Run for Cover Updated

Today precious metals continue their rather steep and steady market climb with gold trading in the $1064.00/ oz range. Various pundits and gurus offer a litany of reasons causing this increase not the least of which is the continuing inflationary policies of the world's central banks led by the US Federal Reserve Bank. Some of the "experts" have been hinting that the inventories published by the various depositories are in all probability inflated. It is beyond the scope of this post to describe the so called "leasing" out on paper of these deposits and the trading of these leases in order to keep the price depressed. Suffice it to say that it is not above the scruples of the banksters in collusion with politicians to engage in such schemes to prop up the "value" of various fiat (unbacked paper currencies).

The actual amount of gold bullion on deposit at various central banks is not known with any precision but what is known is that the two major depositories of foreign gold bullion are the Bank of England and the Bank of NY. China has of late been steadily acquiring the metal in the form of bullion "bricks".

A London Good Delivery Gold Brick is a 400 oz gold brick, stamped on the bottom with the assayer (e.g. Johnson Mathey). The stamp would have the serial number and the weight of the bar to 3 decimal places.

If I were to buy gold from London and ship to say the bank of Nova Scotia, Scotia Macotta, the agent for the bank and for me would guarantee to me the purity and the weight.
For this I pay insurance, shipping fees and storage fees. If the gold comes from their own inventory, they would not assay. If it comes from another vault, then one or two bricks would be assayed.

The assay requires a hole to be drilled to make sure that gold is uniform. The core and the brick is then heated and reweighed and stamped and that new brick would have Good Delivery Status.

It would be a nightmare to assay every brick that comes to a bank.

It now seems that the Chinese asked for an assay on some of their bricks and lo and behold, some were filled with Tungsten. You can imagine the nightmare that this presents itself.

If this in fact is true, the fecal matter is about to hit the rotating ventilating device. Unless of course, it can be covered up and the "value" of most fiat currencies will not fall precipitously in relationship to gold i.e. gold at $2500.00+/oz.

Update 10/21/09 @17:04 EDT:

GLD gold bullion inventory is principally held in London
- I’ve already written about some large [allocated] physical transactions that were settled last week in London under VERY strange circumstances indicative of a shortage of physical gold bullion for good delivery.
- At the same time, significant irregularities appeared in the GLD bullion bar list

These circumstances suggest that a VERY REAL physical short squeeze is in progress RIGHT NOW and a gang of fraudsters from “fiat-crack-houses” [Central Banks] are attempting to finesse their losing over-sold hand in an elaborate Three-card Monty. With reports of independent physical audits now being conducted and mysterious happenings with GLD’s bar list – GLD has NEVER looked more suspect.
Hope you’ve all got some physical gold already.
By Rob Kirby

ht: Ol' Remus

Coming to a Jurisdiction Near You or: As Kalifornia Goes, So Goes...?

Beginning in February, 2011 all purchasers of handgun ammunition in California will be required to provide identification and a thumbprint for the state database to be monitored by Officer Friendly. Additionally, all new firearms sold in the state subsequent to that time will be required to be "micro stamped" to imprint all ammunition utilized. The law ukase was signed yesterday by Arnold Schwarzenegger (Rino) in Sacramento.

The new law (AB 962) is a huge victory for The Brady Campaign to reduce gun violence disarm law abiding citizens.

The "good news" you ask?

The state has not yet enacted AB 602 introduced a few years ago by Assemblyman Paul Koretz (D) of San Francisco South West Hollywood. Assembly Bill 602, would have enacted a modest 10-cent fee on
each bullet sold at the retail level. "Revenue raised through this fee would
be deposited in a special Trauma Center Fund to reimburse emergency service
providers for the cost of treating firearm injuries in the state." The prior history of these "special funds" brings a smile to the face. About 95% of them have been raided for "other purposes". Think tattoo removal for former gang bangers.

Your humble blogster counts himself fortunate to have escaped Kalifornia late in 2004 but views with alarm the cancer metastatizing from that hapless land.

ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ!

Hat tip: Nicholas Noel

The Fractional Reserve Bankster Scam Updated

Long time followers of this blogster's rantings understand that ΛΕΟΝΙΔΑΣ has so many miles on his old carcass that he is often able to weave personal experiences into some of the events and issues emerging in what passes for todays media. On the other hand a few casual observers have cast doubts as to his veracity; C'est la vie.

Many years ago ΛΕΟΝΙΔΑΣ' family was involved in the "oil patch" in California. To illustrate just how long ago we are referencing, suffice it to say that the highest quality (26 gravity) crude oil was trading at $3.60 per barrel. At that time there were active in the "business" what we called "promoters". These individuals would buy or, in most cases, lease land in areas believed to be potentially oil producing. In order to raise the capital required to drill for and produce crude oil they would form corporations or partnerships. The resulting "wildcating" more often than not produced a "dry hole" and the promoter who lived for several months/years off the capital raised would go belly up and move on to the next project.

One such individual was apparently careless in drawing up a partnership agreement and wound up serving time as a guest at the California Men's Colony in San Luis Obispo. It seems that the ownership percentages of the several partners in his firm totaled something over 120%. This is a definite no no for ordinary citizens as such activity is reserved exclusively for governments and their "licensees" in the banking business.

The only similar fraud that is perpetrated without penalty is the banking industry which operates under license from the government. The government allows banks to accept deposits, lend out 90%+ of the funds while depositors still "own" 100% of their deposit. At the same time, the borrowers of the "money" have leased the same funds subject to their loan contract which in old days could be "called in" by the bank if too many depositors demanded the cash to which they were entitled. This is called fractional reserve banking and has been engaged in since medieval times in Europe when goldsmiths issued receipts for more gold than they kept in storage. Often these goldsmiths when discovered committing this fraud were dealt with severely by the local prince. That is, until 1694 when the English crown, William III decided to be cut in on the action and issued a charter (license to commit fraud) to the Bank of England. Since then most governments have decided it is a dandy way to augment tax revenue in order to finance wars, welfare and other grandiose perks.

This was the manner in which bankers were able to create money from nothing during the era of the gold standard. At least most depositors could redeem the "receipts" for their cash (gold or silver) unless word got out that the bank had issued more receipts than it had precious metal on deposit. When this unfortunate event occurred, there would be a run on the bank and it would be in deep doo doo. Hence the origin of the term "bankrupt".

Fairly early in the twentieth century (1934) the banksters were successful in convincing the US government to assist them in the elimination of the inconveniences associated with too many depositors demanding their cash simultaneously (bank runs) and gold was also withdrawn from circulation with Federal Reserve notes being substituted. Voilá; enter the FDIC (Federal Deposit Insurance Corp which is now more or less insolvent). This whole convoluted scheme worked moderately well as long as the counterfeiters Fed did not overprint notes and confined the money expansion (inflation) to under 3% per annum. The seeds of the serious problems we are experiencing today were sown when the need arose to finance various foreign adventures (wars) and the welfare state.

Much more detailed and intellectual explanations of these events are contained here and here as well as that by my esteemed colleague Scott Angell here.

In any event, I hope to have provided at least a modicum of insight (as well as amusement) into the criminal class known as government and how it compares to the private variety.

Update: 1037 hrs EDT 10/10/09 A mere few hours after this essay was posted, Gary North published part V in his series entitled "What is Money?" here. For a more detailed and scholarly exposition on the subject of fractional reserve banking and government counterfeiting you are urged to read it.

cross posted at: Eternity Road

Rx: More Collectivism?

Recently your humble blogster was engage in a debate on another blog comment thread with a "progressive" over the issue if California's recent and ongoing crisis caused by a flight of capital. As is predictable with most debates with many "progressives" over substantive issues the discussion ultimately degenerated into insults and personal attacks (duh).

Please forgive ΛΕΟΝΙΔΑΣ for his concern regarding the fate of California, for that hapless state is his native land and it is depressing to witness its descent into the predictable abyss resulting from an adherence to collectivist/environmentalist policies.

A recent article in the Observer of the UK Guardian reports on the plight of the state. In typical UK leftist parlance, the "recovery" from California's woes will be the result of pursuing the very policies that have arguably resulted in the present crisis. For example the following quote:

Take Anthony "Van" Jones, [an avowed communist] a man now in the vanguard of the movement to build a future green economy, creating millions of jobs, solving environmental problems and reducing climate change at a stroke. It is a beguiling vision and one that Jones conceived in the northern Californian city of Oakland. He began political life as an anti-poverty campaigner,

["Jones continued, "Yes, the Great Revolutionary Moment had at long last come. And the time, clearly, was ours! So we stole stuff. Y'know, stole stuff. Radios, tennis shoes. Well, not everybody, of course."]

but gradually combined that with environmentalism, believing that greening the economy could also revitalise it and lift up the poor. He founded Green for All as an advocacy group and published a best-selling book, The Green Collar Economy. Then Obama came to power and Jones got the call from the White House. In just a few years, his ideas had spread from the streets of Oakland to White House policy papers. Jones was later ousted from his role, but his ideas remain. Green jobs are at the forefront of Obama's ideas on both the economy and the environment.

The question remains: "if environmentalist policies are so wonderful, why can they only be implemented at the point of the state's bayonet?"

The piece goes on to state: "California may have sprawling development and awful smog, [no clue as to what air the author is breathing] but it leads the way in environmental issues. Arnold Schwarzenegger was seen as a leading light, taking the state far ahead of the federal government on eco-issues."

However, here is the rub; by using the force of state government California has imposed costs on doing business within its borders far in excess of its 49 colleagues and diverted untold resources into the subsidizing of inefficient energy sources while prohibiting development of vast proven petroleum resources both on and offshore. Couple this with a confiscatory taxing policy on both businesses and individuals and is it any wonder that California is in serious fiscal and economic difficulties?

The editors at the Guardian appear to believe that the way out of California's woes is to pursue the policies that led to the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.

Good luck and ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ!

Green is Red

Occasionally ΛΕΟΝΙΔΑΣ reads an essay on another site that leaves him aghast at its eloquence and the realization that: I've been attempting to deliver the exact same message for years. With that preamble, I herewith present for your illumination the following by William Buppert:

"When the search for truth is confused with political advocacy, the pursuit of knowledge is reduced to the quest for power"

~ Alston Chase

I am sick to death of the economically illiterate environmental nonsense peddled in the media in an endless parade of bad thinking disguised as scientific discourse. The Green movement is a collectivist enterprise hell-bent on bending every knee in obeisance to a religious orthodoxy that will cripple the advancement of mankind and create third-world nations where first-world countries used to be, exponentially increasing infant mortality rates and reducing standards of living to make all of us look back on envy at the gold-plated living conditions of medieval serfs. The movement is a nasty brew of National Socialist "blood and soil" (see Anna Bramwells’s books), Marxist bromides and a child-like vision of how the universe works.

Central planning does not work. Larger entities that use force and coercion to make others do the right thing lead to national prison camps disguised as nation-states. Here’s a short quiz for you: grab the nearest envirus and ask him how would he suggest we improve the care and feeding of Mother Earth absent government intervention? He will splutter and get a very blank look in his vapid face as the synapses collapse and fail to function properly.

Use this rule of thumb: cost and benefit analysis will usually determine the economic efficacy of a given course of action. Prices are, among many attributes, the keenest indicator of scarcity or abundance of commodities or services. If recycling is such a great idea, why don’t they pay you to do it? If wind and solar energy are such ideal means to deliver power, why do they require massive subsidy and inevitably, the theft from private owners through eminent domain and other tools of economic oppression?

Speak truth to power because the Greens now have the upper hand. The government-media complex is now fully captive to the entire Green orthodoxy. Excepting shows like Bullshit! on Showtime, none questions the prevailing belief system; it is like a form of national psychosis although I feel the same way about the worship of the State. The environmental agenda is nothing less than a total renunciation of Western civilization and the requisite privileges of clean water, electricity, effective farming and a host of other modern conveniences.

The envirus views nature as a snapshot picture of the world frozen in time and unchanging; a static portraiture of life that possesses no adaptation and dynamism. Infantile views of nature which are most likely a result from having never tread upon it or lived in it. Rarely is the hunter or long-time ruralite seduced by the Disney visions of nature that dance in the heads of the Greens. A perspective further informed by the academic and media professionals whose worldview is shaped by a hive-like collectivist vision of human society in which all individuals are to be subordinated to the whims of what’s good for the herd as directed by omniscient strangers whose fatal conceit is that they are smarter than us so they know what is best for you.

Nature is cruel and dynamic. It is a daily massacre for the lame and the newborn. Vicious spasms of violence red in tooth and claw tempered by turns of weather that can kill and nourish in the same pastoral event. Most importantly, nature is capricious in the most practical sense: the complexity is so immense as to be almost incomprehensible to human cognition. Complexity theory has tried to capture the distillate of what appears to be random phenomenon but is actually a spontaneous order much like economic market forces. Which brings us to the cruelest joke of all on the Greens: they can’t possibly know what they are talking about.

Here’s the rub: there is no question of climate change, the riddle is to what extent man is a culprit. Once a given problem set has three or more variables, it becomes impossible to establish with any certitude correlative or causative connections between A and B and C. The global climate is a complex system far too large to isolate variables and know with pinpoint accuracy what makes it tick or respond to human influences. I don’t deny that humans have an impact on the climate but no one can prove to me what the extent is. No evidence emerges that the ice ages in medieval times were anthropogenic, they were simply within the observed cycle of cooling and warming that one would expect of a planetary ecosystem dependent on solar energy as a driver and engine of weather and life. There is a reason increased sunspot activity is coincident with warming trends. Man is not apart from nature, he is a part of nature. We are part of the infrastructure and no one can even address why carbon dioxide, if a pollutant, nourishes all earthly plant life excepting certain anaerobic moss. The government does not even want to have a discussion since the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently muzzled one of its in-house climate skeptics.

Stand up to the Greens and call them on their idiocy. Question all their assumptions. Stand athwart their diktats and directives as they attempt to rule you as cattle. They are shutting down coal-fired plants by the dozen and seeking to bankrupt the nation by pursuing green technologies that the market has proven to be a technological & economic dead-end. Curiously, they object strenuously to the purest solar energy of all: nuclear energy which harnesses the power of the sun in a relatively clean fission package. One small ray of hope is the fact that the EPA will strangle and mangle all the emerging green technology. They will get all bureaucratically befuddled as the contesting envirus schisms like bird enthusiasts and wind generator proponents do battle. Pollution activists will discover the immense smog component of mass transit buses and the maintenance infrastructure. Electric car boosters will stand dumb-founded in their garages as the AC outlet fails to deliver power after the coal-fired grid is shut down through rolling brown-outs or blackouts. All done, of course, at taxpayer expense.

Under Obamunism, we have a wild ride ahead of us as the Green Reds at first have a terrific honeymoon with Middle America but soon discover the combination of economic illiteracy, scientific buffoonery and collectivist tyranny make for a lethal cocktail. It would be wonderful if we could just sit on the sidelines and observe the circus but the future of America is in the hazard. Indeed, the collectivists have other plans for us.

"Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away."

~ Philip K. Dick

October 3, 2009

ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ

The Comming Collapse?

Greetings gentle readers. The old Spartan is back after a week's hiatus sans internet, electrical grid, community water, land line telephone and other electronic broadcast media other than a solar powered radio. In many respects the experience resembled the years spent sailing aboard Leonidas and living off grid in the mountains of northern Kalifornia but with some important differences.

The Great Flood of '09 in north Georgia was indeed an eye-opener even for those of us who had lived many years a more or less self sufficient lifestyle. The main differences between choosing such a lifestyle and having it forced upon us by emergent events are of course the elements of planning and preparation.

The global financial, political and economic events of the past year have awakened an interest in the unfolding of various scenarios and how they might impact our very survival. This is evidenced by the emergence of a plethora of web sites and blogs devoted to the "preparedness" mentality. For the most part the scenarios described follow what I would choose to categorize as the "Hollywood" mentality. The scripts for some of these scenarios occasionally involve the "bug out" option. That is, for one reason or another one decides to flee an area impacted by a disaster and seek refuge in another geographic location. There are valid reasons for choosing such a course when the chaos attending a serious breakdown of society impacts an urban environment.

I would submit that in most cases the decision to opt for the "bug out" choice should if possible be made and executed in advance of a SHTF situation for several reasons. Firstly, instead of visualizing world peace, picture being trapped in a miles long parking lot of frantic motorists continuously burning valuable/irreplaceable fuel while waiting to creep 25 feet before stopping again. The gridlock associated with such a situation is often the result of a roadway closure caused by either natural or man caused events.

I hesitate to extrapolate the situation obtaining here in north Georgia to other areas of the nation but have discovered to my chagrin that suburban sprawl here during the last few decades has resulted in the proliferation of residential developments/tracts containing only a single access road. This situation has resulted in a dangerous condition wherein very few detour routes are available and access for emergency/rescue crews are severely hampered. So much for the "urban planning" in vogue with progressive local permit issuing jurisdictions.

Your humble blogster recalls observing a gridlock event once while ashore in Venezuela. A motorcycle with two occupants proceeded between two lines of gridlocked motorists. The passenger on the motorcycle occupied himself by robbing the trapped motorists at gunpoint whereupon the dynamic duo would escape between the lines of hapless motorists. The Venezuelan government (this was prior to Chávez) addressed the situation by prohibiting all motorcycles with two MALE riders. Two females, OK. One male one female, OK. I doubt that such a robbery modus operandi would succeed in the U.S. (outside of Chicago, NYC or DC) as the chance of an armed motorist would raise the occupational hazards for such perpetrators.

But alas I digress. For those who opt for other than the "bug out" scenario, the debate continues to rage over the best strategy to adopt for a SHTF situation. I would suggest a perusal of the posting here for a check list of appropriate preparations.

In any event, due to the recent actions of our rulers there are those who posit that the SHTF situation is in fact the "rosy scenario". If (when?) the coming collapse results in a declaration of martial law, most bets will be off and may God have mercy on all of us who will be declared "terrorist enemies of the state".

ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ

cross posted at: Eternity Road

The Greatest Theft in History

During the last nine months 9 TRILLION dollars has been created out of thin air and disappeared into the labyrinthine maw of the Federal Reserve Bank of the United States. One would assume that the "owners" of this vast wealth (the taxpayers of the U.S.) would be entitled at the very least to know the identity of the beneficiaries and recipients of this largess. Such an assumption would be wrong! Dear reader, please take the five and one half minutes required to view the following video. By the way, the legislator posing the questions of the representative of the Federal Reserve is a Democrat, Alan Grayson. The most astonishing part of the video begins at 1 minute 25 seconds.

hat tip: Daily Bail

How's That "Nation Building" Working Out?

Regardless of what we hear concerning our "overwhelming" advantage in the availability of force and the technology associated with its application, it is obvious that the west in general and the U.S. specifically lack the moral will to prevail against a determined opponent who does not hobble himself with such inconveniences.

Our former commander in chief campaigned prior to his election on a platform which among other assurances pledged an avoidance of "nation building". As is so often the fate of campaign promises, it was less than a year until the policy of installing a "democratically elected" government in Kabul was being implemented to be followed shortly thereafter by a similar action in Iraq. This humble blogger will not here address the issue of needing to dissuade any external power by all reasonable means from attacking the vital interests of the United States. That concept appears to be a no brainer, but as always "the devil is in the details". For example, how should the issue of vast cultural and religious differences be addressed? What is the policy to be concerning the existence and definition of non combatants or so called "innocent civilians"? A case in point although anecdotal is illustrative of our point. It relates to the enormous cultural and religious chasm existing between our western Greco-Roman culture as opposed to the subject of a recent exercise in "nation building":

In Kabul, the [Afghan] capital, an American service member and an Afghan police officer got into an argument because the American was drinking water in front of the Afghan police, who are not eating or drinking during the day because of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, said the district chief, Abdul Baqi Zemari.

The police officer shot the American and seriously wounded him, while other American troops responded and seriously wounded the police officer, Zemari said.

Lt. Robert Carr, a U.S. military spokesman, confirmed an incident between Afghan police officers and a U.S. police mentoring team. He could not provide information on the conditions of the two men.

Dear reader, please remember we are viewing the interactions between our own (western) concept of appropriate behavior as opposed to that of a supposed "ally". This incident speaks volumns concerning the probable success of a "nation building" project in the current theatre of operations.

Under such circumstances many of us are at a loss as to how to proceed. In consulting history we learn that earlier civilizations have confronted similar situations. Several millenia ago the ancient Assyrians had an interesting policy in the treatment of conquered peoples. After a military victory the Assyrians made the usual demands of tribute in the form of treasure, slaves and foreign policy on the defeated people and withdrew without leaving an "occupying" garrison. So long as the defeated population complied with the Assyrian demands they were left alone. Contrary-wise, if the subject city after being left alone attempted to rearm and renew the conflict it was subjected to the full fury of the Assyrian military machine and completely obliterated. This policy in the long run resulted in minimal inconvenience to the Assyrians as word inevitably spread of the fate awaiting any rebelious cities.

A similar policy was adopted by the Mongol invaders of eastern and central Europe during the 12th century:

The term by which this subjection is commonly designated, the Mongol or Tatar yoke, suggests ideas of terrible oppression, but in reality these nomadic invaders from Mongolia were not such cruel, oppressive taskmasters as is generally supposed.[3] In the first place, they never settled in the country, and they had little direct dealing with the inhabitants. In accordance with the admonitions of Genghis to his children and grandchildren, they retained their pastoral mode of life, so that the subject races, agriculturists, and dwellers in towns, were not disturbed in their ordinary avocations.

Could it now be appropriate for the U.S. to consider a similar policy in lieu of attempting to "democratise" those powers whom we consider a threat to our vital interests? Is it really important what form a foreign government takes so long as our vital interests are not threatened? At present we seem to be pursuing a policy similar to that of Athens during the Peloponnesian War of BC 431-404. That was to impose democratic governments upon its imperial allies and conquered cities. That strategy did not work out so well for Athens which had its butt handed to it by the Spartan oligarchy and its allies.

The Arrogance of Power II

This posting consists of an exchange betweem ΛΕΟΝΙΔΑΣ and his congressional representative one David Scott (D district 13, Georgia). Mr Scott is the very same congressman seen in this video. He appears to be in "damage control" mode. The first section is the complete email I received in "response" to my concerns. Read it if you have the stomach, otherwise skip to my rejoinder:
Dear ΛΕΟΝΙΔΑΣ:



Thank you for contacting me regarding reform of America's health care system. I appreciate your thoughts on this issue.



At the beginning of his term in office, President Obama articulated eight reforms needed to improve the health care in America. These reforms were drafted by into legislation three committees in the House of Representatives: the Ways and Means Committee, the Education and Labor Committee, and the Energy and Commerce subcommittee on health. The proposed health care reform bill, titled H.R. 3200, the America's Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009, would reform the current health care system to improve health care quality, price, and services. The bill is currently being debated in committee and has not reached the House floor for a vote. While I am not a member of any of the committees with jurisdiction over health care, I would like to address some of the concerns raised about the bill.



Throughout my years in public service I have continued to support initiatives that seek to ensure quality health care programs and services for the constituents I serve and finding innovative and effective ways to ensure American's access to first-rate health care and insurance options is of utmost concern. I am in support of an agenda to raise the standard of health care in this country, while also ensuring fiscal responsibility. We are experiencing a shortage of qualified medical personnel, hospitals are underfunded and experiencing budget shortages that will have ramifications for years to come, and the uninsured are inundating our nation's emergency rooms as they have no other place to go for care.



As a member of the Blue Dog Coalition, I believe fundamental reform of our health care system is needed to control rising health care costs, increase quality and value, and improve access to coverage and care. However, comprehensive health care reform must be deficit-neutral and bend the cost curve in the long run. I also believe health care reform must preserve patient choice of provider and maintain competition within the marketplace. Progress has been and will continue to be difficult, but getting it right is more important than getting it done right away. Before the full House considers a bill, the Blue Dog Coalition will assess the scoring by the Congressional Budget Office and ensure it appropriately reflects the principles we have articulated. While it appears ongoing negotiations at the committee level have yielded a number of important concessions in the direction of our principles, many Blue Dogs remain concerned with various aspects of the bill draft. I remain committed to being a positive and productive influence in the process and improving the bill even further.



Reforming the current health care system is not without its controversies. Many constituents have voiced their satisfaction with their current health insurance plans and their concern that health care reforms would take away their health care choice. The cornerstone of health care reform is to improve the quality of health care not to force Americans off of their current insurance plan. If you like your health care plan, you keep your health care plan. However, if you are one of the 47 million Americans and the18 percent of people in Georgia who are uninsured, you will be able to find high quality, affordable coverage through either a public option or various health care "co-ops" throughout the country. The public option is only one choice of many in the new Health Insurance Exchange. No one - not the government nor an employer - can force an individual or family to enroll in the public option. Many constituents have inquired whether Members of Congress will participate in the public option plan. Again, the public option plan is only for Americans without any form of health insurance and not for Americans who currently have health care. The bill also explicitly limits eligibility for subsidies to individuals who are lawfully present in the US and denies coverage to illegal immigrants.



You should know that I supported the legislation that offered health savings accounts (HSA) because it was the largest effort in many years to address some of the shortcomings of those plans. Health care has become so expensive that many employers are forced to make their employees either contribute to their coverage, or worse, pay for it all. By combining a high deductible plan with a special account into which consumers can place pre-tax dollars, HSAs will help consumers realize savings. Furthermore, some experts believe that this new option will lure many new entrants into the insurance market who lack the means for traditional coverage, such as recent college graduates who have low-paying jobs and no longer qualify for coverage. That being said HSAs do not help to address the larger problem with providing access to affordable health care for the under and uninsured in this country.



Another concern regarding health care reform is the supposed "rationing" of care and end of life services for seniors. In a recent town hall meeting with members of the AARP, President Obama addressed these questions directly by stating that the reforms will make it easier for people to fill out a living will and learn about their choices for palliative and hospice care. This counseling will be an optional service. The living will is only used if the individual has become unable to give informed consent or refusal (i.e., "individual health care instruction") due to incapacity and allows the patient and their doctor to make their own long term health care decisions.



The insurance market reforms in H.R. 3200 will also lessen the rationing of care that happens today. Insurance companies will no longer be able to retroactively cancel an enrollees' insurance policy when they become sick (unless there is fraud) or refuse to cover important medical services; patients will no longer have to split pills in half because they can't afford their prescriptions; and no one will go bankrupt because they cannot afford their prescriptions, because of extraordinarily high out-of-pocket costs for health care.



As you know, abortion is one of the most controversial public policy issues facing me and other members of Congress. Reproductive choices are deeply personal in nature and should rest with the woman, her physician, and the family or friends she chooses to consult. However, recently many constituents have expressed their belief that abortions should not be covered under any federal health care plan. Beginning in 1976, federal law banned public funding of abortions except in cases of rape, incest or life endangerment for certain federal programs such as Medicaid. The TRICARE system, which covers active and retired members of the military and their families, pays for abortions only when the mother's life is in danger. Military hospitals are not permitted to perform abortions, even if they are privately paid for, except in cases of life endangerment or rape or incest. Similarly, the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program, which covers nine million federal workers and their dependents, is prohibited from paying for insurance coverage of abortions, with the same exceptions as those in the original 1976 law. Within the debate of health insurance reform, there has been a lot of misinformation about the federal plan and coverage of abortion procedures. Let me be clear: nothing within the legislation mandates abortion coverage.



Payment reforms are also addressed in H.R. 3200. All payment reforms in H.R .3200 carefully consider seniors' access to and quality of care. H.R. 3200 restores fiscal responsibility to payments to certain Medicare providers that are currently being overpaid relative to their costs. The payment reforms are based on recommendations from the President in his 2010 budget or from the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC). Some of the payment cuts to providers are reinvested back into the Medicare program, for instance to pay for closing the Part D donut hole or assistance for low-income Medicare.



As I stated before, these reforms are currently being debated in committee have not reached the House floor for a vote. We must continue to have a robust debate concerning the issue but let me clear that it is imperative that reforms be put in place in order for our country to curb the rising costs crippling families across the country. Inaction will only lead to high premiums with less coverage and will lead Americans further and further into medical debt.



Again, I thank you for sharing your views with me. I hope you will continue to give me the benefit of your opinion in the future. In addition, I encourage you to visit my web site at http://davidscott.house.gov, where you can view the latest news and obtain information on issues and legislation that is important to you. You can also sign up for my electronic newsletter, and receive periodic updates on my activities as your representative in Washington. Thank you again for contacting me, and I look forward to continuing to serve you.





Sincerely,

David Scott

Member of Congress
Dear ΛΕΟΝΙΔΑΣ:
Thank you for contacting me regarding reform of America's health care system. I appreciate your thoughts on this issue. 
 
           At the beginning of his term in office, President Obama articulated eight reforms needed to improve the health care in America. These reforms were drafted by into legislation three committees in the House of Representatives: the Ways and Means Committee, the Education and Labor Committee, and the Energy and Commerce subcommittee on health."

The sentence above is somewhat confusing but I understand and will address it. As you are aware my letter to you was in opposition to the reforms contained in HR 3200, America's Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009 whose title is vague and deceptive as nowhere in the bill is the term "affordable" defined nor is the manner in which medical care will be improved and reduced in price without the use of government compulsion. I furthermore understand that you have not as yet been afforded the opportunity to vote on the bill but nevertheless express support for it.  
"Throughout my years in public service I have continued to support initiatives that seek to ensure quality health care programs and services for the constituents I serve and finding innovative and effective ways to ensure American's access to first-rate health care and insurance options is of utmost concern." 
Your desire that Americans have continued access to "quality health care" is indeed admirable. In pursuit of this desire I would assume that you have consistently introduced legislation to end arbitrary regulations designed to dictate the coverage health insurance companies offer in order that Americans can exercise "choices". I would further assume that you have supported legislation to enable private insurance companies to offer policies across state lines in order to encourage "competition".  
"I am in support of an agenda to raise the standard of health care in this country, while also ensuring fiscal responsibility."
I share your wish for a higher standard of medical care here while engaging in "fiscal responsibility". Unfortunately, I have discovered to my chagrin that there is no such thing as a "free lunch". Lunches (and health care) are always paid for by "someone" and are never "free".
"We are experiencing a shortage of qualified medical personnel, hospitals are underfunded and experiencing budget shortages that will have ramifications for years to come, and the uninsured are inundating our nation's emergency rooms as they have no other place to go for care."
You are correct in your above observations. When government actions dictating in minute detail the terms of conducting business in any field including the prices for goods and services the result has historically been a shortage of the goods and services. When has it been otherwise?
 
 "As a member of the Blue Dog Coalition, I believe fundamental reform of our health care system is needed to control rising health care costs, increase quality and value, and improve access to coverage and care.  However, comprehensive health care reform must be deficit-neutral and bend the cost curve in the long run."
I would be pleased to learn of ANY instance where politically driven "bending of the cost curve" has resulted in any outcome other than rationing and increased scarcity.
  "I also believe health care reform must preserve patient choice of provider and maintain competition within the marketplace."
I agree wholeheartedly with you. A good start for such reform would be the removal of regulations prohibiting insurers from offering policies across state lines and adopting tort reform to reduce frivolous malpractice lawsuits. The introduction of the so called "public option" is in fact a means to eliminate competition. When one competing party need not make a profit and in fact is able to raise capital through its monopoly of the printing press and use of force, "competition" is driven from the market.
"I remain committed to being a positive and productive influence in the process and improving the bill even further.
 
Many constituents have voiced their satisfaction with their current health insurance plans and their concern that health care reforms would take away their health care choice."
I am indeed one of those "constituents". With the implementation of the "public option" our concerns are indeed valid.
Your 47 million "uninsured" figure has been shown to include 12 to 20 million illegal aliens as well as those who choose not to purchase medical insurance and those who are between jobs. In order to determine the advisability of tampering with the finest medical system on the planet, a determination of the true number of those who desire insurance and are unable to obtain it should be made rather than proceeding to use governmental duress to adopt a one size fits all system as envisioned by HR 3200.
  "If you like your health care plan, you keep your health care plan." 
The above statement ignores the inevitable scenario that my medical insurer will be driven into bankruptcy by being unable to compete with a government which operates the money printing presses, raises capital through the IRS and writes the rules of the game.
"Many constituents have inquired whether Members of Congress will participate in the public option plan. Again, the public option plan is only for Americans without any form of health insurance and not for Americans who currently have health care."
Mr. Scott, you are intelligent enough to understand the fatuousness of the above statement. The "gold plated" medical insurance plans enjoyed by those who wield political power in DC will of course continue as cost is not a consideration. Political operatives need not "negotiate" the terms but simply enact them as perquisites of office by legislative fiat. It would appear that this issue has struck a chord with a growing bloc of the voting public. As a corollary, (one would hope) the distinct possibility exists that members of the political establishment, in order to continue enjoying the perquisites of power will "bend their ideological agenda curves" in their own interest.
Of course this entire "debate" proceeds from the premise that the federal government is delegated the power to intervene in the matter of our health care. I can find no such delegation in my copy of the Constitution or its 27 Amendments. Indeed, this issue along with 95% of the contents of the Federal Register relies on a tortured interpretation of the Commerce Clause (Article I section 8) which has in effect mooted the entire document and transferred issues of a legal nature to the political arena. 
I hope you will understand my decision to make this communication in the form of an open letter. You may also be assured I will continue to follow these issues and others before the Congress.
Sincerely
ΛΕΟΝΙΔΑΣ
Douglasville, GA

A Tale of Two "Vacations"

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times." So goes the quote from the opening paragraph of Charles Dickens' novel A Tale of Two Cities. Dickens was of course using an invidious comparison of the events obtaining In England versus those in France during the closing years of the 18th century. For your amusement, dear reader, this humble blogster hastens to illustrate the continued use of invidious comparisons. One such example has recently found expression in the "Newspaper of Record", The New york Times in covering the present vacation by the current resident at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.

The smile on his face, along with a cheerful wave, offered an unmistakable sign of relief that he was getting out of town not a moment too soon[...]The White House press secretary said, “I don’t think the American people begrudge a president taking some time with his family that’s well earned and well deserved.”

One should not begrudge the chief executive a deserved break from his strenuous efforts to socialize the US society during a depressed economy, the unemployment rate approaching double digits , the skyrocketing budget deficit/national debt and deteriorating conditions where our military is engaged. After all, he remains in continuous control of the levers of power wherever he may be located; be it at Martha's Vineyard or a $1million dinner date in New York with his wife.

Be that as it may, note the following portrayal of a similar "vacation" by his predecessor. The New York Times, July 9, 2001, reports on George W. Bush's first summer vacation as president:

On Friday, as new unemployment figures [4.5%] painted a newly troubling portrait of the American economy, Mr. Bush placed himself in the same scenes--golfing and fishing in a New England paradise--that once caused his father electoral grief.

Can't these people at the "Grey Lady" learn the definition of the words "petty partisanship"?

Forked Tongued Leftists

You wouldn't be aware of it by reading or listening to the so called mainstream media but there is a serious flap going on over reports recently in the Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet by one Donald Boström accusing the Israeli Defense Force of abducting Palestinian Arabs, killing them and harvesting their organs for sale. Boström's article appears to be excerpted from a book he researched and authored in 2003 using as his "sources" (those are scorn quotes) 5 Palestinian Arabs identified by first names only.

Needless to say, the Israeli government is outraged by such irresponsible "news" reporting and has demanded that the Swedish government distance itself from such a scurrilous assertion published in such a prominent "news" publication. The Swedish ambassador to Israel, Elisabet Borsiin Bonnier responded with a statement distancing her government from the offending article.

The next day, the Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt, (Ms Bonnier's boss) issued a statement that Bonnier's condemnation "did not represent the position of the Swedish government". Bildt later clarified his statement by writing that: "The government cannot involve itself in "correcting all the strange claims in the media". Bildt added on Saturday: "There are very few bodies like the Swedish parliament in which opinion against pre-conceived notions and anti-Semitism is so strong, and therefore I don’t want to relate to that specific article.” This is a spokesperson for a Swedish government which routinely closes down web sites which offend the sensibilities of Muslims and even goes so far as to prosecute and fine Swedes who cite statistical facts relating to illegal drug trafficking by Muslim criminals.

Aftonbladet itself on Saturday published a piece entitled: "Israel fighting against Swedish freedom of the press,” calling for public support.

Just so you, dear reader, may grasp the hypocrisy and anti semitism of the socialist controlled Swedish government, the book screed referenced above by Boström entitled "Inshallah" was funded by various bodies, including the Foreign Ministry of Sweden, Swedish labor unions, and organizations based in the Palestinian Authority-controlled areas.

hat tip: Berit aka Mrs. ΛΕΟΝΙΔΑΣ
cross posted at: Eternity Road

Another Cog in the Messiah's Gosplan?

The so called cash for clunkers boondoggle scheme comes to a merciful end as of 20:00 hrs. on Monday August 24 amid accolades to its success including the employment of hundreds of new and overtime compensated AFGE members government bureaucrats (2 months earlier than planned). Those touting its huge success may soon be implementing a new government sponsored "cash for hovels" program which will doubtless proceed along the following gosplan: If your mortgage is "under water", that is, the balance due is greater than the value of your home, the government will pay off your mortgage and subsidize a new and bigger loan if you burn down your present home hovel and purchase a brand new eco friendly one with government subsidized solar panels incorporated into the roof.

This plan makes perfect sense according to the operators of the existing printing presses US Treasury and will doubtless jump start the depressed home construction industry. Participants will be encouraged to incur additional debt at artificially depressed interest rates subsidized by the purchase of Treasury bonds by our Chinese "allies".

Only in the fevered minds of our current Marxist rulers does this make sense. The only conceivable glitch that this humble blogster can envision is the increasing likelihood that the Chinese will wise up and decline to underwrite the scheme. Other than that, it should be another huge success.

The Insatiable Leech!

Heaven Forefend!

Recently in a "news" (yes, those are sneer quotes) article in the Daily Mail, the gentleman in the above graphic was referred to as a "gunman" (scare quotes this time). Following the perverse logic of those indoctrinated by the state to fear inanimate objects, it would be reasonable to amputate the penises of all male attendees at an event featuring Lindsay Lohan. After all, the males have come fully equipped to commit rape.

The following is excerpted from an essay by Michael Gaddy. I encourage one and all to read the entire article here.

An American, exercising his inalienable right to keep and bear arms, recently became the focus of the state and the media in New Hampshire near where Obama was to appear. Chris Matthews and other members of the propaganda ministry were apoplectic. How dare anyone other than a government bottom feeder be allowed near the Messiah with a firearm? What would have happened had this man decided to exercise his First Amendment rights at the same time he was exercising his Second?

What did the state and the media fear most about this man with a gun? Was it the man, the gun, the spirit of the man, or perhaps it might have been his ethnicity? After all, according to the media, if he were there to object to the socialist plans of Obama that would reveal his latent racism. We all know, white people concerned about government taking over their health care want to shoot anyone who is only half white.

What a masterstroke it was for the state to get Boobus to admit the only rights he has are those subject to the "reasonable" restrictions of his masters. The precedent has been set and we have agreed; you must submit yourself before the god called government, pass their background checks, take their approved qualification course, submit the required monies and wait for your ID card certifying you have permission from the state to exercise at least one of your former inalienable rights!

If you, and/or a member of your family, are assaulted by a madman with a weapon while in a restaurant, on a school campus, in church, at the mall, in a bank, in the parking lot where you shop or work, in a carjacking or a mugging, or visiting Obama’s home town, you must remember, the only people allowed to defend their lives and those of their loved ones are those who have been sanctioned by the state to do so. That is freedom in America today, granted by the state, bought and paid for.

Through our inactions and apathy we have acknowledged the state to be the masters of our lives; perhaps we can apply for the privilege of having our own health care, the right not to be forcibly injected by some vaccine whose side effects are worse than the disease or the right not to be imprisoned in a FEMA camp. Remember, we traded our rights for security. It is turning out to be one heck of a bad bargain.

Resistance, anyone?

ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ indeed!

cross posted at: Eternity Road

"Health Care" Lies

Gentle readers; let's see if this humble blogster understands the most recent analogy put forth by our dear leader as an argument supporting the pro side in the debate over the pending federal health care proposals. He states that the government should offer a "competing" alternative to privately provided health insurance and cites the success of the private services of United Parcel Service and Federal Express who "compete with the U.S. Postal Service".

Had Dan Quayle uttered such an outrageous analogy he would have been justifiably excoriated in the media as an intellectually retarded idiot. Our dear leader is however given a pass for having insulted our intelligence apparently due to his messianic status.

Any high school sophomore able to earn a passing grade in a civics class should be aware that ALL private entities are prohibited by law from delivering first class mail. Couple this monopoly granted to the USPS with the abysmal quality of customer service (rivaled only by the local Dept. of Motor Vehicles) with the continued failing management of that government enterprise and it calls to mind the old aphorism describing the third world effort to develop a ballistic missile. The missile is named the Bureaucrat: "It won't work and it can't be fired".

The only examples of monopolies being able to effectively suppress competition involve the use of the government wielding its monopoly on the use of force. And these twits insist that we cede additional power to their collectivist wet dreams.

ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ

The Arrogance of Power

The video below was taped at the city hall of your humble blogster's resident burg. The typical arrogance of his very own congresscritter is on display in all its glory.

An Obamamobile Before and After

Before
After

We must assume that the ambulance crew is awaiting the arrival of the rescue squad with the "jaws of life" in order to remove the hapless motorist in order that the "Smart Car" can be towed to the local Hummer dealership to be exchanged in the "cash for clunkers" boondoggle.
Thanks to John Ray from whose blog the graphic was shamelessly stolen.

Connect the Dots

Are any of you, gentle readers, puzzled by recent economic hype as is this humble blogster? The talking heads seem to filling the prime time airways with references to "green shoots" and indications that "the corner of the recession has been turned" and the "worst is over". All of this is in spite of the data which records the continued downward spiral of the world's financial/economic indicators.

Here in the US the (official) job loss for July was 247,000 and it is touted as "good news" (imagine the retching and kvetching if a Republican were in residence at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave). Additionally, note the recent run-up of nearly 3,000 points in the Dow Jones index since the lows of January. Very impressive no? Jim Rogers, CEO of Rogers Holdings Investment Group hints that the Dow could reach 1 million due to the recent and proposed bailouts and "stimuli" by the Federal Reserve and US Treasury (read taxpayer).

Something is inherently and structurally wrong with a financial system in which nothing is being produced, 600,000 jobs are lost monthly, and yet, the stock market goes up. Why is the stock market going up?

The Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP), which provided $700 billion in bank bailouts, started under Bush and expanded under Obama, entails that the US Treasury purchases $700 billion worth of “troubled assets” from banks, and in turn, “that banks cannot be asked to account for their use of taxpayer money.”[33]

So if banks don’t have to account for where the money goes, where did it go? They claim it went back into lending. However, bank lending continues to go down.[34] Stock market speculation is the likely answer. Why else would stocks go up, lending continue downwards, and the bailout money be unaccounted for?

Also for your further consideration is the status of the two major social "safety nets" in place here in the US. In case you weren't paying attention, the Medicare Hospital program (you know, the one that the politicians assured us was to remain solvent for a score more years) went broke LAST YEAR.

When the unfunded and off budget liabilities of Medicare and Social Security are added together, the sum as of NOW is in the neighborhood of $83 trillion.


For those of you government school dropout/graduates, that is a dollar sign followed by the numeral 83 and a pageful of zeroes.

The bill for the cost of turning over control of the monetary, financial and economic systems to political hacks since about 1912 is about to come due.

Pleasant dreams.

cross posted at: Eternity Road

Caption this Photograph

The above photograph of a two deck billboard was taken on 31 July 2009 by your humble blogster. It has been in evidence for several months on a busy thoroughfare not far from the residence. It simply begs for a caption. Any ideas?

Worth a Thousand Words! Updated

This is one of the images which was posted on the White House blog of the photo op event following the "racial profiling" arrest in Cambridge, Mass. As Thomas Lifson writes, it is incredible that the White House staff would publish it.

Sergeant Crowley, the sole class act in this trio, helps the handicapped Professor Gates down the stairs, while Barack Obama, heedless of the infirmities of his friend and fellow victim of self-defined racial profiling, strides ahead on his own. So who is compassionate? And who is so self-involved and arrogant that he is oblivious?

Enough said.

Update:
The graphic below shows the contrast between the "messiah" currently residing in the White House and the former occupant referred to as "chimpy McHalliburton Bushitler" and how political opponents were treated.

More Nonsense from the Messiah

"Dignity is worth more than any visa"

July 29 - On Tuesday, the State department announced that the Obama administration has revoked the diplomatic visas of 4 Honduran officials.

The reason, according to spokesman Ian Kelly, is that "we do not recognize the government of Roberto Micheletti."

This shows the stupidity of US foreign policy under this administration.

They do not recognize the government that is in charge, and has the support of the armed forces, the Congress, the Supreme Court, the majority of the Honduran people and even the Catholic Church, which normally remains neutral.

They recognize the non-government of a Chávez's puppet, who was trying to put in place an anti-American dictatorship like the ones in Venezuela and Nicaragua, and who has made a clown of himself by saying for four weeks that he is going back to Honduras, but still hasn't.

While the Obama administration keeps making concessions to the brutal regime in Cuba, they are trying to act tough against a weak country whose only crime is that their people refuse to lose their freedom.

Ramón Custodio, National Commissioner for Human Rights and one of those whose visa was revoked, told a Honduran newspaper that "Dignity is worth more than any visa."

"If for what I have to say they cancel my visa, if for what I have to say they do not invite me again to any of their parties, they can keep their caviars and rotten hams," Custodio told El Heraldo.

Custodio also told the paper that he will refuse any invitation to any embassy affair, if he would be forced to listen to mandates that no other country has the right to impose to the Honduran people.

"I will continue to defend the Constitution of Honduras and will oppose any attempt to deliver Honduras to Hugo Chávez."

After that, all I have to say is: Amen. Thank God for people like Ramón Custodio!

reposted from "The Real Cuba"

A Moral Issue?

On the basis of verifiable facts the Warmista religion is undeniably immoral.

Memories

Heretofore in his blogging career your humble blogster has hesitated to relate "war stories" of the experiences he lived during his years as a cop on the streets of Los Angeles and environs. Recent events in the news have however dredged up memories of events which have remained dormant but never far below the surface of consciousness. I am referring in this instance to the recent confrontation between a white police officer in Cambridge, Massachusetts and black Professor Henry L. Gates of Harvard University's W.E.B. Du Bois Institute for African and African American Research.

The circumstances as they relate to race relations and described in the above linked article have conjured up memories of an incident (I can assure you, there were others) which occurred some years ago in the Vermont district of south central Los Angeles.

A business establishment on south Vermont ave. which I shall call the "Road Runners club" had been the scene of many "disturbance" calls to the Lennox Sheriff's station. The calls generally resulted from brawls involving two or more combatants and the use of various weapons ranging from fists, knives and razors to the occasional firearm.

In this particular instance an ambulance as well as law enforcement personnel was dispatched to the scene indicating the possibility of more than the usual violence. My partner and I arrived and entered the establishment amid considerable confusion and witnesses directed our attention to a black gentleman seated in a chair holding his hand over a wound to his upper abdomen which was bleeding profusely. He was conscious and stated that "Jerome cut and stabbed me" pointing to a young black man standing near the end of the bar. At about this time the ambulance crew arrived and began treating the "victim". As I approached "Jerome" he turned around and ducked into the mens restroom and my partner and I followed and confronted him noting that a large switchblade knife was lying on the floor next to the door to the men's room. Not surprisingly, "Jerome" was taken into custody and escorted to our radio car which was parked at the curb in front of the establishment.

Although the time was now approximately 12:35 AM a crowd had collected on the sidewalk consisting of a dozen or more members of the local citizenry. Upon viewing the assembled humanity, our suspect "Jerome" began shouting repeatedly: "You honky pigs is only bustin' me cause I is black." This refrain continued unabated during the ride to the station and through the booking procedure.

As the station jailer escorted "Jerome" to a holding cell, my partner explained to him: "Yeah Jerome, we only arrested you 'cause there wasn't a single white dude there we could hassle."

The irony seemed to escape Jerome and he continued to call all and sundry a "bunch of honky motherf#@&%r pigs".

I never learned the outcome of the incident as I did not receive a subpoena to testify in court. In any event, discussion of the incident did not come up during a presidential press conference and the President did not call me to attend a meeting at the White House with himself and "Jerome". Come to think of it, "Jerome" was not even a Harvard professor.

Honduran Saga Updated

As the recent "festivities" in Honduras continue to unfold more dots continue to reveal themselves for connection. Sr. Zelaya was arrested on the orders of the Honduran Supreme court for violating that hapless nations constitution by attempting to circumvent the term limit provision. The Venezuelan dictator Hugo Chávez had helpfully supplied the "balloting" equipment for the election which Zelaya had planned for last June 29th. The news items describing the "balloting" equipment neglect to mention the nature of the items whether they be paper ballots or electronic voting machines manufactured by the Venezuelan firm SmartMatic . Strangely enough, the "results" of the election which was not held have turned up on 45 computers controlled by Zelaya and his followers.

While much of the world has lined up with Manuel Zelaya, the ousted president of Honduras, time and truth do not seem to be his cause's friend. The latest shoe to drop is a shocking Catalan newspaper report stating that Honduran authorities have discovered 45 computers containing election results for an election that never took place.

All this comes after revelations that Zelaya and his staff are probably guilty of theft from the Honduran central bank

A security video from the Central Bank of Honduras made available to The Washington Times shows officials entering the bank June 24 and withdrawing large amounts of Honduran currency. The money was driven to the office of Mr. Zelaya's chief of staff, Enrique Flores Lanza, according to depositions by three witnesses to Honduran prosecutors.

Meanwhile, the most vocal protesters against the ouster of the far leftist Honduran president continue to be the Castro brothers of Cuba, Daniel Ortega of Nicaragua, Hugo Chávez of Venezuela and our very own messiah who currently resides in the White House. These gentlemen are what one would characterize as committed adherents to the Marxist philosophy. Coincidence? Doubtful.

cross posted at: Eternity Road

When is a "Fine" a Tax?

During the Watergate era the phrase "follow the money" gained widespread exposure. The efficacy of the advice however, has always and continues to apply. What is most amusing in the following incident is the blatant assumption by our rulers that we are tricked by their prevarications. Oh well, most of us are products of the government indoctrination centers skools.

As of 1 July of this year Florida statutes provide for a $100.00+- "fine" for all motor vehicle passengers who fail to utilize seat belts. While few will argue with the advisability of wearing seat belts while traveling in a motor vehicle the various seat belt laws are difficult to justify on the basis that violators of such laws are a hazard to highway safety. That has however not precluded a corollary to the effect that tinted windows on vehicles which do not reduce the ability of a vehicle's occupants to see outward should be prohibited . "'We can’t tell if they’re wearing their seatbelts,' said one cop... So tinted windows, which are pervasive in Florida, are seen as a major obstruction to revenue collection highway safety."

In the immortal words of Robert Heinlein: "Taxes are not levied for the benefit of the taxed."

The Descent

The arbitrary date most historical texts designate as the de facto end of the Roman Empire in the west is September 4, 476 AD. On that date a German chieftain, Odoacer ascended to the Imperial throne in Ravenna deposing the reigning Roman Emperor Romulus Augustus. The date is a convenient but arbitrary construct in that Roman bureaucratic administration continued for many decades after Romulus had retired to a comfortable life in Campania with an annual pension of 6,000 silidi. . Heretofore all Roman emperors, be they usurpers or members of dynastic families, had been undisputed citizens of the Empire.

Not a few students of history continue to draw parallels between the Roman Empire and the global role that has devolved to the United States during the last several score of years. One can be forgiven for perceiving an eerie resemblance between events occurring on that date in the 5th century and those of January 20, 2009 for the simple reason that the recently elected US president continues refusing to offer conclusive and credible documentary evidence that he is constitutionally eligible to serve in his present capacity.

In his recent book, The Ruin of the Roman Empire (which your humble blogster is just completing) James J. O'Donnell posits that in point of fact, the true author of the so called "Dark Ages" of western civilization is the Eastern Roman Emperor Justinian who sent his general Belasarius to "re-conquer" the western provinces from the romanized "barbarians" we know as Goths, Ostrogoths and Vandals.


In any event, the administration of government here in the US will doubtless continue for the immediate future, but as the old cliche goes: "Nothing is Forever" and you dear reader are free to evaluate the prognostications of both doomsayers and Pollyannas.

In the meantime keep your powder dry and:

ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ

cross posted at: Eternity Road

A "Man of the People"

The deeds of Honduras' president in exile Mel Zelaya give new meaning to the quote from the George Orwell classic "Animal Farm": "All Animals are Equal. Pigs are however more Equal".

On Sunday 28 June Zelaya was flown from Honduras to San Jose in neighboring Costa Rica. It was only a matter of hours until the usual Leftist suspects in the hemisphere including Hugo Chávez, the Castro brothers, Daniel Ortega and our very own marxist messiah denounced the Honduran government for the supposed "coup".

In less than the first 5 days of his exile the "Man of the People" managed to run up charges on his government credit cards to the tune of USD $80,000.00+. Those silk suits used for strutting before the UN General Assembly apparently don't come cheap. Understandably the Honduran government canceled his credit cards in addition to the lease of 50 luxury cars and other perks.

The chancellor of Honduras confirmed that Mel Zelaya ordered the withdrawal of 40 million lempiras [USD $2.8 million] from the Central Bank of Honduras.

When the investigations were made at the presidential house, black garbage bags filled with thousands and thousands of dollars were found, as well as in almost every drawer.

Investigations documented over 600 million lempiras [USD $31.2 million] worth of expenditures that Zelaya had spent on his quest to hold the “opinion poll” to allow the fourth vote [to remain in office beyond the constitutional term limit].

It appears that the lawfully elected government of Honduras has been expelled from the Organization of American States while Cuba has been invited to join.

More here

h/t Daniel Duquenal

Thank You Greenies!

As if the economic situation in the country and especially California is not bad enough, just the other day Contra Costa County Superior Court Judge Barbara Zuniga ordered work to be stopped on the upgrading of the Chevron Martinez refinery a short distance north of Berkeley.

To achieve the upgrade of the 107 year old refinery Chevron obtained a permit from the city of Richmond and hired over 1,000 workers late last year. Those workers will be idled by the court order but interestingly enough an attorney for the luddite environmentalist groups "Earthjustice" and "Communities for a Better Environment" Will Rostov, argues that they should be retained on the payroll. This lends new meaning to the old soviet workers truism: "They pretend to pay us and we pretend to work."

It would be interesting to learn if the Greek goddess of retributive justice, Νέμεσις (Nemesis) will intervene in the state of California and assure that judges such as Ms Zuniga and attorneys such as Mr. Rostow are compensated by IOUs soon to be issued from Sacramento in lieu of legal tender.

h/t: Thomas Lifson