I stumbled onto this latest intrusion by our thugorcracy. They are now contemplating a national registry for internet users.
Of course like everything else they do, they put the pollyanna spin on the benefits and completely avail themselves of any over reach and intrusion into our lives. Which of course- is the real goal. I am really beginning to hate everyone of those idiots that voted for Obama.
http://www.newsmax.com/Newsfront/Obama-Internet-ID-Americans/2011/01/10/id/382368?s=al
Saturday, January 22, 2011
It Never Ends, Fed Adopts New Accounting Rule, Nobody Notices
Geezus. Talk about making up your own set of rules.
http://www.cnbc.com/id/41198789
You'll love this!
http://www.jrdeputyaccountant.com/2011/01/dirty-fed-quietly-rewrites-accounting.html
The FED to US taxpayers. How's my ass taste?
http://www.cnbc.com/id/41198789
You'll love this!
http://www.jrdeputyaccountant.com/2011/01/dirty-fed-quietly-rewrites-accounting.html
The FED to US taxpayers. How's my ass taste?
What the Hell Happened To the United States? An Essay- Part Three
Long after I am taking a dirt nap, I think history is going to reflect back on this time period and see the mistakes that were made.
That these mistakes are somehow "inevitable" are the kinds of things that risk managers would scoff at. These events, whether you believe they are black swan events or not, are largely preventable. I will point to the air safety of 7000 domestic and commercial flights that take place in the United States every day. That is two and one half million flights per year without any significant large scale loss. When crashes do occur, they are studied intensely. Planes are grounded. Inspections take place. Pilots are given new instructions and flight simulations. We have done an admirable job of making flying the safest mode of transportation there is. When there is a disaster, it is usually a combination of factors headlined by pilot or human error. And while we will never be able to stop all losses, we have done an admirable job of keeping it to a bare minimum.
Our country was given "republic" status and we embraced the idea of capitalism long ago. We have been around for a few hundred years and by now you'd think we might have learned a few things about capitalism. We all know that capitalism is just a fancy word for greed. And while that may seem a little simplistic and it probably is- why do we think that human behavior is so unpredictable? In fact, I would argue, given an operating structure such that we have- human behavior is quite predictable.
We are hell bent on studying everything in the universe, why then is our own behavior such a mystery? It's really not. We just don't like examining ourselves or practicing rigorous honesty. We want to examine everyone else instead. That's what we do. We worry about everyone else's yard while our own yard piles high with leaves. And it seems, we never learn from our mistakes. A greed and credit fueled frenzy in 1929 repeated itself 80 years later. There is really little difference. Human beings, those fear driven and greedy people, were in a position to lift all the regulations that had been put in place to prevent a repeat of 1929 and they did. http://www.canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/9454
At the core of the problem is a Federal Reserve Bank. They fueled the crisis of 1929 with easy credit and they did it again in the late 90's. The first bubble that burst was the dot com bubble and rather than quench the supply of money they increased it. It isn't that the FED is necessarily evil in and of itself- but what gives it enormous power is its monopoly over the quantity of our money supply. Debt is money. They will forever strive to increase debt. That of course- has to end badly. The FED's days are numbered. We simply can't allow an unregulated, unaudited, 4th branch of government to destroy the fabric of this country. To usurp the very power of our elected leaders. They have essentially nullified our vote. The FED is the biggest domestic enemy of our state. (You can come get my guns if you'd like) That they are able to operate in complete secrecy and create this illusion of credibility defies all comprehension. The 8th wonder of the world.
I'm not sure at this juncture that we can restore the rule of law in our country. Thousands of prosecutors have been silenced. Federal courts are little help. The federal government no longer serves to assist states' in the prosecution of offenses- it blocks those efforts. In some cases- it sues. When a complete and utter failure of the federal government occurs particularly in enforcement (executive branch), such that we have seen, I am not sure what the remedy is. I think ultimately the states should call a convention and demand that the rule of law be followed. The original intent of our framers was for the states to be sovereign, maintaining a balance of power, and keep the Federal Government in check. Clearly that balance of power is woefully askew. I would support secession in the event the Federal Government refuses to comply. I think that is a real possibility. I am trying to write this without sounding like a whack job and trust me- it is difficult. I never thought it would come to this.
On a personal and emotional level, I have managed to get a grip on fear. I accept that human beings are fearful and that one of the manifestations of that is greed. That has never changed- yet I keep hoping that it does. Our leaders cannot deny that anytime there is an opportunity for greed, people will exploit it. Whether that is medicare fraud or obtaining crappy HELOC's. That's been the history of man. I kind of began this essay with fear and all of the negative emotions that come with it. I'd like to end it on a positive note. All of the qualities that we as individuals seek to possess- tolerance, patience, wisdom, humility, compassion, honesty, fairness, loyalty, kindness, respect, and a whole host of others...simply don't have a fear component. It might be as simple as stating that the more you fear, the lower your capacity to love others is. It's just a little something I've noticed over the years.
That these mistakes are somehow "inevitable" are the kinds of things that risk managers would scoff at. These events, whether you believe they are black swan events or not, are largely preventable. I will point to the air safety of 7000 domestic and commercial flights that take place in the United States every day. That is two and one half million flights per year without any significant large scale loss. When crashes do occur, they are studied intensely. Planes are grounded. Inspections take place. Pilots are given new instructions and flight simulations. We have done an admirable job of making flying the safest mode of transportation there is. When there is a disaster, it is usually a combination of factors headlined by pilot or human error. And while we will never be able to stop all losses, we have done an admirable job of keeping it to a bare minimum.
Our country was given "republic" status and we embraced the idea of capitalism long ago. We have been around for a few hundred years and by now you'd think we might have learned a few things about capitalism. We all know that capitalism is just a fancy word for greed. And while that may seem a little simplistic and it probably is- why do we think that human behavior is so unpredictable? In fact, I would argue, given an operating structure such that we have- human behavior is quite predictable.
We are hell bent on studying everything in the universe, why then is our own behavior such a mystery? It's really not. We just don't like examining ourselves or practicing rigorous honesty. We want to examine everyone else instead. That's what we do. We worry about everyone else's yard while our own yard piles high with leaves. And it seems, we never learn from our mistakes. A greed and credit fueled frenzy in 1929 repeated itself 80 years later. There is really little difference. Human beings, those fear driven and greedy people, were in a position to lift all the regulations that had been put in place to prevent a repeat of 1929 and they did. http://www.canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/9454
At the core of the problem is a Federal Reserve Bank. They fueled the crisis of 1929 with easy credit and they did it again in the late 90's. The first bubble that burst was the dot com bubble and rather than quench the supply of money they increased it. It isn't that the FED is necessarily evil in and of itself- but what gives it enormous power is its monopoly over the quantity of our money supply. Debt is money. They will forever strive to increase debt. That of course- has to end badly. The FED's days are numbered. We simply can't allow an unregulated, unaudited, 4th branch of government to destroy the fabric of this country. To usurp the very power of our elected leaders. They have essentially nullified our vote. The FED is the biggest domestic enemy of our state. (You can come get my guns if you'd like) That they are able to operate in complete secrecy and create this illusion of credibility defies all comprehension. The 8th wonder of the world.
I'm not sure at this juncture that we can restore the rule of law in our country. Thousands of prosecutors have been silenced. Federal courts are little help. The federal government no longer serves to assist states' in the prosecution of offenses- it blocks those efforts. In some cases- it sues. When a complete and utter failure of the federal government occurs particularly in enforcement (executive branch), such that we have seen, I am not sure what the remedy is. I think ultimately the states should call a convention and demand that the rule of law be followed. The original intent of our framers was for the states to be sovereign, maintaining a balance of power, and keep the Federal Government in check. Clearly that balance of power is woefully askew. I would support secession in the event the Federal Government refuses to comply. I think that is a real possibility. I am trying to write this without sounding like a whack job and trust me- it is difficult. I never thought it would come to this.
On a personal and emotional level, I have managed to get a grip on fear. I accept that human beings are fearful and that one of the manifestations of that is greed. That has never changed- yet I keep hoping that it does. Our leaders cannot deny that anytime there is an opportunity for greed, people will exploit it. Whether that is medicare fraud or obtaining crappy HELOC's. That's been the history of man. I kind of began this essay with fear and all of the negative emotions that come with it. I'd like to end it on a positive note. All of the qualities that we as individuals seek to possess- tolerance, patience, wisdom, humility, compassion, honesty, fairness, loyalty, kindness, respect, and a whole host of others...simply don't have a fear component. It might be as simple as stating that the more you fear, the lower your capacity to love others is. It's just a little something I've noticed over the years.
What The Hell Happened to the United States? An Essay- Part Two
Check this story out. This is fear in warp drive.
http://www.boston.com/yourtown/news/arlington/2011/01/blog_post_prompts_police_to_se.html
Is anyone going to stand up for this guy's right to free speech even if we disagree with it contextually? Can we see the difference between simple words and locking people up or seizing their property? Who got victimized here? The last thing I want to see is a bunch of fear driven cops seizing property or charging us with make believe crimes because we say inappropriate things. Yet as I write this, there will be people that will say that the acts of the police are appropriate given the circumstances here. I will respectfully disagree. And people better be damned careful about defending the seizure of property when someone utters a few harmless albeit careless or insensitive words. Because as we will see in just a minute, this kind of mob fear has caused some really ugly black swan events.
This is the stuff that people don't like to talk about. Except crazy bastards like me.
In this part of the essay, I am going to offer up a universal premise. That all negative emotion flows out of fear. This includes anger, hostility, insensitivity, loneliness, attack speech, pride, greed, self centered-ness, depression, ridicule, distrust, disrespect, dishonesty, grief, sorrow, guilt, and shame. Controlling people are some of the most fearful people I have ever met.
I would also like to make one giant distinction. A little physical fear is healthy. A little real fear keeps us out of prison, keeps us from drinking and driving, tells us to get regular physicals at the doctors office. This is rational and intelligent fear. The kind that allows us to survive. What I am speaking of in a broad general sense, is the overwhelming emotional and irrational fear that causes us to do ridiculous and insane things.
What happens when fear meets power? Some of the greatest tragedies of our lives occur. And while I wasn't present for Hitler's fear driven rampage- about 75 miles from me is a Japanese internment camp. When I criticize those internment camps, the people that supported them in the early days of 1942 rigorously defend them. Why? Fear. They fear that they did the wrong thing. They don't want anyone second guessing that. They don't like it when folks like me look back and ask, "what were you thinking?" They want to rationalize that conduct. It is no different than the rationalizing southern slave owners did. And they don't want you dredging that dark piece of history up. They are ashamed of that. They say things like, "if you were here, you would have done the same thing." Perhaps. I'm not interested in criticizing those particular pieces of history. It is however, a wonderful illustration of what happens when fear coupled with power- finds group support. Now you might think 1942 is ancient history and that we have emotionally evolved out of those fear driven dark ages- eh?
Let's fast forward to Sept. of 2008. The financial world is collapsing. All of our financial institutions are bankrupt. They have been making horrible loans on margin (fractional banking) and now the whole mess is unwinding. All of those greedy bankers, insurers, originators, CDO buyers, politicians, mutual funds, hedge funds, and home buyers are about to become bankrupt and be held accountable. This is what is supposed to happen when people make shitty decisions. They go to the penalty box.
Remember the original question? What happens when fear meets power? All of those powerful and rich people were about to get wiped out financially and emotionally. Thousands, maybe millions, would go to jail. They knew they were in deep trouble. And so Hank Paulson, Congress, the President, the bankers and the FED did the predictable. They sold out every hard working and honest taxpayer here and abroad. Paulson himself acted as though he was a savior. A hero. He painted a collapsed world scenario, exploited all of our fears, and asked for a blank check. They saved their own wretched hides. And they have covered it up. Just like those Japanese internment camps. They want us to just forget about it. They haven't even bothered to try reform because that is inconvenient and the argument is still raging two years later.
Guys like Paulson are billionaires. They have a shitload to lose. They are motivated almost beyond belief, by fear, to keep what they have. Rather than be bankrupted, disgraced, imprisoned. They misuse and abuse their power. As Paulson scanned the horizon, he surely knew that they were looking at financial armageddon.
It was a helluva lot more politically expedient to just wipe out millions of middle class people. They didn't have any power. No voice. We became the path of least resistance. And here we are two and a half years later, still angry, no rule of law being enforced anywhere.
Do you understand the kind of courage that it would have taken to stand up at that time, and tell the world- tough shit. There will be no bail outs. Did anyone do that? They would have been immediately isolated and castigated. They would have been marginalized and crushed. Could Barack Obama have done that? No, probably not. He simply had never been in a situation that required that immense level of courage. He was co-opted before he ever arrived at the White House. Would there have been pain and suffering? You better believe it. Would there have been immediate reform? Would people have gone to prison, disgraced and broken? You better believe it. Had Obama overcome his fear- he might very well have been called the greatest President that ever lived. In the short term, though, he would have been ridiculed beyond belief. So it was that group fear, the easy way, won out. We have yet to pay for those sins. But we will.
I cannot tell you how it would have turned out if the honest and hardworking people of this country had been supported. Those of us who didn't flip houses or buy tons of shit on make believe equity. But I know this. The people doing the most suffering right now would be the people that deserved it. The rating agency employees would all be in jail for fraud. All those TBTF banks-gone. Former CEO's like Paulson and Mozillo-in prison. And a broken country could move forward and rebuild. Maybe without that thieving FED. There would be a sense of justice and the rule of law could surface again. But most importantly, the honest people of this country could get over their anger. We would have a sense of pride and unity and we could be proud that in America- doing the right thing still matters even if the whole village has to feel the pain. We would be the beacon of freedom and justice that we once were. We might all be broken and angry, but we could get over it a lot easier knowing that the architects of this fiasco- got theirs. But most importantly- we would be setting the example of leadership. Instead we have continued chaos. Despite our President's pleas to stop.
Iceland took their lumps. They overcame fear and the EU who desperately offered bail outs. My hat's off to the Icelandic people for doing the right thing. Emotionally, they are recovering. They are actually prosecuting people. They are light years ahead of us in terms of healing and getting well.
http://www.zerohedge.com/article/ireland%E2%80%99s-titanic-bailout-risk-iceland-looms-ahead
So how does it stand now? I have never seen our country more angry, more distrustful, or fractured. All of those elements of fear are everywhere. The politicians hate each other, the citizens hate the politicians, the mamby pambys want it all to stop. The conservatives take cheap shots at the progressives, and everyone has their own set of villains. Our country is a mess. Trying to triage and lie our way out of us this depression with make believe recoveries and quantitative easing. We are gushing debt everywhere. The countries we have victimized are not stupid. Our inability to police ourselves has left us isolated. I think we are going to pay a price for that also. A different kind of price.
I have taken on a couple of immense and inflammatory issues here. The very fear I am trying to wrench to the surface- may prevent any reasonable discussion from taking place. I understand that.
Is there a solution?
http://www.boston.com/yourtown/news/arlington/2011/01/blog_post_prompts_police_to_se.html
Is anyone going to stand up for this guy's right to free speech even if we disagree with it contextually? Can we see the difference between simple words and locking people up or seizing their property? Who got victimized here? The last thing I want to see is a bunch of fear driven cops seizing property or charging us with make believe crimes because we say inappropriate things. Yet as I write this, there will be people that will say that the acts of the police are appropriate given the circumstances here. I will respectfully disagree. And people better be damned careful about defending the seizure of property when someone utters a few harmless albeit careless or insensitive words. Because as we will see in just a minute, this kind of mob fear has caused some really ugly black swan events.
This is the stuff that people don't like to talk about. Except crazy bastards like me.
In this part of the essay, I am going to offer up a universal premise. That all negative emotion flows out of fear. This includes anger, hostility, insensitivity, loneliness, attack speech, pride, greed, self centered-ness, depression, ridicule, distrust, disrespect, dishonesty, grief, sorrow, guilt, and shame. Controlling people are some of the most fearful people I have ever met.
I would also like to make one giant distinction. A little physical fear is healthy. A little real fear keeps us out of prison, keeps us from drinking and driving, tells us to get regular physicals at the doctors office. This is rational and intelligent fear. The kind that allows us to survive. What I am speaking of in a broad general sense, is the overwhelming emotional and irrational fear that causes us to do ridiculous and insane things.
What happens when fear meets power? Some of the greatest tragedies of our lives occur. And while I wasn't present for Hitler's fear driven rampage- about 75 miles from me is a Japanese internment camp. When I criticize those internment camps, the people that supported them in the early days of 1942 rigorously defend them. Why? Fear. They fear that they did the wrong thing. They don't want anyone second guessing that. They don't like it when folks like me look back and ask, "what were you thinking?" They want to rationalize that conduct. It is no different than the rationalizing southern slave owners did. And they don't want you dredging that dark piece of history up. They are ashamed of that. They say things like, "if you were here, you would have done the same thing." Perhaps. I'm not interested in criticizing those particular pieces of history. It is however, a wonderful illustration of what happens when fear coupled with power- finds group support. Now you might think 1942 is ancient history and that we have emotionally evolved out of those fear driven dark ages- eh?
Let's fast forward to Sept. of 2008. The financial world is collapsing. All of our financial institutions are bankrupt. They have been making horrible loans on margin (fractional banking) and now the whole mess is unwinding. All of those greedy bankers, insurers, originators, CDO buyers, politicians, mutual funds, hedge funds, and home buyers are about to become bankrupt and be held accountable. This is what is supposed to happen when people make shitty decisions. They go to the penalty box.
Remember the original question? What happens when fear meets power? All of those powerful and rich people were about to get wiped out financially and emotionally. Thousands, maybe millions, would go to jail. They knew they were in deep trouble. And so Hank Paulson, Congress, the President, the bankers and the FED did the predictable. They sold out every hard working and honest taxpayer here and abroad. Paulson himself acted as though he was a savior. A hero. He painted a collapsed world scenario, exploited all of our fears, and asked for a blank check. They saved their own wretched hides. And they have covered it up. Just like those Japanese internment camps. They want us to just forget about it. They haven't even bothered to try reform because that is inconvenient and the argument is still raging two years later.
Guys like Paulson are billionaires. They have a shitload to lose. They are motivated almost beyond belief, by fear, to keep what they have. Rather than be bankrupted, disgraced, imprisoned. They misuse and abuse their power. As Paulson scanned the horizon, he surely knew that they were looking at financial armageddon.
It was a helluva lot more politically expedient to just wipe out millions of middle class people. They didn't have any power. No voice. We became the path of least resistance. And here we are two and a half years later, still angry, no rule of law being enforced anywhere.
Do you understand the kind of courage that it would have taken to stand up at that time, and tell the world- tough shit. There will be no bail outs. Did anyone do that? They would have been immediately isolated and castigated. They would have been marginalized and crushed. Could Barack Obama have done that? No, probably not. He simply had never been in a situation that required that immense level of courage. He was co-opted before he ever arrived at the White House. Would there have been pain and suffering? You better believe it. Would there have been immediate reform? Would people have gone to prison, disgraced and broken? You better believe it. Had Obama overcome his fear- he might very well have been called the greatest President that ever lived. In the short term, though, he would have been ridiculed beyond belief. So it was that group fear, the easy way, won out. We have yet to pay for those sins. But we will.
I cannot tell you how it would have turned out if the honest and hardworking people of this country had been supported. Those of us who didn't flip houses or buy tons of shit on make believe equity. But I know this. The people doing the most suffering right now would be the people that deserved it. The rating agency employees would all be in jail for fraud. All those TBTF banks-gone. Former CEO's like Paulson and Mozillo-in prison. And a broken country could move forward and rebuild. Maybe without that thieving FED. There would be a sense of justice and the rule of law could surface again. But most importantly, the honest people of this country could get over their anger. We would have a sense of pride and unity and we could be proud that in America- doing the right thing still matters even if the whole village has to feel the pain. We would be the beacon of freedom and justice that we once were. We might all be broken and angry, but we could get over it a lot easier knowing that the architects of this fiasco- got theirs. But most importantly- we would be setting the example of leadership. Instead we have continued chaos. Despite our President's pleas to stop.
Iceland took their lumps. They overcame fear and the EU who desperately offered bail outs. My hat's off to the Icelandic people for doing the right thing. Emotionally, they are recovering. They are actually prosecuting people. They are light years ahead of us in terms of healing and getting well.
http://www.zerohedge.com/article/ireland%E2%80%99s-titanic-bailout-risk-iceland-looms-ahead
So how does it stand now? I have never seen our country more angry, more distrustful, or fractured. All of those elements of fear are everywhere. The politicians hate each other, the citizens hate the politicians, the mamby pambys want it all to stop. The conservatives take cheap shots at the progressives, and everyone has their own set of villains. Our country is a mess. Trying to triage and lie our way out of us this depression with make believe recoveries and quantitative easing. We are gushing debt everywhere. The countries we have victimized are not stupid. Our inability to police ourselves has left us isolated. I think we are going to pay a price for that also. A different kind of price.
I have taken on a couple of immense and inflammatory issues here. The very fear I am trying to wrench to the surface- may prevent any reasonable discussion from taking place. I understand that.
Is there a solution?
What the Hell Happened To the United States? An Essay- Part One
Imagine randomly posing a question to one hundred strangers. A very simple yet broad question. What has happened to the United States? What kind of answers would you get?
I can project one outcome. The vast majority of the people you poll will not see the United States as a kinder, gentler place. That includes those "pollyanna" types who consistently try to put a good spin on everything. I have a few of those types in my life and I can tell you that even they- have taken notice of the moral and social decay of the United States. I spoke with one yesterday. I think we can safely assume that most people are in agreement. The United States has been in a downward spiral for some time. I think most people would view that as a fact rather than an opinion. I think disagreement will only occur when we try to pinpoint the precise time when our slide started. More disagreement may occur when we try to determine just how bad of shape we are in as a country.
There are nine different types of individual intelligence. If you would like to see how you score I have embedded a link here: http://literacyworks.org/mi/assessment/findyourstrengths.html I consistently score high in intrapersonal, interpersonal, and linguistic intelligences. Throw any of those other six types of intelligence at me and I become a drooling idiot. I enjoy people. In fifty years of living I can say that I have grown to love and enjoy people far more than I did even 20 years ago. I understand what motivates people and I am well aware of what motivates me. We share a common thread.
In this piece of the essay, I am going to identify what I believe to be the underlying cause of our problems. In order to solve a problem, an enormous swarming problem such as this- very often you must break it down to it's smallest parts. The smallest part here is one human being. An even smaller part might be- why does any given human being behave the way that they do?
I am going to go out on a limb here.
There is one common denominator that threads itself through every facet of our individual lives. It is so sneaky that most people are not even aware of it's existence. It is the opposite of love. It is fear. Fear is the basis for ALL negative human emotion. I challenge any one reading this to prove that statement wrong. Fear is such a strong human motivator that I believe almost all human conduct is fear based and thus driven. I believe fear is the most underestimated and denied emotion on the planet. And I will add, fear driven behavior is largely unconscious behavior. That as it turns out- is very good news.
Human beings are social creatures. We fear isolation. In fact, there are studies that have shown that isolation drives people insane and suicidal. Therefore isolation is greatly feared by us. Almost all advertising and marketing targets and exploits that human fear. You want to be cool, hip? You gotta have these jeans or this Iphone. You want to be like us, the cool people, you gotta have this junk. This skinny body. This foreign car. This hip President. In fact, that targeted marketing has become so effective in exploiting fear- that the people who buy into that sales pitch very often condemn others who haven't. I didn't buy into the Obama pitch. Some folks castigated me for it.
We fear everything. We fear not having enough money, we fear failing health and dying, we fear that there is no God or afterlife. We fear the police, we fear failure and sometimes success, we fear China, we fear that the people running this place don't have a fucking clue what they are doing. We fear signing our real name onto a blog or a comment section. We fear sticking our neck out and being embarrassed. We fear forgetting where we parked our car and we fear getting ripped off. We fear other religions, politics, other races of people, we fear any competition to life as we have decided it should be. We fear emotional and physical pain. We fear falling down and not getting up. We fear crime. We fear our significant others lying, cheating. We fear rejection, isolation. We fear even making eye contact with a stranger or saying "hello." Without a doubt, human beings are the most fearful creature on this planet. We are consumed by fear. And there are gobs of people more than willing to exploit your fears for personal gain. In fact- they are quite adept at it. Yes Virginia it's true...if they can make you even more fearful, worried, or self conscious than you already are...they can sell you even more stuff. And they will leave you fearful for the next sales pitch. They want no rehab efforts.
The next time you watch TV, do this. Ask yourself what fear each commercial is trying to exploit. You'll get sick of it after a while. It just gets pathetically obvious.
Our country is a neurotic and fear driven mess. That's the bad news. Here's the good news. All of that dysfunctional and fear driven behavior is largely unconscious. We don't even stop to consider it any longer...nor do we consider that others are just as fearful and nuts as we are.
It is curable.
That unconscious behavior is actually very good news. If we as individuals and collectively as a society can get conscious and aware of all of this fear driven insanity- we have a real shot at serious improvement. Improvement cannot come until we are aware and fully recognize the vast damage that fear has done to our society. I see that as the DNA basis of our national problem. What occurs next happens when essentially like minded and fear driven individuals break off and form like minded and collective fear driven groups. Where do we see that most evident? Well, wouldn't you know it? It's those two things that we hate the most, politics and religion. We seek the safety of our herd. It's that fear of isolation.
Fear. It is the essential DNA building block of dysfunction. It is clearly evident in our society and it is not getting better. In part two, I'd like to discuss how various individuals and factions manipulate and control others through the use of fear and how that has contributed to our nations decline.
I can project one outcome. The vast majority of the people you poll will not see the United States as a kinder, gentler place. That includes those "pollyanna" types who consistently try to put a good spin on everything. I have a few of those types in my life and I can tell you that even they- have taken notice of the moral and social decay of the United States. I spoke with one yesterday. I think we can safely assume that most people are in agreement. The United States has been in a downward spiral for some time. I think most people would view that as a fact rather than an opinion. I think disagreement will only occur when we try to pinpoint the precise time when our slide started. More disagreement may occur when we try to determine just how bad of shape we are in as a country.
There are nine different types of individual intelligence. If you would like to see how you score I have embedded a link here: http://literacyworks.org/mi/assessment/findyourstrengths.html I consistently score high in intrapersonal, interpersonal, and linguistic intelligences. Throw any of those other six types of intelligence at me and I become a drooling idiot. I enjoy people. In fifty years of living I can say that I have grown to love and enjoy people far more than I did even 20 years ago. I understand what motivates people and I am well aware of what motivates me. We share a common thread.
In this piece of the essay, I am going to identify what I believe to be the underlying cause of our problems. In order to solve a problem, an enormous swarming problem such as this- very often you must break it down to it's smallest parts. The smallest part here is one human being. An even smaller part might be- why does any given human being behave the way that they do?
I am going to go out on a limb here.
There is one common denominator that threads itself through every facet of our individual lives. It is so sneaky that most people are not even aware of it's existence. It is the opposite of love. It is fear. Fear is the basis for ALL negative human emotion. I challenge any one reading this to prove that statement wrong. Fear is such a strong human motivator that I believe almost all human conduct is fear based and thus driven. I believe fear is the most underestimated and denied emotion on the planet. And I will add, fear driven behavior is largely unconscious behavior. That as it turns out- is very good news.
Human beings are social creatures. We fear isolation. In fact, there are studies that have shown that isolation drives people insane and suicidal. Therefore isolation is greatly feared by us. Almost all advertising and marketing targets and exploits that human fear. You want to be cool, hip? You gotta have these jeans or this Iphone. You want to be like us, the cool people, you gotta have this junk. This skinny body. This foreign car. This hip President. In fact, that targeted marketing has become so effective in exploiting fear- that the people who buy into that sales pitch very often condemn others who haven't. I didn't buy into the Obama pitch. Some folks castigated me for it.
We fear everything. We fear not having enough money, we fear failing health and dying, we fear that there is no God or afterlife. We fear the police, we fear failure and sometimes success, we fear China, we fear that the people running this place don't have a fucking clue what they are doing. We fear signing our real name onto a blog or a comment section. We fear sticking our neck out and being embarrassed. We fear forgetting where we parked our car and we fear getting ripped off. We fear other religions, politics, other races of people, we fear any competition to life as we have decided it should be. We fear emotional and physical pain. We fear falling down and not getting up. We fear crime. We fear our significant others lying, cheating. We fear rejection, isolation. We fear even making eye contact with a stranger or saying "hello." Without a doubt, human beings are the most fearful creature on this planet. We are consumed by fear. And there are gobs of people more than willing to exploit your fears for personal gain. In fact- they are quite adept at it. Yes Virginia it's true...if they can make you even more fearful, worried, or self conscious than you already are...they can sell you even more stuff. And they will leave you fearful for the next sales pitch. They want no rehab efforts.
The next time you watch TV, do this. Ask yourself what fear each commercial is trying to exploit. You'll get sick of it after a while. It just gets pathetically obvious.
Our country is a neurotic and fear driven mess. That's the bad news. Here's the good news. All of that dysfunctional and fear driven behavior is largely unconscious. We don't even stop to consider it any longer...nor do we consider that others are just as fearful and nuts as we are.
It is curable.
That unconscious behavior is actually very good news. If we as individuals and collectively as a society can get conscious and aware of all of this fear driven insanity- we have a real shot at serious improvement. Improvement cannot come until we are aware and fully recognize the vast damage that fear has done to our society. I see that as the DNA basis of our national problem. What occurs next happens when essentially like minded and fear driven individuals break off and form like minded and collective fear driven groups. Where do we see that most evident? Well, wouldn't you know it? It's those two things that we hate the most, politics and religion. We seek the safety of our herd. It's that fear of isolation.
Fear. It is the essential DNA building block of dysfunction. It is clearly evident in our society and it is not getting better. In part two, I'd like to discuss how various individuals and factions manipulate and control others through the use of fear and how that has contributed to our nations decline.
Friday, January 21, 2011
More Birth Certificate Schtick
Why has Obama refused to disclose or release that long form birth certificate of his? Why can't Captain Transparency just put an end to the suspicion? Make his detractors look like fools?
Why not end this?
You know what I think? I think there's other information on there he doesn't want known. I don't think it has a damn thing to do with where he was born. Really. That's the cop in me.
The latest http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110122/ap_on_re_us/us_obama_birth_certificate
Found this today...01/24. Supports my original statement. Interesting and very plausible.
http://hillbuzz.org/2011/01/23/hawaii-ground-report-could-hawaiian-governor-neil-abercrombie-not-be-as-incompetent-and-foolish-as-he-appears-but-orchestrating-a-deliberate-birth-certificate-recovery-dead-end-to-cover-his-own-pap/
Why not end this?
You know what I think? I think there's other information on there he doesn't want known. I don't think it has a damn thing to do with where he was born. Really. That's the cop in me.
The latest http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110122/ap_on_re_us/us_obama_birth_certificate
Found this today...01/24. Supports my original statement. Interesting and very plausible.
http://hillbuzz.org/2011/01/23/hawaii-ground-report-could-hawaiian-governor-neil-abercrombie-not-be-as-incompetent-and-foolish-as-he-appears-but-orchestrating-a-deliberate-birth-certificate-recovery-dead-end-to-cover-his-own-pap/
Nothing Spells Recovery Quite Like Bankruptcy
If you think 7 million more homes coming onto the foreclosure market is a great thing... or the artificially induced stock market rally and jobless recovery have been a wonder to behold...there's more!
States are trying to declare bankruptcy and get out from underneath their crushing debt burdens. A sure sign of fiscal health and recovery. I love it when states' screw the bondholders and the employees. Whatever you do, don't touch those Wall Street bankers. No haircuts or prosecutions for the ruling class.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/41188877/ns/business-the_new_york_times/?GT1=43001
So the great debate has been joined. Treasury Secretary and sometimes tax payer Tim Geithner now saying that if the debt ceiling is not raised, life as we know it will cease. Oooo...am I supposed to be scared?
US Debt Clock has us at 14.07 trillion in debt. I have been using 5 billion per day in interest as an average (isn't that gawd awful?) Therefore in 40 days we will hit the 14.3 debt ceiling. The magic day is Mar. 1. Here is a brilliant and of course simple definition of this debt ceiling mess.
If a debtor says to his creditor "I will not be able to make my interest payments unless you loan me some more money", it means the debtor is effectively bankrupt. What amazes me is that the Treasury still has no problem finding buyers for its junk. (and at very low interest rates) Not that amazing when you consider the FED is buying it's own debt.
States are trying to declare bankruptcy and get out from underneath their crushing debt burdens. A sure sign of fiscal health and recovery. I love it when states' screw the bondholders and the employees. Whatever you do, don't touch those Wall Street bankers. No haircuts or prosecutions for the ruling class.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/41188877/ns/business-the_new_york_times/?GT1=43001
So the great debate has been joined. Treasury Secretary and sometimes tax payer Tim Geithner now saying that if the debt ceiling is not raised, life as we know it will cease. Oooo...am I supposed to be scared?
US Debt Clock has us at 14.07 trillion in debt. I have been using 5 billion per day in interest as an average (isn't that gawd awful?) Therefore in 40 days we will hit the 14.3 debt ceiling. The magic day is Mar. 1. Here is a brilliant and of course simple definition of this debt ceiling mess.
If a debtor says to his creditor "I will not be able to make my interest payments unless you loan me some more money", it means the debtor is effectively bankrupt. What amazes me is that the Treasury still has no problem finding buyers for its junk. (and at very low interest rates) Not that amazing when you consider the FED is buying it's own debt.
A Public Service Announcement From Frankenstein Government
The Moonbat Valley Express. My old hometown paper.
I read it for one reason only. The lefty rhetoric never ends. It is sooo predictable and amusing. The priorities of that newspaper in descending order are money, Obama, everything left, nanny government. They hate anything conservative, free speech if it does not agree with them, Sarah Palin, and mostly Sarah Palin.
For 25 years of my life, I was exposed to that paper. It didn't matter whether you read it or not, it just kinda leaks and oozes moonbat radiation all over you. During the great election of 2008, while they were fawning and drooling over dear leader and his alleged Ivy League genius, I was trying to find some evidence of that genius. I am still searching. It is like the Lost Dutchman Mine. Or Bigfoot.
Every once in awhile, I dress in camoflage. I enter the MVE comments section under a particularly insane article filled with moonbat mentality and asshattery and I link the story to some nasty blog I have written about these mo-mo's. I know I have scored a direct hit when they delete my comments from the comment section.
I am 5-0. I own the Moonbat Valley Express. One of my most recent sneak attacks and victories occurred over an article about a bunch of well intentioned local kids there that wanted to outlaw trans fat in restaurants. True. Junior moonbats. I had one of those insane cop flashbacks. Knock. Knock. Who's there? "Transfat detectives. We have a warrant for your chicken cooker. Drop that basket or we'll shoot."
So what I am going to do today is post a link to a special story they concocted yesterday. It is called, "Limit the Size of Ammo Clips." Had our Arizona shooter Loughner brought two or more guns to the mall, they might have written an article called "Limit the Number of Guns People Can Carry."
By the way lefties, we call them magazines, not clips. Those things you guys use- are not called roach magazines. So we understand your confusion.
The moonbats forget, that their law, the federal form we all must fill out when we buy guns- failed. Oops. Mentally Ill Guy-1, Nanny Government 0.
Because you see, more laws are always the answer for moonbats. Whether or not they can actually be enforced, or whether they actually work, is never their concern. Nor do they bother asking anyone who knows. Loughner lied on the form at Sportsman's Warehouse when he bought the gun. Ok, well if that law doesn't work, let's ignore it and pass a new law. We have to do something, don't we?
If you are a conservative, a sportsman, a gun owner, a public servant, or anyone with an IQ above 79- I'd like you to click on the link here and leave them a comment. Maybe even forward this to one of those "special uncles" in your life. I am not above paying you for your time, please just invoice me in my comments section. Please allow six to eight years for delivery...
Ok here it is. http://www.mtexpress.com/index2.php?ID=2005135029
I read it for one reason only. The lefty rhetoric never ends. It is sooo predictable and amusing. The priorities of that newspaper in descending order are money, Obama, everything left, nanny government. They hate anything conservative, free speech if it does not agree with them, Sarah Palin, and mostly Sarah Palin.
For 25 years of my life, I was exposed to that paper. It didn't matter whether you read it or not, it just kinda leaks and oozes moonbat radiation all over you. During the great election of 2008, while they were fawning and drooling over dear leader and his alleged Ivy League genius, I was trying to find some evidence of that genius. I am still searching. It is like the Lost Dutchman Mine. Or Bigfoot.
Every once in awhile, I dress in camoflage. I enter the MVE comments section under a particularly insane article filled with moonbat mentality and asshattery and I link the story to some nasty blog I have written about these mo-mo's. I know I have scored a direct hit when they delete my comments from the comment section.
I am 5-0. I own the Moonbat Valley Express. One of my most recent sneak attacks and victories occurred over an article about a bunch of well intentioned local kids there that wanted to outlaw trans fat in restaurants. True. Junior moonbats. I had one of those insane cop flashbacks. Knock. Knock. Who's there? "Transfat detectives. We have a warrant for your chicken cooker. Drop that basket or we'll shoot."
So what I am going to do today is post a link to a special story they concocted yesterday. It is called, "Limit the Size of Ammo Clips." Had our Arizona shooter Loughner brought two or more guns to the mall, they might have written an article called "Limit the Number of Guns People Can Carry."
By the way lefties, we call them magazines, not clips. Those things you guys use- are not called roach magazines. So we understand your confusion.
The moonbats forget, that their law, the federal form we all must fill out when we buy guns- failed. Oops. Mentally Ill Guy-1, Nanny Government 0.
Because you see, more laws are always the answer for moonbats. Whether or not they can actually be enforced, or whether they actually work, is never their concern. Nor do they bother asking anyone who knows. Loughner lied on the form at Sportsman's Warehouse when he bought the gun. Ok, well if that law doesn't work, let's ignore it and pass a new law. We have to do something, don't we?
If you are a conservative, a sportsman, a gun owner, a public servant, or anyone with an IQ above 79- I'd like you to click on the link here and leave them a comment. Maybe even forward this to one of those "special uncles" in your life. I am not above paying you for your time, please just invoice me in my comments section. Please allow six to eight years for delivery...
Ok here it is. http://www.mtexpress.com/index2.php?ID=2005135029
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Idiots ReJoice! New Grand Prize Winner Surfaces!
The promising future of America. Made worse by her appearance on ABC News. Click the following link and get your day started out right. Grab your Kleenex first. http://news.yahoo.com/video/us-15749625/fountain-lady-nobody-went-to-my-aid-23909987
Here is the video of what happens when you have your head up your ass.
I am trying to figure out a couple of things. Like how this gal and her attorney think they can sue anyone or ask for an apology? First of all, what are your damages? Generally, in order to file a lawsuit, you have to have damages. Then you have to prove that someone else was negligent or indifferent or liable for those damages. Or that your privacy was violated. Looking 0-3 to me.
What lawyer does not know this? I am guessing some lawyer with intentions other than striking it big on some contingency case. That ABC interview is not going to bring a lot of business his way, it's like anti-advertising. I am guessing he has some other form of compensation available for his precious time.
Probably he is doing this case "pro bono"
This woman while looking for someone to blame- mall security- those evil villains who captured this on their phone- just cannot accept the fact that when you do stupid shit, there are penalties. In this particular case, the penalty is a viral video and her apparently hurt feelings. Now sweetheart, let me give you some advice...
What you did was seriously funny and stupid. Take your lumps like a big girl. Embrace the fact that you are a moron and get on with your life. And bless your heart. You make us all feel a little bit better about ourselves. Some of us are thankful cell phones weren't around in our early years. Our sheep herding years.
Here is the video of what happens when you have your head up your ass.
I am trying to figure out a couple of things. Like how this gal and her attorney think they can sue anyone or ask for an apology? First of all, what are your damages? Generally, in order to file a lawsuit, you have to have damages. Then you have to prove that someone else was negligent or indifferent or liable for those damages. Or that your privacy was violated. Looking 0-3 to me.
What lawyer does not know this? I am guessing some lawyer with intentions other than striking it big on some contingency case. That ABC interview is not going to bring a lot of business his way, it's like anti-advertising. I am guessing he has some other form of compensation available for his precious time.
Probably he is doing this case "pro bono"
This woman while looking for someone to blame- mall security- those evil villains who captured this on their phone- just cannot accept the fact that when you do stupid shit, there are penalties. In this particular case, the penalty is a viral video and her apparently hurt feelings. Now sweetheart, let me give you some advice...
What you did was seriously funny and stupid. Take your lumps like a big girl. Embrace the fact that you are a moron and get on with your life. And bless your heart. You make us all feel a little bit better about ourselves. Some of us are thankful cell phones weren't around in our early years. Our sheep herding years.
More Recovery News and Some Additional Depressing Shit-Ha!
It's getting so bright out here, I gotta wear shades...
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_boeing_cuts
Here's a chart CNN Business News put up with proposed Congressional "random" budget cuts. The Repubs are allegedly prepared to cut 2.5 trillion according to the headline. See how that figure (2.5 trillion) corresponds with this list of chump change shit. Economic assistance to Egypt?
I find it fascinating that CNN chose this list at "random."
Here's the full list of tax cuts- not chosen at random. You just have to scroll through this worthless shit to believe it. http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/291776-house-gop-lists-25-trillion-in-spending-cuts/
I grabbed this snip from an "expert." The California treasurer last year. March to be exact.
California Treasurer William Lockyer is outraged. Standard & Poor's just dropped its rating for municipal bonds issued by his financially maladroit state to single-A, the lowest of any state.
Whatever its rating, this state isn't going to stiff you--probably. Munis "almost never default," says Lockyer. Among general obligation bonds bearing an S&P rating of BBB or higher, "the likelihood of default over a 20-year period is only 0.03%," the treasurer has been telling California's creditors.
Here's Vallejo, Ca. Give em a buck. They'll give you back a nickel. Hey doesn't the IRS still have a 3k cap on losses? *Sinister laugh. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-01-19/bankrupt-vallejo-in-california-files-plan-to-end-court-control-of-finances.html
Here's even more evidence that Lockyer knows his "shit." http://www.zerohedge.com/article/nyt-reports-states-looking-ways-file-bankruptcy-muni-bondholders-be-gmed
What would Lockyer say if he had Geithner's job?. Here is a real unbought and unpaid for rating by a rating agency not owned by US banks-DaGong. Here is how they rate US debt. Damn those Chinese. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-11-09/china-s-dagong-downgrades-u-s-to-a-on-quantitative-easing-xinhua-says.html
Here is more recovery news out of New York. Newly elected Governor Cuomo is thinking about slashing 10-12k government jobs. Government jobs are always a huge net gain anytime you can get rid of them. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704590704576092801256486430.html
This piece had outstanding upside "underdog fights the odds potential" until I got to the bottom. It was very similar to the "pulling out method of contraception." http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/blog/shutdown_corner/post/Homeless-man-is-the-king-of-fantasy-football?urn=nfl-310374
I was gonna wrap this piece here. I threw in one for the road. Read only if you've taken your meds today. Keep an eye out for a rider on a pale horse.
From the crew at SixMeatBuffet. http://sixmeatbuffet.com/archives/2011/01/19/the-lefts-new-high-deacon/
It gets worse. http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2011/01/kermit_the_killer.html
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_boeing_cuts
Here's a chart CNN Business News put up with proposed Congressional "random" budget cuts. The Repubs are allegedly prepared to cut 2.5 trillion according to the headline. See how that figure (2.5 trillion) corresponds with this list of chump change shit. Economic assistance to Egypt?
I find it fascinating that CNN chose this list at "random."
Here's the full list of tax cuts- not chosen at random. You just have to scroll through this worthless shit to believe it. http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/291776-house-gop-lists-25-trillion-in-spending-cuts/
I grabbed this snip from an "expert." The California treasurer last year. March to be exact.
California Treasurer William Lockyer is outraged. Standard & Poor's just dropped its rating for municipal bonds issued by his financially maladroit state to single-A, the lowest of any state.
Whatever its rating, this state isn't going to stiff you--probably. Munis "almost never default," says Lockyer. Among general obligation bonds bearing an S&P rating of BBB or higher, "the likelihood of default over a 20-year period is only 0.03%," the treasurer has been telling California's creditors.
Here's Vallejo, Ca. Give em a buck. They'll give you back a nickel. Hey doesn't the IRS still have a 3k cap on losses? *Sinister laugh. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-01-19/bankrupt-vallejo-in-california-files-plan-to-end-court-control-of-finances.html
Here's even more evidence that Lockyer knows his "shit." http://www.zerohedge.com/article/nyt-reports-states-looking-ways-file-bankruptcy-muni-bondholders-be-gmed
What would Lockyer say if he had Geithner's job?. Here is a real unbought and unpaid for rating by a rating agency not owned by US banks-DaGong. Here is how they rate US debt. Damn those Chinese. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-11-09/china-s-dagong-downgrades-u-s-to-a-on-quantitative-easing-xinhua-says.html
Here is more recovery news out of New York. Newly elected Governor Cuomo is thinking about slashing 10-12k government jobs. Government jobs are always a huge net gain anytime you can get rid of them. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704590704576092801256486430.html
This piece had outstanding upside "underdog fights the odds potential" until I got to the bottom. It was very similar to the "pulling out method of contraception." http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/blog/shutdown_corner/post/Homeless-man-is-the-king-of-fantasy-football?urn=nfl-310374
I was gonna wrap this piece here. I threw in one for the road. Read only if you've taken your meds today. Keep an eye out for a rider on a pale horse.
From the crew at SixMeatBuffet. http://sixmeatbuffet.com/archives/2011/01/19/the-lefts-new-high-deacon/
It gets worse. http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2011/01/kermit_the_killer.html
Blogger, Who Are You?
I have been publicly writing, mostly in obscurity- which is fine, for about five years. I read for hours a day. I think all aspiring writers, should at the very least, be competent readers.
Often when I am reading various things, I ask myself, who wrote this? Why does this person write this, what is the intent? Sometimes, I read things that are so well written that the work speaks for itself. Whoever wrote this, I think, is very intelligent. I don't need to see any further credentialing.
I like being just another bum on the bus. My ego doesn't require much nowadays. I hijacked control of that ego a few years back. I read because I see value in consumption and learning. I write because I hope I spark some sense of awareness. That's it. So I thought I'd introduce myself.
My name is Brian McNary. I am 50 years old and I live in Boise.
I essentially spent my life in small town America. I was raised in Butte, Mt. where I learned to cuss, chew tobacco, and drink. I have loved Butte ever since. I grew up hunting, fishing, and trapping. I landed in Idaho as a sophomore in high school. I went to Idaho State University, College of Southern Idaho, and did a 16 credit gig with Northwestern Traffic Institute. I was a geology student turned law enforcer. I worked summers in the Wyoming oil patch. I met my only wife in Las Vegas. She and I are divorced.
I spent most of my career as a law enforcer in a small town in Idaho called Hailey. Hailey is within a geographic area that includes Sun Valley, the ski resort. The valley is a very left leaning place. I found those politics suffocating although I understood them. I call the valley Moonbat Valley which I think is quite appropriate. It is a very environmentally aware place. I worked through the ranks and became Chief of Police in 2000. In 2007, the voices in my head said it was time to leave. I always listen to those voices and occasionally the voices outside my head. I jumped on my motorcycle and traveled around the entire U.S. I spent weeks in places like Saratoga Springs NY, Charlestown W.Va. (Gettysburg) the Blue Ridge Parkway and down to Savannah, Georgia. The people of Alabama were the friendliest. That fall after I arrived home in Idaho, I was severely depressed. The trip of my lifetime was over and life as I knew it for 25 years- was gone. My entire life had changed dramatically. Those were some very dark days. In November of 2007, I landed in New Orleans.
My entire life had been consumed with law enforcement, weekend gambling, weekday stock/options trading, and to a lesser degree, I followed politics. Only to the extent that it impacted my investments. In 2007, just before I left, I had a good friend tell me the banking world was going to collapse. He was a high end mortgage guy with tons of connections. I thought he was nuts and we probably both had too much to drink. He should be a millionaire by now. I did heed his advice- I parked everything in bonds before I left on the trip.
I became a libertarian quite by accident. I could see no discernible difference any longer between parties. In fact, all I began to see was self serving miscreants who sought office for selfish reasons. They were actually, anti public service. The very accidental part of becoming a libertarian occurred as the moonbats of my town constantly wanted to pass petty laws and ordinances to control every aspect of human behavior. Enforcing all of those petty laws requires work. In a never ending expansion of lefties who see government as the solution to all of their problems- I saw lefties as the cause of all of my problems. They were a pain in the ass. To this day, when I see MoonBat Valley pass some dog poop ordinance on the local bike path, I howl with glee. I envision some poor cop, picking up the evidence and freezing it in the department's refrigerator along with the Ho-Ho's, and hauling it into court. Some guy in cuffs with his chihuahua in a squad car. That is some very funny stuff. Often, I read letters to the editors about unsightly dog poop. There is no shortage of whiny ass babies in that valley. It's hard to ignore. MoonBat Valley is No Country for Old Men. Like me. In the end, becoming a libertarian is the only thing that makes sense to me. Nanny government isn't the answer. Nor is government by the elite or banks. They have nabbed all the wealth. I see the Libertarian Party as the working stiff place to be, centrist and control free. Quit stealing my money and telling me how to live. Things to like.
Most of the blogs I read are written anonymously. I get that. It's a shame that our culture has devolved into a fearful anonymous place where people are afraid to say what they are thinking. Or that we live in a crazy attack minded world. Living in that world prevents responsible communication. Without responsible and respectful communication, I think we are hosed in the long run. We will never have unity without respectful communication. Sometimes, especially when it comes to crooked bankers, I leave respect at the train depot. Those folks deserve the anger of this country and a jail cell. I will not apologize for calling a bunch of bankers- criminals. I know drug addicts and prostitutes with far greater core values.
It's been a crazy journey and I've seen a lot of bizarre and sad things. I've seen some astounding acts of courage and I've seen some serious cowardice. I prefer real people and hard knock dramas to fluff about some over paid, half baked star who wastes money on clothes or screws 3 different guys a day. I am not fascinated by those types. I gave up drinking and I am chewing nicotine gum as I write this. I still love Butte and Montana (The Sons of Miners) and I love my country. I do not love it's leadership. I am grateful and thankful to call this place home. After 50 years I've grown kind of comfortable with what kind of man I want to be. I thought I'd insert this video from my mother, bless her heart. It's kind of nice and seems appropriate here.
Stand by Me from theRedPillRadio on Vimeo.
Often when I am reading various things, I ask myself, who wrote this? Why does this person write this, what is the intent? Sometimes, I read things that are so well written that the work speaks for itself. Whoever wrote this, I think, is very intelligent. I don't need to see any further credentialing.
I like being just another bum on the bus. My ego doesn't require much nowadays. I hijacked control of that ego a few years back. I read because I see value in consumption and learning. I write because I hope I spark some sense of awareness. That's it. So I thought I'd introduce myself.
My name is Brian McNary. I am 50 years old and I live in Boise.
I essentially spent my life in small town America. I was raised in Butte, Mt. where I learned to cuss, chew tobacco, and drink. I have loved Butte ever since. I grew up hunting, fishing, and trapping. I landed in Idaho as a sophomore in high school. I went to Idaho State University, College of Southern Idaho, and did a 16 credit gig with Northwestern Traffic Institute. I was a geology student turned law enforcer. I worked summers in the Wyoming oil patch. I met my only wife in Las Vegas. She and I are divorced.
I spent most of my career as a law enforcer in a small town in Idaho called Hailey. Hailey is within a geographic area that includes Sun Valley, the ski resort. The valley is a very left leaning place. I found those politics suffocating although I understood them. I call the valley Moonbat Valley which I think is quite appropriate. It is a very environmentally aware place. I worked through the ranks and became Chief of Police in 2000. In 2007, the voices in my head said it was time to leave. I always listen to those voices and occasionally the voices outside my head. I jumped on my motorcycle and traveled around the entire U.S. I spent weeks in places like Saratoga Springs NY, Charlestown W.Va. (Gettysburg) the Blue Ridge Parkway and down to Savannah, Georgia. The people of Alabama were the friendliest. That fall after I arrived home in Idaho, I was severely depressed. The trip of my lifetime was over and life as I knew it for 25 years- was gone. My entire life had changed dramatically. Those were some very dark days. In November of 2007, I landed in New Orleans.
My entire life had been consumed with law enforcement, weekend gambling, weekday stock/options trading, and to a lesser degree, I followed politics. Only to the extent that it impacted my investments. In 2007, just before I left, I had a good friend tell me the banking world was going to collapse. He was a high end mortgage guy with tons of connections. I thought he was nuts and we probably both had too much to drink. He should be a millionaire by now. I did heed his advice- I parked everything in bonds before I left on the trip.
I became a libertarian quite by accident. I could see no discernible difference any longer between parties. In fact, all I began to see was self serving miscreants who sought office for selfish reasons. They were actually, anti public service. The very accidental part of becoming a libertarian occurred as the moonbats of my town constantly wanted to pass petty laws and ordinances to control every aspect of human behavior. Enforcing all of those petty laws requires work. In a never ending expansion of lefties who see government as the solution to all of their problems- I saw lefties as the cause of all of my problems. They were a pain in the ass. To this day, when I see MoonBat Valley pass some dog poop ordinance on the local bike path, I howl with glee. I envision some poor cop, picking up the evidence and freezing it in the department's refrigerator along with the Ho-Ho's, and hauling it into court. Some guy in cuffs with his chihuahua in a squad car. That is some very funny stuff. Often, I read letters to the editors about unsightly dog poop. There is no shortage of whiny ass babies in that valley. It's hard to ignore. MoonBat Valley is No Country for Old Men. Like me. In the end, becoming a libertarian is the only thing that makes sense to me. Nanny government isn't the answer. Nor is government by the elite or banks. They have nabbed all the wealth. I see the Libertarian Party as the working stiff place to be, centrist and control free. Quit stealing my money and telling me how to live. Things to like.
Most of the blogs I read are written anonymously. I get that. It's a shame that our culture has devolved into a fearful anonymous place where people are afraid to say what they are thinking. Or that we live in a crazy attack minded world. Living in that world prevents responsible communication. Without responsible and respectful communication, I think we are hosed in the long run. We will never have unity without respectful communication. Sometimes, especially when it comes to crooked bankers, I leave respect at the train depot. Those folks deserve the anger of this country and a jail cell. I will not apologize for calling a bunch of bankers- criminals. I know drug addicts and prostitutes with far greater core values.
It's been a crazy journey and I've seen a lot of bizarre and sad things. I've seen some astounding acts of courage and I've seen some serious cowardice. I prefer real people and hard knock dramas to fluff about some over paid, half baked star who wastes money on clothes or screws 3 different guys a day. I am not fascinated by those types. I gave up drinking and I am chewing nicotine gum as I write this. I still love Butte and Montana (The Sons of Miners) and I love my country. I do not love it's leadership. I am grateful and thankful to call this place home. After 50 years I've grown kind of comfortable with what kind of man I want to be. I thought I'd insert this video from my mother, bless her heart. It's kind of nice and seems appropriate here.
Stand by Me from theRedPillRadio on Vimeo.
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
How a Country Became a Bank- A Fairy Tale
Someday, somewhere, a father is going to tell his young son this "fairy tale."
Years ago, as recently as the 80's, the United States had this archaic concept called "The Rule of Law." Wikipedia defines it as
The rule of law is a legal maxim that states no person is immune to law.
The phrase has been used since the 17th century, but the concept can be traced to ancient Greece. Aristotle put it this way: "law should govern". Rule of law stands in contrast to the idea that the sovereign is above the law (rex lex), a feature of Roman Law and other legal systems.
One way to be free from the rule of law is by denying that an enactment has the necessary attributes of law. The rule of law has therefore been described as "an exceedingly elusive notion"[2] giving rise to a "rampant divergence of understandings".[3]
Nobody is above the law- unless of course those charged with enforcing the law choose indifference. Whether they are hostage or corrupt, perhaps fearful, makes little difference. So let me run a theory by you.
If thousands of bankers commit fraudulent acts that essentially go unprosecuted...If the suspects get bailed out and the rules do not even change...and the 4th branch of government, the FEDERAL RESERVE Bank takes over and counterfeits and prints treasury debt that enslaves your work product in the form of future taxes...
Are we a bank or a country? Who do you work for?
What I'm about to extend is a hypothesis. That we quit being a country sometime between the Savings and Loan debacle of the 1980's and 2008. That the bankers have usurped the power of the United States through payoffs to politicians, by debt slavery, by placing a stranglehold so strong on this country that we don't dare enforce the rule of law. They did this via the unelected Fourth Branch of Government. They have a monopoly on your money-thus the value of your work. A branch not defined by the Constitution. A branch of government that does not play by any rules. It goes unaudited. It hires from within. It has the power to extend your work product to anyone, in the world, that it chooses to. In short, the bankers own this fucking place. They own you- sharecroppers. The bankers run the government. The government in turn- runs you.
The United States has become nothing more than a bank. It pledges you and your work product as collateral to the world. Government only exists to make sure you pay their debts and enrich their players. That's it. It is undeniable. All those battles, wars, and lost lives. All that flag waving and those grave markers. We gave up our freedom and our lives so that a bunch of bankers could make us work for them. That's what it has devolved into. They are above the law. They are the governing body.
That's how a country got turned into a bank. It doesn't seem much like a fairy tale does it?
Years ago, as recently as the 80's, the United States had this archaic concept called "The Rule of Law." Wikipedia defines it as
The rule of law is a legal maxim that states no person is immune to law.
The phrase has been used since the 17th century, but the concept can be traced to ancient Greece. Aristotle put it this way: "law should govern". Rule of law stands in contrast to the idea that the sovereign is above the law (rex lex), a feature of Roman Law and other legal systems.
One way to be free from the rule of law is by denying that an enactment has the necessary attributes of law. The rule of law has therefore been described as "an exceedingly elusive notion"[2] giving rise to a "rampant divergence of understandings".[3]
Nobody is above the law- unless of course those charged with enforcing the law choose indifference. Whether they are hostage or corrupt, perhaps fearful, makes little difference. So let me run a theory by you.
If thousands of bankers commit fraudulent acts that essentially go unprosecuted...If the suspects get bailed out and the rules do not even change...and the 4th branch of government, the FEDERAL RESERVE Bank takes over and counterfeits and prints treasury debt that enslaves your work product in the form of future taxes...
Are we a bank or a country? Who do you work for?
What I'm about to extend is a hypothesis. That we quit being a country sometime between the Savings and Loan debacle of the 1980's and 2008. That the bankers have usurped the power of the United States through payoffs to politicians, by debt slavery, by placing a stranglehold so strong on this country that we don't dare enforce the rule of law. They did this via the unelected Fourth Branch of Government. They have a monopoly on your money-thus the value of your work. A branch not defined by the Constitution. A branch of government that does not play by any rules. It goes unaudited. It hires from within. It has the power to extend your work product to anyone, in the world, that it chooses to. In short, the bankers own this fucking place. They own you- sharecroppers. The bankers run the government. The government in turn- runs you.
The United States has become nothing more than a bank. It pledges you and your work product as collateral to the world. Government only exists to make sure you pay their debts and enrich their players. That's it. It is undeniable. All those battles, wars, and lost lives. All that flag waving and those grave markers. We gave up our freedom and our lives so that a bunch of bankers could make us work for them. That's what it has devolved into. They are above the law. They are the governing body.
That's how a country got turned into a bank. It doesn't seem much like a fairy tale does it?
Not a Shocker, LA and Vegas Find Their Way Into the Top Ten "Rudest Cities"
After getting teased by the headline, I secretly put my money on Vegas. I should have known better. All those LA transplants living in Vegas was a hint.
Often, what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. Like foreclosed homes.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40758837/ns/travel-news/?gt1=43001
Often, what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. Like foreclosed homes.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40758837/ns/travel-news/?gt1=43001
Wall Street Anxiously Awaiting the Dumb and Dead Money
Here it comes!
ZeroHedge is reporting a 3.8 billion dollar private equity inflow into domestic funds. This is the first significant inflow in about 40 weeks. In the big scheme of things this is not all that much.
Hope springs eternal for a bunch of banks and hedge funds that have been trading an artificially driven market. They've been sitting chilly for nearly two years hoping someone would show up to play. They have to be able to dump that inflated paper on someone. There are no winners if there are no losers. And interestingly enough, earnings reports are facing tougher comparisons.
The only way to drag me into this market is on the short side. Facing 5 months more of open market operations, aka the Bernank ripping off US taxpayers and injecting future tax receipts, only a fool could come in short here.
Sometimes the best play is a non starter. I think that's the proper play here. Don't fill the channel with dumb money.
ZeroHedge is reporting a 3.8 billion dollar private equity inflow into domestic funds. This is the first significant inflow in about 40 weeks. In the big scheme of things this is not all that much.
Hope springs eternal for a bunch of banks and hedge funds that have been trading an artificially driven market. They've been sitting chilly for nearly two years hoping someone would show up to play. They have to be able to dump that inflated paper on someone. There are no winners if there are no losers. And interestingly enough, earnings reports are facing tougher comparisons.
The only way to drag me into this market is on the short side. Facing 5 months more of open market operations, aka the Bernank ripping off US taxpayers and injecting future tax receipts, only a fool could come in short here.
Sometimes the best play is a non starter. I think that's the proper play here. Don't fill the channel with dumb money.
For Everything You Know In Life- There Was a Time When You Didn't Know It
In my little hometown paper, that leans so far left it barely remains upright, they haven't gotten the memo yet that the United States is broke and in deep debt. Or that our own state is barely afloat. They simply can't come to grips with the idea that when you are broke, bankrupt, or in deep debt- you cannot afford to have a Cadillac school system that costs a lot of money. Or even a Yugo school system when you don't have the gas money.
The article is entitled, "Misplaced Frugality." I cannot make this up. I will link it here. http://www.mtexpress.com/index2.php?ID=2005134986
I love those moonbats. They'll talk about all of those altruistic things. Our poor children. We can't compete globally with more efficient school systems or places that are not broke. Our poorly educated children won't be able to buy McMansions or BMW's. Or special needs children will get tossed into the street. It is an emotionally charged plea they use but unfortunately it fails.
Why would you expect anything different? This is a culture that has never spent within their means. They have denied themselves nothing. And they sent like minded politicians to office and ignored what they did. How do you explain to a bunch of unconscious people that the well has run dry?
I have a news flash for you folks. You spent your children's education money long ago. It's nobody's fault but your own. How does that taste?
The moonbats will howl. They will disagree. They will blame everyone but themselves. They will blame the right. Surely, there is a hidden pot of gold somewhere. Get out that black Amex card- Governor Otter. Charge it. And thus the moonbats, the right wingers, and us libertarian types are reaping the rewards of barren fields at harvest time. We spent all the seed money. There will be no crops this year. All us farmers can manage to do is blame each other- as though that will solve anything or make us feel better.
I am going to love to hear the collective whine of a spoiled nation that has had everything they wanted for way too long. I do have a solution. It's the solution I use.
I am grateful. I am grateful for reasonably good health without health insurance. I am grateful that I put away enough money to ride this mess out even though I am unemployed. I am grateful that I don't have to go to some job and get brow beaten all day for 12 bucks an hour. I am grateful that my family is making ends meet in much the same way as I am. I am grateful for food and shelter. I am grateful that I live in the United States and not some place where they are killing each other over a bag of rice.
Gratitude is an interesting concept. It is the concept of a man who has no legs and yet finds useful things to do and looks forward to every day. He does not spend his time whining that he can't play golf or that life has treated him unfairly. He is focused on what he can do with his life rather than what he cannot do. This is a difficult concept to grasp when you have spent your life getting everything your heart desires and now suddenly- someone says, "You can't have that anymore."
I guess I'm just a little bit better informed and pragmatic than my moonbat counterparts. I don't claim the intellectual high ground. I simply have grasped some facts that they have yet to grasp. I have plotted a course of gratitude and coping skills which one way or another- they are going to have to find for themselves. Or whine. For everything you know in life, there was a time when you didn't know it.
The article is entitled, "Misplaced Frugality." I cannot make this up. I will link it here. http://www.mtexpress.com/index2.php?ID=2005134986
I love those moonbats. They'll talk about all of those altruistic things. Our poor children. We can't compete globally with more efficient school systems or places that are not broke. Our poorly educated children won't be able to buy McMansions or BMW's. Or special needs children will get tossed into the street. It is an emotionally charged plea they use but unfortunately it fails.
Why would you expect anything different? This is a culture that has never spent within their means. They have denied themselves nothing. And they sent like minded politicians to office and ignored what they did. How do you explain to a bunch of unconscious people that the well has run dry?
I have a news flash for you folks. You spent your children's education money long ago. It's nobody's fault but your own. How does that taste?
The moonbats will howl. They will disagree. They will blame everyone but themselves. They will blame the right. Surely, there is a hidden pot of gold somewhere. Get out that black Amex card- Governor Otter. Charge it. And thus the moonbats, the right wingers, and us libertarian types are reaping the rewards of barren fields at harvest time. We spent all the seed money. There will be no crops this year. All us farmers can manage to do is blame each other- as though that will solve anything or make us feel better.
I am going to love to hear the collective whine of a spoiled nation that has had everything they wanted for way too long. I do have a solution. It's the solution I use.
I am grateful. I am grateful for reasonably good health without health insurance. I am grateful that I put away enough money to ride this mess out even though I am unemployed. I am grateful that I don't have to go to some job and get brow beaten all day for 12 bucks an hour. I am grateful that my family is making ends meet in much the same way as I am. I am grateful for food and shelter. I am grateful that I live in the United States and not some place where they are killing each other over a bag of rice.
Gratitude is an interesting concept. It is the concept of a man who has no legs and yet finds useful things to do and looks forward to every day. He does not spend his time whining that he can't play golf or that life has treated him unfairly. He is focused on what he can do with his life rather than what he cannot do. This is a difficult concept to grasp when you have spent your life getting everything your heart desires and now suddenly- someone says, "You can't have that anymore."
I guess I'm just a little bit better informed and pragmatic than my moonbat counterparts. I don't claim the intellectual high ground. I simply have grasped some facts that they have yet to grasp. I have plotted a course of gratitude and coping skills which one way or another- they are going to have to find for themselves. Or whine. For everything you know in life, there was a time when you didn't know it.
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
How Currency Is Traded at the Bank
Shamelessly lifted from those snarky comments at ZH.
I was at my bank today; there was a short line.
There was just one lady in front of me, an Asian lady who was trying to
exchange yen for dollars. It was obvious she was a little irritated . . .
She asked the teller, "Why it change? Yesterday, I get two hunat dolla fo
yen.
Today I only get hunat eighty? Why it change?"
The teller shrugged his shoulders and said, "Fluctuations."
The Asian lady says, "Fluc you white people, too."
I was at my bank today; there was a short line.
There was just one lady in front of me, an Asian lady who was trying to
exchange yen for dollars. It was obvious she was a little irritated . . .
She asked the teller, "Why it change? Yesterday, I get two hunat dolla fo
yen.
Today I only get hunat eighty? Why it change?"
The teller shrugged his shoulders and said, "Fluctuations."
The Asian lady says, "Fluc you white people, too."
Who Writes This Shit?
From ABC News. Our mainstream media hard at work. Is Obama another Reagan?
http://blogs.abcnews.com/thenote/2011/01/is-obama-another-reagan.html
I have seen some stupid shit in the last couple of weeks, but this piece of work gets the Nobel Prize. Pun intended. Do they actually pay people to write this garbage?
I hope that Amy Walter did not spend a lot of time in school earning that journalism degree. Hopefully, she paid her student loans back.
It is a sad day indeed when lefties start comparing the non existent leadership skills of boy wonder with Ronald Reagan. Amy let me let you in on a little secret. Both men were in fact human and Presidents. Other than that, any similarities are purely coincidental. Including any poll numbers you have dredged up to support your spurious and fallacious argument. Obama couldn't wipe Reagan's ass if he stood on a step ladder.
http://blogs.abcnews.com/thenote/2011/01/is-obama-another-reagan.html
I have seen some stupid shit in the last couple of weeks, but this piece of work gets the Nobel Prize. Pun intended. Do they actually pay people to write this garbage?
I hope that Amy Walter did not spend a lot of time in school earning that journalism degree. Hopefully, she paid her student loans back.
It is a sad day indeed when lefties start comparing the non existent leadership skills of boy wonder with Ronald Reagan. Amy let me let you in on a little secret. Both men were in fact human and Presidents. Other than that, any similarities are purely coincidental. Including any poll numbers you have dredged up to support your spurious and fallacious argument. Obama couldn't wipe Reagan's ass if he stood on a step ladder.
This Ones For You OMNI...
Every once in awhile, I come across a comment on a blog that is so prescient and lucid, that it simply bears repeating. This one comes from the Economic Collapse blog and is offered with no further comment. No improvement needed.
I am amazed everytime I read one of these articles.
The answer to our problems was put in place by our founding fathers and still exists today. At this point, the Federal Gov no longer serves the people and instead is acting as the agent of the bankers. We must remember that the States are VOLUNTARY members of the US. The process in front of us is simple.
1.) People need to pressure their state governors for succession from the US. This would be great if done as a mass movement with all states voting for succession on the same day. I bet, with this economy and the loest level of satisfaction with the Feds seen in our history, you would have an effect similar to what happened with the vote in Missouri on the Healthcare law.
2.) The states, now no longer part of the Fed, now collect half the taxes the Feds did and let the populace have the other half.
3.) The State ratify a new Constitution and reform a government based on our orginal founding principals.
Problems solved. The Fed is gone, the Fed Reserve is gone, the bankers go belly up, the States are out of budget crisis, and people can get back to work again.
It’s time to dissolve the US as it is known and to form a government again by the people and for the people.
I am amazed everytime I read one of these articles.
The answer to our problems was put in place by our founding fathers and still exists today. At this point, the Federal Gov no longer serves the people and instead is acting as the agent of the bankers. We must remember that the States are VOLUNTARY members of the US. The process in front of us is simple.
1.) People need to pressure their state governors for succession from the US. This would be great if done as a mass movement with all states voting for succession on the same day. I bet, with this economy and the loest level of satisfaction with the Feds seen in our history, you would have an effect similar to what happened with the vote in Missouri on the Healthcare law.
2.) The states, now no longer part of the Fed, now collect half the taxes the Feds did and let the populace have the other half.
3.) The State ratify a new Constitution and reform a government based on our orginal founding principals.
Problems solved. The Fed is gone, the Fed Reserve is gone, the bankers go belly up, the States are out of budget crisis, and people can get back to work again.
It’s time to dissolve the US as it is known and to form a government again by the people and for the people.
The Street Desperately Doing Apple Damage Control
I have known for a couple of months that Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple, has been seriously ill. I considered that information highly credible. I obtained that information via people who would be in a position to know. I certainly don't travel in those circles.
I love Jobs. He is the kind of a man that every parent hopes their kids will become. Apple is Steve Jobs. Without his charismatic and intelligent leadership, Apple is destined to become just another company. I believe that. It was proven to me years ago when the board ousted the owner and aapl traded like a penny stock. Since his resurrection, aapl has become the icon of the stock market. It trades north of 350.00 bucks a share and I am beginning to believe everybody in this country owns some Ishit. Every hedge fund, mutual fund, retirement fund, and investment bank owns their stock.
So just as soon as Jobs announced his leave of absence from Apple, Goldman Sachs and every other greedy owner of Apple stock started in with the usual damage control. Minimizing what Jobs departure will do. Some cite that the Iphone goes on sale for Verizon. The earnings report, which I expect to be the usual blowout, is expected this week.
I have been listening to the band all morning, playing music on the deck of the Apple Titanic via CNBC. Giant funds can't dump their aapl hordes of stock like small investors can- the only thing they can do is wax optimistic and hope the sheep don't sell. So they can start secretly liquidating positions and looking for the exits. That Apple stock is only down 15 bucks a share, or 3%, is proof positive of the power of these carnival hawksters.
Short term, Apple will be fine. Jobs is too intelligent to leave Apple at a vulnerable time. Apple on paper, looks attractive even at 350 buck levels.
About six weeks ago, I learned of Steve Job's latest illness and battle. It left me in an odd predicament. Should I profit from this news and buy put options? Should I stick it to some anonymous moron who wrote covered calls as insurance? How far out of the money and what time frame should I use? In the end, I simply couldn't do it. I mulled it over for days. Really. That I hate this steroid, POMO induced, zombie stock market was certainly part of my decision. But in the end, I couldn't do it. The reality is simple. Steve Jobs is one of my heroes. I am more concerned with his health than I am about profiting from his predicament. To profit from his misfortune makes me just as sick as the millions of people who will. Oh sure, they will rationalize it. Tell themselves there is nothing wrong with that. It's business.
Noticeably absent from all of the talk today, is that Steve Jobs' is gravely ill. That he is a human being, That he has a family and friends who despite all of the success of Apple are seriously concerned and fearful. There is no compassion for Jobs or his family. No well wishing. Nobody talks about that. Nobody cares. All I've heard is wealth preservation schtick all morning long. The earnings report is tonight.
I am proud that I didn't buy those put options. I am glad that I didn't participate in this sick market that is desperately minimizing Jobs' leave of absence today and keeping the stock price afloat. A market that ignores the feelings of his family. I hope that Jobs' family does not turn a TV on today. I am going to pray for him and his family. I am going to pray for a man who decided a long time ago what kind of a man he wanted to be. The kind of man that we have a serious shortage of. I'd truly hate to try and fill his shoes. The world is a better place with Jobs in it. All those greedy stock owners and traders? Not so much.
I love Jobs. He is the kind of a man that every parent hopes their kids will become. Apple is Steve Jobs. Without his charismatic and intelligent leadership, Apple is destined to become just another company. I believe that. It was proven to me years ago when the board ousted the owner and aapl traded like a penny stock. Since his resurrection, aapl has become the icon of the stock market. It trades north of 350.00 bucks a share and I am beginning to believe everybody in this country owns some Ishit. Every hedge fund, mutual fund, retirement fund, and investment bank owns their stock.
So just as soon as Jobs announced his leave of absence from Apple, Goldman Sachs and every other greedy owner of Apple stock started in with the usual damage control. Minimizing what Jobs departure will do. Some cite that the Iphone goes on sale for Verizon. The earnings report, which I expect to be the usual blowout, is expected this week.
I have been listening to the band all morning, playing music on the deck of the Apple Titanic via CNBC. Giant funds can't dump their aapl hordes of stock like small investors can- the only thing they can do is wax optimistic and hope the sheep don't sell. So they can start secretly liquidating positions and looking for the exits. That Apple stock is only down 15 bucks a share, or 3%, is proof positive of the power of these carnival hawksters.
Short term, Apple will be fine. Jobs is too intelligent to leave Apple at a vulnerable time. Apple on paper, looks attractive even at 350 buck levels.
About six weeks ago, I learned of Steve Job's latest illness and battle. It left me in an odd predicament. Should I profit from this news and buy put options? Should I stick it to some anonymous moron who wrote covered calls as insurance? How far out of the money and what time frame should I use? In the end, I simply couldn't do it. I mulled it over for days. Really. That I hate this steroid, POMO induced, zombie stock market was certainly part of my decision. But in the end, I couldn't do it. The reality is simple. Steve Jobs is one of my heroes. I am more concerned with his health than I am about profiting from his predicament. To profit from his misfortune makes me just as sick as the millions of people who will. Oh sure, they will rationalize it. Tell themselves there is nothing wrong with that. It's business.
Noticeably absent from all of the talk today, is that Steve Jobs' is gravely ill. That he is a human being, That he has a family and friends who despite all of the success of Apple are seriously concerned and fearful. There is no compassion for Jobs or his family. No well wishing. Nobody talks about that. Nobody cares. All I've heard is wealth preservation schtick all morning long. The earnings report is tonight.
I am proud that I didn't buy those put options. I am glad that I didn't participate in this sick market that is desperately minimizing Jobs' leave of absence today and keeping the stock price afloat. A market that ignores the feelings of his family. I hope that Jobs' family does not turn a TV on today. I am going to pray for him and his family. I am going to pray for a man who decided a long time ago what kind of a man he wanted to be. The kind of man that we have a serious shortage of. I'd truly hate to try and fill his shoes. The world is a better place with Jobs in it. All those greedy stock owners and traders? Not so much.
Monday, January 17, 2011
Barack Obama Has Never Let Me Down
Hunter Thompson, the outlaw journalist and drop out author, hated President Nixon. Thompson even dedicated one of his books to President Nixon. "Richard Nixon he said, never let me down."
Back in ought eight, (we say shit like that out west) I was scratching my head and wondering just who the hell Barack Obama was and where did he come from?
At the time, I was living in New Orleans. I would like to mention an interesting thing. In the white community of New Orleans, Mr. Obama was subject to a fair amount of racism. I witnessed more than a couple of casual and nasty- racially driven remarks. I didn't care so much about his skin tone. I wanted to know what kind of a man he was.
When Obama quietly threw his minister under the bus for his "Goddamn America" remarks, odd remarks for sure, I got my first window into this guy. Now Reverend Wright's remarks were terribly out of line but it's not like I haven't made stupid statements before or seen others put their feet in their mouth. Had Obama defended Wright's free speech rights, I would have given him a high score. But when Barack distanced himself from Wright, a guy he had been listening to for some 20 years, I began to postulate that people were expendable to Obama. His career goal of becoming President was his priority.
The second window occurred when he canned Inspector General Walpin. That guy was supposed to be protected from Presidential interference. Given the task to see that government funds were spent appropriately- he found Obama's buddy- Mayor Kevin Johnson of Sacramento diverting them. Essentially embezzling them. This is a fresh and just published version of that episode. http://washingtonexaminer.com/blogs/beltway-confidential/2009/06/gerald-walpin-speaks-inside-story-americorps-firing
I was beginning to suspect that Obama was one of those power wielding assholes that I can't stomach. They are never concerned with doing the right thing- like supporting free speech or supporting some guy charged with doing a responsible job. Instead, they act out of anger- doing things which are emotionally gratifying to them and politically expedient. And wrong. They do it because they can, not because it is right.
Remember the beer summit? Obama immediately jumped all over that poor cop just doing his job and shaking down some black homeowner that he thought was a burglary suspect. A mistake that was prolonged by the homeowner acting like an asshole. Obama's willingness to jump to conclusions before the facts were in- told me that he jumps to conclusions. That is not the cool- wait for all of the facts- decision making I want in the white house. But it did lead to a fantastic distraction. The beer summit. The beer summit allowed Obama and one black homeowner to publicly save face for behaving stupidly.
I was not surprised to see Obama cave in on the elite tax hikes. It was politically expedient.
That's why I wasn't surprised that Obama used the Tucson shooting for a platform for political expediency. He has already shown me that he does things because he can, not because it is the right thing to do. Might never makes right. Very often, selfless people will not promote personal agendas at events that do not call for that type of behavior. Selfish people do.
I am not concerned with Mr. Obama's birth certificate, his pass port, his school transcripts, or who wrote his books. Those are all opaque things, things that Obama wants to keep concealed. This is the guy who called for transparency. The guy who claimed to put the clamps on government officials turned lobbyists in that corrupt little government dance that goes on. All so much bullshit. Just hollow words, words without substance or truth.
It has taken me a couple of years to figure out who President Obama is. President Obama is just your garden variety power broker. He is not special or particularly intelligent. His core values are highly suspect. He does not understand our capacity as individuals to see those things. He woefully underestimates our ability to see real leadership and to discern hollow words. In that way, he has become incredibly transparent to me. That's why I am resigned to seeing two more wasted years. A fantastic opportunity to install the rule of law and gain worldwide respect. Obama blew that opportunity and simply delivered the same old spineless politics. Ahhh...shit.
I don't hate Obama. But I do feel like I understand this guy. Somehow, he just never lets me down.
Back in ought eight, (we say shit like that out west) I was scratching my head and wondering just who the hell Barack Obama was and where did he come from?
At the time, I was living in New Orleans. I would like to mention an interesting thing. In the white community of New Orleans, Mr. Obama was subject to a fair amount of racism. I witnessed more than a couple of casual and nasty- racially driven remarks. I didn't care so much about his skin tone. I wanted to know what kind of a man he was.
When Obama quietly threw his minister under the bus for his "Goddamn America" remarks, odd remarks for sure, I got my first window into this guy. Now Reverend Wright's remarks were terribly out of line but it's not like I haven't made stupid statements before or seen others put their feet in their mouth. Had Obama defended Wright's free speech rights, I would have given him a high score. But when Barack distanced himself from Wright, a guy he had been listening to for some 20 years, I began to postulate that people were expendable to Obama. His career goal of becoming President was his priority.
The second window occurred when he canned Inspector General Walpin. That guy was supposed to be protected from Presidential interference. Given the task to see that government funds were spent appropriately- he found Obama's buddy- Mayor Kevin Johnson of Sacramento diverting them. Essentially embezzling them. This is a fresh and just published version of that episode. http://washingtonexaminer.com/blogs/beltway-confidential/2009/06/gerald-walpin-speaks-inside-story-americorps-firing
I was beginning to suspect that Obama was one of those power wielding assholes that I can't stomach. They are never concerned with doing the right thing- like supporting free speech or supporting some guy charged with doing a responsible job. Instead, they act out of anger- doing things which are emotionally gratifying to them and politically expedient. And wrong. They do it because they can, not because it is right.
Remember the beer summit? Obama immediately jumped all over that poor cop just doing his job and shaking down some black homeowner that he thought was a burglary suspect. A mistake that was prolonged by the homeowner acting like an asshole. Obama's willingness to jump to conclusions before the facts were in- told me that he jumps to conclusions. That is not the cool- wait for all of the facts- decision making I want in the white house. But it did lead to a fantastic distraction. The beer summit. The beer summit allowed Obama and one black homeowner to publicly save face for behaving stupidly.
I was not surprised to see Obama cave in on the elite tax hikes. It was politically expedient.
That's why I wasn't surprised that Obama used the Tucson shooting for a platform for political expediency. He has already shown me that he does things because he can, not because it is the right thing to do. Might never makes right. Very often, selfless people will not promote personal agendas at events that do not call for that type of behavior. Selfish people do.
I am not concerned with Mr. Obama's birth certificate, his pass port, his school transcripts, or who wrote his books. Those are all opaque things, things that Obama wants to keep concealed. This is the guy who called for transparency. The guy who claimed to put the clamps on government officials turned lobbyists in that corrupt little government dance that goes on. All so much bullshit. Just hollow words, words without substance or truth.
It has taken me a couple of years to figure out who President Obama is. President Obama is just your garden variety power broker. He is not special or particularly intelligent. His core values are highly suspect. He does not understand our capacity as individuals to see those things. He woefully underestimates our ability to see real leadership and to discern hollow words. In that way, he has become incredibly transparent to me. That's why I am resigned to seeing two more wasted years. A fantastic opportunity to install the rule of law and gain worldwide respect. Obama blew that opportunity and simply delivered the same old spineless politics. Ahhh...shit.
I don't hate Obama. But I do feel like I understand this guy. Somehow, he just never lets me down.
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Buy Gold and Silver In Gram and Ounce Sizes
One of the nasty consequences of Obamacare was that in an effort to capture virtually every transaction in this country and tax it, they slipped that little section of the law in there that requires a 1099 anytime a business owner conducts a transaction in excess of 600 bucks.
I read a blog today that mentioned that reporting requirement that occurs in 2012. He mistakenly believed that everyone would have to sell in 2011 or be subject to tax. That blog piece is here: http://tartanmarine.blogspot.com/2011/01/2011-last-year-to-sell-precious-metals.html
I have been buying gold in varying sizes. Try to buy gold in one, five, perhaps ten gram sizes. I have been limiting my silver purchases to five ounce coins or less. There are a few reasons for this. They are far more exchangeable in small sizes. You can buy on the dips easier at better prices and average your costs lower. You can sell what you need to in a pinch. The Obamacare reporting requirement is obviously a large part of my decision to do this. One of my bullion dealers sells Eagles in those plastic rolls of 20. Currently he is out.
Clearly if you own gold in one ounce sizes and up- or silver in 100 ounce bars- this year might be the year to convert those sizes into smaller types.
I read a blog today that mentioned that reporting requirement that occurs in 2012. He mistakenly believed that everyone would have to sell in 2011 or be subject to tax. That blog piece is here: http://tartanmarine.blogspot.com/2011/01/2011-last-year-to-sell-precious-metals.html
I have been buying gold in varying sizes. Try to buy gold in one, five, perhaps ten gram sizes. I have been limiting my silver purchases to five ounce coins or less. There are a few reasons for this. They are far more exchangeable in small sizes. You can buy on the dips easier at better prices and average your costs lower. You can sell what you need to in a pinch. The Obamacare reporting requirement is obviously a large part of my decision to do this. One of my bullion dealers sells Eagles in those plastic rolls of 20. Currently he is out.
Clearly if you own gold in one ounce sizes and up- or silver in 100 ounce bars- this year might be the year to convert those sizes into smaller types.
American Insanity
While I was in Nevada last week, I met a man from Oregon who said that Rose Bowl tickets were selling for 1500 dollars. I watched the game for free in the nice warm confines of the casino.
Who pays 1500 dollars for three hours of entertainment? What kind of idiocy makes someone rationalize that watching a college football game for 500 bucks an hour is a worthwhile expenditure?
That's the America I live in now. A hundred thousand people with so much money that they can waste it on shit like that. As a libertarian, I support your right to waste your money anyway that you choose. Here's a comment I snipped from the Economic Collapse Blog. This gal has some sense of priorities which did not include wasting half a months net salary on a sporting event.
Keep up the good work! I am tired of trying to wake people up. My husband and I are only concerned with ourselves (and others who have seen the light). The collapse is coming and its going to be BAD.
Instead of spending $500-$1000 on Atlanta Falcons tickets (yes we had friends that spent that last night for a football game) we took that money and bought more PM and supplies. Its called priorities.
Our "Baroness" has her priorities more in line with the times. I conjure up a picture in my mind of Nero and a nation of idiots paying vast sums for entertainment- fiddling while Rome burns. It reminds me of that bizarre scene in the movie Titanic. The band comes out onto the deck of ship while it is sinking- as though somehow that was the appropriate thing to do.
The Baroness is buying precious metals. The other day on the blog I had a commenter tell me that the government will simply change the rules and outlaw precious metals if the currency collapses. I laugh when I hear that. The government seized gold once. But this time it is different. Nobody is going to turn in their precious metals. I'm not. And the government can pass all of the laws they want- trying to keep us scared and paying us with worthless paper. They're not going to like the metal they get from me.
I have upped my cash conversion levels to 40% precious metals. My deadline is June of this year. Why June? Well that's when the FED and Bernanke wrap up QE2 and the great bank stock buying holiday draws to a close. At that point, the banks still won't be solvent, the economy still won't turn around, tax receipts for the first 9 months are going to come up another trillion short, all those Ca. mortgages begin to reset higher, taxes will ratchet up, inflation and oil will ratchet up (T Boone Pickens is calling it north of 150.00), and the FED is going to have to try QE3. The resistance will be tremendous. Our debt level at that point will be beyond 15 trillion with no end in sight.
Gold and silver took a big hit when the CFTC ruled in favor of big banks once again (Big Surprise!) last week. Apparently they can short silver markets beyond available and existing supply. Option holders should take delivery of the underlying commodity. The underlying commodity is no longer of any consequence. I see this as a huge buying opportunity. Gold and silver may go down a bit further, I'd love to see sub 1300 gold and buy a couple more ounces. Sub 25.00 silver means I'd double my amount.
I love it when people spending 1500 bucks on a football game call me crazy for spending my money on precious metals. Ain't that just rich?
Who pays 1500 dollars for three hours of entertainment? What kind of idiocy makes someone rationalize that watching a college football game for 500 bucks an hour is a worthwhile expenditure?
That's the America I live in now. A hundred thousand people with so much money that they can waste it on shit like that. As a libertarian, I support your right to waste your money anyway that you choose. Here's a comment I snipped from the Economic Collapse Blog. This gal has some sense of priorities which did not include wasting half a months net salary on a sporting event.
Keep up the good work! I am tired of trying to wake people up. My husband and I are only concerned with ourselves (and others who have seen the light). The collapse is coming and its going to be BAD.
Instead of spending $500-$1000 on Atlanta Falcons tickets (yes we had friends that spent that last night for a football game) we took that money and bought more PM and supplies. Its called priorities.
Our "Baroness" has her priorities more in line with the times. I conjure up a picture in my mind of Nero and a nation of idiots paying vast sums for entertainment- fiddling while Rome burns. It reminds me of that bizarre scene in the movie Titanic. The band comes out onto the deck of ship while it is sinking- as though somehow that was the appropriate thing to do.
The Baroness is buying precious metals. The other day on the blog I had a commenter tell me that the government will simply change the rules and outlaw precious metals if the currency collapses. I laugh when I hear that. The government seized gold once. But this time it is different. Nobody is going to turn in their precious metals. I'm not. And the government can pass all of the laws they want- trying to keep us scared and paying us with worthless paper. They're not going to like the metal they get from me.
I have upped my cash conversion levels to 40% precious metals. My deadline is June of this year. Why June? Well that's when the FED and Bernanke wrap up QE2 and the great bank stock buying holiday draws to a close. At that point, the banks still won't be solvent, the economy still won't turn around, tax receipts for the first 9 months are going to come up another trillion short, all those Ca. mortgages begin to reset higher, taxes will ratchet up, inflation and oil will ratchet up (T Boone Pickens is calling it north of 150.00), and the FED is going to have to try QE3. The resistance will be tremendous. Our debt level at that point will be beyond 15 trillion with no end in sight.
Gold and silver took a big hit when the CFTC ruled in favor of big banks once again (Big Surprise!) last week. Apparently they can short silver markets beyond available and existing supply. Option holders should take delivery of the underlying commodity. The underlying commodity is no longer of any consequence. I see this as a huge buying opportunity. Gold and silver may go down a bit further, I'd love to see sub 1300 gold and buy a couple more ounces. Sub 25.00 silver means I'd double my amount.
I love it when people spending 1500 bucks on a football game call me crazy for spending my money on precious metals. Ain't that just rich?
Californians May Go To Polls in June, Vote on the Largest Tax Increase Ever
I sure hope the Governor has a plan B. The best part about asking people to vote is that you can blame them when the cries and the screams are heard up and down the state.
If Governor Brown was really innovative, California could simply print and issue their own currency. Have an inexhaustible supply just like the FED does. They could call it something catchy like the IOU. Muahaha!
http://www.americansforprosperity.org/011111-largest-tax-increase-american-history
If Governor Brown was really innovative, California could simply print and issue their own currency. Have an inexhaustible supply just like the FED does. They could call it something catchy like the IOU. Muahaha!
http://www.americansforprosperity.org/011111-largest-tax-increase-american-history
California Blue Shield Rates Increase 59% March 1, Soon Health Insurance Will Cost More Than a Stockton Mortgage
Pssstt...hey that 500 dollar a month premium your employer pays is going to 800 bucks a month. I'll bet employers will be hiring like crazy. Time to invent some more Ishit.
This is kind of old. I saw it last week and bookmarked it. Thank Gawd we are in a the midst of a great recovery and we can afford it. Pretty boring piece. Note the absence of the term 59% increase in the newletter from Blue Shield. It must have slipped their collective minds.
https://www.blueshieldca.com/bsc/newsroom/pr/statement_rates_010711.jhtml
One of the reasons Blue Cross cited as causing the parabolic rise...healthy people exiting the system. I have been predicting that for three years. As the 59% rise occurs, expect rates to go parabolic as even the marginally healthy GTFO. (get the #$%^ out)
This is kind of old. I saw it last week and bookmarked it. Thank Gawd we are in a the midst of a great recovery and we can afford it. Pretty boring piece. Note the absence of the term 59% increase in the newletter from Blue Shield. It must have slipped their collective minds.
https://www.blueshieldca.com/bsc/newsroom/pr/statement_rates_010711.jhtml
One of the reasons Blue Cross cited as causing the parabolic rise...healthy people exiting the system. I have been predicting that for three years. As the 59% rise occurs, expect rates to go parabolic as even the marginally healthy GTFO. (get the #$%^ out)
Tax Dodgers To Be Made Public
Our two tier criminal justice system is still working fine.
We have the first tier where all of us little schmucks get threatened with prison for fudging our charitable contributions. The second tier justice system is the one reserved for the elite who cheat the government out of billions.
Next week, wikileaks is going to disclose 2000 tax evaders. That would be FELONY tax evaders. These are people with swiss bank accounts and accounts in the Cayman Islands. The list includes 40 politicians. The list is a global one.
I will expect absolutely nothing to happen as usual. We have no rule of law in this country anymore. These folks will be subjected to the 2nd tier of justice where your only fear might be how much money the IRS can wring out of you. No other penalties attach. However when that list gets made public, you can damn sure bet I'll be watching. I would not be surprised to see some really familiar names. I am personally wondering if Hillary and Bill can hit the wikileaks exacta and go two for two.
Now wouldn't that be some shit?
We have the first tier where all of us little schmucks get threatened with prison for fudging our charitable contributions. The second tier justice system is the one reserved for the elite who cheat the government out of billions.
Next week, wikileaks is going to disclose 2000 tax evaders. That would be FELONY tax evaders. These are people with swiss bank accounts and accounts in the Cayman Islands. The list includes 40 politicians. The list is a global one.
I will expect absolutely nothing to happen as usual. We have no rule of law in this country anymore. These folks will be subjected to the 2nd tier of justice where your only fear might be how much money the IRS can wring out of you. No other penalties attach. However when that list gets made public, you can damn sure bet I'll be watching. I would not be surprised to see some really familiar names. I am personally wondering if Hillary and Bill can hit the wikileaks exacta and go two for two.
Now wouldn't that be some shit?
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