as such, swiftly. If there wasn't enough evidence to hold him at Gitmo then it was correct to release him. Anyone is a potential criminal, ask any law enforcement agent and they will agree, but there needs to be solid proof. We may never know if this individual's treatment at Guantanamo drove him to Al Qaeda or if he had an allegiance with the group before hand. We send petty offenders to prison in the US everyday and when they eventually get out many wind up being worse criminals than they were at first.



The choices are simple, we could line up all of the Gitmo detainees, guilty or innocent, and execute them for the sake of expedience. We could dutifully use measures of our legal system to determine guilt or innocence individually and risk some detainees becoming an issue upon release ... Parole Boards deal with that situation daily. One path is risky, one is sure. One path represents American Values, the other doesn't.



Before people say we are in undiscovered territory in dealing with freelance terrorists I would cite the example of Ramzi Yousef. Yousef, nephew of Khalid Sheikh Mohammad, was one of the planners of the 1993 attack on the WTC. Yousef was apprehended, tried and is serving a life sentence at Supermax Prison ADX Florence. So, to our credit, we have processed terrorists successfully through our judicial system before.
About Guantánamo Bay
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Kirsten Gillibrand: New York's Next Senator

So who's running against Patterson for Governor? I want to place my Intrade bet early.
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Gone-tanamo Bay: the Right Decision

Congressman Murtha, I have read a large number of books on the Imperial Japanese Invasion of the Philippines and the brutality of the Bataan Death March. The Imperial Japanese had absolutely no compassion for our garrison captured in the Philippines and viewed our soldiers that surrendered as the lowest creatures on earth. Our captured soldiers were beaten, starved, deprived medical treatment, humiliated, and beheaded for sport. When the war was over, Japanese Military Officers who were guilty of this brutality were tried and hanged.



In 1945 the United States Government made a statement to the world that the murder, mistreatment, torment, and torture of prisoners was a crime punishable by death.



Closing Guantanamo is a good first start, but what was allowed to transpire there was inline with what the Japanese where convinced they could rightfully do to our prisoners at places like Camp O'Donnell and Cabanatuan.



In "Cheney's Law" a post by David Bromwich I found this quote:



"When the tortures at Abu Ghraib were brought to light, John McCain said unforgettably: "We should never simply fight evil with evil." And again: "This isn't about who they are, this is about who we are.""



http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-bromwich/cheneys-law_b_69239.html



Who are we Congressman Murtha? Are we the Americans that viewed ill treatment of helpless POWs during WWII in the Philippines to be so vile it was worthy of execution? Or have we become the guards of Camp O'Donnell ourselves?
About Obama's First 100 Days
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Can Progressives Grow Up? (President Obama Needs the Left to Change Its Ways)

Mr Schaeffer, perhaps the Left can refine its methods of expression, but it must never compromise on principle. I will (and do) applaud Obama for actions I find inline with my outlook and let my opinion be known if I disagree. I did, indeed, say "my outlook" because we are all individuals here. There is no Archetype Liberal, or Progressive, or Leftist ... as a group we aren't into forming up in lines and engaging in synchronized thought, that is the Right's approach to politics. So there will be times we agree with Obama and times we won't. President Obama's election wasn't the end of the story, but the beginning.



I don't believe the Left needs to change its ways. I believe each Liberal, Progressive, Leftist person should take a stand for what they believe in and express their love for their country through active engagement and speaking from their heart.
About Barack Obama
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Credit Card Breach: Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover Customers Vulnerable

I believe the Credit Card companies must have a contract with Heartland Systems which allows Heartland to access Card Association systems in order to perform transactions. If that were the case, one would think that the Credit Card companies would perform some degree of due diligence to insure their customer data though the processor was secure.



If it was a fraud that took place at a store or business that was breached that would be one thing, and the business would be culpable, but a known Payment Processor, which would be an intermediary for debit and credit card transactions between the Credit Card companies and the Merchants would put the Card Associations and Heartland Systems on the hook for the losses, I would think.
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Bush Booed At Inauguration (VIDEO)

So George got booed ... he spent so much of his Presidency in micromanaged events with preselected crowds this was probably one of the rare occasions he interacted with the American rabble. I would imagine he was actually hurt by the experience having been so insulated from reality.



All in all, however, getting booed by a million people is better then what the million Iraqis who didn't survive the rescue from Saddam that was orchestrated by Bush got.



So let's keep things in context.
About Obama's Inauguration
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Limbaugh: "I Hope Obama Fails"

Just a note to Rush's "ditto heads" ...



Folks, Rush made his money. Whether Obama succeeds or fails Rush is insulated from the economic crisis. Rush can happily cheer every foreclosure and layoff while pointing his accusatory finger at Obama with a chuckle, but it won't be his job lost, it won't be his house foreclosed on, it won't be his pension or 401k evaporating. Rush is emancipated from hardship. So as Rush plays cheerleader to Obama miscues or setbacks, and rejoices in an increase in the American misery quotient, the pom poms he uses will be derived from the shredded lives of his beloved "ditto heads".



If that isn't love I don't know what is.
About President Obama
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Is It Time for Protectionism?

"Yet I noticed that the Philippines last week was continuing in its confidential deal with Thailand to secure a portion of Thai rice production as a reaction to last year's crisis, which hit Filipinos very hard. It is significant that such a market-fixing deal is going ahead; it is also significant that it is a "secret" deal."



I don't know if using the Philippines as an example of status quo economic reality really supports your argument. Next to Myammar the Philippines is one of the most poorly run nations in Southeast Asia. The reason that the Philippines was engaging in a secret deal on rice with Thailand likely was to head off competition from other regional rice dependent countries. The Philippines does not have the capacity to meet its domestic rice needs due to conversion of vast tracks of agricultural land for residential purposes and an agriculture policy so ill conceived and corrupt it leaves thousands of rice farms fallow during the dry season due to lack of adequate irrigation and inflated farming costs. This secret deal with Thailand for rice was likely a political move to avoid famine in certain regions of the Philippines and take negative focus off the Administration of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo that is trying to wrangle a change in the Philippine Constitution that would allow her to extend her term.
About Auto Bailout
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The First 100 Hours Of Obama's Presidency

As we all know the Federal Reserve has extended over a trillion dollars to the Financial Sector outside of the Tarp Money that was allocated by Congress. The reason for this is the Executive Branch has the capacity to perform some unilateral acts in relation to the monetary system through the Treasury due to the Banking sector's relationship with the Treasury and the Federal Reserve which is crucial to Banking's ability to operate.



That relationship allows the President some latitude in affecting Banking practices.



The point being, President Obama would have the ability, through Executive Order, to impose a moratorium on foreclosures for an indefinite period of time while forcing Banks to renegotiate Mortgage terms with homeowners at risk of default. President Obama would also have the capacity to insist on Interest Rates on Mortgages being uniformly dropped to whatever percentage rate was required to stabilize the housing market. These were Executive Powers that President Bush chose not to utilize in addressing the housing crisis.



Within the First 100 Hours I would hope to see President Obama issue such an Executive Order to form a bottom for the housing crisis that is one of the major causes of our economic free fall.
About President Obama
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Note to a Poop Stirrer

Mr Modine, Ann Coulter isn't into legitimate discourse, or accurate evaluation of the American experience. The purpose of Coulter's work is to keep the low information American trapped in their intellectual cave reacting to shadows. You have to give Coulter credit though, she has done a great job as a foot soldier in the divide and conquer political approach of America's Right Wing ... her potency is waning however due to over-exposure, Coulter's own outlandishness, and a resetting of American priorities.



A number of years ago a coworker of mine who was from Italy and spent his youth involved political movements in the Calabria region shared a bit of wisdom he picked up from a leftist Italian politician. The politician said simply:



"The people will accept anything you tell them as long as it amuses them and their stomachs are full."



The problem for individuals like Coulter is her amusement value has dissipated and Americans now find themselves hungry.
About Celebs Talk Politics
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Paul Krugman Letter To Obama In <i>Rolling Stone</i>

Actually, what Krugman describes is very good news for President Obama (gee I like the sound of that) in terms of the economy despite the current mayhem. Since the Fed is now flaccid, and thirty years worth of economic "Experts" of the Friedman sect are on the last train to palukaville, the President essentially has a tabula rasa, in terms of the economy, to work with.



President Obama needs to be bold and not get bogged down in preexisting economic terminologies which would be red meat to the opposition. The need is ACTION not description. The President has a tremendous opportunity to do right by the American people economically, and as has been shown by individuals like Paul Krugman (who was less than supportive of Obama throughout the primaries) there are many passionate, learned individuals willing to roll up their sleeves and aid the incoming Administration in getting America back on track.



Despite the challenges facing the United States presently, if we all pitch in and take ownership of our responsibility as citizens, and with President Obama and the minds around him on the bridge of our Ship of State, we may all have a the voyage of a lifetime before us ... icebergs or not.
About Paul Krugman
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Bin Laden's Message in the Era of Obama

Congressman Roemer, I think many Americans, like myself, are anxious for a thorough investigation of the events that led to and occurred on September 11th, 2001. I believe it still awaits to be determined whether Bin Laden and Al Qeada were the masterminds of the terrorist attacks or merely hired hands that carried out the hit on the United States.



There are, after all, about 3000 murder victims, and their families, awaiting justice ... and though it may be enjoyable to torture Khalid Sheikh Mohammed to the point of madness for his participation in the crime, it is difficult to believe he is the Alpha and Omega of the treachery that occurred 9/11/2001.
About Palestinian Territories
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Questions for Those Who Think I'm Going to Hell

Mr Smith, Hell is a product of Mythology, as is Valhalla. I recently heard that the common view of Hell has nothing to do with Bible interpretation at all and was actually described in Dante's Divine Comedy - Inferno. You have to give the author credit, there is something for everyone in Hell from his perspective:



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Divine_Comedy



Frankly, I'd have more concern about going to Heaven if I were into Judeo-Christian Mythology ... it seems like such a tedious place. Seems like an eternity of elevator music while all the interesting people would be in Hell.



Anyway, let me leave you with a lyrics from some of my favorite Bards on the subject of Hell



"Highway to Hell" AC/DC



Living easy, living free

Season ticket on a one-way ride

Asking nothing, leave me be

Taking everything in my stride

Don't need reason, don't need rhyme

Ain't nothing I would rather do

Going down, party time

My friends are gonna be there too



I'm on the highway to hell



No stop signs, speed limit

Nobody's gonna slow me down

Like a wheel, gonna spin it

Nobody's gonna mess me round

Hey Satan, payed my dues

Playing in a rocking band

Hey Momma, look at me

I'm on my way to the promised land



I'm on the highway to hell

(Don't stop me)



And I'm going down, all the way down

I'm on the highway to hell



(1979 Young, Young, Scott)
About Gay Marriage
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Gitmo Prosecutions May Be Impossible Because Evidence Is In Chaos, Says Ex-Prosecutor

I'm wondering the real reason an ad hoc group of Afghans were rounded up and held incommunicado in Guantanamo for so long? It is known many of those apprehended were ratted out by neighbors with grudges or because of rewards given by the United States. It almost seems to me that these prisoners are little more than props used to maintain the notion of a dangerous world in the minds of Americans, allowing the Bush Administration to push forward with its goals.



On the other hand, many of today's Taliban, Al Qaeda, Abu Sayyaf terrorists began as Ronald Reagan's Mujahideen "Freedom Fighters" ... funded, trained, and armed by US Intelligence in the late 70's early 80's. Now, "Charlie Wilson's War" gave the impression that the US just abandoned Afghanistan ... but the CIA never leaves a base of operations, it may go dormant, but it maintains a presence and continues to cultivate resources. For instance, the US Military Bases in the Philippines closed in 1992, but the CIA never left.



Remember that CIA agent who was guarding captured Taliban forces and was killed? What if some of those prisoners were some of his assets? What if CIA was unsure of what they knew or were involved with? What if they could place Al Qaeda elements in proximity to US Intel personnel prior to 9/11? That would be one reason you would want to round up anyone remotely involved with the situation and make sure they don't talk freely. Just a
About Terrorism
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The Myth of Bush As The Hero of 9/11

"Unfortunately, Bush is left in a catch-22. The attacks were unexpected, to say the least."



I'm not sure I agree with you.



"A report from the Philippines to the United States on January 20, 1995 stated, "What the subject has in his mind is that he will board any American commercial aircraft pretending to be an ordinary passenger. Then he will hijack said aircraft, control its cockpit and dive it at the CIA headquarters."



Another plot the men were cooking up would have involved hijacking of more airplanes. The Sears Tower (Chicago, Illinois), The Pentagon (Arlington County, Virginia), the United States Capitol (Washington, D.C.), the White House (Washington, DC), the Transamerica Tower (San Francisco, California), and the World Trade Center (New York, New York) would be the likely targets."



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bojinka_plot



"The Men" mentioned in the quote included Ramzi Yousef, planner of the 1993 World Trade Center Bombing and his uncle Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, mastermind of the September 11, 2001 attacks.



United States Ambassador to the Republic of the Philippines



26 October 1993 - 05 August 1996 John Negroponte



Wasn't Negroponte made Bush's Intelligence Czar?
About George Bush
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Gonzales Blames "Rough Economy" For His Unemployment

You know, Mike Rowe on "Dirty Jobs" might be looking for a sidekick ...



There are only a handful of people I can think of that would have the perfect Curriculum Vitae for the position ... Gonzo being one of them. Can't you just seem him splashing in the sewer with rats leaping about him or in a big rubber suit, parsing the entrails of a rotting, beached right whale from the inside?



I'm even providing Gonzo with a link to the "How Dirty are You?" self test so he can confirm for himself what the rest of us already know:



http://dsc.discovery.com/fansites/dirtyjobs/games/dirtymeter/dirtymeter.html



(NOTE: If "Dirty Jobs" actually lands Gonzo I feel it's only fair that I get the Headhunter's fee)
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The Exclamation Point at the End of the Story

Even in college history the entirety of the United States relationship with the Philippines can be summed up in "You may fire when ready, Gridley" and "I shall return." Nowhere is it discussed the deceit with which the Philippines were acquired by McKinley. Nowhere is it discussed how a million Filipino civilians died during the course of Philippine pacification by the United States. Nowhere is it discussed the mismanagement of resources and collapse of Philippine industries and Banks due to such notables as Governor General Henry Stimson. Nowhere is it discussed that, despite citation by military experts like General Patreaus, the counterinsurgency in the Philippines failed with the US ceding the Provinces to Warlords and merely maintaining control of Manila and a few port towns ... exactly as the Spanish had prior to their collapse in the Islands ... leaving the US Commonwealth authorities as dubious of Filipino loyalty on the eve of WWII in 1941 as they were when they first arrived in 1899. Nowhere is it discussed how FDR was convinced to abandon the US Commonwealth of the Philippines, its garrison, its American community, and its American Nationals of Philippine descent ... in essence the US's own territory in favor of defending England.



Nowhere is the US Philippine Colonial experience commonly celebrated for its success or analyzed for its failure ... likely because it would have put doubts in the minds of the American people when it came to other Imperial endeavors ... Korea, Vietnam, Afghanistan, and Iraq.
About George Bush
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Israeli ground troops invade Gaza to halt rockets

"My father said to me at the end: "Slaughter isnt easy and it isnt short.""



I was a sponsor of my brother-in-laws wedding in the Philippines. Six pigs were slaughtered in less than an hour ... one thrust to the throat each. Let's hope the Israelis are better butchers than your father.
About Israel
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Dixie Chicks National Anthem

Something to think about Obama crew ... this is pure beauty.

GOP Will Filibuster Early Seating Of Al Franken

I think the GOP has become comfortable with filibustering of late because that aren't required to actually FILIBUSTER anymore ... it's like this ...



DEMS: We want to vote on this ...



REPS: FILIBUSTER!!!



DEMS: Wha ..? Again!?!



REPS: FILIBUSTER!!!



DEMS:You can't be serious!!!!



REPS:FILIBUSTER!!!



DEMS: NO!!! PLEASE!!!



REPS:FILIBUSTER!!!



DEMS: Oh HECK!!!!! nevermind ...



REPS: heh heh heh FILIBUSTER heh heh heh ...



For my money Filibuster should mean you stand there for twenty hours without a break ... no yielding the floor to a compatriot to allow a trip to the restroom ... The Republican wants to Filibuster? Let him do so until he drops. A couple of those instances and the Republicans will rethink the strategy.
About Al Franken
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