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Ramón Custodio, National Commissioner for Human Rights and one of those whose visa was revoked, told a Honduran newspaper that "Dignity is worth more than any visa."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

The "Fair Tax" coming soon?

For each of the last six years a bill has been introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by Congressman John Linder (R-Georgia) which would eliminate the Federal income tax and replace it with a sales-like tax on all commercial transactions in the US. The bill (HR 25) which currently has 55 co-sponsors has been referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means.

A book touting the bill has been co-authored by Congressman Linder and Neal Boortz, a libertarian talk radio host based in Atlanta. In the interest of full disclosure: your humble blogster has not read the book but believes he has a decent understanding of the legislative intent of the author.

The bill as introduced would abolish the current income tax, capital gains and estate taxes, eliminate the IRS and tax the sale of all goods and services at the rate of 23%. The proponents of the idea allege that the Fair tax is revenue neutral and would fund "current government expenditures at their present level". Provisions are included in the bill to re-emburse households for "basic living expenses".

The good news thus far? The present Byzantine tax code disappears as well as the gestapo-like Internal Revenue service. Also down the tubes is the ability of politicians to utilize the tax code for social engineering and to buy votes from various and sundry special interest groups. Labor and savings are not taxed and only consumption falls under the purview of the avaricious government. What's not to like?

Here are just a few of the possible down sides. Enactment of the legislation as written implies radical changes to, or outright repeal of the 16th Amendment. This requires the usual super majorities in Congress as well as ratification by the legislatures of three quarters of the states. No mean task in view of the politicians' addiction to the wielding of the taxing power at both the federal and state levels. The creation of fiat (paper and electronic) money by the politically manipulated Federal Reserve Bank as well as ongoing budgetary deficits will continue to exert inflationary pressures resulting in the temptation of Congress to raise the initial 23% rate higher.

The greatest danger your humble blogster sees in the movement of this legislation through the enactment process is the power of both houses of the Federal legislature to attach amendments. Heretofore the proposal has garnered little support from members of Congress from either party for obvious reasons. That situation is likely to change very soon for the following reason.

If the provision for repeal of the 16th Amendment is stripped from the bill the distinct possibility exists that the final version could be the enactment of the so called "Fair Tax" in addition to retention of the income tax. This euro-like monstrosity would be the "wet dream" of our current crop of collectivist politicians. We would for all intents and purposes be saddled with the European system of a progressive income tax in addition to an extremely regressive value added tax.

As Ms Duckwell says: "Be afraid. Be very afraid."

cross posted at: Eternity Road

Birds of a Feather...

Graphic courtesy of: The Real Nicaragua.com

On 22 January of 1980 your humble blogster experienced the doubious honor of viewing what passed for a Nicaraguan (Sandinista) jail from the inside. The account of that saga can be read here. At the time, Daniel Ortega was "president?" of that unhappy nation. Since then, Nicaragua has experienced its ups and downs with recent emphasis on the downs by having returned the Marxist child rapist Ortega to the presidency.

One day in 1998, Zoilamerica, [Ortega's stepdaughter] a militant Sandinista, walked into one of the counselling centres she had established to challenge the cult of machismo and abuse of women and told her friend, psychiatrist Marta Cabrera, 'I want to talk.' The story she told was that since she was 11, Ortega had fondled, abused and finally raped her.

With the recent events in neighboring Honduras seizing the attention of the media, one can not be blamed for wondering what on earth is going on. A simple explanation by way of analogy is probably appropriate:

Let us suppose that in June of 2008 with the November election upcoming and George W. Bush due to be term limited out of the White House he decides to stage a special election to decide if he should be allowed to be a candidate in the November election. Houston, we have a problem. There's a little matter of the 22nd Amendment to the US Constitution which clearly states that "chimpy bushitler mc halliburton" cannot be a candidate in said election. Not to worry. Since various administrations routinly ignore the Constitution, Bush proceeds to stage the special election (which he probably intends to rig anyway) but the supreme court declares the special election to be illegal and orders the military to prevent it by any means; which it proceeds to do.

That is the simplest analogous description of what has transpired in Honduras. However, Honduras being a smallish republic of about 7.5 million souls, outside powers feel free to intervene, and local governments led by those of the Marxist persuasion are lining up to flex their international muscles by restoring their soul mate Mr Zelaya to the presidential palace in Tegucigalpa (this aparently includes the Obamessiah).

The Messiah's international hands off policies only appear to apply to entrenched despots and not to democratic governments attempting to apply the rule of Law.

When in the Course of Human Events...

It seems like only yesterday we were treated by the leftists to the refrain that "dissent is the highest form of patriotism". Actually that was during the administration of "chimpy bushitler mc halliburton" which concluded a mere 5+ months ago.
Now that the political left is in the catbird seat it seems that the refrain has gone down the memory hole along with the hoola hoop and the Studebaker. The current terms used to characterize the left's political opponents are: "terrorists, right wing extremists and those guilty of "treason" (against the planet?).

In the following question posed to Speaker Karen Bass (D LA) of the California Assembly she stated:

Q. How do you think conservative talk radio has affected the Legislature's work?

A. The Republicans were essentially threatened and terrorized against voting for revenue [tax increases]. Now [some] are facing recalls. They operate under a terrorist threat: "You vote for revenue [tax increases] and your career is over." I don't know why we allow that kind of terrorism to exist. I guess it's about free speech, but it's extremely unfair.

Free speech exercised by opponents objecting to collectivist agenda items is ALWAYS "unfair".

Recent characterizations of conservative and libertarian protesters of far left policy positions as "right wing and potential low level terrorists " continue almost unremarked except in the alternative media (internet and talk radio) which are in turn attacked as "terrorist")

In just the last few days the scam of the erstwhile religion of the global warmistas was used as a cover for the passage in the US House of Representatives of the most draconian tax and power legislation in recorded history. The occasion of the debate on this outrage elicited the assertion of one leftist "economist" on the payroll of the New York Times (Paul Krugman) that opponents of this abomination "are guilty of treason against the earth"
Could the time be approaching when it is appropriate to take down the musket above the mantle in order that it should be cleaned and oiled?

ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ

Politically Driven Socioeconomic Suicide

While the wall to wall 24-7 Michael Jackson death freak show has occupied the attention of the MSM circus attendees, truly catastrophic events have transpired. On Friday June 26th by a vote of 218 to 212 the US House of Representatives passed Waxman-Markey, the largest tax bill in the history of organized crime government.

We are duped into believing that we, or the planet, will benefit by the micro-regulation and macro-taxation of our behaviors. Prostituted scientists and "climatologists" in black robes had christened natural, life-sustaining carbon dioxide a "poisonous pollutant." The over-reaching Environmental Protection Agency teamed with the pathetic Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change to steamroller legislation before their gig was up. (Way too many inquiring minds had been exposing the AGW urgency, as presented, to be fraud. The Australian Senate is rejecting its own version of Cap-and-Trade. The EPA has been caught red-handed censoring a global-warming study that was inconvenient. New EU Parliament Group includes climate skeptics. The Polish Academy of Science is challenging man-made global warming. The earth’s temperatures have flat-lined since 2001, despite growing concentrations of CO2. Green jobs are found to be a cost not a benefit to our national economy.)

Only in a society dumbed down for two plus generations by forced immersion in the government indoctrination centers skools could the nonsense that a colorless odorless gas (CO2) necessary for sustaining life itself be accepted as a poisonous pollutant needing to be taxed and regulated using political duress by a substantial portion of the population.

"As California Goes, So Goes the Nation"?

Graphic shamelessly stolen from GatewayPundit
In spite of the "green shoots" referred to by Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, our government politicians appear determined to nip any signs of economic recovery in the bud.

Americans currently import 30 percent of their energy – a luxury they can no longer afford. This 30 percent is not made in America because the gradual increase of government taxation, regulation and sponsorship of litigation against American energy industries over the past 40 years has created a business environment in the United States that is very unfavorable for the production of energy.
So, even though the United States is awash in plentiful nuclear resources and coal, oil, natural gas and other hydrocarbon resources, most new energy production is instead sited abroad.
Now, Congress and the Obama administration are pushing a new "energy bill" including so-called "cap-and-trade" that will sharply increase taxation and regulation of the energy industries. To sell this greatly increased suppression of free enterprise, Washington politicians are advertising boutique energy technologies like solar and wind, without mentioning that these methods produce very small amounts of energy at very high costs. These costs are so high that they not only require enormous taxpayer subsidies, but also cannot be financed in sufficient quantity to avoid energy shortages, high energy prices and, ultimately, rationing and diminished prosperity.

Nowhere is this insanity more apparent than in California.

[California governor] Schwarzenegger: ("Our wallet is empty.
Our bank is closed. And our credit is dried up.”) is proposing laying off 5,000 state employees, as well as slashing education and social welfare programs. But the University of California Los Angeles "Anderson Forecast projects that Schwarzenegger’s budget cuts will eventually result in 64,000 job cuts from state government plus countless private-sector and local government jobs."

No word as yet as to whether the California sea otter research and gang member tattoo removal programs are to be effected by the state's "draconian cuts". Also apparently off the table are the multi billion dollar oil and gas leases of state controlled offshore and onshore reserves.

One wonders when the California politicians will be begging Washington for the temporary loan of its printing presses to engage in their own "quantitative easing".

Justice Obama Style

Most of us have heard the old cliche: "bad money drives good money out of circulation".

Our present imperial federal government has stood this truism on its ear by arresting several individuals for; in effect, producing inflation proof gold and silver medallions which were intended as bartering material for private individuals to hedge against the inflation caused by past and recent "quantitative easing" i.e "printing money". In a press release concerning the arrests, acting U.S. Attorney Edward Ryan of the Western District of North Carolina stated:
“When groups seek to undermine the U.S. currency system, the government is compelled to act.”

In view of the U.S. dollar having lost over 95% of its value since the inception of the Federal Reserve in 1914, does the term "fox guarding the hen house" come to mind? Additionally, the money supply has been increased out of thin air by 100% during just the last 8 months.

In addition to the Zimbabwe-like monetary policies of recent administrations there has been a concomitant descent into lawlessness by our rulers on the Potomac as evidenced by the Byzantine nature of the messiah's ukases concerning the domestic automotive industry:

On Monday, the Supreme Court refused to hear an appeal from Chrysler’s secured creditors based on the government’s argument that the needs of other stakeholders outweighed those of a few creditors. In this case, the Administration concluded the interests of the United Auto Workers outweighed the interests of the Indiana teachers and firemen whose pension fund sued to block the restructuring. Given the enormous financial support that the UAW poured into the Obama campaign, such partiality is hardly surprising.

When making their investment in Chrysler just a few months ago, the Indiana pension fund agreed to commit capital because of the specific assurances received from the company. In allowing this sham bankruptcy to be crammed through the courts, we [sic] have shredded the vital principal of the rule of law, and have become a nation of men, rather than one of laws.

It has become virtually impossible for citizens of the U.S. to rely on the heretofore sanctity of law, as the constitutional authorization for recent executive actions can now only be discovered through resort to tortured "penumbras and emanations" produced from the minds of politically appointed black-robed hacks soon to be joined by an affirmative action inspired "latina".

We need somebody who's got the heart, the empathy, to recognize what it's like to be a young teenage mom, the empathy to understand what it's like to be poor, or African-American, or gay, or disabled, or old -- and that's the criteria by which I'm going to select my judges.

May God have mercy on us all and:

ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ!

On to CAFE II...

...And GM (Government Motors)

Although your humble scribbler hesitates to admit it, he remembers as a callow lad the advertising slogan of Ford Motor Co for its 1949 model year: "There's a Ford in your Future". The product appeared to be successful, as Ford outsold its nearest competitor Chevrolet each year until 1956. Those were the halcyon days for the automotive industry in the free world while in the planned economies behind the "Iron Curtain" the Soviets were producing such socialist cars as the Lada, Gaz, Moskovitch, Uaz, Izh, Zaz, and for the upper echelons in the Party the Zil pictured here with its most famous fan.

As you can see the Zil line of cars were of considerable mass and were also a more or less copy of the US Packard. We are unable to determine the MPG rating of these cars as the Eastern bloc seems to have neglected to burden the government manufacturers with the equivalent of our EPA.

One of the "popular" cars built in the DDR (East Germany) at about the time Ford and Chevrolet were enjoying such success in the West was the Trabant P-601 pictured below belching considerable pollution to the apparent bemusement of the gentleman in the right of the photo. Is he perhaps a member of the communist equivalent of GreenPeace?


The following appears to be a poor quality translation from Russian of a blurb on the Trabant which exhibits the inspired styling and reliability of a vehicle designed and engineered by a third world DMV clerk.

The Trabant, since the end of the production, obtained an outstanding place in the automotive history. Several owners restores these old and cheap cars, enjoying the sound (and the smoke...) of the two-stroke engines! The Trabant is perfect, as relic of "industrial archeology" (like 2CV, Beetle, Mini and -to remain in the field of the eastern cars- the Yugo), to be painted, modified, tuned in a million of ways!

An idea of the size of these cars is evident by observing the driver and his passengers as well as the proud owner pictured below.


These images can give us a view into our own future as the Obamamobiles are turned loose on our roadways to deal with traffic consisting of many 18 wheel behemoths. Apropos such a scenario we must consider the following cost/benefit analysis:

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency – for the purposes of risk assessment – values a single human life at $6.9 million," Milloy wrote. "So under the new mileage standards, it would cost about $35 million per day in human lives (not including non-fatal injuries) to save $1 million in gas.

Most of our citizenry (even products of the current "progressive" education system) are aware of the failure of the collectivist governing/economic model as evidenced by the collapse of the Soviet union some 20 years ago. Perhaps they believe however, as a Communist former school chum of Mrs. ΛΕΟΝΙΔΑΣ states : "It would have succeeded had the right people been in charge." Lets have a show of hands of those who will bet that the "Messiah" and his Marxist friends can pull it off.

Meanwhile Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition (and the spam).

ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ!!

Lies, Damn Lies and Politicians

If there is a better example of the Byzantine lawlessness of our current and recent government as evidenced by the ongoing kerfuffel over the issue of torture, please dear reader point it out.

Under TITLE 18 PART I CHAPTER 47 § 1001 of the US Code enacted by Congress, it is a felony to in effect lie to any federal agent or official. This statute should not be confused with perjury which consists of lying under oath. Indeed, section (b) of the above statute specifically exempts lawyers while section (c) exempts legislators under most instances. Perhaps these provisions account for the known propensity of members of these two groups to engage in "deceptive" pronouncements and political prosecutions.
At recent press conferences the Speaker of the House of Representatives accused members of the CIA of felonies:

Mrs. Pelosi last week said the CIA lied to her in 2002 by concealing that it had already used enhanced interrogation techniques, and said the agency continues to lie today by mischaracterizing the briefing. She also said the CIA lied in the run-up to the Iraq war.

"They mislead us all the time," she said.

On the other hand, spokespersons (including Mr. Panetta) for the Central Intelligence Agency continue to insist that briefings to members of congress including Mrs. Pelosi on the subject at hand and others as well, contain no misleading statements nor has there existed any policy to mislead members of Congress.

Clearly, one or more of the parties to this flap are lying; yet the majority party in Congress continues to defeat any effort directed at resolving the issue by a formal investigation.

My, how the times have changed since the political railroading of Scooter Libby.

Full Circle?

In a previous life, your humble correspondent often passed idle hours for amusement at sea listening to Russian propaganda broadcast in English via Radio Kiev from the Soviet Republic of Ukraine. Amazing isn't it, how the world has changed. I will leave it to you, dear reader to guess the source of the following excerpted quotation dated 15 May 2009:

It must be said, that like the breaking of a great dam, the American decent [sic] into Marxism is happening with breath taking speed, against the back drop of a passive, hapless sheeple, excuse me dear reader, I meant people.

True, the situation has been well prepared on and off for the past century, especially the past twenty years. [...]Those lessons were taken and used to properly prepare the American populace for the surrender of their freedoms and souls, to the whims of their elites and betters.

First, the population was dumbed down through a politicized and substandard education system based on pop culture, rather then the classics. Americans know more about their favorite TV dramas then the drama in DC that directly affects their lives. They care more for their "right" to choke down a McDonalds burger or a BurgerKing burger than for their constitutional rights.

Source Read the entire article

A Word to Environmentalists

The “extremists” among you openly call for the death of 1 to 6.4 billion human beings. The “moderates” among you openly call for the forced reduction in carbon dioxide emissions of 90 percent within a few decades, which would serve to reduce energy use almost to the same extent. Such a severe reduction in energy use follows from the fact that there are no presently existing large-scale viable alternatives to fossil fuels other than atomic power, which is regarded by most members of your movement as a death ray and is opposed more vehemently than fossil fuels. Furthermore, the likelihood of ever finding and developing such alternatives will be greatly reduced by destroying the energy sources we do have and need to increase. So what your movement advocates is mass death or, at the very least, dreadful mass impoverishment whose outcome will be tens or hundreds of millions of unnecessary deaths and a life of misery for those who survive.

If your motivation in calling yourself an environmentalist is merely such things as that you like to see flowers bloom on open meadows, and love trees, whales, and polar bears, and the like, then you owe it to yourself to put as much intellectual and moral distance as possible between you and those who advocate mass impoverishment and mass death.

More here

Suspicion Confirmed II

In 1986 your humble correspondent happened to be aboard his sloop anchored in the harbor of Charlotte Amalie in the US Virgin Island of St Thomas when a Dutch submarine docked and the crew mustered on deck for shore leave. As a former member of the US Army I was appalled at the appearance of the crew which resembled nothing so much as the enkempt denizens on the streets of Nancy Pelosi's congressional district of Haight Ashbury in San Francisco. These sailors proceeded to disembark to enjoy shore liberty. I learned from a cruising colleague of Canadian citizenship and Dutch descent that the members of the Dutch military are all unionized (do they vote on whether to defend the Netherlands from attack?).
I therefore was able to put the following news item in perspective:

In the above photo taken Saturday, April 18, 2009, released by Dutch defense ministry on April 21, 2009, Dutch marines board a fishing boat in the Gulf of Aden and free two dozen Yemenis from the clutches of nine pirates. They seized and destroyed AK-47 assault rifles and a rocket launcher but then put the pirates back in their skiff and set them free. (AP Photo/ Defense Ministry Netherlands/) (AP / April 18, 2009)

Suspicion Confirmed?

The real (UNSPUN) story of the MESSIAH'S Decision Making on the hostage US skipper.

Subject: AH, now it comes out
Having spoken to some SEAL pals here in Virginia Beach yesterday and asking why this thing dragged out for 4 days, I got the following:

1. BHO wouldn't authorize the DEVGRU/NSWC SEAL teams to the scene for 36 hours going against OSC (on scene commander) recommendation.
2. Once they arrived, BHO imposed restrictions on their ROE that they couldn't do anything unless the hostage's life was in "imminent" danger
3. The first time the hostage jumped, the SEALS had the raggies all sighted in, but could not fire due to ROE restriction
4. When the navy RIB came under fire as it approached with supplies, no fire was returned due to ROE restrictions. As the raggies were shooting at the RIB, they were exposed and the SEALS had them all dialed in.
5. BHO specifically denied two rescue plans developed by the Bainbridge CPN and SEAL teams
6. Bainbridge CPN and SEAL team CDR finally decide they have the OpArea and OSC authority to solely determine risk to hostage. 4 hours later, 3 dead raggies
7. BHO immediately claims credit for his "daring and decisive" behaviour. As usual with him, it's BS.

So per our last email thread, I'm downgrading Oohbaby's performace to D-. Only reason it's not an F is that the hostage survived.

Read the following accurate account.

Philips’ first leap into the warm, dark water of the Indian Ocean hadn’t worked out as well. With the
Bainbridge in range and a rescue by his country’s Navy possible, Philips threw himself off of his
lifeboat prison, enabling Navy shooters onboard the destroyer a clear shot at his captors — and none
was taken.

The guidance from National Command Authority — the president of the United States,
Barack Obama — had been clear: a peaceful solution was the only acceptable outcome to this standoff
unless the hostage’s life was in clear, extreme danger.

The next day, a small Navy boat approaching the floating raft was fired on by the Somali pirates — and
again no fire was returned and no pirates killed. This was again due to the cautious stance assumed by
Navy personnel thanks to the combination of a lack of clear guidance from Washington and a mandate
from the commander in chief’s staff not to act until Obama, a man with no background of dealing with
such issues and no track record of decisiveness, decided that any outcome other than a “peaceful
solution” would be acceptable.

After taking fire from the Somali kidnappers again Saturday night, the onscenecommander decided
he’d had enough.

Keeping his authority to act in the case of a clear and present danger to the hostage’s
life and having heard nothing from Washington since yet another request to mount a rescue operation
had been denied the day before, the Navy officer — unnamed in all media reports to date — decided
the AK47 one captor had leveled at Philips’ back was a threat to the hostage’s life and ordered the
NSWC team to take their shots.

Three rounds downrange later, all three brigands became enemy KIA and Philips was safe.

There is upside, downside, and spinside to the series of events over the last week that culminated in
yesterday’s dramatic rescue of an American hostage.

Almost immediately following word of the rescue, the Obama administration and its supporters claimed
victory against pirates in the Indian Ocean and [1] declared that the dramatic end to the standoff put
paid to questions of the inexperienced president’s toughness and decisiveness.

Despite the Obama administration’s (and its sycophants’) attempt to spin yesterday’s success as a result
of bold, decisive leadership by the inexperienced president, the reality is nothing of the sort.
What should have been a standoff lasting only hours — as long as it took the USS Bainbridge and its
team of NSWC operators to steam to the location — became an embarrassing four day and counting
standoff between a ragtag handful of criminals with rifles and a U.S. Navy warship.

Source

Hat tip: John Ray

I'm From the (Somali) Government and am Here to Help

Several leftist/racist spokespersons and Al Sharpton (redundancy alert) have suggested that the Somali pirates should to be considered "voluntary coast guard" due to the practice of shipping companies "dumping toxic waste in Somali coastal waters " in the absence of a functioning central government in that "country". This assertion is posited in the absence of ANY empirical evidence for such preposterous allegations.

Interviews with actual pirates affirm that their motives are however strictly pecuniary. Also, when viewing the Canadian produced video linked above, bear in mind that due to ocean current patterns in the Indian Ocean, any piece of flotsam finding its way into the sea in any area west of Sumatra has a good chance of finding its way onto the beaches of East Africa including Puntland and Southern Somalia.

Such logic is however unlikely to intrude on the fantasy world of the latter day leftists and racists whose object is to condemn any and all activities associated with Western culture.

A (Modest?) Proposal

As is often the case, political considerations generally outweigh logic or reason in addressing what would ordinarily appear as simple and straightforward problems in the real world. As an example, the idea never occurs to our rulers when faced with criminal behavior to preclude the need for cost ineffective responses to criminal behavior by nipping the problem in the bud.

A case in point would be the recent resurgence of piracy in the Gulf of Aden and the Somali coast of the Indian Ocean. The coastal population of Somalia which at present has no effective government whose writ extends beyond the city limits of Mogadishu has discovered the lucre available to adventurous and enterprising gentlemen in small craft willing to invest in automatic small arms and readily available rocket propelled grenade launchers for the purpose of wreaking havoc on the unarmed merchant fleets of the world by seizing and holding for ransom peaceful merchant vessels and their crews.

The policy heretofore utilized by the shippers has been to pay the demanded ransoms to obtain the release of the vessels and personnel apparently ignoring the logic that any behavior which is rewarded will tend to increase exponentially. These decisions are also influenced by the political policies of various nations who prohibit the entrance of commercial vessels into their harbors vessels which have defensive weaponry on board. This situation is reenforced by insuring companies which will not insure vessels which sail with defensive armament.

As we have witnessed the increase in piracy recently due to the easy lucre engendered by the above mentioned policies, a re evaluation of such policies is obviously appropriate. Presently, elements of a dozen navies are engaged in the suppression of piracy in the western Indian ocean at considerable expense of treasure in a world economy suffering from the evaporation of over 50 trillion dollars of wealth over recent history.

Your humble writer is thus prepared to place before your consideration a proposal which he posits will address the problem in a cost effective and expeditious manner.

Every vessel entering the Gulf of Aden and the western Indian Ocean shall be equipped with the following: one 20mm chain gun with adequate ammunition on the highest point of the superstructure. This weapon to be serviced by one squad (9 persons) of trained private security personnel armed with appropriate small arms. The 9 man squad is adequate to provide 24-7 duty for the weapon system. All craft constituting a security threat to the vessel will be dealt with by the appropriate measures and no rescue operations will be initiated for surviving attackers.

You, dear readers are left with the necessary computation of the costs of these measures as opposed to the existing policy of deploying naval battle groups of a dozen nations and providing monetary rewards to these enterprising bandits.

ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ

As if by Magic

What a relief! We can all relax. No more anxiety over insolvent banks failing. It's all fixed now.

Friday, April third was the day that the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) announced the modification of its rules for assessing the value of assets held as collateral by financial institutions. Wall Street reacted to the good news by continuing its rally.

Here's the way it works: With the slump in real estate sales at inflated bubble prices, the sellers were forced to accept lower offers in order to move these "assets". In many cases the properties could not be sold for prices at or above the balances owed on them to the banks. The situation resulted in borrowers owing more on their mortgages than they could sell their homes for. As a result properties recently "valued" at $500,000.00 are now worth $300,000.00 and falling daily. Banks that had loaned $495,000.00+ on such properties were forced under the old rules (mark to market) to assign the true market value on their balance sheets causing them to be insolvent.

Under the new rules (issued two days subsequent to All Fools Day) the banks will be allowed to carry these mortgages on their balance sheets at their original (inflated) values and voilá, the problems are solved due to political pressure.

It is important to note that the Financial Accounting Standards Board made their rule modifications only after intense pressure had been applied by Washington and Wall Street....The banks and the government have argued that the assets should be valued based solely on current cash flow. Most mortgages, after all, are not delinquent. Therefore, a few bad apples should not spoil the whole cart, and those that are not yet delinquent should be valued at par. This method assumes we have no ability to look into the future and make assumptions about what is likely to happen, which is presumably what the market is already doing by valuing the assets lower than the banks wish.

Pay no attention to the fact that foreclosures are accelerating exponentially and the foreclosed properties are only being liquidated at "fire sale" prices with the slack being taken up with freshly printed and borrowed bailout money.

The Marxist Messiah and his Keynesian economic advisors continue to kick the day of reckoning down the road for our grandchildren to pay for while assuring us the we can borrow, print and spend our way out of this debt crisis by creating trillions of dollars out of thin air and borrowing the rest from the Chinese.

Welcome to Zimbabwe lite.

The above pictured banknote as of this posting is roughly equivalent to 10 grams of gold.

A Glimmer of Hope?

Just when one begins to despair that any semblance of sanity can be salvaged from the wreckage of western sociopolitical culture there emerges a voice which exhorts a return to reason and logic. Oddly enough, such a voice can be heard emitting from one of the unlikeliest of sources; the European Parliament. The following video appears to have gone viral, as well it should. The indictment delivered by Daniel Hannan against the British Prime Minister Gordon Brown is equally applicable concerning the two most recent occupants of the White House.



Hat tip: Larrey Anderson

cross posted at: Eternity Road

Ayn Rand Revisited

Occasionally one runs across a jewel of wisdom so precious that it seems to have been sequestered from exposure to mere mortals. The late Milton Friedman is a source of several such examples. My favorite pearl produced by the master is the following clip from an interview of him by Phil Donahue in 1979.

If there is truth to the ancient Chinese cliche that a picture is worth a thousand words then the series of frames presented below with the accompanying dialog is definitely worth several million.

It is so devastatingly effective in demolishing one of the most sacred shibboleths of modern leftism that it needs to be resurrected and considered in these times of the ascendancy of the Marxist messiah.



H/T Patrick Joubert Conlon

ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ!!

The following is a reposting from the web site of the College Republicans of Arizona State University of 03 February 2009. Your humble scribbler is categorizing it under "gun control" for reasons which should become obvious to his readers. The date of the incident, 19 April 1775 is important to ΛΕΟΝΙΔΑΣ as it is not only the anniversary of his birth but the opening shots of the American Revolution which was triggered by an effort of King George III to disarm his subjects in the American colonies.

In the early morning hours of April 19th, 1775, word spread like wildfire that the British Army had departed Boston, and was preparing to march on the city of Concord. A small contingent of average, run of the mill Americans chose to take a stand in Lexington, Massachusetts. With one shot, the course of American history was forever altered. That single ball of lead sparked a revolution, creating our great country, which has been a beacon of freedom and prosperity for over two centuries. However, why was this shot fired? The answer is simple: gun control.

The reason why the British military was ordered to Concord was to capture and destroy weapons, which they feared would be used to launch a revolution. Well, they were right. If it weren’t for the fact that the colonists owned and were proficient in the use of firearms, it is doubtful that the revolution would have taken place at all.

Our founding fathers, in their infinite wisdom, recognized this fact. With the adoption of our constitution, they knew that the concept of a federal government was new and untested. It was unknown whether our republic would blossom into the world’s first truly free society, or if we would end up with yet another oppressive government. For this reason, the bill of rights was amended into the constitution, to further clarify what the federal government can and cannot do.

In terms of personal liberty, it is widely recognized that the first amendment is by far the most important. It firmly establishes that Americans have the right to say what they think, print what they want, and practice whatever religion they wish to without fear of persecution. These are fundamental freedoms which every American cherishes. However, what Americans today seem to have forgotten, is that this document is just that, a document. It is an old piece of parchment. Words printed on a piece of paper are worthless if they are not heeded by the federal government. [or an informed citizenry] And, because the founding fathers recognized this fact, they chose to preserve the power of the average American through the second amendment, the right to keep and bear arms.

Our government was purposely created with a system of checks and balances. Congress has two separate houses, so that both must agree for a bill to be sent to the President. The President has the power to sign or veto bills, and the Supreme Court has the power to review laws to determine constitutionality. However, in the event that our elaborate system of checks and balances were to fail, we have one last check on the power of the government; private ownership of firearms. It was through the force of arms that we became free in the first place, and our founding fathers chose specifically to recognize this freedom, in the event that tyranny and oppression took hold in our government.

Now, I don’t mean to sound like I advocate the use of the second amendment in this way; that couldn’t be father from the truth. However, when we look at countries such as the Soviet Union, China and Nazi Germany, we can clearly see how gun control has historically been used to subdue populations before genocide takes place.

After all, when the Nazis first took power of Germany in 1933, the Jewish population was free. Slowly over time, Jewish freedoms were eroded away. It started with hostile propaganda, which was designed to turn the people of Germany against the Jews. After blaming the Jews for the current economic crisis, the Nazis passed laws requiring them to wear armbands to segregate them. After continued discrimination by both the government and the people of Germany, they were finally relocated to ghettos and from there sent to concentration camps such as Auschwitz and Dachau.

In this story though is one very significant act of resistance. In an event known as the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, the importance of the second amendment becomes clear. When the Nazi Regime wanted to transport the last of the Warsaw Ghetto Jews to Treblinka, a large number of Jews rose up in a rebellion which lasted from January 18th to May 16th, 1943.

During this rebellion, the Jews used any weapon they could find or improvise to halt the German advance. Despite the fact that they faced the might of the German Army with pistols and molotov cocktails, they were able to successfully hold out for five months. This even was the only large scale uprising launched by the Jews during the holocaust.

Now, imagine that Germany had the same gun culture as the Unite States during World War II. If every German Jew possessed a shotgun or handgun, I would imagine that the holocaust may have turned out different. Even if the SS had been successful in rounding up people for ethnic cleansing, the process for doing so would have been extremely costly.

The Second Amendment has also had a significant role in how foreign powers view us. When Admiral Yamamoto, the man who planned the Pearl Harbor attacks was asked about the feasibility of an invasion of the continental US, his reply was. “You cannot invade the mainland of the United States. There would be a rifle behind every blade of grass.”

Never before in history has a country been designed with such a failsafe system of government. Our constitution’s checks and balances, along with the Second Amendment, truly is an ingenious way of running a country.

Unfortunately, we have seen our rights erode slowly over time. At one point in our history, there was no gun control in any form whatsoever. In fact, the first significant form of national gun control was the National Firearms Act of 1934. This required national registration of machine guns and short barreled rifles and shotguns. It also imposed a $200 transfer tax when buying such a weapon.

Next came the Gun Control Act of 1968. Within this act, the government required the licensing of gun dealers, and made it illegal to send firearms in the mail unless it was from gun-dealer to gun-dealer. It also included a “sporting-purpose” clause to heavily regulate the importation of military-style firearms.

After that came the Firearm Owners Protection Act of 1986, which changed the law to allow people to mail order ammunition without a gun dealer. Unfortunately, they added an amendment at the last minute to make the manufacture of machine guns illegal.

Up until this point, no one really cared. However, with the Federal Assault Weapons Ban of 1994, gun owners finally opened their eyes to the impending erosion of the Second Amendment. In this act, many firearms in common use were banned by name. Most were banned based upon their “scary looks.” Luckily this act of gun control had an expiration date and was allowed to expire. Now that Barack Obama is preparing to take his place as our President, the media has already started its game of writing emotional articles about how AK47s are “flooding the streets.”

The next time liberal politicians propose to ban military-style firearms under the guise of increasing security, I would like to bear in mind a quote from Benjamin Franklin, “Those that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.” Is an idle promise of temporary security really worth the erosion of our second amendment rights? I guess that is up to the voters and the Supreme Court. However, I am willing to take that risk in order to preserve my right to defend myself and the freedoms I cherish.

ΛΕΟΝΙΔΑΣ must disagree with the second to last sentence of the quote. It is up to individual free citizens to determine the preservation of the natural right of self defense.

ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ

Never Let a Severe Crisis Go to Waste

Recently we have noted a surfeit of discussions of various scenarios involving self defense and "protection". It has also been observed that one of the consequences of the recent national plebiscite has been a boost in the sale of firearms and related paraphernalia whilst private enterprise along with the remainder of our liberties seem to be in free fall. To what extent however, is the private acquisition of the means of self defense merely an exercise in "talking the talk" rather than "walking the walk"?

This writer is of the opinion that the most important factor when considering taking individual responsibility for defending ones self, family and property is mindset; and for the last two generations government education has systematically attempted to quash the traditional view that self defense is a natural right. All the defensive armament available is useless unless one is prepared to utilize it in extremis.

The conventional wisdom permeating our society that it is the responsibility of the state through one of its agencies to protect us from violent criminal threats to life and limb could not be further from the reality. The truth of the concept can be read here and here that the government has no obligation to defend an individual from the threat to life or limb. Also to be considered is the fact that the greatest threat to liberty since 1865 has been the Federal Government itself. In spite of these facts :

...[T]he state and its myriad civilian supporters persist in the belief the individual in society should be disarmed, stating the police are there, should anyone need protection.

Today’s economic problems have revealed the true purpose of most law enforcement personnel in our country: revenue collection . Apprehending killers, rapists and robbers does not contribute to the coffers of law enforcement and their governing bodies; they are, in fact, costly to the agency involved. Unconstitutional law enforcement checkpoints, where a great majority of DUI citations, license, registration, and insurance violations are issued, are vital to the state in the collection of revenue. In today’s economic times, many departments have detailed officers from personal crime assignments to activities that are revenue producing. This takes the law enforcement emphasis away from protecting citizens. To the police, manning checkpoints or speed traps is much more important than answering a prowler call or a call concerning a restraining order’s enforcement.

During times of severe economic collapse and the concomitant likelihood of brigandage, it is logical to conceive of relying on individual self defense. On the other hand, what is the appropriate response to the scenario where agents of governmental authority are sent out to collect the means of self defense from the citizenry during times of emergency and martial law as was the case in New Orleans during the aftermath of hurricane Katrina? If, dear reader, you are prepared to dismiss such a possibility by citing articles and clauses in the Constitution and provisions of the Posse Comitatus Act of 1878 I suggest that you consider returning to the real world of the 21st century.

The issue of whether U.S. troops would be prepared to round-up, disarm and if necessary shoot Americans who disobeyed orders during a state of martial law is a question that military chiefs have been attempting to answer for at least 15 years.

There is, however at least one ray of hope, and you will not be made aware of it in the traditional media. If any of you dear readers are members of the military or law enforcement, I urge you to become acquainted with the web site of the Oath Keepers who present a list of "orders" which they will not obey.

Officers in the service of the United States are bound by the following oath to disobey any order that violates the Constitution of the United States:

I, [name], do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God.

The usual governmental dodge of course will be applied to your demurrer regarding the demand (following a knock on your door) ordering the surrender of your weapons; you will be declared a "terrorist" and dealt with accordingly.


ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ

cross posted at: Eternity Road

Cultural Metamorphisis

It is unclear how long YouTube will allow this video to be viewed before removing it using the usual "violation of terms of use" cop out . In any event, here it is.



The alliance between socialist/leftist political parties and the multiculturalists continues to coalesce. It remains to be seen if the the membership surge in conservative parties such as the Swedish Democrats, the BNP (British National Party) and the PVV (Freedom Party) in the Netherlands is too little and too late to counter the descent of those countries into a multicultural hell.

As is the case here in the US, the mainstream media with the tacit cooperation of the ruling politicians pursue a policy of vilification and marginalization of any grassroots movement to retain traditional cultural identity. The anti dhimmi groups are generally portrayed as "fascist" or "far right wing".

With the ubiquitous alternative media presence it becomes increasingly difficult for the MSM to maintain their monopoly on the dissemination of information hence the agitation for enacting the "Fairness Doctrine" and governmental control of the internet.

ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ

"When in the Course of Human Events..." UPDATED

One of the concepts learned in most introductory courses on government (more recently known as political science) is the theory of the "social contract" . The most famous of the theoreticians positing this idea are Thomas Hobbes, John Locke and Jean-Jacques Rousseau. The common thread contained in the writings of these thinkers is the implication that people give up some of their natural rights to a collective or other authority such as a prince or chieftain in order to achieve social order.

In order for a contract to continue in force the parties to it must abide by its terms. Otherwise there is a breach of said contract. For example, if a citizen fails to abide by the laws of his government it is generally conceded to be just for that government to visit retribution on him. The next question one could ask is; what is to be done in the instance where the central authority to which the citizens have surrendered their rights fails or is unable to fulfill its obligations? In answering this question, considerable blood has been spilled over the course of human history. In the case of the United States the issue was joined in 1776 and provisionally resolved by the Treaty of Paris in 1783.

Unhappily, today we are witnessing the disintegration of western culture as it has heretofore been defined. This view is reinforced by events recorded in the video embedded below recently transpiring in the Swedish city of Malmö where the "Dialog Police" are having their go at a resolution. These issues will be temporarily resolved as history unfolds. Stay tuned.



For now one would be well advised to keep his/her powder dry.

Update: The YouTube video has been taken down. The Swedish edition is HERE.

ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ

cross posted at: Eternity Road

Depressions for Dummies

The depression financial crisis explained in simple
terms.

Heidi is the proprietor of a bar in Berlin. In
order to increase sales, she decides to allow her loyal
customers - most of whom are unemployed alcoholics - to
drink now but pay later. She keeps track of the drinks
consumed on a ledger (thereby granting the customers loans).

Word gets around and as a result increasing
numbers of customers flood into Heidi's bar.

Taking advantage of her customers' freedom
from immediate payment constraints, Heidi increases her
prices for wine and beer, the most-consumed beverages. Her
sales volume increases massively.

A young and dynamic customer service consultant
at the local bank recognizes these customer debts as
valuable future assets and increases Heidi's borrowing
limit.

He sees no reason for undue concern since he
has the debts of the alcoholics as collateral.

At the bank's corporate headquarters,
expert bankers transform these customer assets into
DRINKBONDS, ALKBONDS and PUKEBONDS. These securities are
then traded on markets worldwide. No one really understands
what these abbreviations mean and how the securities are
guaranteed. Nevertheless, as their prices continuously
climb, the securities become top-selling items.

One day, although the prices are still
climbing, a risk manager of the bank, (subsequently of
course fired due his negativity), decides that slowly the
time has come to demand payment of the debts incurred by the
drinkers at Heidi's bar.

However they cannot pay back the debts.

Heidi cannot fulfill her loan obligations and
claims bankruptcy.

DRINKBONDS and ALKBONDS drop in price by 95 %.
PUKEBONDS perform better, stabilizing in price after
dropping by 80 %.

The suppliers of Heidi's bar, having
granted her generous payment due dates and having invested
in the securities are faced with a new situation. Her wine
supplier claims bankruptcy, her beer supplier is taken over
by a competitor.

The bank is saved by the Government following
dramatic round-the-clock consultations by leaders from the
governing political parties.

The funds required for this purpose are
obtained by a tax levied on the non-drinkers.

Finally an explanation I understand.

h/t Neal Boortz