While we seem to be in a deflationary period at the moment, eventually we are going to return to inflation. This time around we stand a really good chance of hyperinflating because of all the money being produced by the government to try to stimulate the collapsing economy.
I think that we're starting to see the effects already. My wife and I went grocery shopping last weekend and prices are definitely rising on food and other essential items. I've been noticing this for the past couple months. Even though demand is down. Because these items are essential the manufacturers and retailers can pass the increased cost of their devalued dollars along.
Prepare for the inevitable. Our government is showing no signs that it intends to accept fiscal responsibility. It prefers to continue creating more and more debt by printing dollars to create an illusion of economic growth. If we won't take our medicine now we'll have to take it later, when the disease is worse and the cure that much more violent.
I assume the Marines and other branches of the military are doing everything they can to make sure that gang members are found and removed from duty before they get this kind of training. And I think that this training is worthwhile. But, you just know it will be turned against the cops at some point when they face a gang member completely aware of police tactics and techniques along with the excellent training in combat provided by the military.
Pray for our police.
"A tough-talking, muscular Los Angeles police sergeant steadily rattled off tips to a young Marine riding shotgun as they raced in a patrol car to a drug bust: Be aware of your surroundings. Watch people's body language. Build rapport.
Marine Lt. Andrew Abbott, 23, took it all in as he peered out at the graffiti-covered buildings, knowing that the lessons he learned recently in one of the city's toughest neighborhoods could help him soon in the war against the Taliban in Afghanistan.
"People are the center of gravity and if you do everything you can to protect them, then they'll protect you," he said. "That's something true here and pretty much everywhere."
Abbott was among 70 Camp Pendleton Marines in a training exercise that aims to adapt the investigative techniques the LAPD has used for decades against violent street gangs to take on the Taliban more as a powerful drug-trafficking mob than an insurgency." NBC Los Angeles
"According to a recently released FBI report, Gang-related activity in the US military is increasing and poses a threat to law enforcement officials and national security.
...The FBI believes that gang members may enlist in the military to escape their current environment or gang lifestyle. Some gang members may also enlist to receive weapons, combat, and convoy support training; to obtain access to weapons and explosives; or as an alternative to incarceration. Upon discharge, they may employ their military training against law enforcement officials and rival gang members. Such military training could ultimately result in more organized, sophisticated, and deadly gangs, as well as an increase in deadly assaults on law enforcement officers." About.com
I'm reading the stories below and thinking about Costa Rica and the authorization for 46 American warships and 7000 troops to take "shore leave" there.
Look at the list at the bottom of the stories I've posted below. Of the top 5 oil importers to America, 3 could be problematic if Iran is invaded. Of our top 5 suppliers only Saudi Arabia is in the Middle East and they've already given their blessings to an invasion of Iran. Canada will go with us. Mexico will probably keep on supplying to us because they need the money and they don't need any more trouble. And if they get some crazy idea about shutting us off, well, with troops and ships in Costa Rica, we've got 'em surrounded.
Venezuela and Nigeria, on the other hand, could be problems. China is partnering with Chavez and trying to buy into BP, giving them substantial control over companies and countries that we rely on for our energy and Nigeria is unstable. So what are we doing? Putting ships and troops on Venezuelas doorstep and talking of invading Nigeria (the American government denies this).
Is it possible that the ships and troops authorized to use Costa Rican waters and land may be part of an invasion force to overthrow Chavez and secure oil supplies in case of war with Iran?
And if this happens, will Petrobras take over the drilling?
I don't know; I'm just thinking out loud here.
I appreciate any ideas you guys can throw my way. Something is up, I just don't know what.
"Chinese oil giant PetroChina would “welcome” closer ties with BP as the company continues to grapple with the massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, The Financial Times reported.
Mao Zefeng, PetroChina head of investor relations, told the Financial Times that the company’s initial reaction to BP’s problems in the Gulf of Mexico was to see how it could “help BP to quickly fix the problem”.
“We contacted them to see if there is anything we can help with in terms of engineering or technical help,” Mao told the paper.
The comments come at a time when Chinese energy companies are spending billions on overseas acquisitions." New York Times
"Venezuela and China gave a new boost to their thriving economic ties Tuesday, signing a package of agreements that advances China strategy of locking in access to the South American country's vast oil reserves.
After two days of talks in Caracas, the China National Offshore Oil Corporation will help the government of President Hugo Chavez develop the Boyaca 3 oil block in the Orinoco-belt, a large heavy-crude basin in Eastern Venezuela.
The move is part of Venezuela's efforts to increase oil sales to China to 1 million barrels per day from the 400,000 barrels per day it says it currently supplies. Under Chavez, Venezuela has tried to curb oil exports to the U.S. and searched for new markets. Despite his efforts, the U.S. remains the main destination for Venezuela oil, with sales averaging around 1 million barrels per day.
The China National Petroleum Corporation also moved forward by securing access to another oil block in the Orinoco region that could eventually produce 400,000 barrels of oil per day." Wall Street Journal December 23, 2009
"President Barack Obama is preparing American troops for a special intervention in Nigeria, in the event of a widespread chaos that could threaten oil production, a top brass in the U.S. army and a security expert have revealed.
According to the Commander, U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM), General William Ward, American troops have been placed on red alert as the government is monitoring the political situation in Africa’s most populous nation.
Daniel Volman, Director of the U.S-based Africa Security Research Project, added that a growing U.S. need for natural resources was one of the main reasons the Defence Department developed AFRICOM, in the light of instability in places such as oil-rich Nigeria." Nigerian Compass
TOP 5 IMPORTERS OF OIL TO AMERICA APRIL 2010
(Thousands of barrels per day)
"Attacking Venezula from Costa Rica is logistically easier due to its closer proximity than Florida. Besides, some Central and South American nations may be getting nervous over a Venezula whose military could be propped up by the Red Chinese who likely buys much Venezulan oil."
Which got me to thinking:
"So let's play devil's advocate and just suppose that a wealthy supporter of the Obama administration (Soros) had invested a bunch of money in a Brazilian oil company (Petrobras) and wanted the South American market all sewn up and China out of the picture.
Boy, it sure sounds like everybody's talking around the issue:
"The U.S.-Costa Rica Maritime Cooperation Agreement, the first of its kind in Central America, entered into force in late 1999. The agreement, which facilitates cooperation between the Coast Guard of Costa Rica and the U.S. Coast Guard, has resulted in a growing number of narcotics seizures, illegal migrant rescues, illegal fishing seizures, and search-and-rescue missions. Bilateral Costa Rican law enforcement cooperation, particularly against narcotrafficking, has been exemplary." U.S. State Dept.
"The President of the Republic, Laura Chinchilla, said yesterday that the government does not intend to militarize the fight against drugs, although for the patrol is authorized entry of 46 warships of the United States.
The president said in his Facebook profile that both the security minister, José María Tijerino, as the Government's anti-drug commissioner, Mauritius Boraschi, explain why the United States asked the country's permission for entry to Costa Rican waters of 46 ships, 200 helicopters , 7,000 men and ten fighters Harriet, from 1. July to 31 December this year.
Tijerino and Boraschi visited yesterday Nation and argued that no interest in militarize conducting joint patrols Costa Rica and the United States since 1999.
What happens, Tijerino said, is that military aircraft are under the command of the Coastguard and the United States, and respond to these authorities, "not the Army."
Thus, the ships are not allowed to enter under the command of the Navy, but Fugen as "support teams" to the U.S. Coast Guard, which in turn support the actions of the authorities of our country.
As for the 7,000 men permission to enter the country with their uniforms on, both as Tijerino Boraschi emphasized that not arrive all together, nor perform work they are entitled to the Costa Rican police.
These men are the total crew of 46 ships and these include craft technicians, pilots of helicopters and warplanes that can move the carrier with permits to enter the waters of national jurisdiction." Translation from Nacion
So this is what I can figure out from the articles above:
In 1999, a treaty was signed between Costa Rica and the United States allowing cooperation between the Coast Guards of both countries in the war on drugs. It appears that all military operations involving American forces must be under the jurisdiction of the Coast Guard when on or in Costa Rican territory.
Now, for some undisclosed reason, temporary permission has been given to the United States to allow 46 naval ships and 7000 Marines (or other personnel) into Costa Rica for 6 months. However, the President of Costa Rica, Laura Chinchilla, says his government does not intend to militarize the war on drugs. Then why would Costa Rica want an invasion force sitting in its harbor?
Also, I'm curious. Since the U.S.-Costa Rica Maritime Cooperation Agreement states that all U.S. military will be under the command of the Coast Guard, President Chinchilla says that these warships and Marines will be under that command. Does this sound like the normal way the Navy does business? They've essentially handed command of double the normal fleet in that part of the world to another branch of the military. Not to mention the Marine Corp relinquishing its command of its Marines. Something just doesn't seem right about this.
The statement from President Chinchilla almost makes it sound as though Costa Rica is giving the fleet permission to dock for repairs and shore leave. Maybe this is the reason but then why would it only be allowed for six months? And why would we need a facility for repairs this close to home?
This reply was sent to the post below about Navy and Marine deployment to Costa Rica. Thanks, Anonymous, for the info. Assuming your numbers are correct, the plot has thickened.
"Anonymous said...
The Navy 4th Fleet in Mayport, Florida oversees operations in the Carribbean and South America. They currently command 21 ships, so I am curious as to what other Fleet is suporting this operation. The Navy has approximately 288 ships is service currently and they usually have about 125 deployed at any time. 46 to a relatively safe "tourist" area seems like a huge number considering we are already have a significance presence in the middle east. The surge to Afganistan approved 35,000 additional troops, so 7000 Marines is a little under 1/4 of that amount. The other big question is why Marines? This deployment doesn't seem in alignment with their "mission"."
What's going on in Costa Rica? Why would the Navy double its presence in Central America and the Gulf region? And as Anonymous asked, why the Marines? And, if the Navy normally only has 125 ships deployed at any given time that means almost 40% of the ships available are being stationed in Costa Rica.
And why the Marines? Their mission statement, at least for the command attached to SOUTHCOM, can be found here. It includes, among other things, "...anti-terrorism; and peacekeeping, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief. We build security forces to detect, deter, and defend critical infrastructure and assets." Are they being staged in preparation for some sort of disaster relief in the Gulf? Short of their traditional use as a invasion force I don't know of any other reason for them to be there. Maybe they are going to be used against the drug cartels; building some sort of intel infrastructure or training local military. That doesn't seem like it would take 7000 troops to accomplish, though. As a matter of fact, it seems that the last thing we'd want is a huge presence if that were the mission. And we sure wouldn't need damned near half the Navy to accomplish it.
So the question remains; why Costa Rica?
These stats below come from Answers.com. I don't know how reliable the are but they certainly seem to back up the numbers given by Anonymous above:
Deployable Battle Force Ships: 283
Ships Underway (away from homeport): 124 ships (44% of total)
On deployment: 104 ships (37% of total)
Attack submarines underway (away from homeport): 30 submarines (55%)
On deployment: 20 submarines (37%) Ships Underway
Carriers: USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) - Atlantic Ocean USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) - 5th Fleet USS George Washington (CVN 73) - Pacific Ocean USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74) - Pacific Ocean
Amphibious Warfare Ships: USS Bataan (LHD 5) - Atlantic Ocean USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6) - Pacific Ocean USS Iwo Jima (LHD 7) - 5th Fleet
Aircraft (operational): 3700+
This story about the Navy moving ships and Marines to Costa Rica seems to be true:
"(The Costa Rican) Congress authorized last night the arrival of 46 U.S. warships to the Costa Rican coast 1. July to 31 December this year for counternarcotics operations and humanitarian missions.
In addition to ships capable of carrying 200 helicopters and warplanes, are allowed to come to the country 7000 U.S. Marines in uniform may transit through national territory.
U.S. Marines may enter and leave the country at will, which does not imply that any military force is concentrated in a single moment here.
Most of the ships are frigates and have a length of 135 meters, with capacity to carry two SH-60 helicopter gunships or HH-60B, or Black Hawck and 200 marines and 15 officers each.
Other ships, including USS Making Island, have the capacity to carry 102 officers, 1449 sailors, are armored, and can carry 42 CH-46 helicopters, five AV-8B Harrier aircraft and six helicopters Blackhawks.
They may also arrive at national waters catamaran ships, a hospital ship and reconnaissance vehicles with capacity for transportation both by sea and by land.
They may also enter national waters ships as the USS Freedom, with capacity to combat submarines." From a translation of Nacion
The buzz on the internet is that this is part of an evacuation of naval assets from the Gulf in anticipation of a disaster:
"Under the guise of the “war on drugs” the U.S. Military is evacuating its ships and hardware from the Gulf of Mexico to safety off the sheltered coast of Costa Rica.
The “war on drugs” cover story is laughable being that we can’t even get that level of engagement on our border with Mexico where all the drugs come through.
The Navy is obviously worried about either poison from the methane/corexit 9500 mix or a massive methane explosion/tsunami. A tsunami fits with the NOAA blackout of the U.S. tsunami warning system. It also explains why BP is not actively cleaning up the oil on the beaches. Why clean them up if they are going to be gone." Survivalist News
So what's the truth?
The idea that we are stationing this much firepower in Costa Rica to fight the war on drugs seems to be a bit of a stretch when we can't get more than a few thousand National Guard on the Mexican border.
Some say that it is a move to box in Chavez if we invade Iran. It seems like overkill, but maybe.
Could we be invading Costa Rica or just using it as a temporary base of operations? Well, if our intentions are to put a stopper in the bottle neck that allows drugs and possible terrorists to flow in from South America we probably couldn't pick a better place. Not to mention that controlling Costa Rica would allow us to easily take out Chavez and position us to flank the drug cartels in Mexico.
It also puts us in close proximity to the Panama Canal. Is there some possible threat to this vital waterway?
Of course, none of this would seem to be consistent with the actions of the Obama administration.
If the government really believes we are about to see a crisis of unimaginable severity in the Gulf is it possible that it is just stationing these assets to be used for relief after the crisis unfolds? If a tsunami or something else wipes out our entire Gulf port system is it possible that Costa Rica could become our next best choice for a naval base to protect our Gulf coast?
So why is the Navy moving so much firepower to Costa Rica? And what percentage of the total naval presence in the Gulf does this represent? Is the Navy clearing the Gulf of the majority of its ships and personnel or is that just internet hysteria?
Regardless of the law the imperial President will have his way. Drilling will be halted, the platforms will move away and America will lose its oil supply.
Of course Petrobras in Brazil, the company in which George Soros is heavily invested, will probably get the platforms and drill deeper than anything so far attempted in the Gulf. And Mr. Soros and his friends on the left will not only profit but will also gain more control over the worlds energy supplies.
It's funny how things work sometimes.
"The Obama administration lost its court bid to maintain a six-month moratorium on offshore deepwater drilling which a federal judge ordered lifted last month.
The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals denied the government's emergency request to stay that judge's order pending appeal.
The motion was denied because the government failed to show "a likelihood of irreparable injury if the stay is not granted," the appeals panel judges wrote in a 2-1 ruling.
The government also "made no showing that there is any likelihood that drilling activities will be resumed pending appeal."
Interior Secretary Ken Salazar has said he will soon issue a new order to block deepwater drilling regardless of how the court ruled and oil companies have not resumed drilling due to the legal uncertainties.
...Lawyers representing the oil companies argued that the government is overreaching and that the moratorium has already caused irreparable economic harm.
"The problem with the moratorium is it's a one size fits all mechanism: the industry leader is treated the same way as the industry laggard," said John Cooney, an attorney representing Hornbeck Offshore Services.
"They are all frozen into limbo for an extended period of time. There is no way any one operator can come into compliance with the safety measures that are put out by the government and then resume operations." Breitbart
"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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