Ron Paul writing on competing currencies atThe Daily Bell:
"First of all, no one should be compelled by law to operate in Federal Reserve notes if they prefer an alternative. We should repeal legal tender laws and allow Americans to conduct transactions in constitutional money. Only gold and silver can constitutionally be legal tender, not paper money. Instead, it is illegal to conduct business using gold and silver instead of Federal Reserve notes. Simply legalizing the Constitution should be a no-brainer to anyone who took an oath of office. Consequently, private mints should be allowed to mint gold and silver coins. They would be subject to fraud and counterfeit laws, of course, and people would be free to use their coins or stay with Federal Reserve notes, as they see fit. Finally, we should abolish taxes on gold and silver, which puts precious metals at a competitive disadvantage to paper money."
We need to go a lot further than this. I'm not a big fan of gold and silver money for one reason. In the end, someone will end up with most of it and will gain the means of control. This has always been true.
Money represents whatever the people agree it represents. It has value because we allow it to. Whether we use paper or tally sticks, the important thing is that we have to create a system of currency that is controlled by the people, not a small group of bankers. We are in the trouble we are because every dollar that is brought into existence is the product of debt. Every dollar tightens the chains of control held by the bankers.
The people must take control of the currency. To do this we have to use a means of exchange that we can create and assign value to. Precious metals must be bought at a price, a price controlled by someone else. If we base our monetary system on this alone we will always be at the mercy of those that control the gold.
I know that the Constitution requires the use of gold and silver as a medium of exchange. This make sense because the Federal government is dealing with foreign powers and the common means of exchange at that level is precious metals. But, that is just at the Federal level. It doesn't address, or at least was not meant to address, local currency. Local banks used to issue their own money. I'm not an economic historian so I don't know all the details and particulars but I do know this is true. I've seen the bank notes.
There is no practical reason that local commerce can't be conducted in local currency. The reason the government would oppose it is clear; they can't tax it and thus they can't use it to control us. It is essentially an organized barter system.
I suspect, no I know for certain, that we are going to return to at least a partial barter system anyway as the dollar collapses. Why not formalize it? Begin by dismantling the IRS and doing away with the income tax. The IRS and interest rates are the two primary methods of control used by the bankers. Restore the economic freedom that is the birthright of the people. Let us create or own wealth and the system of our choosing to represent it.
Neither the current system or a system based on precious metals support freedom; they cause slavery. Both allow control of the means of exchange; whether through the printing press or the accumulation of a finite resource by the few. True freedom requires economic freedom and the control of the money supply. Wealth does not have a limit unless artificial restraints are placed upon it.
Free the people from the money lenders and watch what we can do.
I offer the question above partly in jest but also as a real possibility. Like so many things in the Bible there are many layers to this whole idea of a mark. I know that the Book of Revelation speaks of a physical mark but it is the effect of the mark that I am thinking of here.
And that no man might buy or sell, but he that hath the character, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. Revelation 13:17
I know that I’m stretching just a bit but think about it. While we may not be physically marked by our FICO score we carry it with us wherever we go. The system uses it to judge our character and our credit worthiness. Insurance companies use it to determine whether they will allow us to buy their product. Employers use it to pass judgment on us. Go a day or two late on a payment and creditors will threaten you with their ability to lower it.
If you use credit as so many do for their day to day financial transaction their FICO score can literally determine whether they can buy or sell. As the world moves further away from cash based economies this will become even more of an issue. Those that don’t maintain a high score will be excluded. They will live in a shadow economy constantly under threat of discovery. They will have to live in such a way as to completely avoid any contact with the mainstream financial world because if they are noticed by the system they will be forced to bow before it and play by its rules. If they reject the system they will be punished. This means that those that choose to live in a way that isn’t dependent on some bureaucratic decision maker determining their value will have to live completely off the grid; a complete outcast.
Pushed to its logical end this number will force anyone that wants to live in a “normal” fashion to abide by the rules set by the people that control the number. The FICO number doesn’t have to reflect reality or really mean anything. It will just be used to control.
This is almost where we find ourselves today. The FICO number as a means of determining credit worthiness is useless. The banks are not reporting to the credit agencies many of the people that have stopped making mortgage payments because that would force the bank to realize these losses on their balance sheets. I read on the Market Ticker that some people have noticed that credit card defaults are not being reported in some cases, either. So FICO is no longer a reliable credit tool because the reporting it relies on is fundamentally flawed. Yet, it’s still being used to judge us.
This is because it has become a tool of control. The banks are using it to keep the unruly masses in line. The people that lend the money are scared to death that the people that owe it might figure out that if things get much worse none of this matters anyway. When the economy as we know it collapses no one will remember much less care what their FICO scores are. We will return to local economies where we deal with people we know, not some bank that will bundle our loan with others and sell it to a group of investors in some country half way around the world.
So, what would happen if today we all decided that we aren’t going along with the program? What if, the next time you get behind on a payment because you don’t have a job, your hours have been reduced or the only thing you can find is part time, what if when the creditor threatens you with dinging your credit if you don’t pay RIGHT NOW, you say go ahead. What if, as a nation, we just decide to opt out of the system?
What if we tell these bankers, these Shylock’s that have been sucking off the public tit, taking the money from generations to come just to line their own pockets, what if we tell ‘em to pound sand? Why do we have to continue to pay into a system that cannot stand? If the bankers and politicians were making an honest effort to turn this thing around, well then I’d say let’s do what we can. But they’re not. All they're doing is sucking every last bit of wealth out of the system on their way out the door. They are going to walk away leaving us in a state of abject poverty that it will take generations to climb out of. They’re screwing us so why don’t we return the favor?
I’ve always believed that we have a moral obligation to honor our debts. I also believe we have a moral obligation to defend ourselves and our families. We are under attack by the political and financial power structure. They have thrown ethics and morality out the window. We no longer owe it to them to act in a manner that is consistent with the ethics we have all believed in. To defend ourselves and our families we must treat them just as they are treating us. This is a winner take all game. We are literally talking about the survival of ourselves, our families and the Republic.
The people must take control of not only the political system in our country but also the financial system. We have allowed ourselves to be gradually convinced that others have the right to control us; to score our lives and our value as human beings. We absolutely must put the people back where we belong; at the top of the food chain. We are supposed to control the government and our financial system. It was never meant to control us.
"A new webcast series will focus on the fictional stories of three women who face unintended pregnancies. It will allow viewers to choose how the characters’ stories will end for the final episode." Catholic News Agency
How is this really any different than the crowds in the Roman Coliseum raising or lowering their thumbs to decide the fate of the vanquished gladiator? The shouts of Mitte! or Iugula! will be heard once again, the crowds granted the power of life and death over another innocent human being; a power that should be reserved to God alone.
I realize that these are fictional stories but it kind of reminds me of target shooting. The military and police use human shaped targets far a reason. The military found that by shooting at something shaped like a person soldiers were more likely to pull the trigger when confronted with the real thing. Before the change most soldiers would intentionality miss or not fire at all when they first went into combat. After the change, this problem mostly disappeared.
Shows like this serve the same purpose. They get people accustomed to the idea that they have a choice about whether their baby lives or dies. They learn to pull the trigger.
We should be on our knees begging forgiveness but instead we've turned murdering children into a game show. We deserve the fate we've asked for.
Kinda like the pot calling the kettle black, don't you think?
"The mayor of Moscow, known for his overtly homophobic statements, said Monday that he would never allow a gay pride parade in the city, calling it "Satanic" and saying marchers should be punished."
"Samantha Burton wanted to leave the hospital. Her doctor strongly disagreed, enough to go to court to keep her there.
She smoked cigarettes during the first six months of her pregnancy and was admitted on a false alarm of premature labor. Her doctor argued she was risking a miscarriage if she didn't quit smoking immediately and stay on bed rest in the hospital, and a judge agreed."
If Ms. Burton had wanted to leave the hospital to have an abortion do you think there would have been any problem? Of course not. For while she may not have the right to choose to smoke she most definitely has the right to murder her child.
Right, Mr. President?
"Today we recognize the 37th anniversary of the Supreme Court decision in Roe v. Wade, which affirms every woman’s fundamental constitutional right to choose whether to have an abortion, as well as each American’s right to privacy from government intrusion. I have, and continue to, support these constitutional rights...
...Today and every day, we must strive to ensure that all women have limitless opportunities to fulfill their dreams."
"Sales of previously occupied homes took the largest monthly drop in more than 40 years last month, sinking more dramatically than expected after lawmakers gave buyers additional time to use a tax credit.
The report reflects a sharp drop in demand after buyers stopped scrambling to qualify for a tax credit of up to $8,000 for first-time homeowners. It had been due to expire on Nov. 30. But Congress extended the deadline until April 30 and expanded it with a new $6,500 credit for existing homeowners who move."
So now the government has managed to exhaust the first time home buyer market by redistributing wealth. They've done the same thing with the auto industry. What else can they prop up to artificially enhance the economic outlook?
Really nothing else will have the impact of these two industries. They are the last great vestiges of manufacturing in this country. Without them all we do is shuffle money around and sell electronic crap made in Asia. The service economy just isn't sufficient when no one can justify spending the little money they have on $50 haircuts and $5 coffee.
As the economy unwinds what will happen to all of the people with degrees that can't do anything useful? They've built their lives around the idea that it was possible to earn big money while producing absolutely nothing. And that worked for awhile. But, without the engine of a solid manufacturing base to create the wealth needed to power it the service world was doomed to failure. Somehow, even with all our education, the average American couldn't understand that. We were perfectly happy to see the dirty work sent off to some foreign country where third world slaves could produce our toys at the cheapest possible price.
We created the worlds largest Ponzi scheme. Like all Ponzi schemes the guys that got in first made big money. And just like all Ponzi schemes eventually the energy required to support it was diluted to such an extent that it could no longer survive. That energy was manufacturing.
So now we have a glut of managers with no one to manage and salesmen without customers. We've destroyed our manufacturing base so we can no longer create wealth. We hoped to become the worlds middleman, sucking profit off of transactions between buyers and sellers around the globe. But then the buyers disappeared.
Because we put all of our manufacturing eggs into cars and houses all the tradespeople ended up there. Now that those industries have collapsed we've got millions of skilled people with nothing to produce. Without diversification in manufacturing there is no industry that can use their skills. The last part of the productive middle class sits idle, with no real hope of any return to the wages they have grown accustomed to.
Without millions of us out there making a solid income the managers and salesmen had better come to grips with the fact that their way of life is over, too. The energy that supported our grand Ponzi has disappeared, if not forever, for a very long time. And with it went the engine of consumption. The American middle class has driven the growth of the world economy. Without it the system collapses.
The depression is here regardless of the happy talk on TV. This will dwarf the depression of the 30's in both scope and scale. We've got a lot farther to fall this time. And we are far less prepared and able to cope.
Pray for protection for your family and the people of the world. We're all in this together.
Read James Kunstlers article atCluster**** Nation. He is one of the few people that I read that seems to "get it". He understands the fundamental shift that is occurring in our world and sees the solution clearly; smaller, self sustaining communities and a return to life as it used to be, before the explosion of oil. As he calls it, "A World Made by Hand".
"The U.S. Supreme Court has said it will hear a case concerning whether the Washington Secretary of State may release the names and addresses of the more than 138,000 people who signed a pro-marriage petition in the state...
...Proponents of Ref. 71 have said that the availability of personal information on the internet has led to the “harassment and intimidation” of those who support traditional marriage. A press release said supporters have been subject to death threats, physical violence, and property damage because of laws requiring the publication of the information on the internet...
...“No citizen should ever worry that they will be threatened or injured because they have exercised their right to engage in the political process.”
Bopp argued that the First Amendment protects citizens from being required to disclose their identity when they are engaged in political speech. He noted that the Supreme Court stayed the release of the names in 2009, saying this indicated the high court recognizes the importance of the case."
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
I suppose that one can make the argument that the First Amendment somehow makes it illegal for a state to release the names of those that sign a petition because fear could be used to abridge or prohibit speech. Of course, even in light of the Fourteenth Amendment one has to wonder how this can be applied to a Secretary of State in Washington since the First Amendment clearly identifies the United States Congress as its intended object.
I support states rights and the Tenth Amendment to the Constitution. I also have to be consistent in my beliefs. This is a state issue. If the citizens of Washington disagree with the actions of their Secretary of State then they need to handle this themselves.
Every time we run to the SCOTUS we open the door to more Federal interference in our lives. SCOTUS has vastly overstepped its Constitutional limitations time and time again by legislating from the bench. When we refuse to fight our fights at the state level and instead run to SCOTUS we allow our sovereignty to be eroded even further. We need to keep our family problems in the family; don't allow outsiders in.
Something else needs to be addressed here. I understand that Washington is releasing these names in an attempt to silence those the state disagrees with. The state will use the threat of terror to control you. And this is just the beginning.
If we believe that something is true then we have a moral obligation to stand up for it. The problem is that the obligation comes with no guarantee. We can and most likely will expose ourselves to scorn, ridicule and increasingly real danger by standing up. This is just a fact. If you don't believe me, just read the news. Our governments expect us to go along with the program and be quiet. Even Joe Lieberman, who as a Senator has a lot more power than most of us, saw his wife attacked after his half-assed objection to health control. The people at the top are playing for keeps.
Of course, this has always been the case. We have been lulled into complacency over the last 30 years or so of relative stability in our country. Vietnam was the last time we saw any sort of major social unrest and it wasn't really that bad, at least compared to revolution. Most weren't asked to take a public stand on the issue of the war and so we could all watch it from afar. Things are different this time.
Thomas Payne said, "These are the times that try mens's souls." We've heard this quote a million times. But think about what it means. We are entering a time like the revolution when you will have to choose sides. That choice will come at a price; your soul will be tried. This is because the results of your choice will have real consequence. Pick the wrong side and you may not get a job or you may be ostracized by your friends and family. You may lose your possessions, possibly your freedom and maybe your life. Choices of this magnitude require real soul searching. You need to understand what you believe and why. And, you need to think this through now so that when the choice is offered you have your reply ready.
You also need to make sure that those around you understand why you believe what you do. It is quite possible for your beliefs to cause separation from family and friends. They need to understand why you are doing what you do, just in case you come up missing. I know this sounds crazy but it's not. Just look to Nazi Germany, the Soviet Union or any number of other dictatorships. This still happens around the world all the time and could happen here, too.
The fact that the people of Washington feel so intimidated by the release of their names causes me some trepidation. If the American people are so weak that this minor threat could cause them to remain silent then we have lost the war before the first battle is over. Americans need to begin the soul searching process now. They need to determine just how far is far enough and they need to be willing to take a stand. If we won't stand strong in the face of the coming storm we will be swallowed by the waves of totalitarianism. By our silence we will have written our obituary. If we refuse to stand slavery is our destiny and the chosen conclusion of the American experiment. We will have proven ourselves unworthy of the freedom we have tossed away.
“You have among you politicians of a philosophic turn, who preach a higher morality; a system of which they are the discoverers, and it is hoped will long remain the exclusive possessors. They say, it is true the Constitution dictates this, the Bible inculcates that; but there is a higher law than those, and call upon you to obey that higher law, of which they are the inspired givers. Men who are traitors to the compact of their fathers-men who have perjured the oaths they have themselves taken-they who wish to steep their hands in the blood of their brothers; these are the moral law-givers who proclaim a higher law than the Bible, the Constitution and the laws of the land. This higher-law doctrine, it strikes me, is the most convenient one I ever heard of for the criminal. You, no doubt, have a law which punishes a man for stealing a horse or a bale of goods. But the thief would find convenient a higher law which would justify him in keeping the stolen goods. The doctrine is now advanced to you only in relation to property of the Southern States, thus it is the pill gilded, to conceal its bitterness; but it will re-act deeply upon yourselves if you accept it. What security have you for your own safety if every man of vile temper, of base purpose, can find in his heart a higher law than that which is the rule of society, the Constitution, and the Bible?...The man who with syncophantic face and studied phrase, and with assumed philosophic morality, preaches treason to the Constitution and the dictates of all human society, is a fit object for a lynch law that would be higher than he could urge.”
Senator Jefferson Davis
Future President Confederate States of America
Palace Garden Meeting October 19, 1858
New York, New York
Speeches of the Honorable Jefferson Davis 1858
Jefferson Davis
Published by Echo Library
I’ve been reading a lot about Davis lately and the causes of the War Between the States. I’m struck by the similarities with the political realities we face today. While slavery was a contributing factor it was not the primary cause of the war. The war was caused by problems that could be traced back to the very beginning of the Republic; the role of the Federal Government and its relationship with the states, the control of the economy through a central banking system and the corrupting influence of business interests involved directly in controlling government policy for their own benefit. Does any of this sound familiar?
Sure it does. It could be on the front page of the papers today, that is if the papers cared to print the truth. On the one side we have Abraham Lincoln, a wealthy railroad lawyer and former Whig representing the interests of the steel producers by supporting tariffs that will benefit them at the expense of the agricultural Southern States. On the other side we have the South, represented by Davis, determined to protect their economic freedom by opposing tariffs that will strangle them.
This was not a new problem. In 1832 South Carolina nearly went to war with the Federal Government over this very issue. They passed nullification laws based on the Tenth Amendment to the Constitution and refused to enforce the Federal law. The crisis was barely averted when a new tariff law was negotiated in Congress.
All states had the right to do exactly what South Carolina did. The constitution narrowly defines the role of the Federal Government. Lincoln promised in his first inauguration speech that he would not allow the states to exercise their sovereign authority and furthermore that he would go to war to enforce his views. The only time Lincoln mentions going to war is over the issue of taxation (tariffs):
“The power confided to me will be used to hold, occupy, and possess the property and places belonging to the government, and to collect the duties and imposts; but beyond what may be necessary for these objects, there will be no invasion -- no using of force against or among the people anywhere.”
But, what about slavery you may ask. Again, from the first inauguration speech:
…"I have no purpose, directly or indirectly, to interfere with the institution of slavery in the States where it exists. I believe I have no lawful right to do so, and I have no inclination to do so."…
…"No person held to service or labor in one State, under the laws thereof, escaping into another, shall, in consequence of any law or regulation therein, be discharged from such service or labor, but shall be delivered up on claim of the party to whom such service or labor may be due."… Lincolns First Inaugural Speech
The Republican Party backed the tariffs and the formation of a central bank that would issue currency for one reason; the construction of the Trans Continental Railway. The tariff was necessary to make sure that the steel contracts went to Republican business interests in the North and the Central Bank was necessary to make sure the money could be created to fund it. Lincoln had not forgotten his friends in the railroad business.
Over one half million Americans were sacrificed for the profit of the businesses and the power of the bankers. The Constitution was burned and our Republic destroyed to benefit the powerful. I believe that these were the first shots fired in the war that we see coming to a conclusion today. These same interests are determined to finish the job, to take over the country completely and control every aspect of our lives for their benefit.
All because they have the “Higher Law” on their side and all we have is the shell of the Constitution. They also have ignorance on their side; the ignorance of an American public that has forgotten what this country was meant to be. But, that may be starting to change.
Finally, something that I can agree with the administration on. Obama is listening to Volcker and trying to put Glass-Steagall, or at least some form of it, back in place. This is what the Federal Government is supposed to do; keep the playing field level and open to all through sensible restriction on free market abuses. We should have never allowed any company to become "too big to fail". What he is proposing goes a long way towards ending the abuses in the financial businesses sector that have created the collapse in the system that we are entering into.
We've got a long way to go but this is a vital first step. Good job!
"Obama is placing a new emphasis on Wall Street regulations, with a goal of limiting the financial sector to smaller, less interconnected firms. The complexity of the financial industry forced the government in 2008 to approve massive bailouts to prevent a systemwide economic collapse.
The proposal would seek to limit bank consolidation and ensure that banks, and financial institutions that contain banks, cannot invest in hedge funds or other funds "unrelated to serving customers" for profit.
In making the announcement, the president was flanked by former Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker and William Donaldson, who was appointed by President George W. Bush as head of the Securities and Exchange Commission. Both men have advocated tighter banking restrictions. Volcker heads the President's Economic Recovery Advisory Board.
Obama last year proposed a series of measures to tighten the reins on financial institutions in hopes of preventing a recurrence of the crisis that struck the country's financial system in the fall of 2008.
His announcement Thursday broadens those measures, particularly by endorsing Volcker's proposal to restrict proprietary trading by commercial banks. Such a limit would separate commercial banks from investment banks, a line that was blurred a decade ago by the repeal of the Depression-era Glass-Steagall Act. That act originally separated commercial and investment banking."
I'm listening to the news this morning and all of the Republicans are just besides themselves with excitement. I guess, if you are a Republican this may feel like some sort of victory. But, if you're a libertarian like me, you might be feeling more like maybe you've won an opening skirmish in a much larger war that is not in anyway decisive.
It looks like the election of Brown to the Senate seat from Massachusetts may slow down the freight train of socialism but it wasn't stopped, much less reversed. Government will continue to grow in size and power. Brown can't stop it and furthermore I've not heard him say anything that would lead me to believe he intends to. Sure, he's mouthed the expected Republican Reaganisms of lower taxes and more opportunity. So what?
Reagan did reduce taxes and that reduction did spur economic growth. I'm not going to argue that point. But, because Reagan didn't shrink the size and power of the government the gains made economically in the end meant nothing. What does money mean without freedom? And because those economic gains were the end result of government manipulation of the markets through the tax code only the connected benefitted. The middle class in America has seen a collapse of earning power that has been unabated since the early 70's. The Republicans, even St. Ronald, have done nothing to reduce the size of government. It has grown under them just as it has under the Democrats. And our freedom has been steadily diminished under both parties.
The election of Brown may serve the immediate purpose of slowing the rush to socialist slavery but it has not really changed anything of substance. Both parties will continue to drag power to the central government in complete disregard for the Constitution and the wishes of the majority of the people.
From the battle at the Concord Bridge to last nights election Massachusetts has been the starting point for long and costly wars. The question is, do we have the courage and the resolve of our Revolutionary forefathers? Only time will tell.
So what are we learning in Haiti? I’ve been sick the last few days and basically just laying around watching TV, most of it news coverage of Haiti. A few things jumped out at me.
There is no way to prepare for a disaster of this magnitude. The best you are going to get for the first week is total confusion. The US military, just because of its organizational structure, is probably the most qualified body to take command of the situation but I’m sure there is resistance to that from other organizations. Even then, it takes weeks to start to get some workable plan in place because the problems on the ground are too immense. And, if the primary purpose of the military is to break things and kill people this sort of humanitarian effort requires, I would think, many subtle and some not so subtle changes in thinking for the commanders.
America will take the lead regardless of what others may or may not want because there really isn’t anyone else capable of doing it. This is all well and good until you start to consider the cost. We don’t have the money; period. Our coffers are exhausted; we are printing money as fast as we can, just to blow a bubble big enough to keep the lie of a healthy economy going. The usual suspects are starting to refuse to buy our debt up, forcing the Treasury to do it; to try and beat this dead horse across some imaginary finish line one last time. We are paying the bill for the rescue of Haiti with an exhausted credit card, hoping that a new offer comes in the mail so we can roll the debt over for another month.
So where is Saudi Arabia or any other of the oil producing states? Where is China? I know China sent a team of rescuers but really, how about sending a boat load of money; they’ve got plenty.
You won’t see any help of a substantial nature from any country besides America. We’ll carry the load and sink ourselves further into debt to the Chinese, the country that won’t send its money as charity but will be more than happy to lend it at a price.
In the end we’ll make a valiant effort that will save some lives. The inevitable result is going to be chaos and disease run rampant because there really isn’t any other possibility. There are too many bodies rotting in the heat and no way to adequately deal with them. There is no way to supply adequate food and water to all the effected people in time to stave off riots. The people of Haiti have done well to hold it together as long as they have.
And you just know the empire builders in Washington are already putting plans in place to install a government and create a new democratic country. Of course, in view of all the bribery, graft and arrogance surrounding the health care legislation I would think that maybe we should look a little closer to home when we worry about representative democracies. Once again, our political leaders will ignore the history of a third world country and spend billions to try and force a system of government on a people that are not prepared for it and cannot see it through to completion. We will borrow or print billions because we don’t have it to spend.
What does Haiti really tell us? Haiti is a sign post; a warning. Haiti is the last gasp of Pax Americana. We will never again be able to expend this much wealth to help others. Once we are gone, who will take our place? The answer: no one. There has never been another country so willing to go all in and help those in need. This isn’t bragging, just fact. Without the wealth created by the American economy the rest of the world will flounder. I don’t care about what is happening in Asia, I think it is overstated and distorted by the various governmental reporting agencies. And, even if the growth of the Asian economies could offset the loss of American capitalism the moral imperative to help others so peculiar to the American way of life will not survive. In historical terms, America has been an aberration.
The world, and in particular America, is being stripped of all that is superfluous. All the pretty, shiny baubles that we have come to expect as a part of our daily lives are being removed; if not forever for the foreseeable future. The access to cheap and seemingly endless supply of energy that has fueled all of our development over the last hundred years is coming to a close because the collapse of the economy that created the demand will take it away as well. Without America and its consumption crazed middle class the need for oil will diminish. And as demand diminishes so will production capability. Investment in future production will dry up with it, creating a death spiral for cheap energy. Let’s face it, no matter how much politicians and environmentalists want to talk up green technology nothing can replace oil. Without it, we will quickly begin to return to a standard of living closer to that of 100 years ago.
And that is the kind of place Haiti was. The vital difference was political and cultural. The West, over thousands of years has developed an understanding of man, his rights and his place in the world far superior to that of any other culture. Again, not bragging, this is just a fact. The problem for the West is that we have systematically destroyed our educational system, to the extent that the average Western citizen has no understanding of the philosophical underpinnings upon which our society depends. We have replaced our knowledge with the slavery of comfort and ease. Our people have been distracted by TV and governmental largesse, accepting comfort as payment for siphoning away our humanity and our grasp of our political and philosophical inheritance. We are no more prepared today for societal survival in the face of systemic collapse than are the Haitians. As the support structure that we have come to absolutely depend upon for the most vital components of our lives unravels we will begin to look just as Haiti looks today.
And that is what I have seen in the last few days, watching as the world responds to Haiti. I’ve seen our future. Haiti is systemic collapse writ large. But it is just a small part of a small island. If the world did nothing we wouldn’t notice any difference.
What is coming is different, but only in scale. As the West begins to collapse the world will notice. The difference is that no one will respond. No one can help. We will be on our own as everything we know changes; except our knowledge. The essential question in our collapse is whether we can retain and use the knowledge we have gained over thousands of years regarding reestablishment of useful and just political systems or do we enter into the dark ages once again. Do we return to the time of the collapse of Pax Romano when all knowledge was swept away to be replaced by marauding bands of barbarians, ruling by force and fear? Or, do we accept our fate and begin to rebuild society based on the philosophical truths and moral foundations that have served us so well? Do we move into a future based on reason or one based on fear?
This is what I’ve seen watching Haiti this weekend and I’m not hopeful; for Haiti or the West.
Listen, I'm not going to go into whether his take on history is right or if his understanding of Haitian religiosity is correct in every respect. What I would like to address is whether or not evil exists and if it does how does it effect us. Is it possible that a "deal" with the Devil could cause an earthquake?
I believe it could and here is why. If we accept the idea as postulated in the Second Law of Thermodynamics that all processes deteriorate without the input of additional energy then it stands to reason that all material bodies and processes, left to their own devices, will fail. Something has to hold them together and supply the energy needed to keep them functioning.
If the source of energy necessary to replenish the system is withdrawn what happens? The system decays. If you have a cell phone and the battery is not recharged it will cease to function. The same is true of all battery operated devices. If you don't maintain your home it will eventually collapse and return to the dirt. Even humans, at the physical level, wither away with time. We can use diet, medicine and exercise to extend the process but in the end we can't supply the energy of life. It exists outside of us and is unavailable to us.
We can and do fall apart physically; this is measurable and demonstrable. But, what about spiritually?
I suppose one could argue that there is no spiritual world; that all that exists is material and measurable. To that I would ask, "Can one quantify love, hate, jealousy or pleasure?". Of course we can't yet most would agree they exist.
So, if we accept the existence of a spiritual reality, do the laws that apply to the physical world apply to it, too? I would argue yes, some do. I would also argue further that it can be proven. Perhaps not through the measurements applied to physical science but through observation and experience.
If our existence as a physical and spiritual being requires external power to slow or stop our decay, what is that power. To many people of faith the answer is God. We believe that a power exists outside of time and space that created everything and is the source of all power needed to maintain the physical world. Remove this life sustaining power and the inevitable disintegration of the system begins. That is an undeniable physical law (which we believe God created, too).
At the spiritual level the same rules apply. However, here we have a little more say in the game. Through free will (another gift from God), we can choose to reject or accept good. (I know, good and evil don't exist. They do and it is provable; I just don't feel like getting sidetracked. So, for the sake of argument, just go with it.) God is good and God is the power that holds everything together. When you choose to reject good, you have rejected God and thus along with Him you have rejected the power that you need to maintain a proper system.
As an example: We have all engaged in sinful activity (all of you that believe in absolutely no absolutes like good, evil and sin, just sit down and shut up). We know from personal experience that as we continue to participate in evil and reject good that the evil becomes easier. We know that over time, one evil leads to another. We know that given enough time we will sink into a morass of moral depravity; the system will collapse.
Unless, of course, we allow energy into the system by choosing good. It is evident to anyone that has changed and turned from sin that life gets better. We can look at people we know personally or publicly that have repented and chosen good and have seen their lives restored to balance and happiness. We have all observed the physical law in action at the spiritual level.
The question raised by Pat Robertson is whether a society can suffer a moral collapse of the system and then could this collapse cause an earthquake? I think the answer is yes.
If we accept that the Second Law of Thermodynamics applies at a physical as well as spiritual level then it is logical that a society that chooses through their actions to reject good would eventually see the disintegration of their society. If we accept the premise of both spiritual and physical ramifications to a rejection of system sustaining power then why wouldn't a withdrawal of that power affect the land the people live on. Isn't an earthquake, by its very activity, a complete destruction of a system , casting it into complete collapse? Isn't part of the system required to maintain human life the environment? Why wouldn't the destruction of that environment be part of the collapse chosen by the people through their rejection of God?
This is what Robertson is saying. The people of Haiti chose the path that has resulted in the collapse of their system. They rejected God for Satan through the use of voodoo and other pagan forms of worship.
The media and its pundits are calling Robertson a madman. Don Imus went so far this morning as to say that he needed to be strung up. Wow. It seems to me that Robertson has followed a logical train of thought based on what he believes. You don't have to believe what he believes but to call him mad for using logic is in itself crazy. His comments would have been understood for what they meant maybe as few as 50 years ago. We have chosen to not understand and have forced that choice on subsequent generations through incomplete education. We have chosen evil.
And if Robertson is right, and I believe he is, what is in store for America? We have chosen pagan gods over the one true God and have added in the sacrifice of millions of children through abortion. An earthquake will be just the beginning.
Don't you wish that it was still just the Irish that were getting drunk and unruly. All you had to worry about then was a big mouth and a black eye.
Maybe this is why Muslims aren't supposed to drink.
"An allegedly drunken, belligerent passenger who authorities say locked himself in a bathroom on a San Francisco-bound plane - prompting the military to scramble fighter jets - was charged Monday in federal court with disrupting the flight and forcing an unscheduled landing.
Muhammad Abu Tahir, 47, of Glen Allen, Va., was arrested Friday after the AirTran Airways flight landed in Colorado Springs. He will appear Wednesday before a federal magistrate in Denver on charges that he assaulted, intimidated and interfered with a flight crew.
Tahir downed five glasses of wine after boarding the flight in Atlanta, authorities said. He became abusive when flight attendants refused to serve him a sixth drink, federal prosecutors said in a criminal complaint.
Tahir allegedly began yelling and marched into the lavatory. At one point, he took off his shoes and socks and placed them outside the door, all the while accusing crew members of disrespecting him, according to the complaint." San Francisco Chronicle
"California, long a trendsetter for eco-friendly living, is breaking ground again this week. It's set, as early as today, to adopt the nation's first statewide green building code, which environmentalists say is not tough enough, and is also considering paying residents to cut their energy use.
The story says this proposal is part of an effort to find the most efficient way to change consumer behavior." USA Today
This is going to change behavior, all right. At a time when California is about to implode because they can't generate enough tax revenue to cover their Utopian dreams, they've decided to to make it more difficult and costly to build anything in their state. FREAKIN' BRILLIANT!!!
These guys, along with the rest of the political class just don't get it. I hope California doesn't create too much smoke when it explodes. We must consider the air!
The words of Archbishop Raymond Burke in his homily at a Red Mass in Phoenix. Once again, he nails it. The Archbishop is one of the greatest thinkers in the Church today and we were lucky to have him here in St. Louis.
"In our culture, “the law more and more dares to force those with the sacred trust of caring for the health of their brothers and sisters to violate the most sacred tenets of their consciences, and to force individuals and institutions to cooperate in egregious violations of the natural moral law,” he said. “In such a society, the administration of justice is no longer a participation in the justice of God, an obedient response to the prompting of the Holy Spirit, but a façade cloaking our own selfishness and refusal to give our lives for the sake of the good of all our brothers and sisters.”
“It is a society which is abandoning its Judeo-Christian foundations, the fundamental obedience to God’s law which safeguards the common good, and is embracing a totalitarianism which masks itself as the 'hope,' the 'future,' of our nation. Reason and faith teaches us that such a society can only produce violence and death and in the end destroy itself,” Archbishop Burke warned." Catholic News Agency
"In a nationwide call to Catholics to prevent health care reform from being derailed by the abortion lobby, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has sent bulletin inserts and pulpit announcements to almost 19,000 parishes across the country.
“As long-time advocates of health care reform, the U.S. Catholic bishops continue to make the moral case that genuine health care reform must protect the life, dignity, consciences and health of all, especially the poor and vulnerable,” the insert says. “Health care reform should not advance a pro-abortion agenda in our country.”
As Congress negotiates a final health care bill, the insert encourages Catholics to contact their Senators and Representatives, urging them to keep longstanding restrictions against federal funding of abortion and full conscience protection in the legislation. If these criteria are not met, Catholics are asked to urge Congress to oppose the final bill."
Great start guys! I was going to write something about this and how you are kinda, sorta standing up for the truth. And that it was refreshing in light of the way you normally are willing to sacrifice it as needed to support "social justice". I was going to write about the logical inconsistency of denouncing abortion in the health control bill while refusing to deny communion to those that support it. I thought that I was going to fill the void in topics today until I readCommentarius de Prognosticisand found he had covered it all. So, why reinvent the wheel? Here's an excerpt:
"However, the Bishops in the USCCB must do their part. Every and any Catholic politician who publicly supports abortion, gay marriage, embryonic stem cell research, human cloning or euthanasia must be publicly denied reception of Holy Communion. This condition of abortion provisions in the health care reform bills before Congress exists directly because of the help of Catholic politicians who believe that the infanticide of the unborn is "a woman's right to choose". If the Bishops had properly catechized the Faithful, then this condition would not exist. But the exaltation of the false gospel of social justice and peace at any price above the true Gospel of repentance and conversion is the direct cause of this situation. The abdication to nanny government of our Christian responsibility to feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked, visit the imprisoned, welcome the alien and care for the sick is the reason why abortion provisions exist in the health care bill."
A hero doesn't have to grab the flag and lead troops to victory. A hero doesn't have to invent a drug that saves millions. All a hero has to do is "the right thing" when it is required of them. A hero doesn't walk away when "the right thing" comes calling; they react instinctively. The ability to maintain their action over a long period of time in the face of possible death makes them something more than just a hero; it makes them bold, stouthearted and valiant.
Miep Gies was all of these and probably more. She and her husband Jan risked their lives over two long years to save the lives of others. They risked death every day and for what? To help others avoid certain death at the hands of the Nazis. The only reward they could hope for was the reward of knowing they did "the right thing".
Pray for the soul of Miep Gies and all those others that quietly fought the Satanic evils of Nazism. The greatest generation is slowly passing from the scene. I hope we can learn from them.
"She was born Hermine Santrouschitz on February 15 1909 into a German Roman Catholic family in Vienna, but was sent to the Netherlands when she was 11 to escape the food shortages in Austria. The family with which she lived in Leiden gave her the nickname Miep and later adopted her. By the outbreak of the Second World War she was working as an assistant to Otto Frank, the owner of a pectin manufacturing company in Amsterdam.
After the Nazi invasion of 1940, Frank prepared a secret annex behind a swinging bookcase in a room above the firm's offices at 263 Prinsengracht; and in July 1942 the family of four – Otto, his wife Edith and their daughters Margot and Anne – went into hiding, leaving a false trail indicating that they had fled to Switzerland. Soon afterwards they were joined by other Jews, the van Pels family and Miep Gies's family dentist, Fritz Pfeffer – eight people in all.
For two years Miep Gies and her husband Jan, a municipal employee whom she had married in 1941, risked their lives to smuggle in food and provisions and news from outside, begging, buying and bartering what they needed from farmers and shopkeepers. They were helped throughout by her colleagues Victor Kugler, Johannes Kleiman and Bep Voskuijl.
Miep acted as a confidante for the adolescent Anne, bringing her paper for her diary and, on one occasion, a pair of second-hand high-heeled shoes. The Gies's heroic feat of humanitarianism ended on August 4 1944, when the Frank family were betrayed (by a person whose identity remains unknown), arrested and sent to concentration camps."
"Pope Benedict XVI denounced the failure of world leaders to agree to a new climate change treaty in Copenhagen last month, saying Monday that world peace depends on safeguarding God's creation.
He issued the admonition in a speech to ambassadors accredited to the Vatican, an annual appointment during which the pontiff reflects on issues the Vatican wants to highlight to the diplomatic corps." Yahoo
So, I just went to the Vatican website (Vatican.va) to read the Pope's statement in its entirety. In the words of Gomer Pyle, "Surprise, surprise, surprise!". There is so much more to this statement and the problems cited by the Pope than just the environment. Admittedly, his main focus is on the allocation of resources and the impact of environmental degradation, but the causes of this destruction and mis allocation are not as simple as "global warming" proponents would have us believe.
From the pope's address:
"How can we forget, for that matter, that the struggle for access to natural resources is one of the causes of a number of conflicts, not least in Africa, as well as a continuing threat elsewhere? For this reason too, I forcefully repeat that to cultivate peace, one must protect creation! Furthermore, there are still large areas, for example in Afghanistan or in some countries of Latin America, where agriculture is unfortunately still linked to the production of narcotics, and is a not insignificant source of employment and income. If we want peace, we need to preserve creation by rechanneling these activities; I once more urge the international community not to become resigned to the drug trade and the grave moral and social problems which it creates.
Ladies and Gentlemen, the protection of creation is indeed an important element of peace and justice! Among the many challenges which it presents, one of the most serious is increased military spending and the cost of maintaining and developing nuclear arsenals. Enormous resources are being consumed for these purposes, when they could be spent on the development of peoples, especially those who are poorest. For this reason I firmly hope that, during the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference to be held this May in New York, concrete decisions will be made towards progressive disarmament, with a view to freeing our planet from nuclear arms. More generally, I deplore the fact that arms production and export helps to perpetuate conflicts and violence, as in Darfur, in Somalia or in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Together with the inability of the parties directly involved to step back from the spiral of violence and pain spawned by these conflicts, there is the apparent powerlessness of other countries and the international organizations to restore peace, to say nothing of the indifference, amounting practically to resignation, of public opinion worldwide. There is no need to insist on the extent to which such conflicts damage and degrade the environment. Finally, how can I fail to mention terrorism, which endangers countless innocent lives and generates widespread anxiety. On this solemn occasion, I would like to renew the appeal which I made during the Angelus prayer of 1 January last to all those belonging to armed groups, of whatever kind, to abandon the path of violence and to open their hearts to the joy of peace."
It seems that the pope is not the environmentalist nut, tree hugging green boy the mainstream media would like us to believe. His concerns about the environment transcend the typical Greenpeace talking points and Al Gore financial solicitations to expose the true evil that arises when man mistreats God's creation.
RIGHT ON, BENEDICT!!
I wonder if perhaps he has something like this in mind:
"If you read any economic, financial, or political analysis for 2010 that doesn’t mention the food shortage looming next year, throw it in the trash, as it is worthless. There is overwhelming, undeniable evidence that the world will run out of food next year. When this happens, the resulting triple digit food inflation will lead panicking central banks around the world to dump their foreign reserves to appreciate their currencies and lower the cost of food imports, causing the collapse of the dollar, the treasury market, derivative markets, and the global financial system. The US will experience economic disintegration." Market Skeptics
I don't know about you but around here there just isn't a whole bunch of work. As fuel prices rise I'll be forced to cut back further on any unnecessary expenses. I know that I'm not alone. So as the cost of fuel goes up, along with the cost of everything it touches, just how do the Pollyanna's in the financial industry intend to spin the inevitable collapse of consumer demand? How will the government distort the numbers to make it appear that all is well? And why will anyone believe any of this crap when their day to day experience tells them it isn't true?
Because we're self deluded fools wishing and hoping that all the bad stuff will just magically disappear. We're children that believe someone will come to save us. And someone just might. But along with salvation will come slavery.
How much will we trade for safety?
"Oil prices jumped above $83 a barrel Monday in Asia amid signs of strong Chinese demand for crude and a weakening U.S. dollar.
Benchmark crude for February delivery was up 80 cents to $83.55 a barrel at late afternoon Singapore time in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. On Friday, the contract rose 9 cents to settle at $82.75."
As I watch the cheery assessments of our current economic state on the various business channels I just have to wonder if these people really believe what they say or if pressure is being applied by someone. The reality of the situation cannot be ignored. Yet, I talk to people all the time that are convinced that everything will return to the normal they have come to expect. As if saying it often enough will make it true. Fear is blinding Americans to the truth.
When the blinders finally come completely off there will be hell to pay. But of course those that have supported and driven this national insanity will by that time have secured themselves someplace far removed from the threat of danger. The people will lash out at each other, in blind rage, in the same way the poor in the inner city always seem to burn their own neighborhoods during riots.
So yes, this will end just like it did in the 30's. Except for one crucial difference. The people of the 1930's still retained a sense of morality. All most have today is a sense of entitlement. One leads to acceptance and resolve while the other leads to rage and destruction.
Pray for guidance and prepare yourselves and your family. There is only one way this can end.
"The labour force contracted by 661,000. This did not show up in the headline jobless rate because so many Americans dropped out of the system. The broad U6 category of unemployment rose to 17.3pc. That is the one that matters.
Wall Street rallied. Bulls hope that weak jobs data will postpone monetary tightening: a silver lining in every catastrophe, or perhaps a further exhibit of market infantilism.
The home foreclosure guillotine usually drops a year or so after people lose their job, and exhaust their savings. The local sheriff will escort them out of the door, often with some sympathy –– just like the police in 1932, mostly Irish Catholics who tithed 1pc of their pay for soup kitchens.
Realtytrac says defaults and repossessions have been running at over 300,000 a month since February. One million American families lost their homes in the fourth quarter. Moody's Economy.com expects another 2.4m homes to go this year. Taken together, this looks awfully like Steinbeck's Grapes of Wrath.
Judges are finding ways to block evictions. One magistrate in Minnesota halted a case calling the creditor "harsh, repugnant, shocking and repulsive". We are not far from a de facto moratorium in some areas.
This is how it ended between 1932 and 1934, when half the US states declared moratoria or "Farm Holidays". Such flexibility innoculated America's democracy against the appeal of Red Unions and Coughlin Fascists. The home siezures are occurring despite frantic efforts by the Obama administration to delay the process."
So, I'm listening to Fox and Friends this morning and they have Jonah Goldberg on. He's the editor of National Review online and author of "Liberal Fascism". He's also a frequent guest on Glenn Beck's show where he talks about the evils of Progressivism and government coercion of our lives. He is a Republican. You'd think he would get "it".
But, like most members of the Grand Old Party he has shown himself to be a clueless member of the Progressive Lite brigade. They're talking on the show this morning about Dominoes Pizza and how this company has admitted that their product sucks and they are going to make the changes necessary to bring their customers back. So the host asks Goldberg what changes the GOP needs to make to bring back its voters. Goldberg answers that the GOP needs to support changes to the tax code that will make it easier and less costly to have kids.
Really? What the GOP should do to attract conservatives is gerrymander the tax code to influence Americans to act a certain way? WTF!!??? I thought the party of personal freedom and smaller government would be opposed to any sort of government interference in our lives. I thought that it would work to reduce the taxes and the size of the federal Government. Instead, it would use the power of government to coerce. If that isn't the definition of Socialism I don't know what is.
This is why I will never vote Republican again. I don't care how good the candidate sounds. If elected inside the party structure this sort of backdoor Progressivism is what will be expected of him and forced upon his constituents through Republican party politics. The Republicans and Democrats have both forgotten to read the Constitution and don't have a clue how to reduce government in our lives. Both intend to use government to control us and increase their own power. A POX ON BOTH THEIR HOUSES!!!
Americans need to realize that if we want our country back we have to break the backs of the parties. The only way to do this is to refuse to give them power. Vote third party! Don't listen to the same tired reasons why this is dangerous to the country. It cannot possibly cause more damage than the current parties have!
We will either destroy this Leviathan with the ballot box or the gun. We must make a real effort to do it peacefully. To make the gun legitimate we have to exhaust every other possibility. We don't want to use our guns. Nothing good will come from it. But, our government needs to understand the possibility exists and that we have recourse to it. We need to make it afraid to gain control. It needs to fear the ballot box, knowing the gun rests behind it.
As government begins to control more of our lives we will start to see two sets of laws; one for us and one for the influential. They know we won't mind because most people, in the name of security, will allow an unlawful search of their bodies with scanners without complaint. Like cattle led to the killing floor we will line up to do as we are told.
We deserve the brave new world we are entering because we are cowards. We won't rock the boat as our true rights, the ones given us by God, are handed over to our enemy. We are casting the seeds of our own slavery and we will reap what we sow, under the benevolent eyes of our masters in the government. We will cry to God about the injustice while in reality we exercised our free will and chose safety over freedom. God allows us what we ask for.
We are children acting as gods, and like all false gods, we will be cast down. Our time is short.
"Canadian police said Friday that it was wrong for one of their officers to whisk Halle Berry, her model boyfriend and baby through airport security at Montreal's Trudeau airport.
A constable at the airport decided to let the couple pass a long line after a spur-of-the-moment request on Monday by Gabriel Aubry, a Quebec model who is Berry's boyfriend and father of her 22-month-old daughter, Nahla."
This is just the beginning as the Progressives destroy states rights in a bid to consolidate all political power at the Federal level. California will get its money. After all, they are "too big to fail". With the money will come a total loss of sovereignty as state government become an outpost of Federal control. The Tenth Amendment will be erased as Obama completes the job begun by Abraham Lincoln.
The immorality of sending young Americans to die just to allow this to happen is breathtaking. Our political leadership, regardless of party, has lost all legitimacy and no longer has the right to place our country's citizens in harms way. The officers in all branches of the military must be starting to think deeply about their oath and what comes next.
"A federal judge has tossed out most of the government's evidence against a tarrorism detainee on grounds his confessions were coerced, allegedly by U.S. forces, before he became a prisoner at Guantanamo Bay.
In a ruling this week, U.S. District Judge Thomas Hogan also said the government failed to establish that 23 statements the detainee made to interrogators at Guantanamo Bay were untainted by the earlier coerced statements made while he was held under harsh conditions in Afghanistan."
Last week when I heard on the news that all of the sea lions had left the pier I told my wife that it was a sign of something about to happen geologically. Animals always sense these things. That being said, I doubt they would have left for a series of small quakes. Is something larger on the horizon?
"For a second consecutive day, Bay Area residents had their morning interrupted by a moderate earthquake.
A 3.7 magnitude quake rumbled at 11:48 a.m. today, according to preliminary analysis from the U.S. Geological Survey. It occurred six miles north/northeast of Milpitas and 11 miles north/northeast of San Jose City Hall. Just before 2 p.m., the USGS recorded a 2.1 tremor.
Thursday morning, a 4.1 magnitude earthquake was recorded in the same general area."
It doesn't take a Nobel Laureate to figure this out. If those of us that aren't making the kind of money we used to have to spend more on energy, what do you think is going to happen to all of our other spending?
This could be the final nail in the coffin if they can keep the prices up. With low demand on the transportation side it would seem that a free market would cause prices to fall. Makes you wonder just how "free" the market is.
Peak Oil in action. We don't have to run out of energy; pricing us out of the market has the same effect.
I don't know, seems like a fairly typical government employee to me.
"They are the first line of defense in airport security but two troubling incidents involving TSA agents at LAX are raising concerns.
A TSA agent was arrested on January 3rd in Terminal One at LAX, a source told NBCLA. He had just gotten off duty and was behaving erratically, saying, "I am god, I’m in charge."
So after he blew up the plane were they planning on calling in the Ghost Hunters to do the questioning?
"Officials from the Transport Security Administration discovered Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab's name on the Customs and Border Protection database after he boarded his Northwest flight in Amsterdam and were waiting to question him upon landing in Detroit, according to senior law enforcement officials.
The disclosure appears to show US intelligence was close to uncovering the terrorist plot, despite the barrage of criticism it has come under since Abdulmutallab, 23, failed to detonate a bomb aboard a Northwest airliner on Christmas Day."
Is it just me, or does anyone else feel like we've entered the eye of the storm? It seems oddly quiet now.
Sure, we've got the the healthcare bill chuggin' along and some guy shot up an office here today but it seems like we're waiting for the other shoe to fall. There isn't much in the news but the same old stuff. I looked at all the usual places and didn't see anything earth shattering to talk about. It's as though current events have been softly muted to give us a chance to catch our breath; giving us time to get ready for the storm wall to hit again.
Or, maybe it's the Nyquil I've been drinking to get rid of this stupid cold.
So what happens if the people of Iceland decide to decouple from the world financial controls? What if they tell the bankers to take a leap?
It's going to be interesting to see what sort of pressure is brought to bear. I can't imagine that the money guys want people to think that they can stand on their own two feet. Independent thought and actions would be dangerous and not in the interest of the elites.
"LONDON, Jan 5 (Reuters) - Iceland would cut itself off from global financial assistance if its people vote not to compensate Britain and the Netherlands for losses caused by the collapse of Icelandic bank Icesave, Britain's financial services minister Paul Myners said on Tuesday.
Britain and the Netherlands are seeking more than $5 billion from Iceland which they paid in compensation to their domestic depositors after Icesave's failure in 2008, but Iceland's President Olafur Grimsson vetoed a parliamentary bill which approved this.
Grimsson's decision earlier on Tuesday will likely trigger a referendum in the North Atlantic island where a quarter of voters have already signed a petition calling for the deal to be scrapped.
Myners told the BBC that if Iceland voted against the deal, it would cut itself off from the global financial system and from International Monetary Fund aid for its economy, one of the worst hit by the world bank crisis.
'The Icelandic people, if they were to reach that conclusion, would effectively be saying that Iceland does not want to be part of the international financial system, that Iceland doesn't want to have access to multi-national, national and bilateral funding and doesn't want to be regarded as a safe counter-party with whom to do business,' Myners said."
"Consider the facts. In Spain, unemployment has already reached a gut-wrenching 19.3%. But unemployment for those between 16-24 is a catastrophic 42%. In Greece, youth unemployment is 25%, in Ireland 28.4% and Italy 26.9%. Marginal eurozone countries such as Greece, Spain and Ireland are not just in recession. They are in depression – and so long as they remain inside the euro there is no exit.
Before their decision to abandon economic sovereignty and sign up to the euro, policymakers had a tried and tested response to the kind of global setback of the last two years – depreciate the currency and loosen fiscal and monetary policy. This has been the answer produced by Britain, mercifully outside the euro thanks mainly to John Major's brave, far-sighted and universally denounced decision to opt out of monetary union when he signed the Maastricht Treaty in 1992. But inside the euro, individual countries are stripped of the ability to manage their own economies. That is why the global recession has been far, far more devastating for some eurozone members than would otherwise have been the case – in just the same way that membership of the ERM inflicted wholly unnecessary damage on the British economy in the early 1990s."
Not being a political scientist, economist or anything else of note, thus not competent to render any sort of meaningful opinion on these sorts of issues, I'm going to do it anyway.
This article got me thinking about Europe and the Euro; and by extension, the U.S.A. Europe is a group of very different societies bound together through geography and some common interests. Their differences are pronounced enough that the history of Europe has been a history of war and strife. This seems to be the natural course of things. I'm not judging whether this is good or bad, I'm just looking at what is true.
The European Union has attempted to create a unified economic zone right in the middle of this mess. It has tried to create unity where none has ever existed. Why? For the sake of the banking interests. In the name of a more orderly flow of capital to their pockets they have forced an unnatural and in the end destructive form of control on the people of Europe. They have also, applying the Second Law of Thermodynamics, created such an efficient means of wealth transfer that they have sped up the cycle of collapse. By trying to remove the natural inefficiency of the system of sovereign states they have only insured the European proclivity towards war. The bankers have denied the people a voice in the system and have created massive economic dislocation. This heavy handed, big government elitist imposition of laws designed to control the uneducated and unenlightened masses will result in escalation of riots and societal discord. If the people are denied legitimate political recourse to solve their problems at the local level they will strike out at the powers that be.
America is following the same course. While this country is more cohesive than Europe it isn't all that different. We were designed to be a union of sovereign states that would work together to support our common interests. Over the last 150 years or so state sovereignty has been abolished and strong central control has taken its place. The natural inefficiency of the system designed by the Founding Fathers prevented the Federal Government from exercising the power to destroy the country as a whole. Each state was responsible for itself and functioned as its own country, competing against the others for business and political advantage.
The Lincoln administration forced a one size fits all government on the American people where one was never meant to exist. Like the E.U. all of our eggs were thrown into one basket. Instead of a group of independent economies supporting a few narrowly defined common interests we have become a one size fits all oligarchy.
Today we find ourselves on the verge of collapse. Just like in Europe, the people are frustrated and feel that their "government" is unresponsive to them while bowing and scraping at the feet of the bankers. The legitimate means of political redress seem to be ineffective. The majority of Americans are opposed to the health care bill and have made their opinions known. Forcefully and loudly. Yet the elitists in Washington will pass it anyway, because they are "wiser" than the people.
America is no different than Europe today. The people sense that they have lost control of their destiny to the banking and political interests. We are told that the economy is expanding and that life is good while we can see with our own eyes that the economy is only expanding for those on Wall Street, not out here where the people live. And just like in Europe, the frustrations are beginning to boil over. We are caught in an unnatural system of controls and in the end we will not stand for it.
America and Europe are on the verge of revolution. 2010 may be an ugly year.
"International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) recently released its annual performance report for 2008-2009. Despite an economic downturn and a slight decrease in annual income, the abortion industry giant boasts of increased activity across all of its lines of work -- including condom distribution, advocacy and abortion services.
IPPF’s overall income for 2008 was US$119.7 million, down from over $120 million the previous year.
While IPPF's total financial intake dipped, its abortion business boomed. The organization provided almost 428,000 “abortion services” to young people alone, with a staggering 1,134,549 total number of such services – almost double the number from 2007 – across the globe.
Despite an increase in abortion services, IPPF remains unsatisfied with the figure, arguing that "in comparison to other types of services provided by IPPF Member Associations, these figures remain low and indicate that much needs to be done in terms of future investment in this area if IPPF is to meet its objectives of providing women with the choice and right to safe abortion when faced with an unwanted pregnancy."
In the report, IPPF boasts of promoting its abortion agenda among its member associations in traditionally pro-life countries."
And we wonder why we are being punished. We continue to sacrifice our children just as the pagans of old. Instead of offering up our sufferings and joy to the one, true God, we offer up the lives of our young to the god of convenience. The true God says we will be rewarded, through grace, for the good we do and punished for the bad. The false god says there is no reward or punishment, just selfishness and the worship of the false freedom of living a lie. The worship of self as the prime reason for our existence. We live for our own pleasure, to satisfy our every lust and increase our sense of self worth. We are all gods, worthy of worship and honor. Let nothing stand in our way, especially the fruit of our purest pursuit of the self centered gratification of our most base, animal desires.
We deny the part of the true Gods nature that we posses, the ability to be part of the creation of life. We take this gift from the true God and murder it as a sacramental offering to the god of this earth; and the author of our destruction. We worship at the altar of the father of lies, the author of murder and beg for his blessing. We ask for money and power but never wisdom and understanding, for those are the enemy of the false god, the one that would set on the throne of the Creator.
As we enter this new decade we are going to see signs and wonders, just like those of days long ago. We are entering a dangerous time, one which will require a rebirth in the understanding of our place in the world and our responsibilities. The lies that we have accepted as truth are going to be swept away. The comforts and privileges we have come to expect as little gods will be taken from us. We must learn to accept, with humility and grace, the challenges that are put before us. We must learn that there are consequences to our actions. 15 minutes of fun can create a lifetime of responsibility. We have to accept the responsibility for our actions. We can't just kill it and pretend it didn't happen. We are given crosses to bear, not to bury.
It is only through grace and acceptance that we can survive the coming storm. Spoiled children throw tantrums and destroy when they don't get their way; adults accept and adapt. Our childhood had ended and the time of trial is beginning. Look to the true God and not yourself. Ask for the wisdom and patience you will need. We must all work together, through the grace of God for the coming of the new age.
"Children, it is the last hour; and just as you heard that the antichrist was coming, so now many antichrists have appeared. Thus we know this is the last hour. They went out from us, but they were not really of our number; if they had been, they would have remained with us. Their desertion shows that none of them was of our number. But you have the anointing that comes from the Holy One, and you all have knowledge. I write to you not because you do not know the truth but because you do, and because every lie is alien to the truth."
1st John 2:18-21
“The hottest places in hell are reserved for those who in times of great moral crises maintain their neutrality”
Dante Alighieri
“Always vote for principle, though you may vote alone, and you may cherish the sweetest reflection that your vote is never lost.”
John Quincy Adams
“Government is not reason, it is not eloquence, it is force; like fire, a troublesome servant and a fearful master. Never for a moment should it be left to irresponsible action.”
George Washington
“If once the people become inattentive to the public affairs, you and I, and Congress and Assemblies, Judges and Governors, shall all become wolves. It seems to be the law of our general nature, in spite of individual exceptions.”
Thomas Jefferson
" I come from a state that raises corn and cotton and cockleburs and Democrats, and frothy eloquence neither convinces nor satisfies me. I am from Missouri. You have got to show me."
Willard Duncan Vandiver
"The issue is, to use a sporting metaphor, whether in the game of life the government shall captain the national team or shall act as referee."
S. Harcourt-Rivington
"The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people."
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