No Longer A Forgotten War

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Limbaugh: Trying To Understand A Dem Like Trying To Understand A Murderer Or Rapist

Rush is starting to meltdown like the character in Poe's "Tell Tale Heart" ... he hears the beating of the heart beneath the floorboards of his studio ... oh, he'll try to ignore it ... he'll try ...



but the ,,, th-thump ... th-thump ,,, th-thump ... will continue. He'll rail on the President, on Pelosi, Reid, MoveOn .... the liberals .... but the th-thump ,,, th-thump ... th-thump will continue ...



"Why won't it stop?" Rush's eyes will dart about the room. "Why won't it STOP!?!"



it's only a matter of time ... th-thump ... th-thump ... th-thump ... before you know it he'll be on his knees, sweating, tearing at the floorboards ... foaming ... ranting ... "The Fairness Doctrine!!!!!" .... "LIBERALS!!!!"



"DAMN YOU!" .... DAMN YOU!!!"



His fingernails gone ... his linoleum floor shredded ... "STOP!!!" ... "STOP!!!!"



But the disembodied heart of Edward R Murrow will continue to beat beneath his Studio Floor ... mocking him.



th-thump ... th-thump ... th-thump ...
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Obama Opposes 'Fairness Doctrine' Revival

The argument against the Fairness Doctrine is asinine. "Well, we have the internet now so why do we need balanced content on the public airwaves?" Answer, there are still millions of more Americans getting their information via the radio on an hourly basis than from the internet. If we were so amazingly wired coast to coast then the transition from analog to digital television signals wouldn't have been postponed.



Another point, Rush didn't get a 400 million dollar contract because he is a quaint novelty ... he received it because he is a potent propaganda weapon for the Right. There are vast areas of the United States that are only covered by Right Wing radio. A constant drone of Rightest, Corporate propaganda hour after hour after hour.



You know what it is called when a subject is bombarded with a message until they accept it? Social engineering ... brain washing, if you will. There is no difference between the monotone Rightest message pumped into the back waters of America and what the Allies did against the Nazis with Radio Free Europe and the US did against bastions of communism during the Cold War through Voice of America ... Propaganda ... Domestic Psy-Warfare.



You want to flush the Fairness Doctrine? You want to leave the uneven distribution of ideas in America as it stands? Fine ... but don't kid yourself, in a very meaningful way, Rush Wins.
About Barack Obama
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New York Post Chimp Cartoon Compares Stimulus Author To Dead Primate

Well, the New York Post needs to maintain their subscriber base of right wing mental deficients so they throw a fistful of racist peanuts into their reader's cage in the form of this cartoon.
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Mining The Gold Of Their Own Disaster.

James, President Obama is really caught between a rock and a hard place on this one. First, the last time the American people were in this type of situation was the 1930's, so there is an awful lot of denial still within the population as to the extent of the crisis, which gives traction to GOP criticism of the President's strategy to those who still think there is an easy fix I also understand that President Obama probably feels that he has to keep the optimism up and not let on all he knows about the severity of our predicament in order to prevent panic ... this I think is a mistake.



President Obama needs to build a direct bridge with the American people in a non-partisan fashion ... no one asks the political alignment of the EMT. Police Officer, or Fireman that responds to their 911 call. President Obama needs to be the nation's first responder in order to get the government moving in a direction to resolve this problem ... that requires honest disclosure of where we find ourselves and who is at fault, be it Republican or Democrat.



The only way to prevent the GOP from commandeering the national dialogue is complete, brutal explanation and disclosure from the Bully Pulpit. Full, non-partisan disclosure from President Obama would disarm any Republican gamesmanship they had planned in my opinion, and put them on notice to get to work.
About President Obama
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Winning the Economic Argument: Show Opponents This Graph, and Ask Them to Explain

Paul, the Republicans require Americans to be ignorant and frightful in order to maintain a base and further their aims. The graph is marvelously, and dramatically demonstrative of FDR's success at pulling the United States out of the Great Depression, however, those traditional supporters of the GOP you would share this graph with would need the capacity to accurately interpret its findings. There was a time when American School Children could name the capitals of Europe, now identifying the United States on the map of the world is iffy for even some American adults.



For anyone of reasonable education your graph explains the facts of FDR's success ... but we don't live in a nation of reasonably educated people.
About Taxes
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Japanese Finance Minister Appears Drunk At G7 Meeting (VIDEO)

If I were the Japanese Finance Minister ... I'd be drunk too.
About Japan
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GOP 'Salt Marsh Mouse' Stimulus Strategy Assailed By Conservatives

The Republicans are currently bereft of talent at the money positions of their party. It seems appropriate they would utilize the Salt Marsh Mouse to gird their political loins for battle with President Obama and the Dems.



And nothing rallies the GOP troops like the muffled, seemingly semi-inebriated sobs which constitute John Boehner's battle cry.
About Stimulus Package
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"The House GOP Is Back": Republicans Promote Stimulus Opposition With Aerosmith

Probably the 200th time it has been mentioned, but wouldn't the Fixx's "Saved by Zero" be more appropriate than Aerosmith?
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Nouriel Roubini: Only Way To Save US Banking System Is To Nationalize It

How can the US Government hope to cover the Banking System's trillions upon trillions upon trillions of dollars in toxic assets at a few measly hundred billion at a time? Let's get serious here.



If President Obama's economic team wants to pull a Slim Pickens and "yippy-ay-aay" its way to a complete world financial meltdown riding Milton Friedman's warhead of failed economic policy then they need to be replaced.



Nationalize the Banks and lets stop pretending we can resurrect the dead.
About Federal Reserve
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Congress Sets New Limits On Wall Street Bonuses

It's satisfying to obtain a pound of flesh from the CEO's, but let us not forget that this is one of the reasons for their huge paychecks to start with ... the willingness to take the fall.



If we want to get at the heart of the problems of Corporate America and draw a keener focus on the area screaming for reform we need to roll up our sleeves and get into the muck of interlocking corporate boards and the outside organizations the ubiquitous board members belong to,



An online database of corporate board members and their affiliations would go a long way towards resolving the picture of who controls the corporations and what the driving force of their direction might be.
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Putting Kids In Jail For Profit

Dave, the problem is the laws are too lenient in the United States for heinous acts such as this. These judges and the authorities of these for profit detainment centers and, for that matter anyone having direct knowledge of this practice, should face capital punishment. These Judges and their cohorts in crime are institutional kidnappers who have taught 5000 children the opposite of Justice.



Let the punishment fit the crime, these Judges have betrayed their oaths and used the authority of the bench to engage in criminal conspiracy which perverted Justice for benefit of personal profit.



And lets not kid ourselves, just like Corporate America wants to take over the public schools and create centers of controlled knowledge that will produce a pliant labor force with a monochrome worldview... the ultimate goal of these privately run Prisons, with inmates of dubious guilt, is the creation of an incarcerated corporate slave labor force whose work product falls under the auspices of "paying one's debt to society."
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WATCH LIVE: Senators Discuss Tentative Stimulus Deal

I have to say, when I see the polls of Americans that are against this Stimulus Bill, and I look at the reasons forwarded I am amazed. It is obvious that people are not recognizing the gravity of the situation. Trillions upon Trillions of dollars in value have evaporated from the Markets and the evaporation of capital can only get worse if efforts to stabilize the economy aren't applied. When a conservative like Ben Stein appears on multiple business shows and is screaming that money has to be pumped into the economy immediately he isn't playing around. This type of approach towards managing the economy is not Ben Stein's way. He is frightened, Economists from all sides of the political spectrum are terrified. We are looking at a Worldwide Economic Meltdown that the American approach over the last 29 years has caused. The ramifications are huge in both the short and long term.



As Obama said "This is not a game." The current mindset displayed by many Americans reminds me of those who went to picnic at the first skirmish of the Civil War.



"War! How grand, we must see!"



They saw, and after the first skirmish there weren't many picnics held going forward. Folks, this is bad with the potential of being far worse than most of us can imagine ... we should not pretend that this is a normal part of the Business cycle anymore than Katrina was your run of the mill Hurricane.
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<i>NYT</i>: Daschle Should Step Aside

If Daschle were to step aside there is this other guy ... I think he used to be the Governor of Vermont ... A DOCTOR even ... who might be a good fit for the job.



His name is Dean ... Howard Dean ... has anyone besides me heard of him?
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Bailed Out Banks Sought Foreign Workers For High-Paying Jobs: AP

I recall during the High Tech Boom Times of the 90's that American tech employees had Corporate America wrapped around their finger. There wasn't enough tech talent available. The tech talent that was available was flighty and would jump from job to job in order to ladder up their incomes creating instability for Corporate IT departments. Frankly US Business got sick and tired of acquiescing to the demands, cost and arrogance of American Tech employees. Add to that that in the drought of tech talent there were so many impostors floating around with padded résumés that many employers couldn't tell what they hired until they screwed something up or never produced.



Enter India, China, and Russia ... Nations hungry for opportunity and turning out high quality engineers like puppies from a puppy mill.



Corporate America had it's answer.



I would argue that today's foreign tech workers exhibit the same qualities as the chinese workers that were brought over by American Business to work on the railroads.



1. The had the requisite skills.

2. They were plentiful.

3. They were cheap.

4. They were disposable.



Add to that the benefit of diluting the power of American Labor (always the goal of Corporate America) and we arrive at the place we are now.
About Recession
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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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Chris Matthews Eviscerates Neocon Frank Gaffney: "4,000 People Are Dead Because Of The Way You Feel" (VIDEO)

"January 26, 1998



The Honorable William J. Clinton

President of the United States

Washington, DC



Dear Mr. President:



We are writing you because we are convinced that current American policy toward Iraq is not succeeding, and that we may soon face a threat in the Middle East more serious than any we have known since the end of the Cold War. In your upcoming State of the Union Address, you have an opportunity to chart a clear and determined course for meeting this threat. We urge you to seize that opportunity, and to enunciate a new strategy that would secure the interests of the U.S. and our friends and allies around the world. That strategy should aim, above all, at the removal of Saddam Hussein"s regime from power. We stand ready to offer our full support in this difficult but necessary endeavor."



-SNIP-



"Sincerely,



Elliott Abrams Richard L. Armitage William J. Bennett



Jeffrey Bergner John Bolton Paula Dobriansky



Francis Fukuyama Robert Kagan Zalmay Khalilzad



William Kristol Richard Perle Peter W. Rodman



Donald Rumsfeld William Schneider, Jr. Vin Weber



Paul Wolfowitz R. James Woolsey Robert B. Zoellick"



http://www.newamericancentury.org/iraqclintonletter.htm



Please ... Enough!
About Video On HuffPost
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Iraqi Throws Shoes At Bush During Press Conference (VIDEO)(SLIDESHOW)

A lot of Chicago in the air these days ... Blago ... Obama ... and now, ala the Blues Brothers, Bush gets a chance at being "Sole Man"!
About Slideshows
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Modern-Day Pyramids

But we are thinking small here ... what about Mortgages for everyone with an ID card and the ability to make an "X" on a document? There is a lot of money for the Pyramid there! And if we encourage flipping of real estate and irrational appraisals to insanely inflate the property values, the sky's them limit for CMOs we can generate from that! Brilliant! Factor in home owners tapping into the equity of their over valued homes with loans and there is another CDO opportunity!



It is an AMAZING plan, Mr Franken ,,, and as long as the credit markets don't freeze causing the inflated securities' values to collapse (silly thought) we will be living high on the hog!



Are we good or what? Let's give it a shot!
About Economy
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Modern-Day Pyramids

Agreed, Mr. Franken.



How about this idea? A Pyramid scheme based on taking debt and turning it into securities that are then sliced into derivatives, inflated in value, and pumped into the perpetual motion machines of the World Float Market?



But how to sustain such a money making mechanism? Well first of all ... duh ... you have to get rid of all the regulations you can and compromise the regulatory agencies that remain, not a problem.



Then there is the issue of fresh money coming into the Pyramid at the bottom ... how to do that? Ah hah! Easy credit! Credit Cards for EVERYONE! That'll do it! Who cares if the card holders amass access to credit they could never pay in six lifetimes were they to use it all? it's the CDOs from their debt we want as octane for the Pyramid ... besides, draconian bankruptcy laws will keep them in line, as long as they don't all default at once, but that would require a Crash. No way!



cont ...
About Economy
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Lessons from Bernie

Mr. Solin, I am very weary of the narrative that is developing about Madoff being the "Lone Nut" of Money Managers. Of course someone with such a huge cloud of suspicion becomes a titan of his industry. Everyday, shiesters are accepted into the bosom of their community and are celebrated.



When the ENRON collapse took place everyone was dumbfounded by the irresponsible accounting practices that Arthur Anderson was engaged in ... Shocking! At the time of the scandal I was talking with a colleague whose brother was employed with one of the other "Big Five" Accounting firms at the time. His brother told him that everything that Arthur Anderson was being attacked over was standard operating procedure in the Accounting Industry ... they just suffered from have one of their clients collapse because of it. So Arthur Anderson took a bullet for the Accounting Industry and whether or not the remaining "Big Five" learned the errors of their ways will become more apparent as the economy continues to disintegrate.



I have no doubt that Madoff is a criminal and a scoundrel, but I am not ready to buy there is anything unique about him in terms of his industry.
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Unexpurgated Blago: Barack Obama is a "Motherf**ker" and More

Fast forward to January 19, 2017 ...



Phone rings in the White House ...



ring ... ring ... ring ... ring ...



"Hello, this is President Obama ... Sorry I missed your call, but I am in New Orleans accepting the key to the reconstructed City from Mayor Shearer ... please leave a message of any length and I will get back to you as soon as I can."



BEEEEEEP!!!!!



"Yo President Obama ... this is Blago. I left youse quite a number of messages about the ... you know ... pardon deal. I tink I got about as much rehabilitation as I can from this Prison Establishment ting and I'm ready to do ... ah ... some a dem selfless good works ... I ah ... hears people talking about. I mean, eh, I am very sorry for trying to hock your Senate seat. I mean. dat Fitz is quite a sonofa ... I mean. He's good, very good ... how's da basta .. ah .. gentlemen enjoying being your AG? I new da guy woulda find a way into da slot ... da worm. And, about the past ... it's the past. You know? I mean, so I called you a mutha fuc ... I mean, come on it's Chicago for crissake ... people have been called worser! Listen, the guards giving me the eye ... just get back to me about the pardon ... the hair gel is crap here! ... You der? I tink YOU THERE!!
About Rod Blagojevich
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Saving the Big 3 for You and Me

Mr Moore, I bought my first car used for $1000 with over 100k miles on it, a 1970 Oldsmobile Delta 88. I drove it like Steve McQueen through the Streets of San Francisco. I'd get airborne cresting some of our hills and, with dead shocks and springs, bottom out righteously with a monstrous scrape and a plume of sparks ... it was heaven. I beat it up, rarely changed the oil and lasted far longer than I would have expected. It was a Great American Car.



Years later I got what I thought was a deal when my great aunt sold me her 1992 Mercury Sable LS, with only 16k of miles on it for $7000. The car was only driven from my relatives' home to a supermarket a couple of blocks away. The car was luxurious, with every bell and whistle you could wish for, and was an unadulterated piece of cr#p. I put almost as much money into fixing it as I did buying it. When crossing the Bay Bridge the car's engine would lose compression and cause the thing to shake like a beast was trapped within it. My terrified wife would actually pray the rosary. The Sable cured me of American cars. I haven't owned one since.



My guess is the high quality of UAW labor hasn't changed from 1970 to 1992, but the management philosophy sure did, A government buyout of the Big Three would be the answer, for Corporate Management has failed this industry.
About The Bailouts
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Homeland Security Department In Total Disarray

First thing that is necessary is a renaming of the department. "Homeland Security"? Since when did the United States of America become the "Homeland"?



"My country, 'tis of thee,

Sweet land of liberty,

Of thee I sing;

Land where my fathers died,

Land of the pilgrims' pride,

From every mountainside

Let freedom ring!"



Where does it say "Homeland" in that stanza? How about we dispense with the Richard Wagnerization fo the US Government and rename DHS the Department of Domestic Security? We have a precedent ... The War Department became the Department of Defense.



I hear Homeland Security and the Darth Vader theme comes to mind.
About President Obama
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The <em>New Yorker</em> "Vets" Obama

I mean, it's bad enough to have the President-Elect sitting on the commode talking to a dog, but why in the world is Axelrod in the CR with him? Is this some sort of subliminal LBJ reference?



(Actually I'm kidding, but it does strike me as though the drawing represents the Presidential Throne on Air Force One for some reason.)
About Barack Obama
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Paul Krugman: Why We Didn't See The Economic Crisis Coming

In a previous employment incarnation I worked in a high security cash handling unit for a major financial institution. The environment had guards, team custody, double custody, pocket-less uniforms and full coverage surveillance via banks of videotaping cameras. In short, security was intense ... and yet, employees continued to attempt defalcation. Stealing. I saw cash handlers, managers, and even guards caught for ripping off the bank. And each one of them knew that every move they made was being watched.



Now look at the current mayhem in our economy ... what caused it? Why didn't the experts see the crisis coming? Well, let's see. The banks were allowed to merge their commercial and investment sides for the first time since the Great Depression in 1999 with the vacating of Glass-Steagall. Then the Banks were deregulated, and the Hedge Funds were deregulated, and Commodities Trading was deregulated ...



Hmm, if human beings are willing to engage in theft of money when they KNOW they are under surveillance, how would they behave with none?



All of these great economic minds are pulling their hair out trying to determine how this mess snuck up on them, but the one overriding factor at the heart of the matter is not to be found in any of their graphs, charts, or spreadsheets. ...



Human Nature.
About Economy
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Fox News Shut Out At Obama's Pressers

Fox News has had its back rubbed and feet massaged by the Bush/Cheney Administration for the last 8 years. Talk about access, when one of your anchors becomes White House Press Secretary ... well, you don't get much more insider than that.



Had Fox News actually lived up to their slogan "Fair and Balanced" instead of making it an obvious punchline ... maybe the incoming Administration would treat the organization as credible.



Here's an idea, why doesn't Fox News send one of its less compromised talents to cover the White House? ... or better yet, hire someone new without all the propaganda baggage .. then when a Fox News representative raises a hand someone may take actually notice.
About President Obama
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Obama's Treasury Secretary A Cursing, Skateboarding "Hipster-Wonk"

"In temperament he seems similar to Mr Obama: he is suspicious of ideology, questions received wisdom, likes a competition of ideas and is keenly aware of how uncertain the world is."



In short, he, like Obama, is a member of Generation Jones ... the generation at the end of the Baby Boom who have quietly played cleanup for their highly publicized predecessors.



Where as the theme song for the Baby Boomers may have been "Don't Stop Thinking About Tomorrow", Generation Jones tacks more for "Don't Fear the Reaper"... or "Bat Out of Hell"



" ... I'm gonna hit the highway like a battering ram



On a silver black phantom bike



When the metal is hot and the engine is hungry



And we're all about to see the light



Nothing ever grows in this rotten old hole



Everything is stunted and lost



And nothing really rocks



And nothing really rolls



And nothing's ever worth the cost



And I know that I'm damned if I never get out



And maybe I'm damned if I do



But with every other beat I got left in my heart



You know I'd rather be damned with you"



(Gotta love Jim Steinman)
About Obama Transition
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Kinsley Warns Of Coming Blogopocalypse

Well that puts a cloud over my plans for a ZiraGlam Blog. I was thinking a site that was devoted to my Zira Planet of the Apes action figure posing in knockoffs from Project Runway would be a certain hit generator.



Zira does have an remarkable figure for a 6 inch plastic toy.



Oh well, another dream shattered,



(Oh, that would be the Original Zira poseable action figure, not the more recent "re-imagined" Zira from Tim Burton's massacre. Even Versace himself couldn't dress that Zira successfully.)
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Study: "Center-Right Nation" Narrative Spiked Immediately After Election Day

Many Americans are very much like the old man in whorehouse from Catch 22:



"Capt. Nately: Don't you have any principles?

Old man in whorehouse: Of course not!

Capt. Nately: No morality?

Old man in whorehouse: I'm a very moral man, and Italy is a very moral country. That's why we will certainly come out on top again if we succeed in being defeated.

Capt. Nately: You talk like a madman.

Old man in whorehouse: But I live like a sane one. I was a fascist when Mussolini was on top. Now that he has been deposed, I am anti-fascist. When the Germans were here, I was fanatically pro-German. Now I'm fanatically pro-American. You'll find no more loyal partisan in all of Italy than myself.

Capt. Nately: You're a shameful opportunist! What you don't understand is that it's better to die on your feet than to live on your knees.

Old man in whorehouse: You have it backwards. It's better to live on your feet than to die on your knees. I know.

Capt. Nately: How do you know?

Old man in whorehouse: Because I am 107-years-old. How old are you?

Capt. Nately: I'll be 20 in January.

Old man in whorehouse: If you live."



Many Americans will be fanatically center-right until they're not.
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

O'Reilly, Ingraham Stoke Fairness Doctrine Paranoia

Reinstating the Fairness Doctrine would be a good thing. Anything that dilutes the right wing rhetoric that has been allowed to brainwash vast regions of the United States for the last 20 years is of benefit to a nation that aspires to move forward and not backward. I do not see the reason to retreat from reinstatement of balanced exchange of ideas on the Nation's Airwaves.



And a bit of trivia on the murder of the Fairness Doctrine in the first place. Our friends on the Right were so thrilled with the success of the killing of the FD that they rewarded the Judges that rendered the judgment that hastened its demise with a shot at the Supreme Court.



"In 1986, Judges Robert Bork and Antonin Scalia of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit concluded that the Fairness Doctrine did apply to teletext but that the FCC was not required to apply it."



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairness_Doctrine
About Video On HuffPost
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Stocks tumble for second day; Treasurys surge

The possible collapse of the auto industry is a tangential reason for what is occurring on Wall Street. None of the fat cats are going to mouth these words:



"We spent the last 9, unregulated, avarice driven, years creating a monstrous financial pyramid scheme, designed to produce massive short term quarterly profits at the expense of long term economic stability and solvency, and that pyramid has sucked in capital from throughout the world economy, and that pyramid is in the process of rapid collapse, and we have no strategy, tools, or ability to stop it."



You won't hear those words from anyone of authority in Business or Government ... but that doesn't mean they aren't thinking it every day.
About Financial Crisis
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World Leaders Don't Shake Bush's Hand At G20 Summit (VIDEO)

I think we are misinterpreting what we are seeing here. I would love to kick Bush while he's down as much as anyone else here, but I think I would be missing the true, important message of this snub.



These are highly choreographed events. These are World Leaders representing 20 key Nations on earth. These aren't low level Foreign Ministers.



What we have here is a repudiation of the United States of America's economic leadership. Bush just happens to be the current President. The US strong armed the World into severe market liberalization at the cost of domestic economies and hardship for the citizens of these nations. The United States promised a pot of gold at the end of Milton Friedman's Rainbow, and the pot of gold turned out to be a chamberpot of dross.



There isn't a World Leader on that stage who isn't suffering tremendous political damage at home for the state of the World Economy ... and the US, in cahoots with the World Bank and the IMF, led the world to this misery.



So we shouldn't get too giddy about Bush being dissed ... the message sent, loud and clear, to the entire World was ... "the United States did this to us."



And that doesn't make Obama's job any easier.
About George Bush
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Dow 8000: Markets Plummet Again

Oh, this is nothing ... the Markets are going to head south Big Time. We haven't experienced the crash yet. We have been bumping along the rapids on the way to the falls, but we aren't to the falls yet.



This is what people have to remember ... this is key. We are where we are because the Banks were allowed to consolidate their commercial and investment wings thanks to the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act in 1999. Then on top of that all banking was deregulated, the SEC was de-fanged, Hedge Funds were deregulated and Wall Street was allowed to do pretty much anything they wanted, as irresponsibly as was possible in a highly competitive way,



So what was done was massive fraud and manipulation of float and leveraging to the tune of trillions upon trillions upon trillions upon trillions upon trillions. Now the cute thing about this fraudulently generated wealth is it is intermingled with REAL wealth. So, as this massive fraudulent wealth bubble collapses it evaporates the real capital with the fake. Oh, and just for giggles, lets remember since every bank in America became an investment Bank, every depositor became an investor ... so when you look at the corporation's predicament today ... it is due to the bulk of their wealth being tied up in the collapsing bubble too ... The Corporations have invested all of their savings and are watching it go up in smoke.



Some say Dow 5000? I say DOW 1900 ... it's over.
About Financial Crisis
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WTF? Lieberman? Clinton? That's EXACTLY The Obama I Voted For

Mr Stranahan, I will limit my criticism until I see what concrete results the Obama Administration delivers. Currently there is a grace period, but I'm not one to make excuses for Obama if he starts screwing up. Whether or not Obama is a transformational candidate in anyway other than diversity awaits to be seen.



I will say this, however, if the Democratic Party wants to use The Left to win power and then marginalize The Left once it attains it, then l think The Left needs to develop an alternative to to the current two party dynamic in order to get its needs met. If the Democrats take The Left for granted they should be made to pay for it. It wasn't the centrists that drove this last election cycle dynamic. I'm all for Netroots using the tools of the Internet to develop a vibrant Left coalition that can then leverage the power of its voting block to get its way. I would use the Iglesia Ni Cristo voting block model in the Philippines (sans the religion), for in a predominantly Catholic Country like the Philippines the Politicians know if they don't get the support of the independent Christian InC, they will likely lose the election. That's the true political power The Left needs to develop, Obama or not.
About Barack Obama
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Obama Advisers: Torture Prosecutions Not Likely

It would go a long way to rehabilitate the image of the United States if the Obama Administration were to prosecute domestically or aid in the prosecution, in an International Forum, the Americans guilty of crimes against humanity. Most Americans are so poorly educated they can't comprehend how far America's star has fallen in the eyes of the world. and contrary to domestically cultivated hubris, there are many areas of the world that would be more than happy to go about their business without being in the hammerlock of American influence.



Prosecuting villains from the Bush Administration would be a patriotic act that would aid the United States in recovering some of its lost credibility.
About President Obama
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Hank to Homeowners: Drop Dead!

Representative Harman, pity poor Hank Paulson. He's completely over his head and doesn't know which way is up. Remember, Paulson got rich off the very financial mysticism that is in the process of transforming itself from Prince Charming back to into a wart covered toad.



Of course stabilizing the mortgages is the way to address the problem of collapsing leveraged mortgage securities, but Paulson and Co are straitjacketed by their economic ideology. They see helping mortgage holders as some sort of socialist handout, where in actually it would be an act of capitalistic self preservation. Paulson, and Bernanke are trapped in the contracting box of Milton Friedman's failing economic model and they can't imagine a way out ... they're doomed.



But we aren't ... all it requires is a reevaluation of the current economic reality. If you look at the trillions upon trillions of leveraged CDS and derivatives as what it truly is ... fraudulent wealth ... we can use all manner of unique approaches to solve the problem. In the case of the collapsing CDS contracts due to counter party failures, how about this? Create Virtual counter party banks to replace the collapsing ones. In essence, pretend the banks didn't fail and use virtual banks as a stalling mechanism to buy time to reasonably unravel the contaminated contracts over a prolonged period of time at lesser impact to the greater economy. Remember, this is fraudulent wealth so why pretend we have to address its deflation?



The businessmen failed, lets
About Henry Paulson
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Obama's Team of Rivals

Excellent observations Jacob. We have to remember that Secretary of State is, by far, the most important Cabinet position at this time in our history. With all the damage the Bush Administration has done to the United State's international image and the ineptitude displayed by Rice, due in part to Cheney's interference, Obama can not afford to turn the office of Secretary of State into a Ceremonial position. I have no problem with the "Team of Rivals" dynamic, but they need to be Highly Qualified Rivals.



Also, I don't think the DLC should be allowed a return to power in the Obama Administration, for many of the reasons you point out, but also because the Clinton Administration ( that gets credit for a booming economy that was based on the DotCom fraud and the Sunbeam model) with the DLC at the helm, wasn't a departure from the Reagan-Bush41 agenda but, in very real terms, a "New Democrat" version of the same agenda.



We need to navigate our current troubles with both eyes open and dispel the myth that Bush43 is responsible for all ill. The DLC, despite its entrenched infrastructure, is not the solution, it's part of the problem. Putting the DLC in back in power would be like following the authoritarian Doctor to the submerged bow of the capsized Poseidon. Obama needs to be careful.
About Barack Obama
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While Paulson Waffles, the White House Dawdles, and Congress Dithers, the Economy Continues to Burn.

Arianna, CNBC had a heartwarming article on their site earlier today:



"Consumers Teetering on 14 Trillion Dollar Debt Pile"

http://www.cnbc.com/id/27716231



(They changed the title of the post to a less inflammatory "US Consumers Hit by Credit Crisis, And Everybody Pays")



14 Trillion is probably just the tip of the iceberg if the Wizards of Wall Street sliced and diced and securitized, and resold, and leveraged credit card and auto loan debt as they did mortgages. The thing is, Wall Street had nearly a decade of unregulated play at our, and by extension, the world economy's expense. The American version of Columbia's recent "Dinero Rapido Facil Efectivo" disaster.



I don't have a clue what the way out of this is because it seems America's Golden Goose has been cooked, but I am fairly confident that the 700 billion bailout, coupled with the trillion of dollars the Fed has offered up behind the scenes will have little effect on the Frankenstein's Monster of Float Fraud that Wall Street and its Washington enablers have created.
About Financial Crisis
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Palin Keeps Attacking Obama: "No Present Button"

Since Palin is relying on oldies but goodies I wanted to offer some up for her repertoire ...



Getting on a plane, I told the ticket lady, "Send one of my bags to New York, send one to Los Angeles, and send one to Miami." She said, "We can't do that!" I told her, "You did it last week!"



or ...



If my mother knew I did this for a living, she'd kill me. She thinks I'm selling dope.



or maybe ...



A priest is sent to Alaska. A bishop goes up to visit one year later. The bishop asks, "How do you like it up here?" The priest says, "If it wasn't for my Rosary, and 2 martinis a day, I'd be lost. Bishop, would you like a martini?" "Yes." "Rosary, get the bishop a martini!"



No charge, Sarah (gotta love Henny Youngman!)
About Sarah Palin
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Which Obamanomics?

Dr. Atkinson, I think Obama needs to consider a Neo-Keynesian approach in order to stabilize the economy then the Innovation Economics approach can be explored. I don't feel that Rubinomics has a place in the current economic dynamic, it is much better suited for when there is economic expansion taking place, not contraction.



I think for the self preservation of the US Economy the Government needs to be the economic referee. I don't think we ever get comfortable results when business is left to its own devices, for there is an inherent arrogance cultivated within the business psyche which, when combined with willful blindness and lack of self scrutiny, robs the private sector of the required tools of responsible economic stewardship.



I also don't think that the form of Government oversight needs to be necessarily draconian ... Government regulation should be more like a condom, allowing for economic intercourse between willing partners, but preventing unwanted byproducts and contamination that may spread detrimentally throughout the greater economy.
About Barack Obama
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

I Was Wrong

"Fortunately, Obama and his Davids knew better. They knew there were plenty of rabid lunatics like me blogging away out there, desperate for the candidate to give voice to our indignation and revulsion. And they knew they didn't have to waste a nanosecond worrying about keeping us happy, because what were we going to do, vote for Nader? They knew that what people were starving for after the past decade was not more rage."



Um, I respectfully disagree, Paul. Obama's Campaign didn't have to climb into the mud because the blogosphere was doing it for them, and providing plausible deniability. For certain the withering attacks coming from the net to McCain's Campaign had an impact ... do you really think that McCain's Campaign wasn't trolling HuffPo, TPM, DailyKOS, etc, for what was being said? Come on, these campaigns are always in a paranoid state ... look how the bittergate post by Fowler, here on HuffPo, knocked the Obama campaign off center for a good period of time.



McCain himself said "I hate bloggers" ... because if you are a man with a lot of uncomfortable secrets a multitude of internet fanatics trying to sink your campaign are a very real threat. So the Obama campaign could keep its skirts clean while the blogs kept the McCain Campaign off balance, and fending off mirages. Anyway, that's my take on it ... the 4.7 million independent hits that HuffPo received in Sept is proof positive that blogs are drawing eyes and having
About Barack Obama
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California Gay Marriage Banned As Proposition 8 Passes

This disgusts me.



Two Religions, one that condones polygamy and child brides the other that provides safe haven for pedophile priests is operating under the misconception that they occupy some moral high ground from which they can attack the choice of consenting adults in the State of California.



In addition to yanking the nonprofit status of the churches involved (which should be the focus of a future California Proposition) for engaging in politics, these esteemed organizations should meditate upon the concept of addressing the moral plank in their own eye before worrying about a spec of sawdust in the eyes of others.



This isn't over ... not by a long shot.
About Gay Marriage
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Obama Wins: How He Did It

I wanted to invoke the name of a forgotten hero of the Civil Rights Movement ... Assistant Attorney General of the Kennedy and Johnson Administrations ... Norbert Schlei.



From Schlei's April 21, 2003 Obit in the LA Times:



"Schlei was the principal draftsman of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964, the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and the Immigration Reform Act of 1967.



"I felt I was lucky," Schlei told the New York Times in 1995, "because I was able to turn what ability I had to something important."



Schlei had barely moved into his quarters in August 1962 as head of the office of legal counsel just vacated by Katzenbach, when he was put to work. The University of Mississippi had refused to allow James Meredith, a black student, to enroll that fall, and Kennedy sent Schlei to Oxford, Miss., to get Meredith into the school."



There were many heroes that paved the way for Obama's (and America's) Victory tonight ... Norbert Schlei should be remembered for his role.
About Barack Obama
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Obama Wins: Why All Americans Have a Reason to Celebrate

Ah ... sweet, sweet VICTORY!!!



Thank you Arianna for creating a platform here for ideas to be argued and shared, and most importantly, for providing a place where millions could overcome the fear and isolation of the Bush years and rediscover their voice.



NOW ... the fun begins!
About Election Reaction
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MSNBC Live Feed

Murdoch: China, India Will Reshape The World

Let's see how China and India weathers the the current financial maelstrom ... both nations are resource nations to the western economies and are therefore are very sensitive to their partners economic health. In addition, both India and China are susceptible to internal instability. India recently had bombings with many fatalities and also India, which is not widely known, has a larger muslim population than Pakistan. If fundamentalist islam has an upswing within India then being happy capitalists will be the least of India's concern. Pakistan's instability doesn't help India either. In terms of China, not all chinese are enjoying the benefits of the country's new found economic muscle. There is still a vast peasantry in China that is in no better shape now than they have been in the last thousand years. The Three Gorges Dam project has dislocated millions of Chinese and thrown them into the ghettos of newly built cities, completely divorced from their traditional lifestyles. Not a recipe for stability either.



In short, rich men like Murdoch, often think that success in one area of life grants them some super human perception of reality generally. Thinking that India and China will reshape the world is wishful thinking on the part of a Mega Capitalist who is watching his traditional markets shrink. There is as much evidence that India and China will retreat from a world role in order to address internal issues is there is of those nations taking a lead in international events at all.
About China
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Barack Obama's America

Come into the light, Lady Rothschild, don't be fearful ... you're loved! Together we can build a better tomorrow, we shouldn't react to shadows on the cave wall, we are meant embrace the light of day!



(Lady R, I must admit, there was a time I carried an umlaut in my name too, but I have released myself of the burden and now stride amongst the great unwashed with a new found joy ... yours sincerely, the former FögBelter)
About Barack Obama
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Obama Girl Robocalls

Whenever Obama Girl appears the Fog begins to lift so posting this is environmentally dangerous for me ... but, what the Hell?