This has caught me extremely off guard.
Dec. 4 (Bloomberg) -- Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper suspended the country’s legislature for more than seven weeks in a bid to stave off a challenge from opposition parties seeking to bring down his government.
Harper, re-elected in October, said Governor General Michaelle Jean, who acts as the country’s head of state, agreed to his request to close Parliament until Jan. 26. The government’s first order of business will be a budget scheduled for Jan. 27, Harper said, calling on the opposition to work with his administration on a “stimulus” package for the ailing economy...
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Saturday, December 6, 2008
Chevron in the white house (still)
Chevron in the White House
Posted on Dec 2, 2008
By Amy Goodman
President-elect Barack Obama introduced his principal national-security Cabinet selections to the world Monday and left no doubt that he intends to start his administration on a war footing. Perhaps the least well known among them is retired Marine Gen. James Jones, Obama’s pick for national security adviser. The position is crucial—think of the power that Henry Kissinger wielded in Richard Nixon’s White House. A look into who James Jones is sheds a little light on the Obama campaign’s promise of “Change We Can Believe In.”
Jones is the former supreme allied commander of NATO. He is president and chief executive of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Institute for 21st Century Energy. The institute has been criticized by environmental groups for, among other things, calling for the immediate expansion of domestic oil and gas production and issuing reports that challenged the use of the Clean Air Act to combat global warming.
Recently retired from the military, Jones has parlayed his 40-year military career into several corporate directorships. Among them is Cross Match Technologies, which makes biometric identification equipment. More germane to Jones’ forthcoming role in Obama’s inner circle, though, might be Jones’ seat as a director of Boeing, a weapons manufacturer, and as a director of Chevron, an oil giant.
Chevron has already sent one of its directors to the White House: Condoleezza Rice. As a member of that California-based oil giant’s board, she actually had a Chevron oil tanker named after her, the Condoleezza Rice. The tanker’s name was changed, after some embarrassment, when Rice joined the Bush administration as national security adviser. So now Chevron has a new person at the highest level of the executive branch. With Robert Gates also keeping his job as secretary of defense, maybe Obama should change his slogan to “Continuity We Can Believe In.”
But what of a Chevron director high up in the West Wing? Obama’s attacks on John McCain during the campaign included a daily refrain about the massive profits of ExxonMobil, as if that was the only oil company out there. Chevron, too, has posted mammoth profits. Chevron was also a defendant in a federal court case in San Francisco related to the murder, 10 years ago, of two unarmed, peaceful activists in the oil-rich Niger Delta region of Nigeria. On May 28, 1998, three Chevron helicopters ferried Nigerian military and police to the remote section of the Delta known as Ilajeland, where protesters had occupied a Chevron offshore drilling platform to protest Chevron’s role in the destruction of the local environment. The troops opened fired on the protesters. Two were killed, others were injured. (Rice was in charge of the Chevron board’s public policy committee when it fought off shareholder resolutions demanding that Chevron improve its human rights and environmental record in Nigeria.)
One of those shot was Larry Bowoto, who, along with the family members of those killed, filed suit in California against Chevron for its role in the attack. Just after Jones was named Obama’s national security adviser Monday, a jury acquitted Chevron. Bowoto told me: “I was disappointed in the judgment by the jury. I believe personally the struggle continues. I believe the attorney representing us will not stay put. He will take the initiative in going to the court of appeals.” I met Bowoto in 1998, just months after he was shot. He showed me his bullet wounds when I interviewed him in the Niger Delta. I also met Omoyele Sowore, who has since come to the U.S. and started the news Web site SaharaReporters.com.
Sowore has followed the case closely. Though disappointed, he said: “We have achieved one major victory: Chevron’s underbelly was exposed in this town. ... Also there is Nigeria: Protesters won’t give up. ... This will not discourage anybody who wants to make sure Chevron gives up violence as a way of doing business. American citizens are increasingly protective of their economy. ... Chevron played into fears of ... the jurors, saying these are people [the Nigerian protesters] who made oil prices go through the roof. This was a pyrrhic victory for Chevron. If I was in their shoes, I wouldn’t be popping champagne.”
Nigerians know well the power of the military-industrial complex in their own country. While Obama was swept into office promising change, his choice of Marine Gen. James Jones as national security adviser probably has U.S. corporate titans breathing easy, leaving the poor of the Niger Delta with the acrid air and oil-slicked water that lie behind Chevron’s profits.
Denis Moynihan contributed research to this column.
Amy Goodman is the host of “Democracy Now!,” a daily international TV/radio news hour airing on more than 700 stations in North America. She has been awarded the 2008 Right Livelihood Award, dubbed the “Alternative Nobel” prize, and will receive the award in the Swedish Parliament in December.
Posted on Dec 2, 2008
By Amy Goodman
President-elect Barack Obama introduced his principal national-security Cabinet selections to the world Monday and left no doubt that he intends to start his administration on a war footing. Perhaps the least well known among them is retired Marine Gen. James Jones, Obama’s pick for national security adviser. The position is crucial—think of the power that Henry Kissinger wielded in Richard Nixon’s White House. A look into who James Jones is sheds a little light on the Obama campaign’s promise of “Change We Can Believe In.”
Jones is the former supreme allied commander of NATO. He is president and chief executive of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Institute for 21st Century Energy. The institute has been criticized by environmental groups for, among other things, calling for the immediate expansion of domestic oil and gas production and issuing reports that challenged the use of the Clean Air Act to combat global warming.
Recently retired from the military, Jones has parlayed his 40-year military career into several corporate directorships. Among them is Cross Match Technologies, which makes biometric identification equipment. More germane to Jones’ forthcoming role in Obama’s inner circle, though, might be Jones’ seat as a director of Boeing, a weapons manufacturer, and as a director of Chevron, an oil giant.
Chevron has already sent one of its directors to the White House: Condoleezza Rice. As a member of that California-based oil giant’s board, she actually had a Chevron oil tanker named after her, the Condoleezza Rice. The tanker’s name was changed, after some embarrassment, when Rice joined the Bush administration as national security adviser. So now Chevron has a new person at the highest level of the executive branch. With Robert Gates also keeping his job as secretary of defense, maybe Obama should change his slogan to “Continuity We Can Believe In.”
But what of a Chevron director high up in the West Wing? Obama’s attacks on John McCain during the campaign included a daily refrain about the massive profits of ExxonMobil, as if that was the only oil company out there. Chevron, too, has posted mammoth profits. Chevron was also a defendant in a federal court case in San Francisco related to the murder, 10 years ago, of two unarmed, peaceful activists in the oil-rich Niger Delta region of Nigeria. On May 28, 1998, three Chevron helicopters ferried Nigerian military and police to the remote section of the Delta known as Ilajeland, where protesters had occupied a Chevron offshore drilling platform to protest Chevron’s role in the destruction of the local environment. The troops opened fired on the protesters. Two were killed, others were injured. (Rice was in charge of the Chevron board’s public policy committee when it fought off shareholder resolutions demanding that Chevron improve its human rights and environmental record in Nigeria.)
One of those shot was Larry Bowoto, who, along with the family members of those killed, filed suit in California against Chevron for its role in the attack. Just after Jones was named Obama’s national security adviser Monday, a jury acquitted Chevron. Bowoto told me: “I was disappointed in the judgment by the jury. I believe personally the struggle continues. I believe the attorney representing us will not stay put. He will take the initiative in going to the court of appeals.” I met Bowoto in 1998, just months after he was shot. He showed me his bullet wounds when I interviewed him in the Niger Delta. I also met Omoyele Sowore, who has since come to the U.S. and started the news Web site SaharaReporters.com.
Sowore has followed the case closely. Though disappointed, he said: “We have achieved one major victory: Chevron’s underbelly was exposed in this town. ... Also there is Nigeria: Protesters won’t give up. ... This will not discourage anybody who wants to make sure Chevron gives up violence as a way of doing business. American citizens are increasingly protective of their economy. ... Chevron played into fears of ... the jurors, saying these are people [the Nigerian protesters] who made oil prices go through the roof. This was a pyrrhic victory for Chevron. If I was in their shoes, I wouldn’t be popping champagne.”
Nigerians know well the power of the military-industrial complex in their own country. While Obama was swept into office promising change, his choice of Marine Gen. James Jones as national security adviser probably has U.S. corporate titans breathing easy, leaving the poor of the Niger Delta with the acrid air and oil-slicked water that lie behind Chevron’s profits.
Denis Moynihan contributed research to this column.
Amy Goodman is the host of “Democracy Now!,” a daily international TV/radio news hour airing on more than 700 stations in North America. She has been awarded the 2008 Right Livelihood Award, dubbed the “Alternative Nobel” prize, and will receive the award in the Swedish Parliament in December.
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Of Philanthropists and Con artists
The Council on Foreign Relations runs a think tank called the David Rockefeller Studies Program. This program was started by David Rockefeller, a patriarch of a strong American family with strong American values. John D. Rockefeller became the richest man in history by building up an oil empire, but he gave some wealth back to the people in the form of foundations, funding for the arts, colleges, and even a private research university. Today you can here his name nearly every day on the "liberal radio station" NPR.
Wait a second, did I say American values? I meant to say, self-serving capitalist values.
Jay Rockefeller (one of John D. Rockefeller's many great-grandsons) personally supports "granting the President new warrantless eavesdropping powers and granting immunity to lawbreaking telecoms" (http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/2008/01/24/rockefeller/).
Keep in mind, this is just one of the richest families in the world. There are several families using their wealth and power in similar ways with the end goal of controlling the US economy and indirectly the people involved in that economy.
The same family worked to pass the Rockefeller Drug Laws in the state of New York (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rockefeller_drug_laws) that have increased New York's inmate population by over 400% since their passage. According to drugpolicy.org "As of 2008, approximately 14,000 people are locked up for drug offenses in New York State prisons, representing nearly 38% of the prison population and costing New Yorkers hundreds of millions of dollars every year." (http://www.drugpolicy.org/statebystate/newyork/rockefellerd/)
Philanthropist, indeed.
Wait a second, did I say American values? I meant to say, self-serving capitalist values.
Jay Rockefeller (one of John D. Rockefeller's many great-grandsons) personally supports "granting the President new warrantless eavesdropping powers and granting immunity to lawbreaking telecoms" (http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/2008/01/24/rockefeller/).
Keep in mind, this is just one of the richest families in the world. There are several families using their wealth and power in similar ways with the end goal of controlling the US economy and indirectly the people involved in that economy.
The same family worked to pass the Rockefeller Drug Laws in the state of New York (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rockefeller_drug_laws) that have increased New York's inmate population by over 400% since their passage. According to drugpolicy.org "As of 2008, approximately 14,000 people are locked up for drug offenses in New York State prisons, representing nearly 38% of the prison population and costing New Yorkers hundreds of millions of dollars every year." (http://www.drugpolicy.org/statebystate/newyork/rockefellerd/)
Philanthropist, indeed.
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Money as Debt.
A friend sent me this on facebook and I haven't had a chance to watch it but the title says all I needed to hear to know this is most likely truth.
Also check out the films Zeitgeist (I & II), The Corporation, and The Last White Hope: the American Drug War.
Also check out the films Zeitgeist (I & II), The Corporation, and The Last White Hope: the American Drug War.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
George Herbert Walker Bush Implicated in Kennedy Assassination
this article makes assertions and presents evidence that George H.W. Bush was directly connected to the assassination of President Kennedy.
President John F. Kennedy has often been lauded as the 20th century's best U.S. president. He was taken down, not by a magic bullet, but by a hired assassin, who was not Oswald.
Could it have been because he proposed a non-debt based currency? Quite possibly.
President John F. Kennedy has often been lauded as the 20th century's best U.S. president. He was taken down, not by a magic bullet, but by a hired assassin, who was not Oswald.
Could it have been because he proposed a non-debt based currency? Quite possibly.
war drums
This country, this nation, this flag
once freedom-founded, truth-based, independence-loving,
now intimidates wage slaves for life blood.
Where people must adapt their sanity to an insane world,
would you imagine those spreading hidden knowledge are crazy?
What are you, insane? That’ll never stand in court.
MK Ultra: never ended, just renamed,
all the stuff’s the same, the media loves to play this game
since corporate interests hand over some riches.
Together, they will crush world currencies, establish four more continental unions!
Goodbye, Operation Paper Clip, hello Operation RFID Chip.
This sounds like a conspiracy theory.
Reported from Sheep on a Mission,
state terror persists sans admission,
as the ones who tell
of the buildings that fell, never say “controlled demolition.”
Those who speak truth are off their handle, out of touch. Loony. Alarmist.
Our government would never work to harm us, they protect our freedoms.
Presidential Candidate number 5 preaches to his flock.
“Their will be other wars than these, say sorry,”
he bleats while blurry blizzards of tv screen snow
cut in with popup ads and subliminal messages
to undermine our confidence leading us to continual consumption.
Didn’t you see the new product x commercial though? That was so cool!
Insanity is presuming America has a protected Democracy,
when our own government threatens Democracy everywhere else.
They instate dictators, falsify two elections, lie our way into warring always,
and we expect all of a sudden they will stop? Concede?
Bush never even apologized, let alone admitted
his lies, laying blame on faulty intelligence. Oops. Heh-heh-heh-heh.
We seek to bring this evidence to light,
that our government is taking us all for a ride
across the Accountant-sea to sell US into slavery
to the banks, the loan sharks, the hedge fund wizards.
It’s time to reclaim our stake in Democracy.
Let the important people make important decisions.
Somehow, still, Americans think withdrawing
our troops and calling halt to the slaughter will paint us yellow head to toe.
“We’re number one!” goes the new Jingo pop/rock anthem.
It’s taking over the charts for an H-bomb hit wonder.
Meanwhile our economy falls in on itself and the House of the Red Shield tightens its grip...
Those events are unrelated! Why do you hate America?
once freedom-founded, truth-based, independence-loving,
now intimidates wage slaves for life blood.
Where people must adapt their sanity to an insane world,
would you imagine those spreading hidden knowledge are crazy?
What are you, insane? That’ll never stand in court.
MK Ultra: never ended, just renamed,
all the stuff’s the same, the media loves to play this game
since corporate interests hand over some riches.
Together, they will crush world currencies, establish four more continental unions!
Goodbye, Operation Paper Clip, hello Operation RFID Chip.
This sounds like a conspiracy theory.
Reported from Sheep on a Mission,
state terror persists sans admission,
as the ones who tell
of the buildings that fell, never say “controlled demolition.”
Those who speak truth are off their handle, out of touch. Loony. Alarmist.
Our government would never work to harm us, they protect our freedoms.
Presidential Candidate number 5 preaches to his flock.
“Their will be other wars than these, say sorry,”
he bleats while blurry blizzards of tv screen snow
cut in with popup ads and subliminal messages
to undermine our confidence leading us to continual consumption.
Didn’t you see the new product x commercial though? That was so cool!
Insanity is presuming America has a protected Democracy,
when our own government threatens Democracy everywhere else.
They instate dictators, falsify two elections, lie our way into warring always,
and we expect all of a sudden they will stop? Concede?
Bush never even apologized, let alone admitted
his lies, laying blame on faulty intelligence. Oops. Heh-heh-heh-heh.
We seek to bring this evidence to light,
that our government is taking us all for a ride
across the Accountant-sea to sell US into slavery
to the banks, the loan sharks, the hedge fund wizards.
It’s time to reclaim our stake in Democracy.
Let the important people make important decisions.
Somehow, still, Americans think withdrawing
our troops and calling halt to the slaughter will paint us yellow head to toe.
“We’re number one!” goes the new Jingo pop/rock anthem.
It’s taking over the charts for an H-bomb hit wonder.
Meanwhile our economy falls in on itself and the House of the Red Shield tightens its grip...
Those events are unrelated! Why do you hate America?
Andrew Lahde, Lahde Capital Management, Letter of Resignation
This has been reposted from The Financial Times. I had to share this with all the readers out there as it truly pinpoints the aspect of our culture that is driven by the code of profit-while-you-can.
We as a people are experiencing a huge disconnect right now between what should be and what is. We dismiss the possibility of creating a better world by ditching the Federal Reserve. We have so far collectively refused action because we are held up by the perceived differences between cultural, racial, and political groups. If a few of us do not pay our taxes, we will be sent to jail. If millions of us across the nation simultaneously refuse to pay our taxes, we can shut this organization down, and rebuild a system that does not have openings for people to rob others legally. We need to take down the CIA and remove people from power in every single government agency, reinstating people with no history of for example supporting MK Ultra (Oliver North), working with the Nazis (Bush), or the CFR (Clintons, Bushes, Obama, Biden, etc.).
I will continue posting information on these findings until I am shut up.
---------------------------------------------------------------
Letter: Andrew Lahde, Lahde Capital Management
By Andrew Lahde
Friday Oct 17 2008 13:15
October 17, 2008
Today I write not to gloat. Given the pain that nearly everyone is experiencing, that would be entirely inappropriate. Nor am I writing to make further predictions, as most of my forecasts in previous letters have unfolded or are in the process of unfolding. Instead, I am writing to say goodbye.
Recently, on the front page of Section C of the Wall Street Journal, a hedge fund manager who was also closing up shop (a $300 million fund), was quoted as saying, "What I have learned about the hedge fund business is that I hate it." I could not agree more with that statement. I was in this game for the money. The low hanging fruit, i.e. idiots whose parents paid for prep school, Yale, and then the Harvard MBA, was there for the taking. These people who were (often) truly not worthy of the education they received (or supposedly received) rose to the top of companies such as AIG, Bear Stearns and Lehman Brothers and all levels of our government. All of this behavior supporting the Aristocracy only ended up making it easier for me to find people stupid enough to take the other side of my trades. God bless America.
There are far too many people for me to sincerely thank for my success. However, I do not want to sound like a Hollywood actor accepting an award. The money was reward enough. Furthermore, the endless list of those deserving thanks know who they are.
I will no longer manage money for other people or institutions. I have enough of my own wealth to manage. Some people, who think they have arrived at a reasonable estimate of my net worth, might be surprised that I would call it quits with such a small war chest. That is fine; I am content with my rewards. Moreover, I will let others try to amass nine, ten or eleven figure net worths. Meanwhile, their lives suck. Appointments back to back, booked solid for the next three months, they lookforward to their two week vacation in January during which they will likely be glued to their Blackberries or other such devices. What is the point? They will all be forgotten in fifty years anyway. Steve Balmer, Steven Cohen, and Larry Ellison will all be forgotten. I do not understand the legacy thing. Nearly everyone will be forgotten. Give up on leaving your mark. Throw the Blackberry away and enjoy life.
So this is it. With all due respect, I am dropping out. Please do not expect any type of reply to emails or voicemails within normal time frames or at all. Andy Springer and his company will be handling the dissolution of the fund. And don't worry about my employees, they were always employed by Mr. Springer's company and only one (who has been well-rewarded) will lose his job.
I have no interest in any deals in which anyone would like me to participate. I truly do not have a strong opinion about any market right now, other than to say that things will continue to get worse for some time, probably years. I am content sitting on the sidelines and waiting. After all, sitting and waiting is how we made money from the subprime debacle. I now have time to repair my health, which was destroyed by the stress I layered onto myself over the past two years, as well as my entire life - where I had to compete for spaces in universities and graduate schools, jobs and assets under management - with those who had all the advantages (rich parents) that I did not. May meritocracy be part of a new form of government, which needs to be established.
On the issue of the U.S. Government, I would like to make a modest proposal. First, I point out the obvious flaws, whereby legislation was repeatedly brought forth to Congress over the past eight years, which would have reigned in the predatory lending practices of now mostly defunct institutions. These institutions regularly filled the coffers of both parties in return for voting down all of this legislation designed to protect the common citizen. This is an outrage, yet no one seems to know or care about it. Since Thomas Jefferson and Adam Smith passed, I would argue that there has been a dearth of worthy philosophers in this country, at least ones focused on improving government. Capitalism worked for two hundred years, but times change, and systems become corrupt. George Soros, a man of staggering wealth, has stated that he would like to be remembered as a philosopher. My suggestion is that this great man start and sponsor a forum for great minds to come together to create a new system of government that truly represents the common man's interest, while at the same time creating rewards great enough to attract the best and brightest minds to serve in government roles without having to rely on corruption to further their interests or lifestyles. This forum could be similar to the one used to create the operating system, Linux, which competes with Microsoft's near monopoly. I believe there is an answer, but for now the system is clearly broken.
Lastly, while I still have an audience, I would like to bring attention to an alternative food and energy source. You won't see it included in BP's, "Feel good. We are working on sustainable solutions," television commercials, nor is it mentioned in ADM's similar commercials. But hemp has been used for at least 5,000 years for cloth and food, as well as just about everything that is produced from petroleum products. Hemp is not marijuana and vice versa. Hemp is the male plant and it grows like a weed, hence the slang term. The original American flag was made of hemp fiber and our Constitution was printed on paper made of hemp. It was used as recently as World War II by the U.S. Government, and then promptly made illegal after the war was won. At a time when rhetoric is flying about becoming more self-sufficient in terms of energy, why is it illegal to grow this plant in this country? Ah, the female. The evil female plant - marijuana. It gets you high, it makes you laugh, it does not produce a hangover. Unlike alcohol, it does not result in bar fights or wife beating. So, why is this innocuous plant illegal? Is it a gateway drug? No, that would be alcohol, which is so heavily advertised in this country. My only conclusion as to why it is illegal, is that Corporate America, which owns Congress, would rather sell you Paxil, Zoloft, Xanax and other addictive drugs, than allow you to grow a plant in your home without some of the profits going into their coffers. This policy is ludicrous. It has surely contributed to our dependency on foreign energy sources. Our policies have other countries literally laughing at our stupidity, most notably Canada, as well as several European nations (both Eastern and Western). You would not know this by paying attention to U.S. media sources though, as they tend not to elaborate on who is laughing at the United States this week. Please people, let's stop the rhetoric and start thinking about how we can truly become self-sufficient.
With that I say goodbye and good luck.
All the best,
Andrew Lahde
We as a people are experiencing a huge disconnect right now between what should be and what is. We dismiss the possibility of creating a better world by ditching the Federal Reserve. We have so far collectively refused action because we are held up by the perceived differences between cultural, racial, and political groups. If a few of us do not pay our taxes, we will be sent to jail. If millions of us across the nation simultaneously refuse to pay our taxes, we can shut this organization down, and rebuild a system that does not have openings for people to rob others legally. We need to take down the CIA and remove people from power in every single government agency, reinstating people with no history of for example supporting MK Ultra (Oliver North), working with the Nazis (Bush), or the CFR (Clintons, Bushes, Obama, Biden, etc.).
I will continue posting information on these findings until I am shut up.
---------------------------------------------------------------
Letter: Andrew Lahde, Lahde Capital Management
By Andrew Lahde
Friday Oct 17 2008 13:15
October 17, 2008
Today I write not to gloat. Given the pain that nearly everyone is experiencing, that would be entirely inappropriate. Nor am I writing to make further predictions, as most of my forecasts in previous letters have unfolded or are in the process of unfolding. Instead, I am writing to say goodbye.
Recently, on the front page of Section C of the Wall Street Journal, a hedge fund manager who was also closing up shop (a $300 million fund), was quoted as saying, "What I have learned about the hedge fund business is that I hate it." I could not agree more with that statement. I was in this game for the money. The low hanging fruit, i.e. idiots whose parents paid for prep school, Yale, and then the Harvard MBA, was there for the taking. These people who were (often) truly not worthy of the education they received (or supposedly received) rose to the top of companies such as AIG, Bear Stearns and Lehman Brothers and all levels of our government. All of this behavior supporting the Aristocracy only ended up making it easier for me to find people stupid enough to take the other side of my trades. God bless America.
There are far too many people for me to sincerely thank for my success. However, I do not want to sound like a Hollywood actor accepting an award. The money was reward enough. Furthermore, the endless list of those deserving thanks know who they are.
I will no longer manage money for other people or institutions. I have enough of my own wealth to manage. Some people, who think they have arrived at a reasonable estimate of my net worth, might be surprised that I would call it quits with such a small war chest. That is fine; I am content with my rewards. Moreover, I will let others try to amass nine, ten or eleven figure net worths. Meanwhile, their lives suck. Appointments back to back, booked solid for the next three months, they lookforward to their two week vacation in January during which they will likely be glued to their Blackberries or other such devices. What is the point? They will all be forgotten in fifty years anyway. Steve Balmer, Steven Cohen, and Larry Ellison will all be forgotten. I do not understand the legacy thing. Nearly everyone will be forgotten. Give up on leaving your mark. Throw the Blackberry away and enjoy life.
So this is it. With all due respect, I am dropping out. Please do not expect any type of reply to emails or voicemails within normal time frames or at all. Andy Springer and his company will be handling the dissolution of the fund. And don't worry about my employees, they were always employed by Mr. Springer's company and only one (who has been well-rewarded) will lose his job.
I have no interest in any deals in which anyone would like me to participate. I truly do not have a strong opinion about any market right now, other than to say that things will continue to get worse for some time, probably years. I am content sitting on the sidelines and waiting. After all, sitting and waiting is how we made money from the subprime debacle. I now have time to repair my health, which was destroyed by the stress I layered onto myself over the past two years, as well as my entire life - where I had to compete for spaces in universities and graduate schools, jobs and assets under management - with those who had all the advantages (rich parents) that I did not. May meritocracy be part of a new form of government, which needs to be established.
On the issue of the U.S. Government, I would like to make a modest proposal. First, I point out the obvious flaws, whereby legislation was repeatedly brought forth to Congress over the past eight years, which would have reigned in the predatory lending practices of now mostly defunct institutions. These institutions regularly filled the coffers of both parties in return for voting down all of this legislation designed to protect the common citizen. This is an outrage, yet no one seems to know or care about it. Since Thomas Jefferson and Adam Smith passed, I would argue that there has been a dearth of worthy philosophers in this country, at least ones focused on improving government. Capitalism worked for two hundred years, but times change, and systems become corrupt. George Soros, a man of staggering wealth, has stated that he would like to be remembered as a philosopher. My suggestion is that this great man start and sponsor a forum for great minds to come together to create a new system of government that truly represents the common man's interest, while at the same time creating rewards great enough to attract the best and brightest minds to serve in government roles without having to rely on corruption to further their interests or lifestyles. This forum could be similar to the one used to create the operating system, Linux, which competes with Microsoft's near monopoly. I believe there is an answer, but for now the system is clearly broken.
Lastly, while I still have an audience, I would like to bring attention to an alternative food and energy source. You won't see it included in BP's, "Feel good. We are working on sustainable solutions," television commercials, nor is it mentioned in ADM's similar commercials. But hemp has been used for at least 5,000 years for cloth and food, as well as just about everything that is produced from petroleum products. Hemp is not marijuana and vice versa. Hemp is the male plant and it grows like a weed, hence the slang term. The original American flag was made of hemp fiber and our Constitution was printed on paper made of hemp. It was used as recently as World War II by the U.S. Government, and then promptly made illegal after the war was won. At a time when rhetoric is flying about becoming more self-sufficient in terms of energy, why is it illegal to grow this plant in this country? Ah, the female. The evil female plant - marijuana. It gets you high, it makes you laugh, it does not produce a hangover. Unlike alcohol, it does not result in bar fights or wife beating. So, why is this innocuous plant illegal? Is it a gateway drug? No, that would be alcohol, which is so heavily advertised in this country. My only conclusion as to why it is illegal, is that Corporate America, which owns Congress, would rather sell you Paxil, Zoloft, Xanax and other addictive drugs, than allow you to grow a plant in your home without some of the profits going into their coffers. This policy is ludicrous. It has surely contributed to our dependency on foreign energy sources. Our policies have other countries literally laughing at our stupidity, most notably Canada, as well as several European nations (both Eastern and Western). You would not know this by paying attention to U.S. media sources though, as they tend not to elaborate on who is laughing at the United States this week. Please people, let's stop the rhetoric and start thinking about how we can truly become self-sufficient.
With that I say goodbye and good luck.
All the best,
Andrew Lahde
Monday, October 6, 2008
Democracy: It’s How You Feel Inside
This Huffington Post Article features an interview with Naomi Wolf. She was also interviewed for radio:
Wolf says that the worst thing to happen for the plan of a coup is chaos. As of October 1st, the coup has happened. We have no time to push this back. Money is being funneled into the Dept. of Homeland Security to pay off suits that people bring to the police departments after their abuse. The system is well established for this power grab, which has been planned for a good thirty years.
Ponder this scenario: An election, highly contested. The popular vote and electorate are rigged to make it look close. The leader in office will claim power as Commander-In-Chief, “regulate” the election, and declare the winner to be the candidates on his side.
Is this Hitler? Or Bush?
We are OBLIGED to speak freely, as Americans. We have to Rebel always against injustice and oppression. We must be running things. US, ordinary people, we need to rise up against this coup. We CANNOT sit idly by while these laws are perverted. If we sacrifice liberty for security, WE DESERVE NEITHER!
Mr. Franklin is spinning in his grave.
Wolf says that the worst thing to happen for the plan of a coup is chaos. As of October 1st, the coup has happened. We have no time to push this back. Money is being funneled into the Dept. of Homeland Security to pay off suits that people bring to the police departments after their abuse. The system is well established for this power grab, which has been planned for a good thirty years.
Ponder this scenario: An election, highly contested. The popular vote and electorate are rigged to make it look close. The leader in office will claim power as Commander-In-Chief, “regulate” the election, and declare the winner to be the candidates on his side.
Is this Hitler? Or Bush?
We are OBLIGED to speak freely, as Americans. We have to Rebel always against injustice and oppression. We must be running things. US, ordinary people, we need to rise up against this coup. We CANNOT sit idly by while these laws are perverted. If we sacrifice liberty for security, WE DESERVE NEITHER!
Mr. Franklin is spinning in his grave.
Congress Threatened with Martial Law if Bail Out Fails
I had to watch it to believe it, but it's true. Brad Sherman of California has become extremely unpopular in Congress because of his opposition to the Bail Out Plan. On C-Span today, he stated that several members of Congress have been threatened with martial law if this bail out plan is not passed.
link to the video here
It really is time to mobilize.
link to the video here
It really is time to mobilize.
Monday, September 29, 2008
Brigade homeland tours start Oct. 1
From the Army Times
3rd Infantry’s 1st BCT trains for a new dwell-time mission. Helping ‘people at home’ may become a permanent part of the active Army
By Gina Cavallaro - Staff writer
Posted : Monday Sep 8, 2008 6:15:06 EDT
Posted : Monday Sep 8, 2008 6:15:06 EDT
The 3rd Infantry Division’s 1st Brigade Combat Team has spent 35 of the last 60 months in Iraq patrolling in full battle rattle, helping restore essential services and escorting supply convoys.
Now they’re training for the same mission — with a twist — at home.
Beginning Oct. 1 for 12 months, the 1st BCT will be under the day-to-day control of U.S. Army North, the Army service component of Northern Command, as an on-call federal response force for natural or manmade emergencies and disasters, including terrorist attacks.
It is not the first time an active-duty unit has been tapped to help at home. In August 2005, for example, when Hurricane Katrina unleashed hell in Mississippi and Louisiana, several active-duty units were pulled from various posts and mobilized to those areas.
whole text available at: http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/09/army_homeland_090708w/
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I think that "helping" in the above headline should be in quotes in addition to "people at home."
I take comfort in the fact that it when the English Army insisted on commandeering people's homes to use as HQ that sparked a lot of support for the Revolutionary War.
The most frightening thing to me about this, however, is that every day people will be watching this from home, and that the media will probably not really cover any activity in this deployment. Hell, mainstream media isn't even talking about the fact that there will be a deployment.
Any suggestions?
One thing is clear: it's time to mobilize.
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Oh, also, Vote McKinney
Vote for the Presidential candidate that actually has the spine to talk about 9/11 openly and honestly.
Wall street "Bailout"
LEGISLATIVE PROPOSAL FOR TREASURY AUTHORITY
TO PURCHASE MORTGAGE-RELATED ASSETS
Section 1. Short Title.
This Act may be cited as ____________________.
Sec. 2. Purchases of Mortgage-Related Assets.
(a) Authority to Purchase.--The Secretary is authorized to purchase, and to make and fund commitments to purchase, on such terms and conditions as determined by the Secretary, mortgage-related assets from any financial institution having its headquarters in the United States.
(b) Necessary Actions.--The Secretary is authorized to take such actions as the Secretary deems necessary to carry out the authorities in this Act, including, without limitation:
(1) appointing such employees as may be required to carry out the authorities in this Act and defining their duties;
(2) entering into contracts, including contracts for services authorized by section 3109 of title 5, United States Code, without regard to any other provision of law regarding public contracts;
(3) designating financial institutions as financial agents of the Government, and they shall perform all such reasonable duties related to this Act as financial agents of the Government as may be required of them;
(4) establishing vehicles that are authorized, subject to supervision by the Secretary, to purchase mortgage-related assets and issue obligations; and
(5) issuing such regulations and other guidance as may be necessary or appropriate to define terms or carry out the authorities of this Act.
Sec. 3. Considerations.
In exercising the authorities granted in this Act, the Secretary shall take into consideration means for--
(1) providing stability or preventing disruption to the financial markets or banking system; and
(2) protecting the taxpayer.
Sec. 4. Reports to Congress.
Within three months of the first exercise of the authority granted in section 2(a), and semiannually thereafter, the Secretary shall report to the Committees on the Budget, Financial Services, and Ways and Means of the House of Representatives and the Committees on the Budget, Finance, and Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs of the Senate with respect to the authorities exercised under this Act and the considerations required by section 3.
Sec. 5. Rights; Management; Sale of Mortgage-Related Assets.
(a) Exercise of Rights.--The Secretary may, at any time, exercise any rights received in connection with mortgage-related assets purchased under this Act.
(b) Management of Mortgage-Related Assets.--The Secretary shall have authority to manage mortgage-related assets purchased under this Act, including revenues and portfolio risks therefrom.
(c) Sale of Mortgage-Related Assets.--The Secretary may, at any time, upon terms and conditions and at prices determined by the Secretary, sell, or enter into securities loans, repurchase transactions or other financial transactions in regard to, any mortgage-related asset purchased under this Act.
(d) Application of Sunset to Mortgage-Related Assets.--The authority of the Secretary to hold any mortgage-related asset purchased under this Act before the termination date in section 9, or to purchase or fund the purchase of a mortgage-related asset under a commitment entered into before the termination date in section 9, is not subject to the provisions of section 9.
Sec. 6. Maximum Amount of Authorized Purchases.
The Secretary’s authority to purchase mortgage-related assets under this Act shall be limited to $700,000,000,000 outstanding at any one time
Sec. 7. Funding.
For the purpose of the authorities granted in this Act, and for the costs of administering those authorities, the Secretary may use the proceeds of the sale of any securities issued under chapter 31 of title 31, United States Code, and the purposes for which securities may be issued under chapter 31 of title 31, United States Code, are extended to include actions authorized by this Act, including the payment of administrative expenses. Any funds expended for actions authorized by this Act, including the payment of administrative expenses, shall be deemed appropriated at the time of such expenditure.
Sec. 8. Review.
Decisions by the Secretary pursuant to the authority of this Act are non-reviewable and committed to agency discretion, and may not be reviewed by any court of law or any administrative agency.
Sec. 9. Termination of Authority.
The authorities under this Act, with the exception of authorities granted in sections 2(b)(5), 5 and 7, shall terminate two years from the date of enactment of this Act.
Sec. 10. Increase in Statutory Limit on the Public Debt.
Subsection (b) of section 3101 of title 31, United States Code, is amended by striking out the dollar limitation contained in such subsection and inserting in lieu thereof $11,315,000,000,000.
Sec. 11. Credit Reform.
The costs of purchases of mortgage-related assets made under section 2(a) of this Act shall be determined as provided under the Federal Credit Reform Act of 1990, as applicable.
Sec. 12. Definitions.
For purposes of this section, the following definitions shall apply:
(1) Mortgage-Related Assets.--The term “mortgage-related assets” means residential or commercial mortgages and any securities, obligations, or other instruments that are based on or related to such mortgages, that in each case was originated or issued on or before September 17, 2008.
(2) Secretary.--The term “Secretary” means the Secretary of the Treasury.
(3) United States.--The term “United States” means the States, territories, and possessions of the United States and the District of Columbia.
Notice the Following:
There is a very broad reading of the Secretary's power - there is no limit or review of his/her powers pursuant to this statute.
It appears that giving no-bid contracts (like in Iraq or New Orleans) are part of the Secretary's authority under this proposed bailout.
The Secretary's power is unreviewable by congress and the courts.
This Bill is going to be bad. Preserving these failing companies (who are failing because they made loans they knew would not be paid off, and they did it en masse) is passing on debt to millions of americans. In the last month, our national debt has doubled because the Treasury is bailing out these banks and investment firms.
It appears that, rather than fix the problem by trying to re-enact many of the protections and limitations of the New Deal era Glass-Steagall act (which was partially repealed in 1999 thanks to the tireless efforts of Phil Gramm, McCain's campaign Co-Chair), our political leadership, corporate prostitutes that they are, are going to use this economic crisis to even further loosen restrictions on banks and investment firms.
This bill smells of Milton Friedman. I can't officially blame him for this (as he's dead), but it's philisophically in line with his views - complete deregulation of big business.
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Political Mucky Muck
There is a pretty sizable debate now swirling around some notes I've posted on facebook, mostly now between my husband and some of my friends from high school. Before this debate picked up, I thought my views reflected the truth behind the election: Obama/Biden are not completely blameless, but they would better lead this country than McCain/ Palin.
Then I visited a page on Cynthia McKinney.
http://votetruth08.com/
All these people claim to have our country's best interests in mind. All of them are using rhetoric to garner public attention. Why am I more likely to trust McKinney? She's actually been against the Iraq war from the beginning, for one. She raised questions about 9/11 before the commission report, for another. She's a non-CFR member and has some experience as Senator in Georgia.
Why do people think it's so important to have wartime experience or longstanding political experience to run the country? Grass-roots political work, community organization, small business management, and know-how should be all you need. Someone with years of political experience who never stepped on another continent in their lifetime ("You can see Russia from the coast of Alaska") or is unfamiliar with the war in Iraq should not be counted as a 'good candidate'. Radical ideas are not a detriment to this society - it's what our nation was founded on. Radical fundamentalism is a sure threat.
How do we fight a war when the biggest weapon is the media, and the media is out of the people's hands almost completely?
Then I visited a page on Cynthia McKinney.
http://votetruth08.com/
All these people claim to have our country's best interests in mind. All of them are using rhetoric to garner public attention. Why am I more likely to trust McKinney? She's actually been against the Iraq war from the beginning, for one. She raised questions about 9/11 before the commission report, for another. She's a non-CFR member and has some experience as Senator in Georgia.
Why do people think it's so important to have wartime experience or longstanding political experience to run the country? Grass-roots political work, community organization, small business management, and know-how should be all you need. Someone with years of political experience who never stepped on another continent in their lifetime ("You can see Russia from the coast of Alaska") or is unfamiliar with the war in Iraq should not be counted as a 'good candidate'. Radical ideas are not a detriment to this society - it's what our nation was founded on. Radical fundamentalism is a sure threat.
How do we fight a war when the biggest weapon is the media, and the media is out of the people's hands almost completely?
Saturday, September 13, 2008
There is a war going on for your mind.
There is a war going on for your mind. Every day we are inundated with marketing campaigns. Americans are drowning in commercialism, branding – we watch it, we wear it, we listen to it, we eat and drink it, and in all this bombardment, we are being whittled down into nothing more than consumers, defined by what we consume.
Thanks and kudos to the flobots for putting this so well.
Thanks and kudos to the flobots for putting this so well.
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
This is your womb...
This is your womb under the control of a state wide 'abstinence is best' policy.
First, the program:
http://www.greattowait.com/
some their misinformation:
http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/state_data/states/florida.html
First, the program:
http://www.greattowait.com/
some their misinformation:
How Abstinence can make dating better
Abstinence can make dating better! If you abstain from sex with someone you are dating there is no need to worry about contracting an STD or getting pregnant. Not having to worry about these issues can take a lot of stress off of a relationship.
Having sex will undoubtedly change your relationship. It is important to consider the emotional consequences of sex. Abstaining from sex can also help avoid the emotional complications of a sexual relationship.
Choosing to not have sex while dating allows you to know that the person you are dating is with you for YOU. They are not just interested in having sex with you. They respect you and your choices. You will never feel used or exploited for choosing not to have sex.
Marriage has benefits
Marriage is a mutually committed relationship with many benefits. A marriage allows for emotional stability, companionship, love and trust. A faithful marriage, wherein both partners are monogomus, alleviates the worry of sexually transmitted diseases and promotes a healthy sexual relationship. Studies show that married people live longer lives, are physically healthier and are wealthier.(1)
How to turn off the pressure
It is important to communicate to your boyfriend or girlfriend how you feel about sex from the start. Be completely honest and establish limits for the both of you. Talking about sex openly and honestly is the sign of a mature relationship. It is not necessary to give in to the pressure to please someone else.
Remember, if your girlfriend or boyfriend does not respect your decision to abstain then they are disrespecting you, so why would you want to be with someone that does not respect you?
Many teenagers feel pressured to do more than they are ready to…stand up for yourself and do not let the pressure make you do something you do not want to do.
Tips that work
• Be confident in your response and follow though by repeating until he or she gets the point.
• Knowing the common pressure lines and practicing what you say before the situation arises will eliminate some of that on-the-spot pressure.
• If a situation feels uncomfortable or "funny" to you simply walt away and stay away.
• Your body language can sometimes send mix signals. Use body language that will get your point across clearly. Stand tall, speak clearly and be assertive. Eye contact is important when delivering your message that you are not ready.
And now, let's look at where the state of Florida places out of all states in teen pregnancy.http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/state_data/states/florida.html
- In Florida, 350,550 of the 3,205,880 women of childbearing age become pregnant each year. 58% of these pregnancies result in live births, and 27% result in abortions; the remainder end in miscarriage.
- Florida has the 6th highest teenage pregnancy rate of any state. Of the 48,440 teenage pregnancies each year in Florida, 52% result in live births and 34% result in abortions.
- Florida’s teenage pregnancy rate declined by 22% between 1992 and 2000.
Since 2000 the Abstinence Education Program and providers have served 22,247 parents through health fairs, educational classes, and workshops across the state. Abstinence Education activities are interactive and focus on educating youth about the health and psychological risks involved in early sexual activity, enhancing self-esteem and building skills such as positive goal setting, decision-making, problem solving, negotiation and refusal techniques.
The Florida Abstinence Education Association (FAEA), formed in 2002, is a collaborative group made up of over 100 non-funded and state-funded community-based and faith-based organizations, businesses and other entities supportive of abstinence-only education. The organization, which meets on a quarterly basis, was formed to share information, build capacity, network and to explore other funding opportunities among its membership to enhance abstinence-only education in Florida.
At best, the continuance of decline of teen pregnancy rates I think belies a pre-existing trend rather than the efforts made by the abstinence program... hmm...Is this the face of the Devil?
Right wing/ conservative Christians are so concerned with preserving the 'sanctity of marriage' that I had to put in my two cents.
An article has been written on the schism of the Anglican communion, schism that at first seemed speculative, then likely, and is now creeping ever more into reality, over sex!
What I feel is really sad is that the conservative anti-gay movement is being supported largely in part by Africa. It is also being funded by outside sources, like the Institute of Religion and Democracy, which this article points out is responsible for playing a part in the contra war in central america. Read it here.
I had an exclamation point after sex! because I think it is ridiculous that an institution that is supposed to be committed to following Jesus' word, caring for the poor, the ill, the lonely, is getting its knickers in a twist all over the issue of who can be married to whom, and who priests can and cannot sleep with.
Can love be so wrong?
Friday, August 1, 2008
Bush Thinks Birth Control = Abortion
After reading this article (and thanks to my librarian friend for sending this along),
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121745387879898315.html?mod=googlenews_wsj
I felt angry - why is this happening so close to an election? And if you read McCain's response (which was, no comment) you can infer that he supports this measure.
If McKinney can't get president, I hope to god that Obama does. He will rule us with a gentler iron hand.
So what did I do to speak out? I went to the "Family Research Council" and submitted this email:
----------------------------------------------
I just want to express my outrage at Tom McClusky's quote in the Wall Street Journal regarding Bush's mission to classify the pill as an abortion method, to wit: "If the draft regulation were to prompt some insurance companies to drop coverage for prescription birth control, 'that would be fantastic,' said Tom McClusky, a strategist with the conservative Family Research Council." (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121745387879898315.html?mod=googlenews_wsj)
How can you say you promote family values when you are actively working to take away a family's choice whether or not to have a child? Have you ever seen an unwanted child? You probably see them every day without recognizing them - you don't have to look hard where I live to see families with five children, both parents working full time (at least one job a piece), the oldest has to stay home from school to take care of two babies, and there's still not enough resources between the parents to keep their own children fed! This happens every day! All it takes is for a parent to be an ex-con, or neither of them having college degrees and so they have to settle for minimum wage. And all the while our society lifts up the idea of parenthood and having as many kids as you can bear, sometimes more.
Do you think that both parents working full time on minimum wage and being forced to spend that much time away from their kids demonstrates good family values? I certainly do not, and you are definitely not doing God's work. And if at this point, you are judging them, saying, well, they should be able to abstain, and it's our job to make the laws - do you really think that's any of your business? What if I pried into your personal matters, and said there was something wrong and subversive about the way you wipe your ass?
The only way to ensure a properly functioning system with no access to birth control is to make sure there will be loving homes for the children - which means fighting to raise minimum wage, fighting hunger in our country, and totally restructuring the foster care and adoption system. I see nothing on your web site addressing poverty, which I believe is the thing that Jesus talked most often about.
EVERY CHILD A WANTED CHILD!
"For I come not to bring peace, but a sword."
---------------------------------------------
Quoting scripture may or may not get their attention - they may not even recognize it as scripture, but one can dream.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121745387879898315.html?mod=googlenews_wsj
I felt angry - why is this happening so close to an election? And if you read McCain's response (which was, no comment) you can infer that he supports this measure.
If McKinney can't get president, I hope to god that Obama does. He will rule us with a gentler iron hand.
So what did I do to speak out? I went to the "Family Research Council" and submitted this email:
----------------------------------------------
I just want to express my outrage at Tom McClusky's quote in the Wall Street Journal regarding Bush's mission to classify the pill as an abortion method, to wit: "If the draft regulation were to prompt some insurance companies to drop coverage for prescription birth control, 'that would be fantastic,' said Tom McClusky, a strategist with the conservative Family Research Council." (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121745387879898315.html?mod=googlenews_wsj)
How can you say you promote family values when you are actively working to take away a family's choice whether or not to have a child? Have you ever seen an unwanted child? You probably see them every day without recognizing them - you don't have to look hard where I live to see families with five children, both parents working full time (at least one job a piece), the oldest has to stay home from school to take care of two babies, and there's still not enough resources between the parents to keep their own children fed! This happens every day! All it takes is for a parent to be an ex-con, or neither of them having college degrees and so they have to settle for minimum wage. And all the while our society lifts up the idea of parenthood and having as many kids as you can bear, sometimes more.
Do you think that both parents working full time on minimum wage and being forced to spend that much time away from their kids demonstrates good family values? I certainly do not, and you are definitely not doing God's work. And if at this point, you are judging them, saying, well, they should be able to abstain, and it's our job to make the laws - do you really think that's any of your business? What if I pried into your personal matters, and said there was something wrong and subversive about the way you wipe your ass?
The only way to ensure a properly functioning system with no access to birth control is to make sure there will be loving homes for the children - which means fighting to raise minimum wage, fighting hunger in our country, and totally restructuring the foster care and adoption system. I see nothing on your web site addressing poverty, which I believe is the thing that Jesus talked most often about.
EVERY CHILD A WANTED CHILD!
"For I come not to bring peace, but a sword."
---------------------------------------------
Quoting scripture may or may not get their attention - they may not even recognize it as scripture, but one can dream.
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Karl Rove voted as in Contempt!
I've been waiting for something like this pretty much ever since I heard who Karl Rove is and all the wicked and underhanded things he's done in rigging campaigns, sabotaging opponents' campaigns, and generally making a worse mess of an already messy democracy.Karl Rove was voted in contempt of court for failing to respond to a subpoena to appear before a committee to answer questions in the prosecution of former Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman.
read the full story here.
Doing a little bit of research, it looks like this was another one of Rove's diabolical sabotages - Siegelman was the only democrat in the state government of Alabama, and they wanted to get rid of him. He's been lauded for making good policy, so the bribery doesn't fit his character description.
If there is a hell, Rove will no doubt take tea w/Fallwell.
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
How's this for lying?
So, with all the hullabaloo in the past two presidential elections, the justice department is remaining passive, sucking their thumbs at the evidence laid before them of fraud acts in voting machines.
Read the full story here.
And if you have a moment, watch this video on just how 'hard' it is to hack into a voting machine:
On another note, the British government is releasing UFO report information, and officials in the U.S. are calling for the Pentagon to show us our own country's records of activity. Will Durst may think it's humorous that a certain ex-Governor of Arizona would admit seeing one, but so many people have seen one that I think they should be removed from the context of trailer parks and rednecks a little bit. Whether world governments are just not telling us how advanced humanity's aircraft have become, or whether we really are being observed and examined, and occasionally abducted, by beings from another plant/galaxy/dimension, the things themselves exist. To solve the mystery of what something is, the presence of that thing must be acknowledged. To admit you've seen one is not the same as admitting you think they're extraterrestrials.
...and that's my rant for the day.
Read the full story here.
And if you have a moment, watch this video on just how 'hard' it is to hack into a voting machine:
On another note, the British government is releasing UFO report information, and officials in the U.S. are calling for the Pentagon to show us our own country's records of activity. Will Durst may think it's humorous that a certain ex-Governor of Arizona would admit seeing one, but so many people have seen one that I think they should be removed from the context of trailer parks and rednecks a little bit. Whether world governments are just not telling us how advanced humanity's aircraft have become, or whether we really are being observed and examined, and occasionally abducted, by beings from another plant/galaxy/dimension, the things themselves exist. To solve the mystery of what something is, the presence of that thing must be acknowledged. To admit you've seen one is not the same as admitting you think they're extraterrestrials.
...and that's my rant for the day.
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
>>ROFL<<
Ha! So, I visited this bitch's web site, togetherforus.com, (dot COM, not dot org, upperclass twit laugh) and I'm not even going to repost this whole thing, it's just too ridiculous that this woman is getting covered on Fox and all the conservative media outlets like this blog:
http://www.rightpundits.com/?p=1702
Haha, thanks for covering this. Yeah, the Dems ditched "Lady Rothschild" because she is a sham and represents NOTHING of what the Democratic party ideally stands for. She's on the board for Estee Lauder and positively reaks w/her noble depravity. Ha! Unfortunately, ALL the major candidates from BOTH parties are ~95% likely in the pockets of big oil/banking/$$ - you may say that this is how things are supposed to go, but I have a problem w/the idea of being a wage slave - *don't you??* Didn't we fight the Revolution for change in the system? This transcends 'right' and 'left'. This is about the fate of humanity. Grain prices have pretty much doubled since 2006. Think on it.
And here's some other, more important stuff.
http://www.rense.com/general33/legal.htm
(I promise I did not name this blog after this site:)
http://www.americanswhotellthetruth.org/pgs/portraits/Frances_Moore_Lappe.html
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Blackwater was at Katrina, and they bragged about it!
Um, so, yeah. for those who want to look at the source, check http://www.blackwaterusa.com/btw2005/archive/090505btw.html. Some people in the state of Louisiana don't even know that Blackwater was there, in New Orleans, for Katrina. Their web site may have flown the flag, but our media surely did not. The media has covered Blackwater's presence in Iraq because of the bloody wake they leave, but it's hard to find anything talking about people's reactions to the private contractors being in New Orleans during September of 2005, or of their assignment to confiscate weapons from citizens at that time, and herd them into the Super Dome.Please visit http://www.alternet.org/katrina/25858/ for a full account.
Mood: disgusted.
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
GMO's may increase production, but not quality, and not livelihood
Monsanto Bio-Pirating Indian Wheat
Monsanto's chapati patent raises Indian ire
Randeep Ramesh in New Delhi
The Guardian
Monsanto, the world's largest genetically modified seed company, has been awarded patents on the wheat used for making chapati - the flat bread staple of northern India.
The patents give the US multinational exclusive ownership over Nap Hal, a strain of wheat whose gene sequence makes it particularly suited to producing crisp breads.
Another patent, filed in Europe, gives Monsanto rights over the use of Nap Hal wheat to make chapatis, which consist of flour, water and salt.
Environmentalists say Nap Hal's qualities are the result of generations of farmers in India who spent years crossbreeding crops and collective, not corporate, efforts should be recognised.
Monsanto, activists claim, is simply out to make "monopoly profits" from food on which millions depend. Monsanto inherited a patent application when it bought the cereals division of the Anglo-Dutch food giant Unilever in 1998, and the patent has been granted to the new owner.
Unilever acquired Nap Hal seeds from a publicly funded British plant gene bank. Its scientists identified the wheat's combination of genes and patented them as an "invention".
Greenpeace is attempting to block Monsanto's patent, accusing the company of "bio-piracy".
"It is theft of the results of the work in cultivation made by Indian farmers," said Dr Christoph Then, Greenpeace's patent expert after a meeting with the European Commission in Delhi.
"We want the European Patent Office to reverse its decision. Under European law patents cannot be issued on plants that are normally cultivated, but there are loopholes in the legislation."
A spokesperson for Monsanto in India denied that the company had any plan to exploit the patent, saying that it was in fact pulling out of cereals in some markets. "This patent was Unilever's. We got it when we bought the company. Really this is all academic as we are exiting from the cereal business in the UK and Europe," said Ranjana Smetacek, Monsanto's public affairs director in India. Campaigners in India say that there are concerns that people might end up paying royalties to Monsanto for making or selling chapatis.
"The commercial interest is that Monsanto can charge people for using the wheat or take a cut from its sale," said Devinder Sharma, who runs the Forum for Biotechnology and Food Security in Delhi. The potential market in developing countries is huge. Rice production in India alone exceeds that of the American maize market.
Offshore Drilling Bans - Coastal Areas at Risk
reposted from Bloomberg.com
Bush Will Urge End to Offshore Oil Drilling Ban (Update3)
* Blog author's note: A 2004 estimate placed US daily oil consumption at 20.73 million barrels per day (https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/print/us.html). Based on that estimate, the 18 billion barrels that are estimated to be in water where offshore drilling is permitted, would last the US for approximately two years. The effects of offshore drilling on the environment would last for way, way longer than that. So basically, once again, the president wants to take actions w/long term consequences for a short term benefit.
**BA's note: this apparently does not include putting further $$ towards research of alternative energy sources: wind, solar, etc. Biofuel is another short term solution, but even it has shorter term effects on the environment than offshore drilling.
Bush Will Urge End to Offshore Oil Drilling Ban (Update3)
By Holly Rosenkrantz and Roger Runningen
June 18 (Bloomberg) -- President George W. Bush today will urge Congress to lift the ban on offshore oil drilling, a move that is in line with a similar call from Republican presidential candidate John McCain.
``With gasoline now over $4 a gallon,'' Bush ``wants to work with states to determine where offshore drilling should occur,'' and have ``the federal government to share revenues with the states,'' White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said yesterday.
Democrats have long opposed Republican efforts to end the ban on offshore drilling that has existed in some areas since 1981. Expanded offshore exploration also has faced opposition in the coastal state of Florida, which will be a battleground in the presidential campaign between McCain and Democrat Barack Obama.
``I don't see how either house of Congress passes this,'' said Pete Davis, president of Davis Capital Investment in Washington. ``This has been a long-standing issue and the lines are very hardened.''
Still, rising oil prices are creating a drag on the U.S. economy and energy costs have become a top political issue.
Bush ``is under a lot of pressure to show that he can still be effective on an issue that matters to voters, so this is one they've pulled out of the closet,'' Davis said.
Arizona Senator McCain, 71, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, yesterday called for letting states open up more territory to offshore oil drilling, even as he promised a break from the energy policies of the Bush administration.
Obama Disagrees
Obama, 46, an Illinois senator who the presumptive Democratic nominee, said there is no evidence that lifting the ban on oil drilling would provide relief to consumers.
``This is not something that is going to give relief now, and it's not a long-term solution,'' Obama said yesterday.
Bush's push for offshore oil drilling is a one of several steps he wants Congress to take to boost the U.S. energy supply, Perino said. Bush, 61, wants Congress to open Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil drilling as well. McCain opposes drilling in the refuge.
Perino said Bush will make his statement at 10:35 a.m. at the White House. The statement will include no presidential directives, she said.
The proposal may touch off a political firestorm between energy companies and environmental groups, between members of Congress from coastal states such as New Jersey, Florida, Virginia or California, and draw a contrast between Republican governors.
Crist, Schwarzenegger
Florida Governor Charlie Crist joined Bush and McCain in seeking an end to the ban. Crist reversed his longstanding opposition to drilling off the shores of his state hours after McCain made his call and administration officials said Bush will ask Congress to allow ``environmentally friendly'' drilling, the Wall Street Journal reported.
Crist had opposed offshore drilling on concern it would damage Florida's beaches and drive away tourists. ``We must be pragmatic in protecting both our beaches and our economy,'' Crist said in a written response to the newspaper.
A telephone call to Thomas Philpot, a spokesman for Crist, wasn't immediately returned.
In California, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger opposes lifting the moratorium but ``still absolutely supports'' McCain, said Aaron McLear, a spokesman for the Republican governor, the Los Angeles Times reported. ``They're going to disagree from time to time, and this is one of those cases.''
Reserve Estimates
The nation's Outer Continental Shelf, including areas in the Gulf of Mexico that are already being drilled, has an estimated 86 billion barrels of oil and 420 trillion cubic feet of gas, according to the U.S. Minerals Management Service. Of that, almost 18 billion barrels* of oil and more than 76 trillion cubic feet of gas are off states where drilling isn't allowed, agency spokesman David Smith said.
Estimates for offshore areas where drilling is prohibited are likely low because there has been no exploration since the 1970s, Smith said. Advances in deepwater drilling in the Gulf of Mexico revealed deposits that increased reserves in areas that are open to drilling, he said
The U.S. had proved oil reserves of 29.4 billion barrels at the end of 2007, according to an estimate by BP Plc.
Republicans in the House plan to use Bush's remarks to prod the Appropriations Committee to ease energy restrictions as the panel considers a $27.9 billion spending bill for the Interior Department and Environmental Protection Agency.
Oil Shale
With oil prices up about double what they were a year ago and up about 40 percent this year, Republicans want to focus on domestic energy production, including removal of the current offshore drilling moratorium.** They also may offer amendments to permit the Interior Department to lease land in some western states for oil-shale extraction and open the refuge in Alaska for to drilling.
Oil futures in New York have surged fourfold since the end of 2003, including a 40 percent jump this year, and touched a record this week at $139.89 a barrel.
Crude's rise pushed gasoline and diesel prices above $4 a gallon in the U.S., dragging down profits for businesses ranging from shipping services to department stores and contributing to a drop in truck sales by Ford Motor Co. and other manufacturers. Record jet-fuel prices forced U.S. Airways and other carriers to cut more than 10,000 jobs and ground more than 400 aircraft.
To contact the reporter on this story: Holly Rosenkrantz in Washington at hrosenkrantz@bloomberg.netRoger Runningen in Washington at rrunningen@bloomberg.net
Last Updated: June 18, 2008 10:24 EDT* Blog author's note: A 2004 estimate placed US daily oil consumption at 20.73 million barrels per day (https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/print/us.html). Based on that estimate, the 18 billion barrels that are estimated to be in water where offshore drilling is permitted, would last the US for approximately two years. The effects of offshore drilling on the environment would last for way, way longer than that. So basically, once again, the president wants to take actions w/long term consequences for a short term benefit.
**BA's note: this apparently does not include putting further $$ towards research of alternative energy sources: wind, solar, etc. Biofuel is another short term solution, but even it has shorter term effects on the environment than offshore drilling.
Monday, June 16, 2008
I found this on a truth site dedicated to an unidentified flying object site around the towers which may or may not be a plane. See more images here.
On another note, I am starting to wonder if all this alien presence business is real. Supposedly 14% of people surveyed said they have had encounters w/UFOs. I have, too. How many of us are out there who never admit it?
I'll have to post my own encounter at some point, a memorate for whoever reads this. Apparently some 11/13 year olds (wtf, mate?) do. But luckily so do intelligent people w/a sharp sense of humo(u)r. Or is anything as it seems on the web?
My cat's really sick. I've been kind of preoccupied with it. I don't want to lose her - she's a year and a half old - I feel like she deserves a chance, and guilty as hell that something we've done has made her sick. Keeping chemicals under the sink? Not catering to her taste for wet food soon enough? It seems like she's just turned down everything. Searching through all this shit that's on the web for wedding plan ideas at the same time, I just see all these high society bull shit blogs about Faye and Greer (whoever the fuck they are), and it just makes me feel anonymous. Kind of lost. Disconnected? Sure.
Yeah, I rant. But that's my news for today. Oh, yeah. And I was hit by a car. I've spilled on my bike before, but this is the first time I have been hit. By a car. The car wasn't going very fast, and neither was I, too bad for me, but he just went 'tap' and I went 'whoomp' *crash* What's going on in the stars? Is life telling me to hurry up, or slow down? I have to be poised for action at just the right moment.
Not so fun. Join us for the next installation in Faustina's Freaky Fun House!
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Is Old News Still News if You've Never Heard it Before?
(reposted from commondreams.org):
Did anyone hear about this on Fox News? No, of course not. And if they would have reported on it, they probably would have described conscientious objectivity with words like 'cowardice' and 'un-American'.
If people object to a war by boycotting it and staging massive protests, shouldn't that send a message to others that war is wrong?
If you're Christian, do you really think Jesus would approve of war? Take out the Old Testament, just a second, and take into account only Jesus' teachings. Think about it.
For that matter, I would keep in mind that no major religion actually encourages war and violence against others. The leaders who encourage war are misinterpreting their own scriptures. The leaders who say that some wars are necessary are probably the ones getting some sort of a profit over war.
If you boil it down, there are people making money off of people killing other people.
There can't be anything ethically or morally correct about this, can there?
Published on Tuesday, April 15, 2003 by Inter Press Service |
| Hundreds of U.S. Soldiers Emerge as Conscientious Objectors |
| by Gabriel Packard |
| NEW YORK - Although only a handful of them have gone public, at least several hundred U.S. soldiers have applied for conscientious objector (CO) status since January, says a rights group. The Center on Conscience and War (CCW), which advises military personnel on CO discharges, reports that since the start of 2003--when many soldiers realized they might have to fight in the Iraq war--there has been a massive increase in the number of enlisted soldiers who have applied for CO status. "The bare minimum is several hundred, and this number only includes the ones that have come to my group and to groups we're associated with," CCW official J.E. McNeil told IPS. "There will be others who will have gone through different channels, and some people do it on their own," she added. Generally, COs possess a sincere conviction that forbids them from taking part in organized killing. This objection may apply to all or to only particular aspects of war. Only a small percentage of people who apply receive a CO discharge. But military statistics lag about one year behind, and the decisions on CO applications take on average six months to one year--sometimes as long as two years--so the exact number of COs in the present war will not be known for some time. Also, military figures do not count applications from servicemen who are absent without leave, so they will not include Stephen Funk, a marine reserve who was on unauthorized leave before he publicly declared himself a conscientious objector and reported back to his military base in San Jose, California, April 1. Funk, 20, realized that he was against all war during his training, which including having to bayonet human-shaped dummies while shouting, ”kill, kill.” Since publicly declaring his opposition to war, he has become a symbol of resistance both in the United States and around the world. "Since Stephen went public," says Aimee Allison, a CO from the first Gulf War who has been supporting Funk, "some people from Yesh Gvul (a group of Israeli soldiers who have refused to fight in the occupied territories in Palestine) have contacted me to pledge their support for Stephen and to show solidarity and to thank him for making a stand." "People in other countries are proud that an American can stand up to the hegemony and the violence of the war in Iraq," she adds. Soldiers in other countries, including Turkey, have refused to fight in the current war sparked by last month's U.S.-led attack. Three British servicemen were sent home from the Persian Gulf after objecting to the conduct of the invasion and a member of the British Parliament, George Galloway, says he "is calling on British forces to refuse to obey the illegal orders" involved in the war. As it is in the British army, CO discharge is a long-established practice in the U.S. armed forces and always peaks in wartime. CCW says there were an estimated 200,000 COs in the Vietnam War, 4,300 in the Korean War, 37,000 in World War II and 3,500 in World War I. The military granted 111 COs from the army in the first Gulf War before putting a stop to the practice, resulting in 2,500 soldiers being sent to prison, says Bill Gavlin from the Center on Conscience and War, quoting a report from the Boston Globe newspaper. During that war, a number of U.S. COs in Camp LeJeune in North Carolina state were "beaten, harassed and treated horribly," Gavlin says. In some cases, COs were put on planes bound for Kuwait, told that they could not apply for CO status or that they could only apply after they'd already gone to war. As far as Gavlin knows, that type of treatment has not happened this time. But he has counseled service members who were harassed. For example, one woman was told that if she applied for CO status she would be court marshaled. It is not an offence to apply, and her superiors did it, Gavlin says, "to intimidate her." Allison says she was both supported and condemned when she became a CO. "Privately I received overwhelming personal support from the other members of my unit," she says. "But publicly I was isolated by my unit." "I was a senior at Stanford at the time, and again, in private I got lots of support - for example anti-war groups on campus asked me to speak at events," she adds. "But there were also detractors on campus and in the broader community." Even though conscientious objection is well established, Funk--like many others--found it difficult to find information about it within the military system. "It took him six or seven months,” says Allison. ”And eventually he was searching the Internet...and found the G.I. Rights website." G.I. Rights is a network of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) that give advice and information to service members about military discharges and about complaint procedures. CCW belongs to this network. The NGOs advise soldiers on whether they meet the criteria for CO status, and help them complete a CO application. The process involves filling in a 22-question form, being interviewed by a military chaplain, a psychologist and an investigating officer. To succeed in getting CO status, soldiers must demonstrate that their beliefs about war have changed since they enlisted. Soldiers that have this change of heart fall into three main groups, says McNeil. The first group contains "those who go into the military understanding war and are willing to accept it," she says. "But then something happens during their service and they are no longer OK with war." The second group contains people who have "sought out spiritual growth and have come to believe that God doesn't want them to participate in war." The third, and biggest, group, she says, is made up of young, often naive, people who join the military in their late teens. They are often poor whites, blacks or Hispanics, who either have limited employment opportunities, or are looking for a way to fund their college education. Because military recruiters target poor youth in urban centers--the so-called "poverty draft"--this is probably the fastest-growing group of COs as well as the biggest, added McNeil. Copyright 2003 IPS |
Did anyone hear about this on Fox News? No, of course not. And if they would have reported on it, they probably would have described conscientious objectivity with words like 'cowardice' and 'un-American'.
If people object to a war by boycotting it and staging massive protests, shouldn't that send a message to others that war is wrong?
If you're Christian, do you really think Jesus would approve of war? Take out the Old Testament, just a second, and take into account only Jesus' teachings. Think about it.
For that matter, I would keep in mind that no major religion actually encourages war and violence against others. The leaders who encourage war are misinterpreting their own scriptures. The leaders who say that some wars are necessary are probably the ones getting some sort of a profit over war.
If you boil it down, there are people making money off of people killing other people.
There can't be anything ethically or morally correct about this, can there?
Heat Ray
So, yeah, this has been developed for use in Iraq, but can anyone else see this being used for crowd control?
Does anyone else see a problem with this? I mean, even if there isn't a significant cancer risk, why do we have to add to the shit that contributes? And couldn't they turn this up just a little bit to get it to really cook someone?
Sorry. I just don't trust this government....
Friday, May 16, 2008
Bill Hicks on Public Television
Bill Hicks speaks on censorship.
I didn't discover BH until about three years after his passing. He would be livid about what's going on today, but he would also find hilarity in it. For what is hilarity but insanity when she laughs?
I didn't discover BH until about three years after his passing. He would be livid about what's going on today, but he would also find hilarity in it. For what is hilarity but insanity when she laughs?
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Gay Marriage Ban Overturned!
I think I can safely maintain a bit of faith in the California judiciary system
(from http://www.signonsandiego.com):
By Greg Moran
The decision will surely touch off an impassioned political fight.
(from http://www.signonsandiego.com):
By Greg Moran
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
10:50 a.m. May 15, 2008
The state Supreme Court struck down California's law banning same sex couples from getting married, in a historic decision Thursday that declared the law unconstitutional discrimination. The 4-3 opinion is the high court's most important civil rights decision in more than a decade, and it is an epic legal victory for same-sex marriage advocates. California is now the second state in the nation to allow gays and lesbians to be legally married.
In a 121-page decision, Chief Justice Ronald George wrote that for a variety of reasons “we conclude that to the extent the current California statutory provisions limit marriage to opposite-sex couples, these statutes are unconstitutional.”
In dissent, Justice Marvin Baxter said the state constitution does not give same-sex couples the legal right to marry and the court was overstepping its authority.
“In reaching this decision, I believe, the majority violates the separation of powers and thereby commits profound error,” Baxter wrote. He was joined by Justice Ming Chin, along with Baxter the court's strongest conservative voices.
Justice Carol Corrigan wrote a separate opinion siding with Baxter and Chin for different reasons.
The majority opinion rejected arguments that legalizing marriage for same sex couples would undermine the institution of marriage itself.
The court also disregarded the pleas from lawyers for the state defending the law who argued any change in the definition of marriage should come from the legislature and not the courts.
Advocates for same-sex marriage had argued the law was unconstitutional because it discriminates on the basis of gender and sexual orientation. They also said it denied gays and lesbians equal protection of the laws and violated their right to privacy, freedom to associate and the right to marry the person of their choosing.
The opinion came two months after an extraordinary 3½
-hour session of oral arguments, in which the seven-member court seemed closely divided on the issue.
A group of men sitting outside Dave's Coffee Place in Hillcrest Thursday morning were surprised to hear of the ruling. Some said marriage carries more practical than emotional significance for the gay community, but they praised the ruling.
“At least we're moving forward,” Michael Hogan said.
-Greg Moran
----------------------------------
My question is, why would California, supposedly the most progressive state in the union, even have a debate on this? I think the case being presented reflects the conservative movement gaining momentum in what we thought were liberal strongholds. The case being overturned, however, indicates that the national pendulum may be starting to swing the other way. I'd love your thoughts.
Monday, May 12, 2008
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