Maliki Kalikimaka RTP&GGrs!

And Happy New Years too!  2012 looks to be an exciting year as we see whether our country can turn around or whether the Mayan End-of-the World prophesy comes true.

We're off to Hawaii to see Decoy & Candy Cane.  See you next year!

Best Small Government-Big Freedom Wishes to all RTP&GGrs

16,400,000,000,000

The new debt limit is sixteen point four trillion dollars or 1.64X10^13.

The Obama administration will ask Congress to raise the nation's borrowing limit by $1.2 trillion this week, marking the third and final increase from a deal negotiated over summer.[...]

In August, Congress and the administration agreed to raise the borrowing limit by $2.1 trillion in three steps. The deal was reached hours before a potential default on the nation's debt and only after the parties also agreed to cut more than $2 trillion from the deficit over the next 10 years.

Those two trillion dollars in "cuts" are not real cuts.

Both parties tell us that the debt-limit deal includes $2 trillion in spending cuts, and the national media dutifully reports that those cuts are severe, yet the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) tells us that we are still on course for the national debt to increase by $8 trillion over the next 10 years. Why doesn’t the discussion over the federal budget, spending and debt in Washington make any sense?

It is called baseline budgeting. Here is how the hocus pocus works. The CBO assumes a “baseline” for federal spending over the next 10 years that includes federal spending increases of $9.5 trillion over that time. Any increase in those 10 years of less than $9.5 trillion will be reported by CBO as a cut in federal spending.

Also the government just released some numbers

That professionalism is evident in the GAO analysis of the net present value of the Social Security and Medicare promises Washington has made to Americans. “Net present value” means the total that would have to be set aside today to pay the costs of these programs in the future. The government puts these numbers in appendices, rather than in headlines. But the costs are real.

In fiscal 2011, the cost of the promises grew from $30.9 trillion to $33.8 trillion. To put that in context, consider that the total value of companies traded on U.S. stock markets is $13.1 trillion, based on the Wilshire 5000 index, and the value of the equity in U.S. taxpayers’ homes, according to Freddie Mac, is $6.2 trillion. Said another way, there is not enough wealth in America to meet those promises.

Bottom line: the nation is headed for a debt crisis, the Republicans have failed to cuts spending as promised and there is no viable Republican candidate for president that plans to cut spending of the magnitude necessary to prevent the looming debt crisis, and there is extremely little possibility of the debt being reduced in the future as to do so would mean a depression.

We Have A Commie In Our Midst

I come to you today to declare and warn you that we have a communist, red, socialist in our midst. I levy this most unfortunate charge after much consideration and research over the course of several years. Whether it is supporting international organizations, such as the IMF and the World Bank that were created to advance socialism throughout the world-- indeed these organizations were founded and shaped by a socialist and a communist so it is no wonder that these organizations help to promote world -wide socialism; the spirited defense of such organizations using well crafted attacks used by free market detractors, namely asymmetric information and perfect competition (he even had me fooled); allaying our concerns over these organization's growing powers saying that "... IOs are good because the only ones that have succeeded or will succeed will be in our net interest", but we have seen how this turned out; supporting the government gaining control over the internet through the FCC regulations ; his love for rock music and his well crafted support for ending the drug war; this man has been slowly advancing with Karl Marx through his long, corrupting march through America's institutions--to include this blog-- helping to corrupt the very foundation of our free society and our belief in the free market of those of us on this blog. This man is none other than MelMarx codename Melkor. This case will be laid out over the coming year/s.

Commentary from Berlin on the Republican Primary

I think this pundit has a good handle on the state of the Republican primaries:

Click on the YouTube button to see it on big screen.  It's not funny unless you can read the subtitles.  Hitler bags on the Tea Party too much, but otherwise, spot on.

Commenting Policy Change

Our few annoying commentors have left us, and Blogspot now has an annoying problem with gmail accounts, so I am enabling unmoderated commenting for now.  We'll see how it goes.  Comments on two week old or older posts will still be moderated, just so we'll be aware that someone is posting.

Silly Ron

As of right now, I am a Ron Paul supporter. I believe that he would be the best president out of the field of candidates. His electability is more in question to me because of this Hot Air article. Pay particular attention to the second bold paragraph which talks about his "racist comments". In his newsletter named Ron Paul Political Report, it was quoted to have said, in regard to the 1992 LA riots, “Order was only restored in L.A. when it came time for the blacks to pick up their welfare checks.” There are also some other racy quotes in the article.

Paul's electability was already in question because of his radical ideas. His opponents are certain to disclose his newsletter's comments if Paul makes it to the general election. This almost garauntees Obama's 99% black vote (exaggeration) to go to 100%.

I will still vote for him because I think he is the best candidate. I would bet all my money that he won't get elected. After all, who wouldnt elect a man like this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&list=UU67f2Qf7FYhtoUIF4Sf29cA&v=igQlbesF0zA

Asian Ascendency continued

An article in The Australian discusses India's reaction to China's rise and its threat to India.  More argument to the idea that China is surrounded by powerful rivals.

Cops getting too much power?

Fool! Resistance is futile!

Cops arrested a "separatist" family for not turning over cattle who wandered on their land.

I don't like this. I guess it is inevitable that local law enforcements will start using UAV's against their citizens. I don't like it though. The war on terrorism is turning our country in to a police state.

If this article is accurate on the alledged crime, I don't blame the family for doing what they did. If someone's cattle came on to my land then I should be able to do what I want to it. If my neighbors chickens start digging, eating, and shitting in my yard, I should be able to kill and eat them.

I'm not sure, but the local law enforcement could have violated the Posse Comitatus Act. According to Wikipedia, the Posse Comitatus Act " limits the powers of local governments and law enforcement agencies from using federal military personnel to enforce the laws of the land." I thought that the predator drones were designated for terrorists and smugglers across the borders.

Asian Ascendency?



Chinese Naval Vessels in South China Sea

 As all RTP&GGrs know, one of the US's biggest foreign policy worries is the potential for China to become the dominant player in East Asia and the Pacific.
Now, it appears that the Obama administration is responding to that threat.  I'm not sure what 2500 troops are supposed to do in Australia practically, but I'm sure this is a good symbolic statement that we don't intend to vacate the Western Pacific.

Investor's Business Daily may be overstating how positive this move is taken in by other East Asian countries, but I bet not: just as the famous observation went during the Cold War: "the Soviet Union is the only country in the world surrounded by hostile communist states", so China is the only nation in the world surrounded by hostile Asian states (OK, they're not the only one).  And most of the Asian nations surrounding China are pretty powerful in their own right too.  The important point is not the number of troops being forward-positioned, it is the fact that the East Asian countries are eager for our support, both in the trade agreements and in the military posturing.  They look to us, not China to secure their economic and military safety.

The fact that we did this in spite of the heavy reliance we have on China to finance our debt shows that the Obama administration is a little more bold than I expected, or that our debt financing by China is not considered too significant a leverage over us by our government.  An interesting move.  Lots to quote from here, all good:

On his visit to Hawaii, Bali and Australia, Obama announced that 2,500 U.S. troops would be stationed in northern Australia, a move welcomed with open arms not just by Australia but across the Pacific.

Obama also announced that the "broad outlines" of the Trans-Pacific Partnership eight-nation free trade zone were advancing, with major new nations — Japan, Canada and Mexico seeking entry — a big vote of confidence in America from a region that accounts for 60% of world trade. The State Department, meanwhile, announced a big, generous aid package for flood-ravaged Thailand.

Coming on the heels of Obama's signature on the U.S.-South Korea free trade treaty, the signal is unmistakable: America's back after a long period of neglect, and "We're here to stay," as Obama said.

No wonder Australia's prime minister, Julia Gillard, couldn't conceal her delight.

This article shows that there is much more than this forward-basing of troops going on that could be perceived as aggressive from China's point of view.  Read the whole thing, and it's good to see we still have a bit of a spine.

School Sucks

The republican students at Cal Berkley (yes, they exist) held an interesting little experiment on their campus. They do it in protest of the proposed bill Sb 185. The bill would base tuition rates on race for UC Berkley. Watch this video and see the treatment that they recieve from their student body and faculty.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2_5WnMgkUVY&feature=related

I witnessed something similar on PSU's campus. A guy named "Shawn the Baptist" was preaching at the school's park. He was cussed at by some hippies even though Shawn was being totally peacefull. But these hippies can peacefully put on their homosexual parades on campus without any negative feedback. They can Occupy streets on campus and stop traffic while people applaud them...disgusting.

Saber Rattling: Is it time for the next big Mid-East Confrontation?

Hmmm...: Within the space of two days, all these articles come out:

From Israel:

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is trying to rally support in his cabinet for an attack on Iran, according to government sources.

From the UK:

Britain's armed forces are stepping up their contingency planning for potential military action against Iran amid mounting concern about Tehran's nuclear enrichment programme, the Guardian has learned.

The Ministry of Defence believes the US may decide to fast-forward plans for targeted missile strikes at some key Iranian facilities. British officials say that if Washington presses ahead it will seek, and receive, UK military help for any mission, despite some deep reservations within the coalition government.

And from rightcheer in Amurrica:

As the International Atomic Energy Agency prepares to release its latest report on Iran's nuclear program, an Obama administration official said Thursday that the Islamic regime has a credibility problem.

"Iran, over many years, has been unable to demonstrate the peaceful intent of its nuclear program," Deputy National Security Adviser for Strategic Communications Ben Rhodes told reporters in Cannes, France, where President Obama was attending the G20 summit."

more from The Guardian via Hot Air:

Britain’s armed forces are stepping up their contingency planning for potential military action against Iran amid mounting concern about Tehran’s nuclear enrichment programme, the Guardian has learned.
The Ministry of Defence believes the US may decide to fast-forward plans for targeted missile strikes at some key Iranian facilities. British officials say that if Washington presses ahead it will seek, and receive, UK military help for any mission, despite some deep reservations within the coalition government.
In anticipation of a potential attack, British military planners are examining where best to deploy Royal Navy ships and submarines equipped with Tomahawk cruise missiles over the coming months as part of what would be an air and sea campaign.
They also believe the US would ask permission to launch attacks from Diego Garcia, the British Indian ocean territory, which the Americans have used previously for conflicts in the Middle East.

I for one say it's about damn time! Wag that dog Barry! Time go for your second violation of the War Powers Act!
Bombs Away, Barry!

Middle East Update: So Much For The Flowering Of Freedom And Democracy

(A short poorly put together post.) Recent developments in the Middle East do not appear to be good. Muammar Gaddafi was killed by the Libyan rebels. While it is a good thing that he is dead the government that will be replacing him won't be such a good thing.

The transitional government leader Mustafa Abdul-Jalil called on Libyans to show "patience, honesty and tolerance" and eschew hatred as they embark on rebuilding the country at the end of an 8-month civil war.

Abdul-Jalil set out a vision for the post-Qaddafi future with an Islamist tint, saying that Islamic Sharia law would be the "basic source" of legislation in the country and that existing laws that contradict the teachings of Islam would be nullified.

In a gesture that showed his own piety, he urged Libyans not to express their joy by firing in the air, but rather to chant "Allahu Akbar," or God is Great. He then stepped aside and knelt to offer a brief prayer of thanks.

As noted in earlier post, some of the Libyan rebel leaders are actual terrorist that fought against America in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Islamists have won elections in Tunisia. And America is pulling its ambassador out of Syria.

America will be completely pulling out of Iraq, thus creating a political vacuum that Iran will take advantage of :

With Syria in turmoil, Iran on the march, a more isolated Israel, and Turkey’s ever-more ambivalent policies, now is the worst time to see a diminished U.S. influence in ensuring continued progress in Iraq. A total troop pullout will leave Iraqi security forces much more vulnerable to terrorism, sectarian conflict, and Iranian meddling, and it will leave them much less capable of battling al-Qaeda in Iraq and pro-Iranian Shia militias.

The Afghanistan president said that if there were a conflict between America and Pakistan, that he would side with Pakistan.

It looks like things aren't going so well in Egypt

In the eight months since the Egyptian Revolution, radical Islamic groups are rising to power, the army seems unwilling or unable to stop a growing rash of sectarian violence and the long-standing friendship between the U.S., Israel and Egypt is in serious question.

“I am the enemy of democracy,” Hesham al Ashry said in an interview with Fox News in his Cairo tailor shop. The devout Muslim is a main organizer in a group called the Salafists, which is working to bring Shariah law to Egypt. They, along with the Muslim Brotherhood, have risen quickly in the past eight months to fill the power vacuum left in post-Mubarak Egypt.

The past eight months have given a scary preview of what al Ashry’s opportunity might mean. It was a Salafy Cleric who called for the attack on the Israeli Embassy in Cario, the rocket and suicide bomb attack on a southern Israeli highway which killed 8 and injured more than 40 was launched from Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula, and it was the Army which intervened in a peaceful Coptic Christian protest killing more than two dozen.

“They (the army) are completely frantic, they are (overwhelmed) by these every week demonstrations…the country is going bust. The economy is going down. They are unable to get it to rest (stop),” Sawiris, who says there is only a 20% chance of next month’s election producing a liberal or secular Muslim government, said.

And it looks like the Vatican has been infected with communist. They are calling for a world central bank to help solve the unfair distribution of wealth around the world

The Vatican called on Monday for the establishment of a "global public authority" and a "central world bank" to rule over financial institutions that have become outdated and often ineffective in dealing fairly with crises.[...]

'The economic and financial crisis which the world is going through calls everyone, individuals and peoples, to examine in depth the principles and the cultural and moral values at the basis of social coexistence,' it said.

It condemned what it called "the idolatry of the market" as well as a "neo-liberal thinking" that it said looked exclusively at technical solutions to economic problems.

'In fact, the crisis has revealed behaviors like selfishness, collective greed and hoarding of goods on a great scale,' it said, adding that world economics needed an 'ethic of solidarity" among rich and poor nations.[...]

"In fact, one can see an emerging requirement for a body that will carry out the functions of a kind of 'central world bank' that regulates the flow and system of monetary exchanges similar to the national central banks," it said.

The document, which was being presented at a news conference later on Monday, acknowledged that such change would take years to put into place and was bound to encounter resistance.

"Of course, this transformation will be made at the cost of a gradual, balanced transfer of a part of each nation's powers to a world authority and to regional authorities, but this is necessary at a time when the dynamism of human society and the economy and the progress of technology are transcending borders, which are in fact already very eroded in a globalizes world."

I don't know how influential the Vatican is. I know at one point it was an influential force in world politics. Today, they might just be a bunch of people wearing clown suits that have no power or influence in the world. But their thought is the prevailing thought among world leaders today.

While the death of Gaddafi and the pulling out of American troops from Iraq might make Obama look good and increase his chances of winning reelection, these and other developments in the Middle East does not appear to be shaping up to be good for America, Israel, the West, or freedom in general. What has been happening in the Middle East is that America has been supporting its enemies whether by fighting a war for them, giving them money, or handing a country to our enemies. So much for the flowering of "democracy" in the Middle East.

Chris Christie: So Much For The New Conservative Hero

Well, looks like politics have ruined what was once a great governor and a possible perceived hope for turning the country around. (There really isn't that much hope when you start looking at America's situation, but figuring that out takes time/effort and might make one sad if you aren't prepared to handle it.) Christie has officially sold out. He is no longer a principled conservative and has instead decided to become part of the political establishment. He has now endorsed the liberal presidential candidate Romney and has said it is intellectually dishonest to compare Romney care to Obamacare. Looks like Chris is the one that is intellectually dishonest:

"Mitt Romney and Barack Obama never met to discuss the federal health care law, but Romney's advisers did. New records reviewed by NBC News's Michael Isikoff point out that 'White House officials had a dozen meetings in 2009 with three health-care advisers and experts who helped shape the health care reform law signed by Romney in 2006.' One meeting, NBC News reports, 'was in the Oval Office and presided over by Barack Obama.' Jon Gruber, one of the advisers who attended the Obama meeting, said that the White House 'really wanted to know how we can take that same approach we used in Massachusetts and turn that into a national model.'"

This is just one small point to show that Christie is himself being intellectually dishonest.

What a sell out, but such is the way of American politics: Americans won't accept or elect a real principled conservative. Americans would rather be lied to and have leaders like Obama. Christie's betray is just another nail in America's coffin along with the Republican's complete and utter failure to address America's looming debt crisis during the debt ceiling deal. Watch Romney become the candidate. Obama or Romney? Looks like a false choice to me.

I am a Champion

This is what a champion looks like

How Good People Get Duped Into Supporting Evil

This is a great article from the American Thinker website about how being uniformed on history and current events and not taking the time to look a little below the surface of the prevailing narratives that are present in today's society can cause people to end up supporting evil in a similar way that the German people supported Nazism.

It's interesting how history cycles around to the same old thing, over and over. Ecclesiastes 1:9 reads: 'What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.' Ominous words that are sadly true -- a warning that mankind continuously fails to heed.

Historically, societies have good people and bad. The good people tend to live their lives with good intentions to stay informed, be involved in the community, heed their belief system, behave in a moral way, raise their children to be good people, and work hard. They innocently get swept up in the assumption that everyone else is also, basically good. So, they overlook the evil that encroaches upon their society in dribs and drabs. They look the other way, they make excuses for the bad behavior of others, maybe even taking blame for being the cause of the bad behavior -- all because of their internal belief that everyone wants the same things they want, and believe the same things they believe.

But eventually, and out of nowhere, evil takes command of the society. The good people finally see the evil that has been there the whole time. While evil was still powerless, the good people did not see it, or did not want to see it, so they were blind. Perhaps they could not see it because they did not know what it looked like, smelled like, or sounded like.

Evil is silent. It sneaks up in the night, gaining footholds one drib at a time; one drab at a time. While the good people sleep, it sets a trap for its prey. When morning comes and the people awaken, they find themselves impossibly ensnared by the power of the beast, as it rains terror down upon the land, with full abandon.[...]

As the historical cycle goes, the good people don't stand a chance for they don't study history with the same rigor and attention to detail. Good people learn the stories of evil historical events, such as the Holocaust, with the focus on the horrible outcome. What they learn from the personal stories, the destruction of lives, and the devastating aftermath, is what evil looks like in its death. This is important, to be sure, but much more than that is required if they are to truly learn from history in order to avoid repetition. Good people must study the events that led to the horror with greater scrutiny. They must learn what evil looks like at its birth. What gets lost in the message of history is how, nearly always, good people were duped into complicity and cooperation, with and by, evil. Only if history is analyzed in such a way to determine what the silent evil looks like, and how it draws the good people to its side, will societies avoid allowing the evil to rise, again. And it always rises again.[bold text is my doing]

Evil studies and analyzes history so adeptly that each time it resurfaces it is able to advance more quickly and more powerfully than before, simply because it has learned from history. Good people must then do the same. They must be sure their children learn history -- the causes as well as the effects. If they aren't learning it in school, then it is up to the good parents to teach them. If they don't, they may find themselves like the good people of Germany -- duped, complicit, and guilty.

The evil haunting, or specter as Marx calls it, us today is communism/collectivism that is being prepared to be thrust on the whole world by economic circumstances. Just as the gulags and concentration camps didn't just appear out of thin air but were the end result of a long line of prevailing narratives from philosophy and culture that slowly filtered into the very fabric of society, so too is this modern day evil that is in the "birth stage" about to pop its head out into the world. Some of the prevailing narratives of today consist mainly of lies: man is causing the climate to change, therefore man must reduce his standard of living to save the earth; capitalism has failed and led to the current global economic mess, therefore capitalism must be scraped and replaced by a new system; no one culture is superior to another, therefore it is good to emulate a culture that is not conducive to human prosperity; the IMF and World Bank's stated goals are good, therefore they must be good; and etc. Not taking the time to look beyond the prevailing narratives of our time and taking a look at the foundation that these narratives are built on can lead one to end up "duped, complicit, and guilty" in supporting what can ultimately be called evil, using wisdom and summing up a very complex system into a simple word. It would suck to end up like the German people did after their country had been destroyed and their women rapped.

Post Pax Americana?

A cool post at Hot Air  for strategy geeks, illustrating the re-emergence of regional, Nation-state strategizing because of the withdrawal of American influence and power in the world.  The author touches on many places around the world where groups of countries are manuevering with and against each other in local groups, rather than the great geopolitical groups that have dominated the world since WWII:

• They touch on the situation in Central/Eastern Europe and the Visegrad group, which I discussed a while ago
• The games being played between Russia, Iran, and Turkey, and Turkey's apparent attempt to resurrect the prestige of the Ottoman Empire in the Eastern Mediterranean
• Israel's response by teaming up with Greece and Cyprus
• India & Japan's attempts to contain China in the Far East
• etc.

Super cool stuff.  The tone of the article is a little sad that American can't dominate everywhere like we used to, but it doesn't seem as depressing to me: make these sponges deal with things themselves.  It'll make them all better countries, and save us money and blood.  We still need to be able to punish our enemies when we need to though and help our friends...that'll have to wait until Obama's gone of course.

Anyway, read the article; fascinating, if somewhat speculative.

OBAMACARE

When discussing the recent government overhaul of America's health care system, one needs to look at it through the prism of this video where Obama states how a public insurance option will lead to a single-payer health care system-- or a government run health care system that "will control the people" in the words of another politician.

Aside from the fact that the new health care law will entice employers to drop their health care plans for their employees:

'Now, it should surprise no one that more and more companies are exploring the possibility of dropping their employee health coverage in 2014. A new study from the benefits-consulting firm Towers Watson finds that nearly 10 percent of midsized to large companies are seriously considering doing just that, and another 20 percent are thinking about it. Still others don't know. 'Many are uncertain how they will respond to the looming impact of state-based insurance exchanges in 2014,' says Towers Watson.

Obama did say that this would happen in the video above.

And there is some new information about parts of Obamacare. It appears that a part of it was know to be "fiscally unsustainable" before it was passed:

Administration officials knew before they even passed the CLASS Act that the voluntary long-term care insurance program it created would be fiscally unsustainable, a new report from select House and Senate Republicans shows.

Obamacare will be one of the most lasting legacies of Obama's presidency that will "fundamentally transform" America: it will transform the relationship between the individual and the government in a profound way and will change the character of the American people by making them look to the government to meet one of their most basic needs. It will also create another unsustainable entitlement program that will bankrupt America and help to "collapse the system". It is one more reason that Obamacare should be completely repealed.

Middle East Update: America Encouraging And Helping Its Enemies

It is still looking like what the Arab Spring might not be such a good thing for Israel and the West. Remember that the Arab Spring was encouraged and cheered on by our President and media with organismic praise. Also Egypt was given money by Western nations; and in the case of Libya, the West fought a war against our enemies who were the enemies of a less dangerous enemy.

It looks like the Muslim Brotherhood is still becoming the dominant political force in Egypt and is still somewhat unfriendly to Israel:

The Muslim Brotherhood's new message is very similar: all Islamic men in Egypt, whoever they may be, should stand and be counted as members of Hamas. Whether one sees this message as analogous in the sense of ideology, however, would likely be a matter of perspective.[...]

The aim of the Muslim Brotherhood, as it is with other anti-Zionist Muslims throughout the world, is to have the followers of Islam hold dominion over the holy land that Israel now occupies, to be governed by Islamic law. To them, having the Jewish "apes" and "pigs" govern with the notion of "freedom" and allowing equal worship at holy sites in Jerusalem is a slap in the face to the prophet who has promised the right to govern that region to Muslims. Therefore, they would much rather see Islamic clerics and mullahs allowing preferential rights to be granted for Muslims, while non-Muslims are subjugated, as Allah intended (Surah 9:29).[...]

The Muslim Brotherhood has held rallies recently that have seen the incineration of Israeli flags and the exhibition of Nazi symbols, complete with taunts to Israelis suggesting that "the gas chambers are ready." It seems rather interesting for a group that has denied the Holocaust to clearly reference the means of its historical practices. Apparently, the infidels' false history is not without its charms in the Brotherhood's eyes.

But think about the implications of what we see every day, but fail to recognize. A burgeoning regime in Egypt, under the influence of the Muslim Brotherhood, is threatening the Israeli ambassador's life. They have openly declared themselves to be not only in league with terrorists, but among the terrorists of Hamas, and therefore they have proclaimed themselves terrorists. Mohamed ElBaradei, a possible Brotherhood candidate for Egyptian leadership, has stated that he would go to war with Israel if it attacks Gaza. This means that any of Israel's numerous and necessary retaliatory strikes upon Gaza could result in war with Egypt, their historic enemy whose strength Israel has bolstered in efforts to achieve the longstanding peace that the Brotherhood would so readily break.

Their is a direct link between the founders of the Muslim Brotherhood and Nazi Germany. And if you listen to their current spiritual leader, he praises Hitler for carrying out his punishment against the Jews. So why did America encourage the recent Egyptian revolution when it was clear at the time that the Muslim Brotherhood would become the dominant political force in Egypt? And why is America and the West sending Egypt money? What will this lead to?

And I love this article where the Libyan rebel military commander who was a member of a terrorist group that sent fighters into Iraq and Afghanistan is trying to explain how he is not going to support terrorism against the West:

TRIPOLI, Libya - The rebels' Tripoli military commander, a former leader of an Islamic militant group that sent fighters to Iraq and Afghanistan, insisted Friday that the new Libya will shun extremism and won't become a breeding ground for terrorism.

What is happening in the Middle East is that America and the West is supporting its enemies through several different channels: by sending billions of dollars a year to the Middle East for oil that in turns goes towards funding terrorist and radical Mosques that breed terrorist, giving moral and financial support to a revolution that leads to an anti-Western political regime, and actually fighting a war for our enemies. It just doesn't make sense to me.

Game Time

Its that time of year again. And this season should shape up to be good one for Oregon.

Oregon comes in to the season ranked #3. Preseason rankings don't mean much but expectations are high. They return most of their high prospect players but have a depleted offensive line. We should get a real good taste of what they are made of when they play #4 LSU on saturday (5 pm PT ABC).

This Oregon vs. LSU game was going to be the biggest game of NCAA Football's season opening weekend. The hype has been depleted because LSU has lost some starters due to a bar room brawl (http://www.nationalfootballauthority.com/2011/08/lsu-tigers-suspend-three-tigers.html). I still view LSU as about 97% of what they were. Their starting QB, Jefferson, kind of sucked anyway and his replacement is a senior who has started games before. LSU's power comes from their defense and their defense is unblemished.

Considering that Oregon will be without it's best talent, CB Cliff Harris, I look at this game with just as much hype as before. The winner should still feel confident that it is the better team. I'm sure though that all of the SEC fans will claim that they weren't at full strength but I wouldn't give one Cliff Harris (definite 1st nfl pick) for ten Jordan Jeffersons.

Lets strap it on and get it on!!!!

EU Update

Bad news out of the EU has been driving global worries over another financial crisis and this has been a contributing factor behind the volatility in the stock market the past couple of weeks. What happens in the EU will affect the U.S. and global economy to a great extent. A note of interest is that the U.S. is already bailing out the EU. It appears as if the great EU political project is falling apart. This is not the case according to a lot of market analyst:

'The default position is more integration, which is why commentary, especially that coming out of the US, is very focused on euro break-up is biased towards thinking about the downside scenario, and is not really thinking about the upside scenario,' he told CNBC.com. 'The upside scenario I think is one that's more consistent with the history of European projects.'[...]

'When people ask us 'is Greece going to leave the euro?' our immediate pushback is that Greece doesn't have the agency. It's not really Greece's choice – it's Germany's choice and it's France's choice,' Rahman said. [...]

However, he too said that stepping forwards towards integration, not backwards, is the far more likely scenario.

'Of course, it didn't happen in an orderly way, and now possibly it's coming in a disorderly way, because now everyone's realizing that you can't have a currency and a single market and communalized trade policy without also having more political cohesion and more fiscal union,' Techau said.
'Maybe, in the end, ironically, Helmut Kohl will be vindicated because the answer to the crisis is either disruption, or another bold step towards integration,'[...]

The most noise seems to be coming from commentators who believe in disintegration, but those who really understand the inner workings of the EU say the opposite: economically it does not make sense, technically it is exceptionally difficult and politically it is nearly unthinkable.

One of the legacy of this global financial crisis will be a more economically united globe. This economic crisis is going to force some politicians and nations to do things that they otherwise would not do: like integrate further into international governing bodies.

European leaders are being pushed into closer fiscal union sooner than they had anticipated by volatile markets concerned over a dearth of ideas on how to solve the sovereign debt crisis in the euro zone, analysts and investors told CNBC.[...]

'If you believe the United States of Europe is stronger than the individual nations, it's simply a step that the politicians have been working towards, but now they're being pushed into it rather than managing the process,' Neil Dwane, chief investment officer for Europe at RCM told CNBC.

Over the weekend, German chancellor Angela Merkel seemed to soften her position on the issuance of so-called euro bonds, but she stressed they were not on the table for now.

'I think [Merkel] is just realizing that politicians are pushed by markets into solutions that politicians don't feel comfortable with yet,' Frank Engels, co-head of European Economics Research and Asset Allocation Strategy at Barclays Capital explained.
His comments reflected those made by Paul Donovan, deputy head of Global Economics to CNBC last week, who warned that markets would push European leaders towards "extreme action" and he called for the appointment of a European statesman to oversee closer fiscal union within the euro zone.[...]

'There is a sense that you have to move eventually towards a common fiscal union, a very coordinated policy approach on economic and fiscal policies, but not now, not yet because you need to lay the foundations in terms of political and legal infrastructure first and then later on move, that is the message [Merkel] wants to provide to markets,' Engels said.

It appears that the EU has lost, to some extent, "its power of decision over the direction that it is going". This economic crisis is the result of a government managed economies. The main instrument that the governments use to manage the economies of the world is through central banking and international governing bodies like the IMF/World Bank (both founded by a Fabian Socialist and a communist). The IMF/World Bank is helping to keep the socialist's dream of global socialism from falling apart in the case of the EU by continuing to bailout the failed nations that should be allowed to default. (A look into the history of central banking and the IMF/World Bank is illuminating.) These government institutions are helping to create an economic crisis that will push the world into a global-socialist-communist-governance. Well that sounds stupid doesn't it? The financial analysts take on the events happening in the EU point to the fact that the EU is being pushed by economic events into a tighter political/fiscal union. What has been the overall effect of the global economic crisis, larger and more united government(s) that are/is taking over economic functions once carried out by the private sector. The direction that the the world is a more in is that of a more united globe, economy and politically. I could state it in a more intelligent manner but that would take a lot more time and room.

Signs of some cuts

It looks like the postal service is finally getting reigned in. USPS has been outdated since mid 20th century. I havent heard much outcry from the public about the fact that over 100k postal service jobs might be lossed. This is a good sign. I think people are realizing that the private sector needs to do the job. Hopefully we start seeing some more cuts. The military? I would accept a pay cut. Shoot, I wouldnt be heartbroken if I was laid off from the Guard.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/08/17/nonprofits-oppose-measure-wiping-out-their-mail-discounts/

A New Era For Our Military and Nation.

(A very appropriate picture.) The time has finally come.

The Pentagon will announce Friday that it is ready to certify the repeal of "don't ask, don't tell," the controversial 1993 law that banned gays from serving openly in the military, two U.S. officials told Fox News.

This signals a great cultural shift in our society away from the cultural foundation that has made America the nation it is. I have a hunch America will be receiving a fairly significant military set back coming soon. At least America won't be discriminating against homosexuality. I like Congressman Allen West's take on DADT.

This Is Rock/Math!

A short post with some videos, about 10 minutes all together, that makes/alludes to the connection between math and music. "Math has long been at the foundation of music. In fact, in ancient Greece, 'music' referred to the study of numerical ratios, and around the time of Plato, 'harmony' originally emerged as a branch of physics." (The video is under the June 30 entry.)

And check out this video starting at minute 12 Also check out this video about string theory. There is a connection between math and music. What makes a collection of sound noise or music? Is modern rock music considered noise or real music? The videos are interesting.

Don't Mess With Texas

I thought this was an interesting story.

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2011/07/06/mexican-national-inmate-on-death-row-creates-international-stir/

Basically, this guy named Humberto Leal, a mexican national, raped and murdered a sixteen year old girl in 1995. The evidence was overwhelming against him and it only took the jury 45 minutes to reach a verdict.

The UN and Obama have been trying to postpone the execution, which is scheduled for 6:00 pm thursday 7-7-11. Evidently there is a UN resolution that gives Leal the right to seek consultation from his home nation of Mexico.

My favorite part of the story:

“Texas is not bound by a foreign court’s ruling,” Katherine Cesinger, the press secretary said in a statement (foxnews).

This is just another example, among many, why Texas is awesome.

Financial Collapse 2020-2035

Here is some more information to help you to better see that the "most predictable economic crisis we've had" is headed our way: it is obvious to those that care to look. Here is some more good new about our economic situation from the Congressional Budget Office, CBO. It paints a very bleak picture where America is headed towards a Greek-like crisis between 2020-2035.

As negotiators look to gimmicks and changing assumptions to reach a deal on raising the debt ceiling, a new report by congressional budgeters out Wednesday is offering a grim outlook and ugly alternatives for dealing with increasing debt. The report by the Congressional Budget Office says that the debt will eat up the government’s spending ability, and offers two scenarios -- both potential trajectories -- that they say by 2035 will push the debt either to most of the annual gross domestic product or to nearly twice the economic power of the U.S. Already, the CBO says, the debt has spiraled out of control in just three years. 'At the end of 2008, that debt equaled 40 percent of the nation's annual economic output (a little above the 40-year average of 37 percent). Since then, the figure has shot upward: By the end of this year, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) projects, federal debt will reach roughly 70 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) -- the highest percentage since shortly after World War II,' reads the report.

This increase in debt is staggering and can't be maintained. The August 2 deadline to raise the nation's debt ceiling is fast approaching and it looks like some sort of a deal has been reached between republicans and democrats on raising the debt limit in exchange for spending cuts. But these are very unlikely to be real spending cuts. They will probably be like the phony cuts to this years budget that started out as 100 billion and turned into 60 billions that ended up being a couple of million dollars. If real cuts can't be made at the present, then how will it be any easier or possible to make them at a latter date when it will be a more difficult proposition?

The fact is that America has reached the point that other countries of past and present have reached in this stage of their economic collapse that results from deficit spending-- made possible by central banks-- to fund an over bloated welfare state. The leaders knew/know that they must cut spending but that this will lead to social unrest and lost of social cohesion--check out Greece-- and that such cuts are politically impossible to make-- look at recent attacks on the proposed cuts to medicare. So the leaders create more debt in the attempt to delay the day of reckoning to buy time to come up with a better solution to the economic problems. This "better solution" never materializes and economic collapse is always the end result. This time the collapse is not an individual nation or region of the world but the entire globe. When the nations of the world find themselves in this state of collapse, they will be forced to put aside political and cultural differences while they come together for a short time as the result of the interconnectedness of the economies of the world to form international alliances, agreements and governing bodies as a means to salvage the situation. Look at the relationship between Germany and Greece. Germany is bailing out Greece against the will of its people again because they failed to live up to its austerity measures. Germany is doing this because of the risk of the financial contagion--German banks are invested in Greek debt-- affecting Germany. It is only a matter of time before Greece and then the EU collapses to be followed by America around 2020-2035.

What can you do to prepare yourself for this economic crisis so that you can thrive? Live life but prepare yourself mentally for a very bad economy, know basic survival psychology, stay out of debt, get out of debt, increase your line of available credit, have a couple months of extra food, own some precious metals, invest in commodities and assets with intrinsic value, read the Bible, and know that agriculture is going to be the next big thing according to a prominent investor. Or do what the majority of people throughout history do in situations like these which is to be unawares which leads them falling on their face and being raped. sometimes literally. "In hyperinflation[ or economic collapse], a kilo of potatoes was worth, to some, more than the family silver; a side of pork more than the grand piano. A prostitute in the family was better than an infant corpse; theft was preferable to starvation; warmth was finer than honor, clothing more essential than democracy, food more need than freedom." Quoted form Adam Fergusson's book "When Money Dies". Inflation and economic depression is always the end result when central banks control a nations money supply. To see this clearly read "The Creature From Jekyll Island".

Defense Secretary Gates Consults RTP&GG, rips NATO Allies

Secretary of Defense Gates, who served in that position in the second half of the Bush Administration as well as the 1st half of the Obama Administration, consulted RTP&GG, and decided his farewell speech would be a good time to absolutely hammer NATO.  I've got nothing to add to it.  Just read the Washington Post article.  A couple of killer quotes:

“The blunt reality is that there will be dwindling appetite and patience in the U.S. Congress, and in the American body politic writ large, to expend increasingly precious funds on behalf of nations that are apparently unwilling to devote the necessary resources ... to be serious and capable partners in their own defense,” he said in an address to a think tank in Brussels.

and:

In Libya, Gates said, “the mightiest military alliance in history is only 11 weeks into an operation against a poorly armed regime in a sparsely populated country, yet many allies are beginning to run short of munitions, requiring the U.S., once more, to make up the difference.”

Pathetic.

To continue to rap on my theme: international organizations don't work when the populations of some countries think those of others in the organization aren't pulling their weight or are trying to rip them off. "Coaltions of the willing" will be the wave of the future in both military and economic arenas.  The international organizations themselves have zero power.  Power rests in the wills of the member countries/populations.

How About AGas Tax Hike To Force People To Drive Smaller Cars? And What Can Be Done To Save America?

According to GM's (I mean government motors) CEO a gas tax hike would be a good thing because it would nudge consumers into buying smaller cars like the wonderful Chevy Volt:

General Motors Co. CEO Dan Akerson wants the federal gas tax boosted as much as $1 a gallon to nudge consumers toward more fuel-efficient cars, and he's confident the government will soon shed its remaining 26 percent stake in the once-bankrupt automaker.

'I actually think the government will be out this year — within the next 12 months, hopefully within the next six months,' Akerson said in a two-hour interview with The Detroit News last week.

He is grateful for the government's rescue of GM — 'I have nothing but good things to say about them' — but Akerson said the time for that relationship to end is coming because it's wearing on GM.

'It's kind of like your in-laws: It was a nice long weekend. We didn't say a week,' Akerson said with a laugh.

And while he is eager to say goodbye to the government as a part owner of GM, Akerson would like to see it step up to the challenge of setting a higher gas tax, as part of a comprehensive energy policy.

A government-imposed tax hike, Akerson believes, will prompt more people to buy small cars and do more good for the environment than forcing automakers to comply with higher gas-mileage standards.

I for one would be willing to pay gas tax to solve a non existent crises. As you know the American government bailed out GM and fired their old CEO, I still remember the headlines that stated a President Fired a CEO of a private company that I thought I would never hear in America-- and replaced him with one more to President's Obama's liking. This might not be surprising, but the main point of the matter is that it shows how big business colludes with government to squash competition and uses the government to create regulations that benefits the business. It is similar to the financial sector that received a bailout by the government. The people in government that bailed out the banks were once CEO's of some of these very banks and are now in the position to regulate them. Is it surprising that they would use the government regulations to benefit their former business? This is the same situation that arose when the government first started regulating businesses--this started under Theodore Roosevelt-- like the railroads: those in charge of regulating the railroads once worked in the industry and when they worked for the government they used government regulations to give the big businesses an unfair advantage over their smaller competitors by creating regulations that smaller businesses could not comply with while at the same time staying in business. Today we have GE, GOOGLE, GM, and a host of other big business that collude with the government. Looking into this subject in more depth will make one look differently at big business and realize that America is not a capitalist system. A lot of the complaints against capitalism and big business by its opponents fail to see that it is this relationship between big business and government that is the real cause of the evils that they attribute to former.

Switching the subject to unfunded liabilities, Unfunded liabilities total about 107 trillion dollars according to this news article, I have heard between 60 to close to 200 trillion dollars. All the promises made by the government to take care of us can simply not be kept:

The latest Social Security Trustees Report tells us that the program will be insolvent by the year 2037. The combined unfunded liability of Social Security and Medicare has reached nearly $107 trillion in today's dollars. That is about seven times the size of the U.S. economy and 10 times the size of the national debt.

The question is will Americans react like the Greeks when the government teat runs dry or will they be able to endure hardship? According to recent developments in the debate to reform medicare, the answer is no. This is not any real news, but the author does pose an interesting question about what can be done to save America:

People ask what can be done to save our nation from decline. To ask that represents a misunderstanding of history and possibly a bit of arrogance. After all, how different are Americans from the Romans, Spaniards, French and English? These were once mighty nations standing at the top of civilization. At the height of these nations' prosperity, no one would have predicted that they'd become third-rate nations, especially England. If during Queen Victoria's Jubilee in 1887 had a person suggested that England would become a third-rate nation and later challenged on the high seas by a sixth-rate nation (Argentina), he would have been declared insane. One chief causal factor for the decline of these former great nations is what has been described as 'bread and circuses,' where government spends money for the shallow and immediate wants of the population, and civic virtue all but disappears. For the past half-century, our nation has been doing precisely what brought down other great nations. We may have now reached the point of no return. If so, do we deserve it?

A record number of Americans are dependent on the government for food stamps or "bread" and more Americans are concerned with "American Idol" and pop culture or "Circuses" than the important issues of the day. Reading history and comparing it to current events makes it hard to be optimistic about America's future. America is at a crossroads. Americans need to wake up and a cultural revolution needs to occur in order for our Country to be saved.

The Shaping Of The American Minds

It is no surprise nor is it a revelation that Hollywood and pop culture is populated with liberals, but what may be new is the fact that many T.V. shows and movies have subtle hidden messages. This message being a liberal one. Pop culture is how most people's world view is formed and shaped. Is it then no surprise that most people hold a liberal world view? Is it no surprise that America elected a President with an affinity for communism and social justice?

A communist message is present in the majority of movies and T.V. shows: from Star Trek's vision of a united-galaxy--one-world-- Utopia where there is no money (start at min one and ignore the retard guy) and no greed because people have an evolved sense of reason and where its main hero is a drunkard as is the case in the most recent film; from Star Wars promotion of a new-age religion; from movies like "The Hangover" where getting drunk to the point of unconsciousness is glorified; from Avatar's promotion of a new environmental religion; from T.V. shows where family values are ridiculed to the effect of eroding the nuclear family which is at the very foundation of a free society; from movies that hold up a charismatic leader that shows up and saves the world from disaster having the effect of preparing people to follow a similar leader; from Superman renouncing his America citizenship to become a "citizen of the world"; from Sesame Street's subtle liberal messages; from the Snookies and Britanny Spears. This list could go on and on.

Spreading ideals and shaping opinion through media is nothing new, but what is significant is the fact that it is so widespread and the fact that a liberal message is almost the only message. Is it no wonder that Americans hold and spout liberal and communist thought without them even being aware that it is such or being aware of where these ideals came from and what these ideals lead to? Our current President is the outcome of the ideals that pop culture spreads. To change the direction America is headed will require that pop culture spread the ideals of freedom and capitalism which will lead to a cultural revolution. The problem in the political arena is merely a symptom of this pop culture disease. Until our culture starts to reflect the ideas of freedom, prepare for the end of America and freedom as you know it. Or sit back and get the pop corn, and prop the legs up and watch a movie that will ease the pain of reality.

The End of NATO? Visegrad Group Forms

With the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, many predicted that NATO's relevence would disappear too, as the post-WWII threat to Europe's security had disappeared.  NATO did react to the 9/11 attacks on a member state (USA) by assisting America in Afghanistan.  NATO did not follow the US into Iraq, but it was a war of choice by the US and therefore, it could be rationalized that it was not a war requiring NATO assistance.  Many NATO countries (chiefly the UK as usual) did assist us regardless. 

Many Americans wonder why we have bases in Europe when there is no threat there, or when a perceived threat (such as a nuclear Iran or a resurgent-but-greatly reduced Russia) should be handled by Europeans themselves.  My own opinion at this point is that we should have Air Force and Navy agreements with European countries for bases to use as trans-shipment points, and to serve as a tripwire for US involvement should a really big attack happen, but that all major Army bases and most of the AF and Navy bases should be vacated.  It's time Europeans were responsible for their own defense.

Now NATO has initiated a war of choice with Libya.  I support the effort, but it certainly is not  a war that NATO was ever intended to fight.  This is even more a war of choice than Iraq was.  NATO is officially participating, but one of its main members, Germany, is not participating.  The US, after bearing the brunt of the early work has backed off to a support role, and it is now mainly a British, French, and Italian effort.  What exactly the point is, is not entirely clear, as has been pointed out in a previous RTP&GG post. 

Clearly, the original rationale for NATO, to protect European democracies from external threat, has all but disappeared and NATO is looking for a reason for being.  Even strong pro-military, pro-western democracy guys like me are wondering why it's still there.

A new development that has occurred under the media radar is showing that some NATO member nations still take NATO's original (and only) reason for being seriously, but that they don't trust NATO to serve that role.  Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia have formed a cooperative military group, focused on repelling a Russian invasion...the very thing NATO is intended for.  I'm pretty sure all these countries are recent joiners of NATO.  Doubtlessly, they read the tea leaves after Russia's bullying adventure in NATO-wannabee country, Georgia, saw NATO's ineffectual response, and are acting accordingly.  These countries, long-suffering under the Soviet boot in the Cold War, now worry very much about the Russians, and don't believe they can count on NATO to do the job it was expressly created to do.  As the article points out, they are worried that Germany is now focused economically on Russia and may not be greatly motivated to help out the smaller Eastern European countries,

The Germans obviously are struggling to shore up the European Union and questioning precisely how far they are prepared to go in doing so. There are strong political forces in Germany questioning the value of the EU to Germany, and with every new wave of financial crises requiring German money, that sentiment becomes stronger. In the meantime, German relations with Russia have become more important to Germany. Apart from German dependence on Russian energy, Germany has investment opportunities in Russia. The relationship with Russia is becoming more attractive to Germany at the same time that the relationship to NATO and the EU has become more problematic.

The formation of the Visegrad group is, in a way, heartening, as it shows individual countries forming alliances to meet specific threats, and not having to depend on the US to save them. For this old Cold Warrior, it's sad to see NATO coming to an end, but it's now an alliance without an enemy. Hard to justify. The US needs to approach things more like the Visegrad group, forming alliances with good friends for good reasons.

This also is one more step in the collapse of the vast transnational groups, and is heartening in that way too. The UN, long past its useful life, NATO past its useful life, the European Union in slow-motion collapse, etc. I don't know if the IMF is close to collapse or not, but the recent scandal involving its leader revealed to us that the head of the IMF was a Socialist. WTF?! I see approaching irrelevency there too.

Just Like a Big Boy!

Sorry for this post so long after the fact, but I think it's still relevent:

So the jokey Trump candidacy accomplished one thing: it humiliated Obama into releasing his long form birth certificate, over two years AFTER he was sworn in to be President.  The President said

"This issue has been going on for two, two and a half years now. I think it started during the campaign," Obama said. "I have watched with bemusement, I've been puzzled at the degree at which this thing just kept on going."

"We're not going to be able to solve our problems if we get distracted by sideshows and carnival barkers," the president said.

Ironic. This president calling everyone else carnival barkers. RTP&GG ourselves did an in depth analysis of the situation a while ago.  I guessed that there must be something embarrassing about the birth certificate or it would have been released ages ago, long before he became president.  But, if you go to the first link above you can see a clear pdf of the certificate and you will see nothing at all odd about it, outside of the somewhat odd situation he was born into, which was already well-documented public knowledge.

Obama was trying to make fun of the people that raised a stink about the birth certificate, and of course liberals all praised this bold move.

The problems still are a) Why wasn't it mandatory to produce the birth certificate to run for president? b) Why didn't he just produce it and quash all the rumors long ago?

I am going to renew my Oregon Drivers License in a few weeks and I will need to produce my birth certificate.  When kids sign up for Little League in 3rd grade they have to produce birth certifcates to prove they are the right age to play for the team they signed up for.  This was a simple thing that should have been mandatory.

Talk about "soft bigotry of low expectations".  This is the softest and lowest I've ever seen.  Are we going to next praise him for knowing his home address and phone number, just like a big boy?  Barack, I'm so proud of you!   You really are qualified to be president!

Does America Need Another Ronald Reagan Or Republican Leadership?

America is in massive debt and entity after entity are going bankrupt: the post office lost 2.2 billion dollars in the 2nd quarter of 2011 and might need a bailout; Social Security and Medicare will be out of money by 2036 " If you're 54 or older and plan to live the average American life expectancy of 77.9 years, then you're in good shape. But if you're planning to live past the year 2036, don't count on Social Security. And if you're relying on Medicare, don't even think about the math."; "legendary investor Jim Rogers thinks U.S. bonds will be worthless,

I will be shorting US bonds, Rogers told a conference in Edinburgh. 'I would probably be doing it today if I weren't here,' he said. Bonds in the US have been in a bull market for 30 years, Rogers said. In my view that's coming to an end...the bond bull market is coming to an end. If any of you have bonds I would urge you to go home and sell them. If any of you are bond portfolio managers I would get another job,' he said. Addressing one bond portfolio manager among conference delegates, Rogers said: If I were you I would think about becoming a farmer. You buy land and learn how to farm. In my view it’s going to be a spectacular way to make money,' he said, adding: This is where the great fortunes are going to be made in the future.[...] Longer term the US dollar is going to be a total disaster, Rogers said, urging investors to think about getting out of US dollars before it’s too late.

over in the EU Portugal has requested a bailout and Greece has not been living up to the terms of its bailout that demanded that Greece make tough budget cuts; it looks like the GOP will not be making big cuts to the 2012 budget. This little bit of economic news is just the tip of the iceberg. The world is broke and bankrupt and facing an imminent economic crisis. So does America need another Ronald Regan or Republican President? According to this view of history the answer is no.

"Why American History Is Not What They Say: An Introduction To Revisionism" is a short book from the Mises Institute. Starting on page 177 is a brief overview of Ronald Reagan. It paints a rather different picture of the standard on that portrays him as an advocate of limited government,

Like most Republican politicians since the early 1930s, Reagan always portrayed himself throughout his political career as a champion of limited government, individual rights, and free enterprise—the classical liberal values which, of course, he absurdly described as 'conservative.' But, like almost all Republican politicians since the early 1930s, he seemed to forget all about these values once he got into office and assumed the reins of power. Consider, as a case in point, Reagan’s eight years (1966-
1974) as governor of California. As Murray Rothbard noted in 1980, 'Despite his bravado about having stopped the growth of state government, the actual story is that the California budget grew by 122 percent during his eight years as governor, not much of an improvement on the growth rate of 130 percent during the preceding two terms of free-spending liberal Pat Brown. The state bureaucracy increased during Reagan’s administration from 158,000 to 192,000, a rise of nearly 22 percent—hardly squaring with Reagan’s boast of having “stopped the bureaucracy cold.'[...]According to Rothbard, Reagan 'created seventy-three new state government councils and commissions, with a total budget, in his last year alone, of $12 million. Included was the California Energy Commission, which put the state hip-deep into the energy business' and created a regulatory climate under which a three-year review process was required before any new power plant could be constructed in the state.[...] As James Ostrowski noted in 2002, 'Over the last one hundred years, of the five presidents who presided over the largest domestic spending increases, four were Republicans. Include regulations and foreign policy, as well as budgets approved by a Republican Congress, and a picture begins to emerge of the Republican Party as a reliable engine of government growth.'

The whole section is about seven pages. I know it was the democrats that was the reason for the increase in the national deficit during Reagan's Presidency, but I don't have any good arguments against the points made against Reagan by this short book. But the fact is that Republicans are just as bad when it comes to increasing the size of government and the national debt: look at Hoover, Nixon, Reagan, Bush 43. And it was Bush 41 who started talking about this new world order.

The point of the post is that the world is bankrupt and this massive global economic ponzi scheme is about to end and no Republican President or Congress is able or willing to stop the of massive tsunami of debt that is about to hit the world. Given the history of the leadership of Republican Presidents, America doesn't need one at the crucial time.

Its Prius time

How is that Prius sounding now? I never calculated this rate of inflation. I think that we have definitelly seen the last of price per gal < $3.00. Maybe even $4.00. We are entering the world of Europia.

In a political attempt to appease the voters, dems summoned up all the oil execs. This is a fake facade to appear hardline against rising prices. The dems know that the tax cuts will not be voted down. Of course it will appear like they tried but the evil republicans are to blame.

"Exxon paid $11 billion in taxes last year. Adding another $1 billion to the ticket would probably mean more pain at the pump. But the plan won’t pass, especially since Democrats themselves don’t agree on it. Not only would it be bad for oil producing states, but the tax revenues would be spent, not used to reduce the deficit."-Foxnews

I'm pretty much regurgitating the article from foxnews.com (http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/05/12/lots-hot-air-gas-end-high-prices/). Forgive me for my lack of originality. I just wanted to get the ball moving.

Picture front: Lcpl Goekler and Cpl Dean

Picture back: Cpl Hassinger and Cpl Edwards

Photographer: Lcpl Robinson

Osama Bin Laden Killed by US Forces near the capital of Pakistan

Some guy we haven't talked about in ages killed by US forces outside of the capital of Pakistan.

First off:  This is definitely fantastic news!  The goat fucker deserved to die and that it comes at the hands of US forces, bullet to the head form, is a great thing.  Kudos to President Obama for having the balls to authorize the operation, for this must have been a delicate operation, deep inside Pakistan, not a drone strike near the border.

However, as everyone notes: this won't end the war on terror.  It may be a temporary body blow to the terrorists, but, that's it.  It'll be interesting to hear in the next few days, to what extent bin Laden was still involved in Al Qaeda operations.  I've said many times that, living or dead, he's been irrelevent to the war for many years, offering no moral support to the people that would look to him for inspiration.  I don't think he ever was too involved at the tactical level.  Hopefully we'll learn soon to what extent he was still involved with things. 

But, there are some things that make you say "hmmm":

• A covert operation deep inside Pakistan, close to the capital.  This is where Osama's been hiding?  How did the ISI not know about his whereabouts all this time?  Is it remotely conceivable that they didn't know?
• Assuming they did know where he was, did they just recently give up the whereabouts to US intelligence, or is this something US intelligence figured out themselves?
• Obama authorized what, on the surface, would be a very risky mission.  He just doesn't seem like the kind of guy who would do that.

Bud-D's conspiracy theory:  The ISI gave him up in exchange for cancellation or a great reduction in drone strikes.  Pakistan gave tacit permission for the US to go in and snatch him.  Obama will use this -undeniably great event- to justify pulling out of Afghanistan this summer.

And maybe it's time?  What does the RTP&GG community think?

It'll be interesting what we learn in the near future about what really went down.  What if the Pakistanis didn't know anything or didn't give him up?  Then I've got to say that Obama and our Special Forces really kicked ass.  And what about Pakistan?