Economic Crisis Endangering Whole Countries: Iceland On Verge Of Bankruptcy

You think it’s bad seeing an investment firm or small business go down as a result of the economic crisis which is hitting the entire globe? How about an entire country on the verge of bankruptcy? That’s precisely where Iceland is.

The EU has failed to take measures to protect all member states adequately, and now Iceland is taking drastic steps in an attempt to fend for itself. In an incredible blunder of foreign policy, the USA is sitting by as Iceland is working on a $5.4 billion loan from Russia…while We—the country responsible for this global catastrophe—do nothing to help them.

What the fuck are our leaders doing besides blowing smoke up the world’s ass anymore?

If Iceland cannot save itself from the danger it faces, and if the community of nations don’t help save it, it will be the domino that begins knocking others down—and this sham of a global economy based largely on unserviceable debt and money created out of thin air is going to collapse.

Cleanliness Is Next To Godliness So Here Is A Glimpse Of Heaven

What red-blooded American male wouldn’t want to get his deification on among these beauties?

[Well, besides me, because there's only one woman on my mind, and she knows who she is...]

COED Magazine’s Bikini Car Wash Girls

Fed Buys Short Term Debt, Cost Of American Ass Goes Up

Now the Fed is buying short term debt in the form of commercial paper. Just like everyone knew in the first place, the $700 billion bailout wouldn’t work and wouldn’t be enough to change anything. But politicians and CEO’s and financial analysts (whose jobs depend on investors and speculators…so it’s not like you couldn’t see that one coming) convinced Congress and a lot of citizens through fear tactics that it was necessary to save us.

Now Congress and the Federal Reserve have saddled us with an incredible amount of debt to bail out those that started this mess in the first place.

While refusing to give an actual number on how much they would buy, $1.3 trillion worth of short term credit would qualify. Let’s use that to figure out how fucked We the People just got by Congress and the Federal Reserve.

How much will America be in debt now thanks to Congress and the Fed?

$700 billion bailout plan
$600 billion in cash loans to financial institutions
$1.3 trillion in commercial paper/short term debt
———————————————-
$2.6 trillion dollars in one week!
$300 billion in already outstanding cash loans to financial institutions
———————————————-
$2.9 trillion in Federal debt!

[Update: And analysts are saying that retirement accounts have lost $2 trillion in worth in the past 15 months.]

We the People just got fucked to the tune of $2.6 trillion dollars in less than a week. Congratulations America, you are the world’s most expensive piece of ass. How’s it feel?

And that on top of our preexisting deficit of $10,198,103,073,856.34 as of Oct. 7, 2008. [Note: I have seen claims it was actually five times higher, at $50 trillion...but I went with the lowest figure I could find. See? I'm not all gloom and doom and just out to make things look or sound worse than they are!]

Our national debt has been increasing about $3.18 billion every day since September 2007. Which means every 314.4 days we go another trillion dollars in debt.

Oh yes, don’t forget that the trade deficit back in April of this year was $62.3 billion. It shows no signs of shrinking and has been growing steadily over the years.

And all the while, our government wants to approve free trade agreements with Columbia, South Korea, and Panama—giving everyone else a break and robbing American taxpayers and workers of billions of dollars in revenue.

Did you catch that? Your Congress is seeking to reduce the burden on the people and businesses of those in other countries while increasing your tax burden and the amount of debt you and your children will be responsible for.

How much representation did YOU have in all of that? Did you want that debt? Did you get to vote on that debt? Or did someone elected by an electoral college that subverted your vote create an incompetent administration and do it? Did some Congressman/Congresswoman do it even though their constituents warned them not to and asked them not to?

And CEO’s and executives at all these institutions going under that caused this are making off with billions in severance packages, spitting in the eyes of the American people now suffering because of these executives’ greed, lack of competence, mismanagement, criminal conduct, and lack of ethics and concern for their countrymen.

It is as if our own government is waging an economic war of repression against the American people. No wonder the minimum wage is kept low (in keeping with The Iron Law of Wages) and debt is heaped upon us, and the number living below the poverty line (as established by our own government) keeps growing every year. In little over a year, that number has jumped from 35 million to more than 39 million.

Maybe it’s time We the People come up with our own solution to this crisis, like ridding ourselves of those that got us into it in the first place and those politicians and judges who made it all possible through their collusion and failures? That will fix our economy quicker than anything the Congress and the Federal Reserve can come up with.

No taxation without representation. It was enough for our founding fathers. And having politicians who represent their own interests or those of corporations instead of those of the American people is the same as having no representation at all. Semantics do not substitute for ethics and principles.

I can only imagine the founders of our nation are ashamed of the weaklings and cowards we Americans have turned out to be.

Recession Repercussions Growing Worse By The Day

On top of the $700 billion bailout plan to save the people that got our economy in trouble in the first place, now the Federal Reserve is going to add to that insanity $600 billion in cash loans so that by years end, there will be possibly more than $900 billion in loans outstanding.

Oh joy. Let’s sing a song to celebrate the Fed’s actions. How about…oh, I know, “America the broke, land that I love…”

Here’s a novel concept. How about businesses do business within their means and operate on profit instead of lines of credit? That right there would eliminate half the economic woes our nation faces.

I mean, if you have profit, expand. If you can afford another employee, expand based on what your profits allow. Oh, I hear people complaining that it would take forever to grow and blah, blah, blahbidy blah blah….

I could give less than a damn if your business goes under. Why should everyone pay for the poor business practices of others, have their taxes increased, the national debt increased, suffer higher costs of living, inflation, and suffer generally because some people want to live and operate a business outside their means? This government meddling in the markets is nothing short of socialism, and it makes me want to puke. Maybe we ought to just hire Hugo Chavez as a consultant to the Federal Reserve—if we’re going down the road of government meddling in the marketplace, he’s the man that knows the most, might as well make use of the best while we can afford to hire them.

What needs to change is the way things have always been done, which means trying to bite off more than you can chew financially. Sure, credit is fine if you need to make small business related acquisitions, but if you need credit just to float your day to day operations, maybe you need to rethink your business model so the rest of us don’t suffer for it?

I know, that’s asking too much in the selfish country we live in, where everyone feels entitled to everything from credit to damages for an engagement broken off. Isn’t anyone else tired of paying for the risks others are taking? If you need credit to do business and your business fails without it, or the institution that lent you money fails because you can’t pay it back, it ought to end right there. And even that’s gone too far, because it’s likely people who weren’t making foolhardy choices will lose money in those institutions.

Our system is incredibly broke, and people are starting to see that Ron Paul has been right all along. The best thing that can be done for America is for everyone to write his name in on the ballot come November.

Personally I could care less if money is created far more slowly. I would rather have slow economic growth than rampant inflation and debt creation at the speed of light any day.

No one cares that they bring children into this world in debt. All that matters is that they are always entitled to something.

Speculators, Investors, Wall Street Screw Over American Taxpayers

The insane financial bailout passed by Congress to the tune of $700 billion did absolutely nothing to shore up the economy as the DOW dipped below 10,000, and may not unfold in time to make a difference for many years, if at all. To show their appreciation to Congress and the American taxpayers who are footing the bill for fixing the problems they have created, speculators and investors on Wall Street decided to sell like crazy.

Love the vote of confidence, you selfish jerks.

Bailout Turns Out To Be Feel-Good Measure That Makes No One Feel Good

Today, markets around the globe are dropping fast. Stock market closures have been seen around the globe the past week. On a global scale, governments are hemorrhaging money as the economic wounds continue flowing. The rest of the world is not stupid—they know how the American government works and how the odds are that probably 20-25% of that $700 billion will never actually do what it was intended to do, and the rest will happen too slowly. Not to mention its mostly funded by worthless money created out of thin air by the Federal Reserve that has absolutely no real value.

Inflation and the cost of living are rising quickly in some countries (such as Chile), and those countries that thought they were immune to the crisis are discovering the contrary is true. Mexico in particular is being hard hit. Looking at the Frankfurt exchange this morning, I noticed that Deutsch Bank AG was down 14% from the previous day, but metals are are pretty much all rising in value. However, the EU shot down its own proposed financial rescue fund for banks.

Bank Failures Predicted To Continue

Bank failures here in America are expected to continue for the next year at least. I am seriously weighing and considering that my PayPal account might be better suited for holding my money rather than my bank. The greater the impact of this economic downturn, the more likely people will stay at home and shop online rather than spend money on gas and trips, which will lend strength to a good eBusiness. However, they can’t do that if their institution collapses. PayPal has the size and backing to weather the storm and come out on top as competitors fall under the pressures of this downturn, due to its very specific focus. PayPal, after all, isn’t holding a lot of bad mortgage debt.

But no financial institution is guaranteed immune from the crisis. Still, you might want to consider your financial institution and if your bank is at risk, consider relocating your funds to an institution less at risk.

Congress heard today from Lehman Brothers CEO, Richard S. Fuld Jr., and others describing how billions of dollars were steered to executives even as the company was seeking financial rescue from the government. These sorry sorts are the ones ruining the quality of life for millions of Americans, but they don’t really care since they walked away with fortunes.

Recession Or Beginning Of New Depression Of Global Scope?

This recession has been in full swing for at least a year now, folks. Companies have been folding, tens of thousands of jobs lost, the housing industry glutted and much more. Just because the Bush administration refused to admit a recession existed until the DOW took a nosedive off a cliff and huge institutions collapsed in such a public way that the government had to seize control and couldn’t lie and hide anything any longer does not mean we weren’t in the midst of one already. What we’re seeing now is the beginning of a major economic depression on the verge of becoming the same kind of monster that the Great Depression became.

In the past few years we have experienced droughts in various parts of the country, and the possibility remains that another will come along, and the prospect of still more devastating hurricanes lies ahead. Hoarding of food and fuels here at home and abroad is on the rise, and the UN is trying to get our attention about a global food crisis. We’re engaged in two wars and with other threats rising in Latin America and the Caucasus and Eastern Europe, history is about to complete another lap I fear.

Look for the markets to continue sinking for quite some time. Look for the demagogues and ideologues to come crawling out of the woodwork. We’ve learned so much from history—and completely ignored it. Or rather, leaders of all sorts in the political, economic, military and other realms have.

Economic Woes Give Rise To Nightmare Scenarios

The world, once again, has become a tinder box. How long will it be before someone’s dropped a match in it?

America in particular is quite vulnerable. It wouldn’t take much to create an even more chaotic fear reaction in global markets if there were trouble here at home. Secessionist movements or militias declaring a revolution or some group deciding it was time for the Confederacy to fire up again and push the occupiers out would literally be disastrous. Sounds silly, but only to those who aren’t aware just how many such groups are out there, and how many people would love nothing more than something like that to happen so they could join in. There are a lot of angry, upset Americans who are not happy about the direction of our country just waiting for someone else to fire the next shot heard round the world.

With the bulk of America’s military overseas engaged in two wars, a global economic crisis, a resurgent Russia, Iran on the brink of nuclear capability, North Korea threatening the same, Hugo Chavez and other Latin America leaders creating an anti-American coalition and with the troubles at home in many European nations…there could be no better time for such people to act.

America’s Most Hated: Speculators, Day Traders, Investors, Bankers

Those speculators and investors who led us to this point have not demonstrated the least bit of courage and no inclination to help undo what they have caused by showing a willingness to hold or buy, instead selfishly selling off in spite of the generosity of millions of hard-working Americans—including more than 39 million living below the poverty line—all trying to save our economy from even worse disaster.

Personally, if someone drops a match in the tinderbox, I’m not the least bit inclined to do anything but dig out some marshmallows and enjoy the bonfire. If I were an investor, speculator or banker right now, I might be weighing the implications of my actions today more closely when considering that I would be one of the most hated class of people in a post-collapse America—for destroying everything that everyone else had at one time and bringing it all crashing down.

Note to self: pick up some marshmallows on the next trip to the store and research PayPal viability.

Redfining Death: Issues Of Organ Donation And Life

After reading an article in the Washington Post today about how doctors are seeking to push the definition of what constitutes dead, I have decided I am revoking my status as an organ donor and will no longer consider the option of donating my organs upon my death. This will be reflected upon my new identification shortly. Why am I doing this? It’s an ethical concern and I see the medical profession taking the wrong position on it.

That heart of the matter is, well, your heart apparently. Doctors are trying to make it so that they can declare people dead more quickly in order to harvest more organs. While it is great to find organs for those in need and a miracle and act of kindness when someone is given a new lease on life because medicine has allowed for it, we cannot afford to cross the line where we seek to rob life from those that doctors might see as unfeasible to save—perhaps because they are too old, or too ill and might just die soon anyway for various reasons.

We should not as individuals nor as a society cede the right nor ability to determine when a life is over to those whose interests are not ours and whose interests and very profession depends on practicing organ transplants. That’s an inherent conflict of interest.

Let’s say, just for the sake of argument that no one donated organs…well, there would be less need for those surgeons and physicians specializing in the areas of medicine that require those skills. To give them the ability to determine that you are dead sooner in order to harvest more organs poses a dilemma of grave concern to everyone.

Sure, the argument is that it is for a good cause—that of saving lives. But the inverse is also true, that it is an equally good cause to save lives of those who might not need lose theirs just yet. We should not be giving the ultimate decision to people whose livelihood depends not on keeping us alive, but on simply having work to do. In other words, these surgeons that specialize in organ transplants should not have any say whatsoever in whether or not you should be kept alive or not.

Their conflict of interest is of the greatest weight when you get right down to it, and yet there is little incentive to keep people that fall under certain categories alive. It is just as beneficial to the medical profession to transplant your organs and allow your life to end as long as they extend someone else’s lease on life, which creates another individual who will be paying money to the hospital and in all likelihood need medical care for which they will pay for what would be a greater duration perhaps than the person whose life they end prematurely or sooner in order to harvest the organs from.

What it boils down to for me is this: if one dies and wishes to donate their organs, that’s an act of kindness. But until EVERYTHING has been done and until there is absolutely no chance of saving their life, there should not even be concern for anyone waiting on an organ donation with regards to the person whose life hangs in the balance. When no measures can revive someone, when they are indeed dead, then if organs can be harvested and used to help someone else, that’s great. I’m all for it.

However, trying to rush things along out of convenience or with a profit motive reeks of immoral–if not downright evil–intent. (And please, if you’re one of those people who thinks using the word evil has anything to do with religion, crack a dictionary before responding. A rant about evil will just get your comment sent to spam hell.)

We should not even be going down this road as a society. Too many people feel there is some entitlement to anything and everything—including a replacement organ. Or life.

Not everyone is meant to live. Life is fickle. Those who can live a longer life through the amazing miracle of organ transplant have a special gift unlike any other. But they are by no means entitled to it. No one is.

And so, because I do not like the reasoning behind nor the direction of the medical profession and the lack of oversight when it comes to people’s right to life, I am revoking my position as an organ donor. At some point, you have to take a stand on ethics in relation to all areas of life, though many people never do. And that’s part of the problem. People don’t take a position on anything, and they give away power and rights by failing to take a stand on an issue.

There have been numerous cases of people who were pronounced dead, and after laying on a table with no life support for many minutes (some more than 20 or 30 minutes), they came back to life. There was one such case just this past year. Would it have been ethical or right of some doctor to begin harvesting that persons organs after the patient had been pronounced dead?

I have decided I intend to ensure such is never the case where I am concerned.

When I die, my organs will go with me to whatever end lies beyond death’s door…even if it is merely dust or ash. But they will bring along with them something else, and that is integrity of a sort, however small, and that too will follow me wherever the journey leads—however short it may be. Will I regret or feel bad that someone did not have organs that might have saved their life?

Not at all. As I said, not everyone is meant to live. That’s simply life. What isn’t meant to be is not meant to be. But I look at the crimes being committed around the world now as organ harvesting has become a criminal activity. Travelers literally wake up one morning to find they have been drugged and operated on and are missing organs. Others end up dead because someone harvested organs to sell and simply killed that person.

Organ transplants have become fuel for murder and cause for crime. The ethics of potentially extending someone’s life and potentially shortening or prematurely ending someone else’s— particularly when there is a profit motive involved—suggest that in light of the current social and civil climate we live in, organ donation is wrong and gives rise to evil and a perversion of what goodwill and good intention there originally was behind the concept.

And so, I will no longer be an organ donor.

The Russian Threat To Georgia And Danger Of External Forces

A bomb blast in South Ossetia outside Russian military headquarters threatens to destabilize the region yet again. The Russian and South Ossetian authorities claim a car was confiscated in Georgian territory and then driven to the Russian headquarters by Russian forces, where it exploded.

First, let’s get out of the way the fact that if the car was indeed packed with explosives, an act of terrorism was planned by someone. Secondly, let’s get it out of the way that if the Russians confiscated the vehicle and drove it to their headquarters where it exploded they are incredibly incompetent. Thirdly, we have to ask why Russians confiscated a Georgian vehicle in the first place? Fourth, we have to ask why those Georgians (if they were in fact Georgians at all were in South Ossetia given the current situation? And then, we have to ask how they would have gotten past Russian and South Ossetian forces in the first place through the buffer zone and into South Ossetia where the car was allegedly confiscated?

It is hard to conceive that a car bomb would have gotten past a military checkpoint of any kind, even when manned by average front line soldiers. If it did, it displays gross incompetence and highlights vulnerabilities and points out weaknesses in the Russian military. It is also hard to conceive that any Georgians would have made it through such check-points without any explosives and found sympathizers and supplies to then arm the vehicle with explosives while in South Ossetia.

The Danger Involved

Now, the danger is that Russia will use this as an excuse to engage in further military action aimed at overthrowing the Georgian government or to weasel out of its cease-fire agreement and find an excuse to occupy Georgian territory longer or to reoccupy Georgian territory or to invade Georgia again. Why the car exploded and the circumstances around it need to be investigated by as many international agencies as possible, and they need to demand involvement RIGHT NOW, before time and political maneuvering allow this to become something it is not.

The underlying danger that is obvious, however, is a potential danger. And it is a danger more significant than most, and perhaps even more dangerous than Iran’s seeking nuclear weapons. What danger is that?

That Al Qaeda, another terrorist organization, some rogue state government or government agency—or perhaps Abkhazian or South Ossetian seperatists—will be able to easily exploit the tension of the region and the polar political alignment of the sides involved to create discord, panic and escalate tensions to the point of renewed and possibly wider-spread conflict in the Caucasus region. Any organization that would benefit from the resultant force on force and ideological clash between Russia and the West would see the opportunity of attacking Russian forces in South Ossetia or Abkhazai as very usable for their own ends.

Analysis: Who Would Benefit From Renewed Conflict In Georgia Or With Russia?

There is an incredibly long list of just whom might benefit from a renewed conflict, and the ways in which they might benefit may be incredibly obscured.

• Russia would benefit by posing a greater threat to the region, which would make dealing with Russia more favorably of greater importance to nations in the region—thus weakening Western influence and the perception of Western interests in or ability to protect the region. It would give Russia a stepping stone to other nations in the region, greater influence in the Black Sea region and the Middle East. It also puts them one step closer to being able to seize Armenia and Azerbaijan, and once again pursuing what has been a long-standing Russian military and geo-political goal: direct access to the oil fields of the Middle East and more warm water ports. Given Russian and Iranian cooperation, this poses a very serious and somewhat understated danger to the Middle East and the global balance of power because it is in the interests of both Russia and Iran to partner together against Western in general and US influence in particular. Seizing Georgia would also put Russia on the doorstep of Turkey which has been flirting with Russia much to the chagrin of the US, EU, and NATO. A nightmare scenario that follows from a Russian occupied and controlled Georgia is Turkey deciding to stamp out all Kurdish resistance in the Kurdish regions of their country by force, and not feeling the need to be restrained by Western/NATO influence because the Russians will offer support, arms, and perhaps be willing to send troops to help stamp out the threat of “terrorists” which the West itself has labeled the Kurdish separatist groups in order to win the favor of a Turkish government that has been seeking entrance into NATO and the EU. This would inflame Kurds everywhere, especially in Iraq, and any action by Iraqi Kurds would destabilize Iraq and possibly give both Turkey and Iraq cause to invade it in the future—again, under the auspices of eliminating a terrorist threat. This scenario is not at all improbable, given the Russian propensity recently to occupy and not relinquish territory as it rides a wave of national military, political and economic resurgence.
• South Ossetia would benefit by having a weakened Georgia on its border or seeing the Georgian government overthrown by invading Russians and the subsequent occupation of Georgia by the Russians. They would also benefit economically by a weakened Georgia. They would also be able to inflict pain and suffering on the Georgians whom they have had long-standing differences—basically, getting some payback.
• Abkhazia would benefit the same way South Ossetia would.
• Al Qaeda would benefit greatly from such a climate of East/West conflict which would relieve pressures being exerted on their organization, create a climate where the movement of illicit arms, drugs and other contraband would be increased, easier and welcome in the region of conflict and surrounding areas. This would help boost both funding and recruitment for the organization in addition to providing some relief, and possibly allow them to form alliances with some governments who would also benefit from the US having to redirect military, economic or intelligence resources to deal with a crisis in the Caucasus region and the danger such conflict would pose to European security and stability in the Middle East where it has invested billions of dollars and the lives of soldiers.
• The Taliban and their allies seeking to distract the US and coalition forces and resources (including intelligence assets from focusing on prosecuting the attack in Afghanistan and Pakistan’s tribal regions.
• Any terrorist organization seeking to relieve pressure on it from Western forces prosecuting the so-called Global War on Terror.
• Any countries at ideological, military, economic or political odds with the USA, the EU, NATO, Russia or Georgia might welcome the opportunities that any other beneficiary might find or see in reigniting the conflict, be it arms trafficking, alliance, political or economic destabilization or otherwise. This would include countries such as Iran, Pakistan, Venezuela, Bolivia, China, Myanmar, Cuba as well as various nations throughout the Middle East, Asia and Africa.
• Allies of the USA, NATO, EU or Georgia that seek to apply greater attention by those entities on the region of the Caucasus in order to put Russian expansion in check before it spreads any more than it already has. This could include separatists within Russia (such as in Chechnya or the Kabardino-Balkar Republic) and others that might see US/EU/NATO forces in the region as a counter-weight to threats they themselves face. For example, Israel would benefit greatly from halting Russian expansion and increased Western military engagement in the Caucasus region as that would create a threat to Iran, Syria, terrorist organizations that would benefit from Russian expansionism (and the conflicts that would result), and from the prospect of Turkey becoming increasingly friendly with Russia—who supplies most of the arms that many enemies of Israel and the West use, including Hezbollah, Hamas, Islamic Jihad and various insurgencies and revolutionary groups around the globe. That means that the West is less likely to be able to afford (either economically or politically) to help keep Israel’s enemies in check if Russian expansionism is allowed to grow. Interestingly enough, in this same category fall many European nations worried about their security in the face of a growing Russian threat. They know it is easier and would be more beneficial to have US/EU/NATO stronger and fortifying itself against a Russian threat now than it would be to do nothing and hope that the US/EU/NATO have the spine and wherewithal to engage Russia in open war on European soil. Europe has no desire to see a war of that magnitude in Europe proper again, and as America finds itself in decline economically, politically, and militarily…it is a very real threat/prospect.
• Rogue governmental agencies that have their own agendas, ranging from unilateral prosecution of agency or individual objectives to paying back owed markers or simply trying to increase their own relevance or budget. This could include agencies such as the CIA, NSA and other less known agencies here in the USA as well as British MI-5, Israeli Mossad, Russian FSB and various intelligence agencies of any nation mentioned anywhere in this list of those whom might benefit, including the nations of Syria, Turkey, Iran, Venezuela, Cuba and so on. This could even include agencies who are looking for conflict in the Caucasus region to provide them with increased justification for increased involvement in existing or looming conflicts that have related issues at stake. One instance might be the growing tension between Pakistan and both India and Afghanistan.
• Corporations and individuals with their own agendas, aimed at increasing their wealth, influence or prestige and/or benefiting from conflict between Russia and Western forces. This includes PMC’s, companies that provide defense related services, oil companies, shipping companies, infrastructure related companies that would be needed in the wake of conflict, and the list goes on and on.

In the end, while it might seem a small and trivial thing, this vehicle exploding and which killed between six and nine Russian soldiers (depends on which story you read), it cannot be viewed lightly. It highlights a potential threat of great implication in the geopolitics of the Eurasian region.

Russia’s recent rhetoric accusing Ukraine of aiding Georgia in its conflict with Russia and calling it a “crime” ought to be sending off alarm bells throughout Europe and the rest of the world. Russians have to be sitting smug right now because they are playing the word and blame game so well—while the West is tongue-tied and showing absolutely no real urgency at all in defending Europe or shoring up its defenses. The lack of NATO and US troops being sent to the region, the lack of immediately bringing Ukraine and Georgia (or, more importantly, not going to Georgia’s aid after it has been a faithful ally of the USA) into NATO’s fold have exposed the vulnerable underbelly of the West.

Look for trouble in Belarus soon, as it gets ready to attempt a transition from being Europe’s last dictatorship into a democratic nation. I predict trouble and unrest, which will be followed by a display of Russian concern and rhetoric laying the groundwork for future justification. What do I mean by future justification? The very thing this explosion is giving Russia so conveniently for future aggression.

The Russian bear, from where it sits, has little to fear and sees all sorts of small game that it can kill with one swat of its paw everywhere it looks. Unfortunately for the West, the Russian bear is human, and we all know what dangers lie behind the ego.

Obama And McCain: Campaigning More Important Than Doing Their Job

Both presidential candidates are out on the campaign trail again, more concerned about garnering votes than doing what Senators ought to be doing. It’s not surprising, but it tells you something about the lack of character all American politicians seem to display—with the exception of Ron Paul, of course.

Why would someone want to vote for a leader more concerned about their own political career than they are about the state of the nation they seek to lead? Desperation perhaps? Or is it simply because of the feeling that there is a lack of real choice?

Everyone who is worried about the current global financial crisis ought to be voting for Ron Paul by write-in come November.

It’s the only way to put an end to being led by self-serving idiots.

We see President Bush acting concerned (probably about his legacy, you think?) and trying to frame the danger to our economy as a responsibility that belongs solely to Congress, warning of the dangers if Congress doesn’t act now. Where the hell was that sense of urgency for the past eight years, Mr. President? Over the past two years (more for some analysts) people have been warning of a recession and pointing to the very things that are causing the financial crisis we find ourselves in. It isn’t as if we couldn’t see it coming.

Yet, you did nothing Mr. President. I guess you were too busy compiling databases on American citizens, coming up with plans to implant radio frequency transmitting chips in national ID cards for tracking, wasting billions on the Real ID act, and doing everything you could to screw Americans out of liberties and freedoms instead of helping them out.

Or perhaps you were too busy spewing your empty rhetoric about freedom and democracy to our Georgian allies whom you then turned your back on?

Back to Obama and McCain. How come they aren’t in Washington, where a Senator ought to be in times of national crisis? Well, because it’s not a real crisis until the economy fails.

And when it does, Washington is the last place anyone wants to be—particularly if they are partly responsible through personal inaction and failures of leadership.

Nancy Pelosi Shoots Down Financial Bailout With Partisan Rant

Nancy Pelosi apparently couldn’t pass up an attempt to make a partisan attack in the debate on the financial bailout, which angered a lot of members of the House and led to the measure not passing. That’s fine by me—it’s good for the world to see her true colors.

I thank Nancy Pelosi for her right-wing rant. It at least killed a bailout that ought not happen. Still, it was a particularly hypocritical rant. Why?

Well the things she accused the Bush administration of (lack or responsibility, discipline, leadership and oversight) are all things that have plagued the USA since Bill Clinton was elected…and even further back before him. Are we to forget about Clinton’s lack of leadership, discipline, and financial woes that began under his administration (not to mention shaming the Presidency with his actions in office and subsequent lying about it under oath)? I don’t think he gets a free pass.

Nor does Congress or Nancy Pelosi. It seems to me that the Democratic party is as much responsible for the current situation as any. It is the Democratic party, after all, that has engendered the climate of irresponsible behavior and, poor leadership, and liberal ideology that anything is acceptable. I mean, you can point a finger at Bush (and I don’t care for the guy either), but let’s face the cold, hard fact here: he inherited the state of things as they were from a two-term Democrat, Bill Clinton. Any lack of regulation or oversight that exists under Bush existed under Clinton.

It’s nice to know that when our country is in turmoil and world markets are collapsing, that self-centered, self-serving, hypocritical politicians like Nancy Pelosi can rise to new heights of opportunism and shallow behavior in order to seek personal political gain.

Now, personally, I think that Americans ought to vote ANY member of the House or Senate out of office that goes home to campaign until this crisis is resolved. Politicians are elected to serve We the People, not their own interests. If they won’t do it, if they’re more concerned about their political career than they are about serving their constituents, they don’t deserve your vote or mine. And that goes for any politician of any political party.

Any member of Congress ought to be willing to give up their political fortunes to help fix the problem this country and the entire global market now faces as a result of the lack of action by Congress as a whole for the past several decades on major, important issues. Congress doesn’t need, nor does it deserve a break. I mean, what the hell do they really do but argue and trade pathetic attempts at political one-upmanship anyway, right? It’s not like it’s a hard job. What they need is to fix the problems they and their selfish lack of concern, their political pandering and fattening of their personal fortunes at the expense of the American people have created.

Really, if they go home to campaign, ask yourselves if there’s really any point in having a government that does nothing but look out for itself. If members of Congress go home before this is solved, they are saying America is unimportant, We the People aren’t worth as much as their personal fortune. That’s fine. Let them.

It might be the spark We the People need to start the next Revolution. After all, We the People are about to see businesses going under en masse, are about to start seeing massive layoffs. It’s not just investors and speculators and members of Congress who are at risk here. Already, the pain of this economic crisis is hitting a variety of industries, including the technology sector (Apple shares already dropped 18%) and the energy sector.

Make sure your powder is dry, your hatchet scoured…

They may be worth far more than your 401K, retirement fund, personal savings or even your home in the very near future.

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[Note: Read one of the interesting and unsettling prospects for what an economic collapse of the USA might be like and how it might unfold, here: Protocols For Economic Collapse In America. Are you prepared for those sorts of scenarios? The overwhelming majority of Americans are not prepared for the situations that might unfold simply because---as the piece linked to points out---they don't understand what is at stake economically and how a major economic collapse might precipitate something beyond a bad day on Wall Street.

I am not, as I mentioned to one reader in private, suggesting the scenario described on the above referenced web page is by any means real, credible, or necessarily fact. I leave that for you to research and determine. I merely suggest it as a possible scenario to keep in mind when considering the broader implications of economic collapse.]

Bailout In Crisis, But There Is A Simple Solution

The latest news, which is sure to send markets spiraling down tomorrow, is that the proposed economic bailout package is in jeopardy. I’m glad to hear it. We shouldn’t be spending $700 billion - $1 trillion (depends on who you ask and what costs you count) bailing out any companies.

Whatever course of action should be taken, the damage gets worse every passing day because self-serving politicians who work in Washington can’t get their act together.

There is simple solution, however. The government ought to secure and insure retirement funds and offer some sort of small compensation package to employees that are affected by this—excepting all executive level employees. Forget anything else and everything else.

Let the industry, companies, and individuals and special interest groups and the myriad speculators and greedy bastards who have caused all of this suffer in the bed they made. Secure retirement funds and to hell with everything else. Spend it on national health care, paying off some our debt or something worthwhile.

Taxpayers shouldn’t be bailing out companies and speculators who through their own negligent, inept, unethical, criminal, or greedy devices ran themselves to ruin.

I Agree With Ron Paul: Do Not Bail Out Wall Street And Mortgage Lenders

Ron Paul is indeed the only politician with any common sense, I truly believe that. In an article published today, Congressman Paul offers his take on the economic crisis. His understanding of economics just shames other politicians.

Neither Obama or McCain will be getting my vote this year—both of them have failed miserably to offer even the least bit of insightful commentary on the situation much less come up with any kind of solution.

Ron Paul has been warning about this very thing for a long time. Investors take their chances, they know the risks. I don’t think the government ought to be bailing anyone out. Especially not those who make their money speculating and then cry about it when they lose their ass due to their own stupidity and panic which contributes to the economic crisis.

Let them all go down. Why should the American taxpayers spend $1 trillion dollars to bail out banks, lenders, corporations, speculators, investors and people living above and beyond their means? We shouldn’t. Let them all go down, and in the long run we’ll be better off.

The Federal Reserve needs to be eliminated once and for all. Its constant tinkering and malpractice in the realm of finance and economics has helped lead to this ruinous situation. It’s time to pay the piper—not write him another IOU.

Meanwhile, Fed chairman Bernake said we risk a recession without a bailout. Hello…where the hell have you had your head for the last two years that we’ve actually been in one? Get rid of the Fed, the idiots who run it, and the idiots who support it—it is far past time to do so.

Besides if there are lots of foreclosures, investors and home shoppers who weren’t/aren’t living above their means will be able to buy them cheap on eBay.

Solar, Molten Salt, Steam And Algae: Alternative Fuel Tidbits

Solar energy used to heat molten salt which is used to produce steam which is used to produce electricity sounds like some hair-brained scheme, but it is not: it just received $140 million in second round venture funding. Also, Bill Gates is investing along with others in Sapphire Energy, which aims to replace petroleum with an algae based gasoline, diesel and jet fuel which is compatible with existing engines and technology and does not use a fermentation process.

In the realm of alternative energy some interesting stuff is turning up every month it seems. The big question is will any one or some small number of solutions gain enough traction by leaping ahead in viability to lead the way to an energy revolution? Or, will the market pull and tug investors and scientists in too many directions to make the significant change needed to forestall the sort of societal collapse sure to happen when petroleum supplies dwindle and run out?

I just happened across those while catching up on some articles over at Red Herring, and thought I would share. Molten salt. Hmmm…

Team Disbanded, Kid Is Banned From Baseball: He Is Too Good

The liberal feel-good, overzealous protect-kids-from-everything-under-the-sun crowd really have outdone themselves. A 9 year old boy was banned from little league baseball and his team disbanded because he pitches too fast.

Yes, he’s too good at what he does, so he shouldn’t be allowed to use his talent. Parents who raise their kids to be mediocre and afraid don’t want their kids to compete against a team that has an exceptional player. The message being sent, loud and clear for everyone to hear, is that if you stand out as exceptional, you will be cut down to size. Mediocrity and low expectations are all that are acceptable in America anymore it seems.

Look at the quality of goods produced in America. Look at how much outsourcing and poor business conduct occurs in the name of cutting costs (and customer service…what the hell is that?). Look at how obese American kids are becoming, how drugs and gangs and a million other things are getting worse and worse (right along with the economy, which is no wonder) every year.

A large part of the reason is poor parenting. Why on Earth would you teach or encourage your kid to be mediocre, or to fear a challenge, or to dread loss and failure? Those things test people and build character—especially in young people.

What next? Will we see schools and attorneys and moonbats say you can’t target the easiest kids to hit when playing dodge ball? Worse, will they say you can’t play if your aim is too good?

The entire field of sports is becoming a joke. From football to boxing to basketball to the Olympics, joke, joke, joke. And poor jokes at that. Underage gymnasts, steroids, ear-biting, brawls with fans, shoplifting, killing endangered birds of prey with golf balls, whining about getting paid hundreds of thousands of dollars (or millions!) to play a kids game for a living… You can’t hardly find a respectable athlete that you would feel comfortable having a kid look up to.

Hell, you could probably start a sports trading card company just using mugshots of arrested athletes these days.

I don’t even really like baseball. I find it boring to be honest. But even I think it is incredibly stupid to ban a 9 year old kid from playing baseball because he essentially is better at what he does than those around him.

Gosh, I hate to think what kind of message it might send if excellence was respected. I wonder… Do you think a business would ever want to hire someone who is more talented at what they do than the majority of those in a peer position? Nah…that’s crazy. Why would you want someone talented on your team?

Instead of hiring a kick ass doctor, your hospital should be forced to close down—and that doctor should be banned from practicing…unless he is willing to accept a position as a CNA. That’s the kind of society we want to live in, right?

Give me a fucking break.

FromSunlight.com Up For Auction On eBay

I’m curious to see how putting FromSunlight.com up for sale on eBay will do. There were well over 1000 views of the listing when the domain was on Sedo.com, so I want to compare how eBay will work.

Better, I am throwing in four other versions of the domain (.net, .org, .info, .biz) for free if the reserve price of the auction is met or a Buy It Now is used to purchase it. Not only is the reserve really low, but I lowered the overall price compared to the Sedo listing.

Interestingly enough, some people don’t want to go through Sedo for some reason. I am curious to see how the eBay experience will compare.