An Indirect Metric of Paul's Popularity

Notice how Kelly Clarkson, after praising candidate Ron Paul was rewarded in the market. From Amazon -

The Real Effect 
This is a very easy thing to understand. Ron Paul is a legitimate man that stands in stark contrast to most of the past and all of the current crop of presidential candidates. He is genuine, he is honest and most critically, he's consistent.

Kelly Clarkson expressed genuine support for a genuine candidate. This in turn caused people to support her of their own accord! Not in some crazed PR manipulated set piece where you promise the world to people if they just go buy her album. This is genuine market growth in action and the type of organic response that is sorely needed if this country is going to rebuild itself. Do not underestimate your power or the combined power of others.

Above all this proves that if you are true to truth, you will be rewarded by it in this life or the next.

U.S Poking Around Iranian Wargames, False Flag Imminent?

Beware Misleading Articles

An exercise in perception -

Iran's navy chief warned Wednesday that his country can easily close the strategic Strait of Hormuz at the mouth of the Persian Gulf, the passageway through which a sixth of the world's oil flows.

It was the second such warning in two days. On Tuesday, Vice President Mohamed Reza Rahimi threatened to close the strait, cutting off oil exports, if the West imposes sanctions on Iran's oil shipments.

In response, the Bahrain-based U.S. 5th Fleet's spokeswoman warned that any disruption "will not be tolerated." The spokeswoman, Lt. Rebecca Rebarich, said the U.S. Navy is "always ready to counter malevolent actions to ensure freedom of navigation."

The Real Effect
Let's examine this shall we?

For starters, notice how the article and it's content is summarized for you? This is a convenient way of framing your comprehension of the facts being presented to you. (i.e. - Iran, the aggressor against the U.S.) This is designed to help you interpret the latter content in a different manner than what is actually being presented. (i.e. - U.S., the aggressor against Iran)

But before we examine the front half of the article, let's examine the U.S. position presented

Western nations are growing increasingly impatient with Iran over its nuclear program. The U.S. and its allies have accused Iran of using its civilian nuclear program as a cover to develop nuclear weapons.

Note the word "accused". In the past, Iraq was accused of getting uranium yellowcake from Nigeria. This is the assessment that helped support the war which ultimately ended up being bogus. (Read as fraudulent) In this instance, if there was material proof that such a program was active, it would be waved from coast to coast at this point. It either doesn't exist or isn't strong enough to warrant a war.

Given the lack of evidence thus far, how has the U.S. responded?

The U.S. Congress has passed a bill banning dealings with the Iran Central Bank, and President Barack Obama has said he will sign it despite his misgivings.

and

The bill could impose penalties on foreign firms that do business with Iran's central bank. European and Asian nations import Iranian oil and use its central bank for the transactions

Now, here is the critical portion of the article that gives us the proper context.

Iran has adopted an aggressive military posture in recent months in response to increasing threats from the U.S. and Israel that they may take military action to stop Iran's nuclear program.

Iran is being existentially threatened, therefore they are naturally responding with threats of their own.

Iran's navy chief warned...

More then likely the use of the word "warned" is to create the perception that there is an outright naked threat on behalf the Iranian nation. The use of this word could be called inflammatory because the proceeding does not follow the inclusion of that word. (At least in the manner that it is being presented.)

...that his country can easily close the strategic Strait of Hormuz at the mouth of the Persian Gulf...

Saying something is possible is not tantamount to saying it is probable let alone a declaration of intent. In this instance, you have a sovereign country, Iran, that is already being targeted by destabilization efforts, sanctions, threats of war and a possible embargo on a necessary energy source (refined gas) and support for the nation. In this manner, Iran is acting consistently with a nation attempting to protect their "national interests".

In short, be careful what you read and how.

Ron Paul IS Winning

Polls
Nevada Primary Poll - 12/22/2011 (3rd Place)
Mitt Romney 33.1%, Newt Gingrich 29.2%, Ron Paul 12.7%

California Straw Poll - 9/18/2011 (1st Place)
Ron Paul 44.9%, Rick Perry 29.3%, Mitt Romney 8.8%,

MSNBC Reagan Debate Poll - 9/7/2011 (1st Place)
Ron Paul 52.7%, Mitt Romney 16.3%, Rick Perry 13.6%

Gallup Republican Poll - 8/25/2011 (3rd Place)
Rick Perry 29%, Mitt Romney 17% (fell 6%), Ron Paul 13%, Michelle Bachmann 10% (fell 3%)

Azimuth Research Group Texas Poll - 8/17/11 (1st place)
Ron Paul 22%, Rick Perry 17%

Ames Iowa Straw Poll - 8/13/11 (2nd place)
Michele Bachmann 4,823, Ron Paul 4,671, Tim Pawlenty 2,293


Rasmussen Pre-Poll - 8/9/11 (3rd place)
Ron Paul placed third with 16%, following Mitt Romney at second with 21%, and Michele Bachmann in the lead at 22%.

USA TODAY/Gallup Poll - 8/8/11 (3rd place)
Ron Paul at third place among GOP contenders on a national level, with 14%. Second place was Texas Governor, Rick Perry with 17% and leading the field nationally is Mitt Romney with 24%. Michele Bachmann places a close fourth with 13%.

CPAC Poll - 2/16/11 (1st Place)
Ron Paul 30%, Mitt Romney 23%, Gary Johnson 6%

CPAC Poll 2010 (1st Place)
Ron Paul 31%, Mitt Romney 22%, Gary Johnson 6% , Sarah Palin 7%

CPAC Poll 2009 (3rd Place)
20% Mitt Romney, 14% Bobby Jindal, 13% Ron Paul

Note: This is a resource and will be updated as necessary.

Merry Christmas Iran - It's On Like Donkey Kong

Feliz navidad, uh...happy Bombmas and stuff cuz nothing celebrates the birth of the Lord better then taking out a countries fuel supplies -

The Iranian news agency IRNA reported today that a U.S. missile hit an oil depot in the southwest village of Abadan on Wednesday. IRNA said British and American jets had entered Iranian airspace several times.

In addition to the oil depot attack, two rockets reportedly hit the village of Manyuhi near the border of Iraq’s al-Faw Peninsula near the Persian Gulf and the Iraqi city of Basra.

“In the border city of Arvand-Kenar, the invading American and British airplanes violated the airspace of the Islamic Republic of Iran three times,” a commander told the Islamic Republic News Agency.

The Real Effect
If this is in fact a legitimate story, look for the next set of chess pieces to start moving. I think it's going to be difficult to get Iran to react overtly at first because they know full well that the US will try and paint them as the aggressor. Therefore my assumption is that they may try and get the IAEA in the country sooner in an attempt to call NATO's hand.

Iran also announced on Thursday its envoy to the Vienna-based United Nations International Atomic Energy Agency will meet with the agency’s top nuclear inspector in the first week of January to arrange a visit to Iran as soon as possible. “As far as we are concerned his team can come as soon as they are ready,” said Ali Asghar Soltanieh.

If that's not possible or the hawks in Iran have their way, it's safe to assume that Iran will start directing their resources to take shots at US troops the world over in an attempt to start fires everywhere and destabilize the US military. Watch Syria, Lebanon, parts of Pakistan and specifically the Gulf as Iran stages new exercises.

Iran on Thursday announced it will hold a military exercise beyond the Strait of Hormuz at the mouth of the Persian Gulf. The exercise may place Iranian navy vessels within proximity of U.S. warships in the area.

According to the Associated Press, the announced Iranian exercise is Iran’s latest show of strength in the face of mounting international criticism over its controversial nuclear program.

Terrorism Charges Happening In the US

The hyper-spastic reactions continue -

An American citizen from Boston suburb was convicted on Tuesday on terrorism charges, but the charges were loosely defined and the verdict may represent a significant blow to free speech rights.

Federal prosecutors claimed that Tarek Mehanna, 29, traveled to Yemen in 2004 with the hope of training as a terrorist and going on to fight American soldiers in Iraq. He failed to find any training camps, but returned home and allegedly promoted al Qaeda by writing about violent jihad against U.S. foreign policy on the Internet.

Mehanna and his lawyers instead claimed that he traveled to Yemen to receive training to become an Islamic scholar and that his writings on the Internet amounted to free speech.

The Real Effect
Never mind the fact that we're ALL terrorists under Section 802 of the Patriot Act, this is further justification for case law that will be used in ever increasing definitions against the American populace during the coming Globalist Coup Civil War. Why would there be a war? Because they're going to take your goods of course.

Update: You better not investigate a farm, you terr'ist, else we turn yer house into a glass parking lot!

The FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force has kept files on activists who expose animal welfare abuses on factory farms and recommended prosecuting them as terrorists, according to a new document uncovered through the Freedom of Information Act.

Something gives me this feel there's going to be a whole lot of these sorts of things coming out of the woodwork.

U.S. Citizen Assasinations - Coming to a Town Near You

Begining to understand where we are going yet or is it still tinfoil hat time -

Turley said yesterday on C-Span (starting at 15:50):
President Obama has just stated a policy that he can have any American citizen killed without any charge, without any review, except his own. If he’s satisfied that you are a terrorist, he says that he can kill you anywhere in the world including in the United States.
Two of his aides just … reaffirmed they believe that American citizens can be killed on the order of the President anywhere including the United States.
You’ve now got a president who says that he can kill you on his own discretion. He can jail you indefinitely on his own discretion

The Real Effect
Lest you think this is isolated, I cite the following so you can follow the rationale -

Lawmakers in Louisiana are calling for National Guard troops to patrol the streets of New Orleans after a toddler was killed in a drive-by shooting. The last time troops were involved in domestic law enforcement in the state, they were used to confiscate legally owned firearms in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

Think of the military as sharks. They are really good at eating and if you have an abundance of something that needs to be eaten, well, you're in luck. Do you really want to open a swimming pool with sharks?

"But wait!" you say "Think of it, there will be no fish in the pool because the sharks will eat them all."
True. But there will also be no swimmers because they will either leave or get eaten.

Such is the case with all military, if you have a need to bust heads and blow things up, they're your man and they will perform admirably. But the military, especially today's military, is not a peace keeping force. They are occupiers and that is what they will do, occupy, disarm and blow things up.

Is this a good response to a shooting??? It is if you want to kill people. History indicates that these actions will escalate the violence, not end it.

Republicans That Respect Neither the Republic Nor Democratic Reform

I present to you, Abject Lunacy of the Day!

Conservatives and Republican elites in the state are divided over who to support for the GOP nomination, but they almost uniformly express concern over the prospect that Ron Paul and his army of activist supporters may capture the state’s 2012 nominating contest — an outcome many fear would do irreparable harm to the future role of the first-in-the-nation caucuses.

“It would make the caucuses mostly irrelevant if not entirely irrelevant,” said Becky Beach, a longtime Iowa Republican who helped Presidents Bush 41 and Bush 43 here.“It would have a very damaging effect because I don’t think he could be elected president and both Iowa and national Republicans wouldn’t think he represents the will of voters.”

Who cares what you think.

“I don’t think any candidate perverting the process in that fashion helps [the caucuses] in any way,” said Iowa House Speaker Kraig Paulsen, adding that he didn’t know if that’s necessarily how Paul would win.

Somehow I get the feeling that if Romney won that would be a different quote

“They’ll all go back and vote for Obama,” predicted Beach.

You again? Go away....

“If we empower somebody who turns around and elects Obama, then that’s a major problem for the caucuses,” said Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa).

Nice try King, Paul doesn't elect Obama, the people do. And if the they relect Obama, it's because you failed to present a viable candidate. (Oh my, that has a nice ring to it.)

“People are going to look at who comes in second and who comes in third,” said Gov. Terry Branstad. “If [Mitt] Romney comes in a strong second, it definitely helps him going into New Hampshire and the other states.”

The Real Effect

Nice Governer Branstad. Did you just undermine the efficacy of your own primaries for political reasons?!? Iowa, why do you have this reject in here? As I stated in another venue yesterday, watch him win on January 3rd and then they promptly start talking about who came in second.  

 

This matter is simple, either the primary is legitimate or it is not. If it is illegitimate, then why are we holding it at a substantial cost to taxpayers and if it is legitimate, then why are we trying to pretend someone else won? This only undermines the electoral process and creates inherent instability. More importantly, this further reveals that the Republican party is not interested in "We the People..." but in truth is interested solely in "We the Party..."

This raises a serious question that needs to be examined further - Will the GOP overtly attempt to undermine the democratic process if Paul wins? Will they attempt to portray the situation as a "do over"? If so, America could be facing a far more grave Constitutional crisis at the hands of the Neocons who cry foul over Obama's usurpation.

To Those With Thin Skin - Either Examine Your Motives or Accept That You've Fallen

Rationalization seems to be the primary reason why people 'turn to the darkside' -

The Real Effect
I can hear the protests now, '...but...but...the priest was ruled out of order.' Folks, this is the scam that is being run against us consistently and it's working to a large degree. Some of our "representatives" are attempting to circumvent the rules by trying to legally remove their own shackles. It is for this precise reason that these fools were shackled in the first place lest our checkbook and hides know no end to their... cough...benevolence.

This is why rules and procedures and laws are put in place, so that one entity cannot abuse another or at the very least the situation can be redressed. But what redress is available when your own 'servants' have raided your storehouses and have set themselves up as your lords?

The citizens of this country must remain vigilant, this is a dark time in which the globalists are seeking to overthrow, via a legal coup if possible, the stated desires of its populace. These sort of instances must not be allowed to stand.

Ron Paul Gets Summarily Dismissed By "Republicans"

You would think, given their reaction to Dr. Paul, that the guy is Satan incarnate -

The Iowa primary is widely acknowledged as a hugely influential indication of who the eventual victor will be in the Republican race. Two of the last three winners have gone on to become the successful nominee. But according to Fox News pundit Chris Wallace, if Ron Paul wins on January 3rd – it doesn’t count.

“The Ron Paul people are not going to like my saying this,” said Wallace. “But to a certain degree, it will discredit the Iowa caucuses because, rightly or wrongly, I think most of the Republican establishment thinks he’s not going to end up as the nominee. So therefore, Iowa won’t count.”

 The Real Effect

Could you be any more obvious? The man is seen as one of the most conservative individuals not only of this current Congress, but of the century. He's a doctor, he's a statesman, he's intelligent, he's consistent and most importantly HE DOESN'T LIE TO YOU. The Neocons put up candidate after candidate that claims to be a George Washington, a Defender of the People's Rights and The Most Important Person in the Most Important Position in the Most Important Election...EVAH!!!! The Great Mass hope Scott Brown...anyone, anyone!?! (Does Brown remind anyone of Romney?) Dr. Paul will be that man. He's shown it again and again and our country desperately needs his character.

What this consistently demonstrates is not as much the electability of Dr. Paul, but the character of those who oppose him. The main point of opposition being relegated to a stance on a country that no one here governs! Yet, the tired old mantras march ever forward... 

He's unelectable...
His lack of support of Israel bothers me...
His foreign policy bothers me...


News flash! We're broke! A continuation of this tired interventionist policy is going to gain us a World War, several smaller wars, economic bankruptcy and most importantly millions dead. Where is the compassion in that position? Where is the Pro-Life culture?!?

That's right, you'd rather engage in the new Amerikan sacrament, bombing brown people!

US troops surrounding the Syrian border?

We're Not In Iran, We're Not In...Ok, We're In Iran

As if this shouldn't be completely obvious even to a casual observer by now -

Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, in an exclusive interview with Fox News, said that the stealth drone campaign along the Iran-Afghanistan border will "absolutely" continue despite the loss of a valuable and sophisticated drone to Iran.

The mysterious loss of the RQ-170 Sentinel drone has revealed not only that the U.S. was spying on Iran, but also that the program was being run from Shindad Air Base in western Afghanistan.

Panetta would not comment directly on what that drone was doing over Iran, but he said the U.S. military has no plans to halt the drone operation out of western Afghanistan.

I'm not a betting man, but if pushed, I'm guessing the drones have something to do with this -

As the US completes its final withdrawal from Iraq, American special forces troops have been diverted to positions in Jordan opposite a Syrian tank concentration building up across the kingdom's northern border, debkafile's military and intelligence sources report.

As of last Thursday, military convoys, air transports and helicopters have been lifting US troops across the border from Iraq. They have been deployed in position to ward off a possible Syrian invasion in the light of President Bashar Assad's warning that he would set the entire Middle East on fire if the pressure on his regime to step down persisted.

The Real Effect

Now what would US force possibly be doing in Jordan? Could they be thinking of invading Syria to provoke Iran? Naaaaah...

It looks like this is going to turn into one of those "Who shot first?" incidents.

Update: Does Israel know something?

“Basically, it’s inevitable,” Barak said in a telephone interview before flying Wednesday to Washington for meetings with Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and other administration officials. “The Assad family, through their own behavior, have lost their last drop of legitimacy and put themselves beyond the point of no return with their brutal slaughter of their own people. He has ceased to be something relevant.”

“It might take many weeks,” Barak added, “but it’s not a matter of months or years.”

In a separate interview, Moshe Ya’alon, the minister of Strategic Affairs, said: “It’s a matter of time and bloodshed before we will witness Assad’s departure. That is our assessment.”

Mitt Romney in Worcester 2002 "My views are progressive"

Mideast Notes - Things are Heating Up, Again

Troops are appearing near Syria -

Whistleblower activist Sibel Edmonds reported on Sunday that “foreign military groups, estimated at hundreds of individuals,” have taken up positions in the city of al-Mafraq in northern Jordan on the Syrian border.

An update on Edmonds’ blog, Boiling Frogs, states that a “journalist with a major mainstream media publication was told by his editors that there would be no coverage or follow up on these developments.”

The presence of foreign troops were also reported by a Jordanian military officer who asked to remain anonymous. He said hundreds of soldiers who speak languages ​other than Arabic were seen during the past two days (as of Sunday) moving back and forth in military vehicles between the King Hussein Air Base in al-Mafraq, ten kilometers from the Syrian border, and the vicinity of Jordanian villages near the Syrian border, including Albaej, the area around the dam of Sarhan, the villages of Zubaydiah and al-Nahdah adjacent to the Syrian border.

 Of course Iran won't take that without its own display of force -

A member of the Iranian parliament's National Security Committee said on Monday that the military was set to practise its ability to close the Gulf to shipping at the narrow Strait of Hormuz, the most important oil transit channel in the world, but there was no official confirmation.

The legislator, Parviz Sarvari, told the student news agency ISNA: "Soon we will hold a military manoeuvre on how to close the Strait of Hormuz. If the world wants to make the region insecure, we will make the world insecure."

 The Real Effect
This morning on political talk radio, I heard a staunch neocon correctly list the virtues of arming individuals with guns and how this act of arming would add to societal stability by deterring aggressive criminals. This same laughable neocon line of thought, would see the world disarmed in an attempt to promote "world peace". Please don't ask me when these individuals traded in their brains for a bag of hammers, but it certainly wasn't yesterday.

If one examines the situation in the gulf, you come to a few, supportable positions:

• Iran is the aggressor and the U.S. is the victim.
• The U.S. is the aggressor and Iran is the victim.
• Neither holds true.

If the first is true, please explain how Iran has transgressed the U.S. If the latter two are true, which I believe can be thoroughly demonstrated, note how Iran, by threatening to close the gulf, has kept the occupiers at bay? Further, does not the cold war teach us that MAD will actually promote real peace? If so, shouldn't these individuals be giving Iran nukes like they did to China?

Update: It appears that others get this concept as well.

The idea that America should cross the globe solving every nation's problems is a progressive one. And it makes sense when you think about it. The left generally accepts that the government ought to have a very active role in society, alleviating poverty, ensuring a level playing field or the little guy, and so on. So why wouldn't the same be true of foreign policy as well?

This isn't just a matter of consistency in an abstract sense. The contradiction here has serious practical implications. Every Republican contender has preached about the need to cut the size of government, yet only Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) has discussed the need to cut back our military spending, which consumes one-fifth of the federal budget. The right-to-life argument comes into play here as well. The candidates all take a hard line stance against abortion, but the casualties of war, unfortunate as they war, are one of the necessary evils of achieving our international goals.

Budget Cuts Come to the DoD, Watch the Republicans Squirm

Listen to the partisans thunder and roar as the sacred cows come crashing down -

With deeper budget cuts looming, the Pentagon is starting to cut back by trimming the Defense Department’s civilian workforce.

The Army said Thursday it is moving forward with plans announced in July to cut about 8,700 positions, using a mix of early retirement offers, buyouts and attrition to trim the jobs by the end of the fiscal year in late September.

The Real Effect
Really, the DoD should be called the Department of War again. But it becomes hard to justify your little incursions into smaller countries when the press is writing about War and not Defense. Let this serve as a reminder to anyone who gets confused by such things -

Defense: The action of defending from or resisting attack.

As I have long held, the Republicans are just as bad as the Democrats and in some cases, worse. Countless wars on myriads of continents at trillions of dollars in cost eventually come home to roost. We covered this earlier -

Exactly how does one project one's military power when one is bankrupt? Tactically speaking, why would you hold a position that you know you cannot defend?!?

Of course, the easy answer to this is, you can't. How can you borrow from China when China is the enemy? At best this places the country in an untenable position of either stealing to continue its binge or starting with painful cuts and seeing as how the states are already broke, things are only going to worse for the foreseeable future.

From 2005 - the Republican "Victory on the Budget"?

The following article blew my mind when I read it. It appears that House Majority Leader Tom DeLay feels that the government has declared "victory" and that there is 'simply no fat left to cut in the federal budget.' I believe this betrays many who in good faith voted for representatives that they honestly believed that they would hold the conservative line. Sucks to be deceived, no?

As I sit here somewhat shell-shocked, I wonder how many conservatives really believe much of the tripe they have been ingesting from these posers formerly known as conservatives. Honestly, did we expect anything else?

Listen to these fools if you must. I mean, how wrong can they be?

North American Union - Phase One - December 07, 2011

OWS - About the Reported '30 Tons of Garbage'

Perception is often not reality, from the news media on the Occupy L.A. -

Sanitation officials said Wednesday that they expect to haul away 30 tons of debris from the Occupy L.A. encampment –- everything from clothing to heaps of garbage to oddball curiosities left behind by the protesters who lived at the City Hall tent city for two months.

Andrea Alarcon, president of the city Public Works board, said workers already have removed 25 tons of belongings from the City Hall park, all of it heading straight to a landfill.

Sanitation crews also have vacuumed up about 3,000 gallons of water that had washed into a catch basin in recent days and are testing it for hazardous materials, she said.

The Real Effect
This is another chance to use our critical thinking skills. Let's lok at a clue that is presented in the article iteself.

...workers already have removed 25 tons of belongings from the City Hall park, all of it heading straight to a landfill. 

This is far too amusing to even pass as news but it perfectly illustrates how the government operates. When you need to achieve a goal, change the definition. But let's get some more confirmation on this idea from someone that was actually there -

As we sat there, encircled, a separate team of LAPD officers used knives to slice open every personal tent in the park. They forcibly removed anyone sleeping inside, and then yanked out and destroyed any personal property inside those tents, scattering the contents across the park. They then did the same with the communal property of the Occupy LA movement.

Got it? The officers wrecked all the property then dispersed it so that they could perform their "sanitation" efforts. If you think that's bad, look at how the people were treated for 'resisting arrest'.

I unlinked my arms voluntarily and informed the LAPD officers that I would go peacefully and cooperatively. I stood as instructed, and then I had my arms wrenched behind my back, and an officer hyperextended my wrists into my inner arms. It was super violent, it hurt really really bad, and he was doing it on purpose. When I involuntarily recoiled from the pain, the LAPD officer threw me face-first to the pavement. He had my hands behind my back, so I landed right on my face. The officer dropped with his knee on my back and ground my face into the pavement. It really, really hurt and my face started bleeding and I was very scared. I begged for mercy and I promised that I was honestly not resisting and would not resist.

My hands were then zipcuffed very tightly behind my back, where they turned blue. I am now suffering nerve damage in my right thumb and palm.

I was put on a paddywagon with other nonviolent protestors and taken to a parking garage in Parker Center. They forced us to kneel on the hard pavement of that parking garage for seven straight hours with our hands still tightly zipcuffed behind our backs. Some began to pass out. One man rolled to the ground and vomited for a long, long time before falling unconscious. The LAPD officers watched and did nothing.

Finally, what is the criminal charge being levied???

The charge was sitting in the park after the police said not to. It’s a misdemeanor. Almost always, for a misdemeanor, the police just give you a ticket and let you go. It costs you a couple hundred dollars. Apparently, that’s what happened with most every other misdemeanor arrest in LA that day. With us Occupy LA protestors, however, they set bail at $5,000 and booked us into jail. Almost none of the protesters could afford to bail themselves out. I’m lucky and I could afford it, except the LAPD spent all day refusing to actually *accept* the bail they set.

Newt Gingrich: Serial Hypocrisy

Europe Get's Put on CreditWatch - Downgrades Coming

Behold the coming desolation of Europe -

Standard & Poor's Ratings Services today placed its long-term sovereign ratings on 15 members of the European Economic and Monetary Union (EMU or eurozone) on CreditWatch with negative implications.

We expect to conclude our review of eurozone sovereign ratings as soon as possible following the EU summit scheduled for Dec. 8 and 9, 2011. Depending on the score changes, if any, that our rating committees agree are appropriate for each sovereign, we believe that ratings could be lowered by up to one notch for Austria, Belgium, Finland, Germany, Netherlands, and Luxembourg, and by up to two notches for the other governments. [THIS MEANS FRANCE]

The Real Effect
Nice top we've gotten here in the markets the last few weeks. Got a seatbelt on? Time to take a plunge dooooooooown!

‘Occupy’ Protesters Listed As Domestic Terrorists

Well, that certainly didn't take long. From the U.K. -

Occupy London demonstrators have been listed as domestic terrorists by the City of London Police, who characterized them in the same context as Al-Qaeda, the Colombian FARC and Belarusian terrorists who bombed the Minsk underground.

“The City of London Police force was facing criticism last night after including the Occupy London demonstration in a letter warning businesses about potential terrorist threats,” reports the Independent.

The Real Effect
Last week we posited the following -

Now who wants to bet that Occupy Wall Street could be construed as "acts dangerous to human life that are a violation of the criminal laws of the United States or of any State" and"appear to be intended"  "to intimidate or coerce a civilian population"?

Just a few short days later and the UK is boldly going where the US will go on a later date. Don't believe me? Just six short years ago this blog was documenting the seemingly absurd concept of setting up video surveillance of all streets. Today, just go to a major highway and drive around for a bit, you'll find them real quick. For whatever reason, the UK seems to be a few years ahead of us on many of these concepts.

Anyways, I digress.

In the same article I cited earlier, I also made the following observation -

It's quite easy to understand the argument that is being made here. Because the executive branch is executing the war, they alone possess the needed intelligence and relevant policies to determine how they need to deal with an individual. The little problem with that argument though is that all U.S. citizens are protected by the Constitution. Remove that protection and you have removed the rule of law and subsequently rendered any executive decision supportable if given enough PR and time.

Enter Paul Craig Roberts -

The November 17 letter to the Senate from the Executive Office of the President says that the Obama regime does not want the authority it has under the Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF), Public Law 107-40, to be codified. Codification is risky, the regime says. “After a decade of settled jurisprudence on detention authority, Congress must be careful not to open a whole new series of legal questions that will distract from our efforts to protect the country.”

In other words, the regime is saying that under AUMF the executive branch has total discretion as to who it detains and how it treats detainees.

Exactly.

This leads into the main point of that article which is that you are now the target under these modifications of the law.

Put simply -> Open ended war via Authorization for Use of Military Force -> The executive is now empowered to prosecute the 'war' in any way it sees fit including the assassination of US citizens -> Any attempt to curtail this power is seen as a challenge on unconstitutional executive power as subsequently put down.

This is THE definition of a dictatorship. What is allowed is discussion on if these actions are necessary. What is not allowed is debate on if it exists in the first place.

This is not a left issue (since they hold the executive) nor is it a right issue (since they hold the House). This is a law issue. The Constitution was ratified in part to protect our rights and all branches of government receive their power from it. Failure to abide by it and attempts to circumvent it are unjust and illegal. Congress cannot override it any more then your local librarian can write her own warrant justifying her presence in your house.

“And how we burned in the camps later, thinking: What would things have been like if every Security operative, when he went out at night to make an arrest, had been uncertain whether he would return alive and had to say good-bye to his family? Or if, during periods of mass arrests, as for example in Leningrad, when they arrested a quarter of the entire city, people had not simply sat there in their lairs, paling with terror at every bang of the downstairs door and at every step on the staircase, but had understood they had nothing left to lose and had boldly set up in the downstairs hall an ambush of half a dozen people with axes, hammers, pokers, or whatever else was at hand?... The Organs would very quickly have suffered a shortage of officers and transport and, notwithstanding all of Stalin's thirst, the cursed machine would have ground to a halt! If...if...We didn't love freedom enough. And even more – we had no awareness of the real situation.... We purely and simply deserved everything that happened afterward.”
― Aleksandr I. Solzhenitsyn

Update:  Here comes Fox news with the same concept.

One of Fox's top radio shows is "Fox News & Commentary with Todd Starnes". Starnes has been a regular contributor on TV with FOX & Friends and Sean Hannity, but he makes his name on his radio show. Starnes fits the role of a Fox News employee, he's conservative, Christian and hates President Obama. Starnes has also decided to use the internet to voice his options through his twitter account. 

"Todd's #cnndebabte question "What should be done with the domestic terrorists who are occupying our cities and college campuses? #ows"

War With Iran - A Bipartisan Endeavor

Who said just the Republicans have lost their minds in overwhelmingly supporting yet another war that can't be paid for -

The U.S. Senate took aim at the Iranian central bank in an effort to choke off oil exports, while the European Union stopped short of targeting crude as it tightened sanctions intended to curb Iran’s nuclear program.

The Senate bill, passed unanimously yesterday, would give the president the power starting July 1 to bar foreign financial institutions that do business with Iran’s central bank from having correspondent bank accounts in the U.S. If enacted, it could be much harder for foreign companies to pay for oil imports from Iran, the world’s third-largest crude exporter. The Obama administration opposes the legislation.

The Real Effect

Policy can be a wonderful thing. It can help to shape, mold and direct an otherwise shapeless situation. Policy without the ability to project that policy is just useless prattle at best and dangerous at worst. The US is functionally bankrupt and has been for quite some time, buoyed in the short term by massive borrowing, the productivity and cooperation of it's citizens. The apex of this funding has come and gone, but like all regimes that fall,we want to deny reality. The Federal Reserve is purchasing assets at a staggering rate, propping up the economy but assassinating the dollar. The only saving grace so far has been that all other economies feel the need to die on the economic sword as well, especially Europe. (Funny, isn't it this disjointed economic balance that led to a post WWII US to out-compete a bombed out Europe?)

With both parties slapping tape over the economic warning lights of the economy, will it be any wonder when the economic engine not only seizes, but bursts into flames? Of course, no one saw it coming. Naturally if Iran gets bothered enough, they will cut off oil exports which will in turn destroy much of the remaining economy.

Of course, we might be able to deal with Iran. I'm sure a few bombed carriers would ensure the patriotic resolve needed to get it done. But China and Russia as well? Not too bright...

Government Waging War on It's Citizens

As if the aptly named "Patriot Act" shouldn't be enough, the slippery slope turns into more of a mudslide -

U.S. citizens are legitimate military targets when they take up arms with al-Qaida, top national security lawyers in the Obama administration said Thursday.

The lawyers were asked at a national security conference about the CIA killing of Anwar al-Awlaki, a U.S. citizen and leading al-Qaida figure. He died in a Sept. 30 U.S. drone strike in the mountains of Yemen.

The government lawyers, CIA counsel Stephen Preston and Pentagon counsel Jeh Johnson, did not directly address the al-Awlaki case. But they said U.S. citizens don't have immunity when they're at war with the United States.

Johnson said only the executive branch, not the courts, is equipped to make military battlefield targeting decisions about who qualifies as an enemy.

The Real Effect
It's quite easy to understand the argument that is being made here. Because the executive branch is executing the war, they alone possess the needed intelligence and relevant policies to determine how they need to deal with an individual. The little problem with that argument though is that all U.S. citizens are protected by the Constitution. Remove that protection and you have removed the rule of law and subsequently rendered any executive decision supportable if given enough PR and time.

Contrary to popular opinion, these situations are not all like the drama 24 with precious seconds ticking and a nuke waiting to go off in L.A. Even if such a situation were to exist, the worst case scenario would be several million dead. On the flip side, if the executive gets it's way we could still be looking at millions dead and tens of millions subjugated at the hands of a bloodthirsty dictatorship. Sheer numbers alone say that it is far better to take your chances and trust that empowering anyone with the means to destroy this country from within is not a terrible idea, but based on the government data from the last century alone it is highly evil.

Of course you could always take your chances that you don't fit this definition -

the term `domestic terrorism' means activities that--

`(A) involve acts dangerous to human life that are a violation of the criminal laws of the United States or of any State;

`(B) appear to be intended--

`(i) to intimidate or coerce a civilian population;

`(ii) to influence the policy of a government by intimidation or coercion; or

`(iii) to affect the conduct of a government by mass destruction, assassination, or kidnapping; and

Section 802 of the Patriot Act

Now who wants to bet that Occupy Wall Street could be construed as "acts dangerous to human life that are a violation of the criminal laws of the United States or of any State" and"appear to be inteded"  "to intimidate or coerce a civilian population"?

Instant nullification of the 1st Amendment anyone?

Neocon Wars on Terror an Abject Failure

This is what trillions of dollars, millions of lives and a decade of Neocon policy have bought us -

The most senior figure in the US military has warned that the number of threats facing his country and its allies have increased over the last decade and that the armed forces must be kept strong to fight back.

In his first speech since taking over as chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, General Martin Dempsey told an audience in London on Monday that meeting the new challenges in a time of austerity would require a transformation in military thinking.

He highlighted the cyber threat as one of the most pressing, and said more needed to be done to counter the dangers online.

"Our traditional alliances and partnerships around the world are the stable platform on which we will confront these challenges," he said. "Yet it cannot be lost on us that we now face known and unknown security challenges in the context of a new fiscal reality.

The Real Effect
Vox in the past has asked an excellent question - Exactly how does one project one's military power when one is bankrupt? Tactically speaking, why would you hold a position that you know you cannot defend?!? For example, Russia lost much of it's ability to wage war when it went belly up about 20 years back. The same holds true for the Old Roman Empire. What make us think we can dodge this bullet? In short, it is a fool's errand.

It does not matter how many Muslims there are or terrorists or angry protestors, at some point you have to say we are overextended. Sadly, The United States reached that position a decade ago. But rather then accept our losses and move on, we are about to learn the lesson of what happens what the horde comes knocking when you don't have enough military support.

We should close most, if not all overseas bases, eliminate four aircraft carriers, pull them back to defending out coastlines, secure our border and eliminate most of the CIA. But of course, that won't happen. Instead we will get a proposal to integrate into a Pan-American Union that will doom the US to the annals of history.

A Look Around the World

Fraud rules the day as everywhere the blinders are coming off at an astounding rate -

The Federal Reserve and the big banks fought for more than two years to keep details of the largest bailout in U.S. history a secret. Now, the rest of the world can see what it was missing.

The Fed didn’t tell anyone which banks were in trouble so deep they required a combined $1.2 trillion on Dec. 5, 2008, their single neediest day. Bankers didn’t mention that they took tens of billions of dollars in emergency loans at the same time they were assuring investors their firms were healthy. And no one calculated until now that banks reaped an estimated $13 billion of income by taking advantage of the Fed’s below-market rates, Bloomberg Markets magazine reports in its January issue.

To review, we go back to a time before the loan was even heard of, Sept of 2008 -

Sooo...

How much would it cost? Prof Kenneth Rogoff, former chief economist at the IMF, says the bill would run to at least $1 trillion. This would increase the US government debt from 48pc to 55pc of GDP (under IMF measures) - still lower than that of Germany, France, Italy or Japan. (Reminds me of the argument used for gas prices)

Oh, only a 48-55% increase in government debt, well at least we're not crazy like Japan. At least we're not selling our children into slavery with interest payments via the IRS.
Let's get a few things straight here:

• "They" are not "us". If the banks fail, then let them fail! It is the consequence of their consummate greed in over-leveraging these loans. This money used for the bailout is coming out of your pocketbook and going into theirs. When was the last time a bank or corporation was this nice and allowed you to set your debt aside at their expense?
• "You" will be left holding the bill. Your children and grandchildren will be held responsible for paying off this debt when it comes due.
• This will not fix the real problem. Do you really think giving someone a free ride when they are being greedy is going to change the behavior? There is no negative incentive for them not to participate in the behavior.
• The downside to this is way above one trillion - This figure is optimistic. If things get ugly, the taxpayers are holding tens, if not hundreds, of trillions of dollars in these "toxic" loans. Oops...

Could this be any more accurate? Now that the dust has settled, the national debt has increased by 50%, the economy is tanking again (it never stopped) and we find out that what they said was going to happen, did not in fact happen.(Try factoring in the cost of Fannie, Freddie, GM and other bailouts to get a very conservative idea of just how much this is costing you.) Of course all of this is with the implicit blessings of the Republicans AND the Democrats. And now will come the clarion cry that you, oh stupid taxpayer, are on the hook for all this. This leads us to our next story...

Under the ‘worldwide indefinite detention without charge or trial’ provision of S.1867, the National Defense Authorization Act bill, which is set to be up for a vote on the Senate floor this week, the legislation will “basically say in law for the first time that the homeland is part of the battlefield,” said Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), who supports the bill.

The bill was drafted in secret by Senators Carl Levin (D-Mich.) and John McCain (R-Ariz.), before being passed in a closed-door committee meeting without any kind of hearing. The language appears in sections 1031 and 1032 of the NDAA bill.

My oh my, the Republicans including the last presidential candidate, want to go against Posse Comitatus and start using the military on U.S. citizens? Noooo....who would have seen that coming way back in Mar of 2010 during the recovery?

At some point, the counties will have no point but to virtually declare war on these areas as they first deploy their National Guard, oh wait they're in Iraq(n), appeal to the Pentagon for help containing the problem. But then again, there's that whole Posse Comitatus problem.

Eventually all laws that secure liberty will be viewed as the enemy as they "prevent' the police/military from "doing their job" and will be repealed. But first, urban warfare.

Of course, The Real Effect has been covering this exact scenario for its almost seven year existence.

"But, but..." you say, we're fighting the dirty, dirty arabs. Oh really says I, then please explain this -

The same Al-Qaeda terrorists who fought U.S. troops in Iraq and helped NATO overthrow Colonel Gaddafi are now being airlifted into Syria to aid rebels there in toppling President Bashar al-Assad.

Libya’s transitional ruling authority has agreed to send weapons and fighters over to Syria to help the Free Syrian Army fight government forces.

“There is something being planned to send weapons and even Libyan fighters to Syria,” a Libyan source told the London Telegraph, speaking on condition of anonymity. “There is a military intervention on the way. Within a few weeks you will see.”

In a separate piece, the Telegraph also reports that terrorist commander Abdulhakim Belhadj, now head of the Tripoli Military Council, “met with Free Syrian Army leaders in Istanbul and on the border with Turkey,” after being sent there by Mustafa Abdul Jalil, the interim Libyan president.

You got that? The terrorists are now our allies as we start going after Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, Libya,  Syria. (And by proxy Russia, Iran and China) Of course, we've got that covered too.

Look for continued unrest with some governments getting overthrown. But as I indicated earlier, the globalists are literally banking on this to occur. We are still not there yet though. More riots need to take place, some shots, some new faces and then, we go to war.

Getting the picture yet? 

Red Alert: Liquidity Freezes Up, Behold the Slow-Motion Death of the Eurozone

Too bad this was all planned in advance -

This morning Germany had a failed Bund auction.  That's not particularly noteworthy; it happens from time to time.
But what's noteworthy is what happened to bond yields everywhere through Europe in response: They blew out.
The Greek and Italian "problem" is no longer about Greece and Italy.  It has been creeping into Spain and more-recently France, but this morning jumped into Germany and everywhere else "all at once."
Capital has said "no more" to the lies in Europe.  While this does not mean an instant implosion it does mean one important thing: The willingness of capital holders to continue to permit deficit spending is coming to an end, and with it the false "GDP" that this lie has "supported" will also come to an end.

The Real Effect
As predicted (Before the first crash)-

Notice how on the above picture that the bottom of the "Great Depression" didn't come until much later than the intial plunge? The market is reacting like an addict, convulsing with desire for more goods (I.E. - Fiat debt-based liquidity). This will only make the fall that much harder.

Just 'who owes this debt?' is at the center of this debate? The private banksters would like you to think that when profits are to be made, this is a capitalistic country, but when losses abound we all need to share the burden. This strikes to the heart of the private property issue. Anyone that believes that we should be bailing these institutions out does NOT believe in the rule of private property and as a natural extension of that, capitalism.

This is the large bulk of the OWS position and to a lesser extent the Tea Party position. What will be telling is if the people can raise among themselves principled individuals to see to it that the rule of law will be respected in this country. More then likely, corrupt individuals will see this as a chance to seize the ring of power and use it for their own ends. There are plenty of shady criminals waiting in the wings, biding their time and when the situation arises, they will speak in grand terms and talk of unification and love in order to usurp the power as their own.

Make no mistake, this IS going to blow out in the Americas and from there the call will go out to emulate the new EU model. We must resist this at all costs.

So where are we going?

All Americans would do well to consider the implications of these items in light of our current ongoing currency/economic collapse. Once the Union hooks are in, you can't get out and those politicians are going to make sure that they get their pound of flesh.

The EU will make it through this in one form or another (It might cease to be called the EU but it will still be the EU.) However, the globalists will see to it that America and vestige of independent thinking burns.

GRAPHIC: Video of brutal crackdown on Tahrir Sq protesters in Cairo

And yet we think supporting "freedom fighters" is a good idea...

Police cracking down on media at OWS?

US Banks Face 'Contagion' Risk From EU Banks - In Short, Nothing Has Changed

My oh my, whatever will the poor 'ole banks do?

U.S. banks face a “serious risk” that their creditworthiness will deteriorate if Europe’s debt crisis deepens and spreads beyond the five most-troubled nations, Fitch Ratings said.

“Unless the euro zone debt crisis is resolved in a timely and orderly manner, the broad credit outlook for the U.S. banking industry could worsen,” the New York-based rating company said yesterday in a statement. Even as U.S. banks have “manageable” exposure to stressed European markets, “further contagion poses a serious risk,” Fitch said, without explaining what it meant by contagion.

The “exposures” of U.S. lenders to major European banks and the stressed nations of Greece, Ireland, Italy, Portugal and Spain, known as the GIIPS, are smaller than those to some of the continent’s larger countries, Fitch said.

The six biggest U.S. banks -- JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPM), Bank of America Corp. (BAC), Citigroup Inc. (C), Wells Fargo & Co. (WFC), Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and Morgan Stanley (MS) -- had $50 billion in risk tied to the GIIPS on Sept. 30, Fitch said. So-called cross-border outstandings to France for all except Wells Fargo were $188 billion, including $114 billion to French banks. Risk to Britain and its banks was $225 billion and $51 billion, respectively.

The Real Effect
A wise man once said -

This is not a recession, it is a depression. And a massive one at that. We are not at the bottom, we are on gaining momentum for the next plunge down. If you thought the last drop was bad, this one is going to strike fear into the hearts of men everywhere. The Dow will push through the last market low of 7,392.27, then 6000 and after that 3000. As capitol assets are ravished, what you will be seeing is the consumption of the golden goose in a proverbial feasting on the rotting carcass of the American consumer. If you disagree, ask yourself the following, what is holding US up?

We have proof of that final bold point here -

...banks feel compelled to level the kind of fees that alienate many consumers. "If you don't make a sufficient amount of money and don't have a good enough cash flow to maintain minimum balance, you might get hit with minimum balance fees or monthly fees," said Streit. "If you make $8 or $9 an hour, and you get with $70 in fees per month, that's painful."

$70 a month on a $500 deposit!?! That would be close to 100% annualized! (In easy speak, after a year of keeping your $500 at the banks, it would be GONE!) It really must be terrible for these banks to have to make a few data entries and then loan out that deposit at up to 300:1!!!

Nothing has changed. Nothing. Derivatives are still being sold in massive quantities, in part because the banks realize that you, the U.S. Taxpayer are the implicit backstop to their positions. Talk about moral hazard!

IMF Riots, OWS, Terrorism, Homeland Security and the American Union

Perception is often times not reality -

Wonkette reports that Homeland Security likely organized the crack downs:

Remember when people were freaking out over the Patriot Act and Homeland Security and all this other conveniently ready-to-go post-9/11 police state stuff, because it would obviously be just a matter of time before the whole apparatus was turned against non-Muslim Americans when they started getting complain-y about the social injustice and economic injustice and income inequality and endless recession and permanent unemployment? That day is now, and has been for some time. But it’s also now confirmed that it’s now, as some Justice Department official screwed up and admitted that the Department of Homeland Security coordinated the riot-cop raids on a dozen major #Occupy Wall Street demonstration camps nationwide yesterday and today. (Oh, and tonight, too: Seattle is being busted up by the riot cops right now, so be careful out there.)

The Real Effect
Let's make this real simple -

• Fund terrorists freedom fighters via an alphabet soup agency (In our "national interest)-> 
• Freedom fighters "destabilize region" ->
• Either 
• invade or 
• recognize new "duly elected government" ->
• Declare freedom fighters "terrorists" ->
• (If you haven't done so yet, invade) ->
• Terrorists fight back commit "terrorist attacks" or an alphabet soup agency "helps them" (A repeat of step 1) ->

Now all of this creates "blowback", a term that loosely describes how an individual or entity gets pretty hacked off when you mess with their stuff or people. Kind of like revenge or justice in some situations. So with this in mind, let's pick up our scenario again.

• Blowback is generated in which the "terrorists" seek revenge by carrying out some sort of act ->
• This act is framed as an act of war and a violation of the "safety" that the politicians "promised us" ->
• Departments and agencies are created to get around protective rights ->
• These entities enact "policy" (not law) that oppress the "terrorists" ->
• This creates more blowback (Back to step 1)

In our situation in America, we have bank(sters) that have created a policy of theft. The target of their theft, the American people, is wisening up and marching under the protection of the 1st Amendment to demand justice. The banksters, through a sophisticated command and control system, dictate the response to the protesters terrorists by demonizing and then removing the threat to the system. Note, this is being done with support from many citizens because they have bought into the lie that the protesters are terrorists.

This is why the Department of Homeland Security was created. This is why there is a "War on Terror". This is why you see cameras going in everywhere.

The banksters are not fools. They know that you aren't going to stand by as the Vampiric Squid sucks you dry. (Case in point, Iceland) At this point they are trying to direct your rage against each other and a foreign enemy.

Look for continued unrest with some governments getting overthrown. But as I indicated earlier, the globalists are literally banking on this to occur. We are still not there yet though. More riots need to take place, some shots, some new faces and then, we go to war.

Debt Diets & Riots: Euro Lose/Lose?

The Republican Presidency In a Nutshell

"We love Romney! Just check out that coif!"
Uh, he created the precursor to Obamacare in Massachusetts.

"Well, we love Trump! That man is on top of things. And the birth certificate."
He's virtually liberal. And when they unveiled the purported "birth certificate", it was obviously tampered with. Where is he now?

"We love Mitch Daniels!"
His state is basically ending the Fourth Amendment. Where is he on that issue?

"We love Newt Gingrich!"
Are you guys for real? He's a globalist!

"We love Herman Cain!!! He's so conservative and Constitutional."
The guy was a Federal Reserve Chair! You know, the one's that got us into this mess!?! Plus he doesn't even support the Second Amendment!!!

"We love Rick Pe..."
For the love of Pete, SHUT UP!!!

Update: Five months later and the same old record just keeps on spinning...

"We love Herman Cain!!! He's the man with the 999 plan!"
 You again!?! Have you seen the guy talk about Libya? He's brain dead. (And you want to talk about Ron Paul's allegedly "atrocious" foreign policy.)

"Ok, we like Romney again! He's not as bad as Obama."
And Obama is not as bad as Satan. Please just stop while you're ahead!

"Here come's Gingrich! We know he's a globalist. But he tickles our ears so and we can control him."
Sure you can.
 
"We like NotRonPaul.... He's such a conservative candidate. Besides, Paul can't win."
He can't?!? Aieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee......

More Can Kicking, Obfuscation and Pyramiding In the Budgets Around the Country

Who says that taxes go for roads?

When the recession squeezed Miami's budget in recent years, officials reached into funds raised for road repairs and other projects to plug the shortfall.

Now, the city is paying a price. The moves triggered lawsuits and a federal investigation, in a brouhaha that holds ramifications for how municipalities nationwide maneuver around unprecedented money problems.

Cities and states across the country are using money designated for specific purposes—such as fixing roads or sewers—in order to fill financial holes elsewhere, according to public officials and records. The moves are exposing municipalities to controversy, as federal regulators and local auditors are more heavily scrutinizing their finances to protect bond buyers and taxpayers.

In Miami, the Securities and Exchange Commission is wrapping up an investigation into whether the city used funds intended for roads and other purposes to fill budget gaps elsewhere, according to people close to the probe. Bondholders are suing, saying the moves obscured the city's true finances. The city's former budget director is also suing, claiming he was fired for cooperating with the SEC and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

The Real Effect
Readers from the beginning remember the shenanigans that the local school districts were pulling in an attempt to rape tax the taxpayers out of their hard earned cash. Items that needed to be budgeted were not and put to the taxpayers as some sort of "special need". Roof replacement and other usual items became the rallying point to increase the budget, not cut uneeded programs or pull back on teacher salaries and benefits. And just what was "needed"? Why everything of course. TVs, computer labs, Wi-Fi, you name it, it's ne-ce-ss-ary for the edumutation of the children!

Naturally, all of this funding had to come from someone's pocket, namely the local taxpayer and contrary to government positions, it was not a bottomless pit. So in time, a level of resistance was hit. At that point the unions engaged in demonization tactics to paint the people who paid for all of this and most importantly, their CUSTOMER as brutal heartless scum who wanted nothing more then poor people to work in their dust factories. This allowed the scam to continue for a few more years.

Well, we have reached the tipping point where so much has been consumed that there is literally NO MORE "extra" to fund, honestly, anything. So for the last 10 years government budgets have been "gimmicked" into obscurity with funds being raided, bonds being sold and rules being created that allow the game to continue. But perhaps the most crucial part of this is that the taxpayers are left holding the bag. There is a term for this....

FRAUD.

All around the world, individuals, counties, nations and now extra-national entities known as "unions" have allowed these game players to up their salaries, up their budgets and raid funds that would have otherwise been protected from their shenanigans. If you or I were financial advisers and pulled this junk, we would be in the slammer doing 20-30 years for grand theft. As we should be.

U.S. Already at War With Iran, Has Been for Decades

Many of these situations are not actual peace, just less overt acts of war that the populace rarely learns about -

“Iran has irrefutable evidence that exposes the official involvement of the United States government in anti-Iran planning and the dispatching of elements to conduct acts of sabotage and terror in Iran and other regional countries,” secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Saeed Jalili said last week, promising to send evidence of “US state-sponsored terrorism” to the United Nations

“We possess one hundred pieces of irrefutable evidence that reveal the US role in directing terrorists for conducting acts of terror in Iran and the region,” Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei added.

The evidence continues...

As former CIA veteran Robert Baer explained in the documentary Vanguard: America’s Secret War With Iran, the U.S. has been at war with Iran through its terrorist proxies for years, notably the Kurdish militant nationalist group PJAK, which has been blamed for numerous attacks in Iran.

As the London Telegraph, ABC News and numerous other mainstream outlets reported back in 2007, the U.S. is also using the Al-Qaeda affiliated Sunni terrorist group Jundullah to carry out suicide bombings and other destabilization attacks in Iran, a policy crafted by the Bush administration which has been continued under Obama.

“President George W Bush has given the CIA approval to launch covert “black” operations to achieve regime change in Iran, intelligence sources have revealed. Mr Bush has signed an official document endorsing CIA plans for a propaganda and disinformation campaign intended to destabilize, and eventually topple, the theocratic rule of the mullahs,” reported Telegraph.

The Real Effect
Let's look at the history between these two countries -

• 1953 - Mohammad Mossadeq was overthrown in a coup named Operation Ajax organized by the CIA.

• 1979 - Iranian Revolution - Iranian Hostage Crisis
• 1980 - US attacks Iran through it's puppet state Iraq. (Which in turn was subsequently invaded in 2003) 1 million Iranians died.
• 1988 - USS Vincennes mistakenly shoots down an Iranian passenger jet after mistaking it for an F-14.

This is the hard part for most "conservatives" to understand. We have been attacking Iran for years and they refuse to attack back. Imagine if Iran had financed a coup against the US and then funded Mexico to openly attack our citizens that led to 1 million dead. We would rightly be outraged against their murderous activities. Yet we dislike their government and feel it's dangerous, so we reserve some sort of "right" to kill its citizens?

Yet hear we are again, funding freedom fighters terrorists to destabilize a legitimate government because they "might" get weapons that other nations have and because their rhetoric is too strong for our liking.

So just who is the greater menace to "world peace"?

Updated 11/17/2011 - Changed to Resource, added info.

Here Come the Bankruptcies

It took some time, but mathematics is unforgiving when it comes to your checkbook -

Alabama's most populous county filed the largest municipal bankruptcy in U.S. history Wednesday, years after being plunged more than $4 billion into debt by a corruption-riddled sewer project.

Just two months after it seemed Jefferson County could stave off embarrassment by striking a deal with creditors, talks broke down over about $140 million, said Commissioner Jimmie Stephens, who made the motion to file for the protection. Since 2008, commissioners have tried to avoid the move to settle the debt, which resulted mostly from a mix of outdated sewer pipes, the lagging economy, court rulings and public corruption.

The filing does not wipe out the whole $4.1 billion, said commission president David Carrington, who wasn't certain how much the county will have to pay back. A plan would have to be worked out in bankruptcy court and approved by a judge and at least one group of creditors, Carrington said. The bankruptcy's financial burden for residents and employees likely won't be known until that plan is in place, he said.

The Real Effect
Ready for critical thinking time again?

• Citizens elect representatives to represent them.
• These reps might receive special training in certain areas. (Highly unlikely)
• The reps decide that since they make the decisisions, you have to pay to play. 
• Eventually, they are busted and go to jail for bribery. (Right call)
• This in part drives up the cost of the project exponentially.
• The bankers that did the bribing are FREE.
• Yet we are talking about "stave(ing) off embarrassment by striking a deal with creditors"?

 I got your deal for you -

I, the undersigned, shall forfeit all rights, privileges, and licenses herein and herein contained, et cetera, et cetera... Fax mentis incendium gloria cultum, et cetera, et cetera... Memo bis punitor delicatum!

It's all there, black and white, clear as crystal! You stole fizzy lifting drinks! You bumped into the ceiling which now has to be washed and sterilized, so you get nothing! You lose! Good day, sir!

 I'll go one better, jail the crooks and take their company away.

Restructuring of the EU Ashes Coming? Is the Phoenix Event On It's Way?

The kindling is laid for the destruction of the Phoenix -

"German and French officials have discussed plans for a radical overhaul of the European Union that would involve establishing a more integrated and potentially smaller euro zone, EU sources say. French President Nicolas Sarkozy gave some flavour of his thinking during an address to students in the eastern French city of Strasbourg on Tuesday, when he said a two-speed Europe -- the euro zone moving ahead more rapidly than all 27 countries in the EU -- was the only model for the future." It gets much worse: "The discussions among senior policymakers in Paris, Berlin and Brussels go further, raising the possibility of one or more countries leaving the euro zone, while the remaining core pushes on towards deeper economic integration, including on tax and fiscal policy." Not sure how to further clarify this: Europe is preparing for its own end, and the dissolution of the existing structure of the Eurozone, which likely means an end to the EU in its current format, a reshaping of the customs union, and the overhaul of the zEURq.PK in its current form.

The Real Effect
Why is Europe burning? Because they planned to burn it in the first place! Of course this is not news to long time followers of TRE.

Aug 2011 - So, what's France and Germany's solution? Make the ponzi BIGGER!!!!

Jan 2011 - Western Europe contracts massively, putting extraordinary pressure on the Euro. But the call out of Belgium isn't about revoking the Euro, rather about the preservation of the European Union and the need to 'pull together'. I would expect that we could begin to see propaganda calling for a United Europe in the face of "x" (economic crisis, terror, war). Ultimately in the endgame, foreign creditors feel the massive pinch as they try to protect their investments...

Dec 2010 - This is going to gain steam now, Portugal and Germany are blowing out, China is finally starting to slow and Yahoo is laying off 10 - 20% of its employees. 

May 2010 - I believe that we will witness a somewhat separated/isolated stage in Europe for a little while. (A month?) This will place the EU debt crisis ahead of the US debt crisis. I believe the meltdown will be fast, vicious and 'unforseen'.

Feb 2010 - The EU will make it through this in one form or another (It might cease to be called the EU but it will still be the EU.)

Sept 2008 - They will be hit by this economic downswing, but where the US will be ravaged by this downturn, the EU will "weather the storm" precisely because they are the EU. This will lead for calls to imitate them with the North American Union in order to survive. (Timeframe: 1 - 3 years)

Nov 2005 -  Watch for an increase in centralization of power shifting from the United States to Brussels and the European Union, setting up the scene for the forth-coming global prince.

For a good idea of what they are planning to do, look here -

This is a game of good cop/bad cop with the current EU heads playing the part of the bad cops. Their goal is several fold:

1. Delegitimize any form of representative government as being 'reckless' by allowing and being subject to the will of the plebs and also inefficient/corrupt due to the massive bureaucratic nature.
2. Eliminate the rationale for protests and free speech as being dangerous and in line with point 1.
3. Slowly whittle down all effective individual liberties.
4. Replace those liberties with collective liberty.
5. Set up the rule of a monocratic rule of government with one individual effectively dictating the form of global law and worship.

 Now when is a much more complicated issue. They build timetables all the time, but they discard them sometimes as quickly as they build them if it endangers the good work. 11-11-11 is very fishy (As was 888), but also blatantly obvious. Never-the-less, keep your eyes open over the next few days.