Tensions Rising In the Gulf as the US Builds Its Forces

A massive and expensive buildup of troops in the immediate area around Iran -

While quietly casting lines to draw Tehran into talks on their nuclear dispute, PresidentBarack Obama is reported exclusively by DEBKA-Net-Weekly’s military and Washington sources to have secretly ordered US air, naval and marine forces to build up heavy concentrations on two strategic islands – Socotra, which is part of a Yemeni archipelago in the Indian Ocean, and the Omani island of Masirah at the southern exit of the Strait of Hormuz.

Socotra is situated 80 kilometers east of the Horn of Africa and 380 kilometers southeast of the Yemeni coastline. It lies athwart the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. A military base there is in a position to oversee the shipping moving in and out of those strategic naval waterways.

Western military sources familiar with the American buildup on the two strategic islands tellDEBKA-Net-Weekly that, although they cannot cite precise figures, they are witnessing the heaviest American concentration of might in the region since the US invaded Iraq in 2003.

Then, 100,000 American troops were massed in Kuwait ahead of the invasion. Today, those sources estimate from the current pace of arrivals on the two island bases, that 50,000 US troops will have accumulated on Socotra and Masirah by mid-February. They will top up the 50,000 military already present in the Persian Gulf region, so that in less than a month, Washington will have some 100,000 military personnel on the spot and available for any contingency.

US air transports are described as making almost daily landings on Socotra and Masirah. They fly in from the US naval base of Diego Garcia, one of America's biggest military facilities, just over 3,000 kilometers away. The US military presence in the region will further expand in the first week of March when three US aircraft carriers and their strike groups plus a French carrier arrive in the Persian Gulf, the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea: They are theUSS Abraham Lincoln, USS Carl Vinson, USS Enterprise and the Charles de Gaulle nuclear-powered aircraft carrier.

A fourth US carrier will be standing by in the Pacific Ocean, a few days' sailing time from the water off Iran's coast.

The Real Effect
At a bare minimum this is a bare threat against Iran in case they decide to get upset and defend Syria if NATO decides to invade help. This way, Iran has to at least think twice before they decide to come to Syria's aid. However, given the extreme amount of chaos that the Regime Changers have been causing in Iran lately, I am more inclined to think that the direct target is Iran. (Not that Syria won't be invaded)

Are We Responsible?

 We kicked off 2012 with the following -

Yearly Theme: Are we responsible for our own actions?
This question becomes the fundamental litmus test for most every action and decision in the future.

Following this, we move to the dictionary, that long forgotten instrument that standardizes communication among us lowly proles, that we might understand one another when we converse about, ya know, things.

Responsible -
adjective
1. answerable or accountable, as for something within one's power, control, or management (often followed by to or for ): He is responsible to the president for his decisions.
2.involving accountability or responsibility: a responsible position.

Policy -
noun
1. a definite course of action adopted for the sake of expediency, facility, etc.: We have a new company policy.
2. a course of action adopted and pursued by a government, ruler, political party, etc.: our nation's foreign policy.

Authority
noun.
1. the power to determine, adjudicate, or otherwise settle issues or disputes; jurisdiction; the right to control, command, or determine.
2. a power or right delegated or given; authorization: Who has the authority to grant permission?

And to explore these definitions, we move to our story -

Mustang Public Schools officials said a ninth-grader snapped a photo of a snoozing substitute with a cellphone last Friday at Mustang Mid-High School.The student was later suspended.

However, officials said, "A student may possess a telecommunication device while on school premises, but the use of a telecommunication device is not permitted during the school day."

The Real Effect
Let's begin by assuming a random person, Bob, exists. Bob, according to our Declaration of Independence and Constitution, is born with a certain set of rights. We'll identify them with letters, ABCD. Now simply by virtue of the fact the he exists, Bob possesses these rights.

For the sake of argument, Bob gets married to Jane and in doing so, he gives control of right "D" to Jane. This ownership is conditional upon the marriage and its validity. At this point, Bob has rights ABC but has subjected D to Jane. Bob might permanently or temporarily transfer these rights. For example, Bob has given control of his finances to Jane and in doing so Jane has authority over his finances. Why? Because Bob gave them to Jane.

So now Jane has ABCD + (Bob)D rights. But in gaining (Bob)D, she also gained (Bob)D responsibility. Put simply, Jane cannot resource pillage Bob's rights and then throw Bob to the side of the road because those  rights come with responsibilities. If she were to do this, she would rightly be reviled as a thief and fraud.

To cope with this, Jane then decides to implement a policy that states she can take all of Bob's money and ditch him. Does this have any bearing on her responsibility? No, of course not. Only Bob can release her of that and he has done no such thing. So Jane's personal policy that states it's ok to rob Bob is entirely irrelevant.

So returning to our original story, parents have given right "D" to a school to educate their children. They pay for this via taxation and as dutiful employers, have a right to a certain product. I think we can all assume that "sleeping" is not that product. So the recipient of one of these services, the student, documents poor performance utilizing his cell phone. In essence, the teacher is committing fraud against the parents and student.

When confronted with this information, the school blows the dust off it's policy book and states - Yes, you may possess a phone, but you may not use it. And since you used it, you broke our policy and we get to assess a penalty against you.

What?!? Should be the correct response to the school. Are you nuts? You caused the condition that required documentation (camera) to prove that you're robbing us! For you to attempt to preemptively punish us is abject lunacy!

One would think that this is the way people would think, but in this ever "complicated" (read as uninformed) world in which we live, the charlatans are running the show.

Prove things? They often scoff. We'll make it so hard for you to do that, you're stuck with us no matter WHAT we give you! And if you succeed, we'll ruin you.

And at this point, the problem and its symptoms come squarely into view.

Problem
Who is responsible?

Answer
Let's follow the chain....
Parents -> Government -> School -> Administrator -> Teacher

Ah, we see that the correct party is being held to the fire. In response to this, we have the school attempting to free itself from that responsibility. But a nasty little thing happens when you try to get away from responsibility, you lose your rights as ownership defaults to the last person to possess them.This in turn creates many symptoms which often become crisis.

Symptoms
Parents -  Why should we take our children to school, why should we pay taxes on a non service, why should we trust government AT ALL?

In failing to defend the parents rights, the school has destroyed the justification for its very existence.

Additionally, they have created a conflict of interest for the administrators. Just who do you support, the student or the teacher. After all, the policy says no using phones. And those teachers have it really hard. It is this conflict that turns a productive relationship into an unproductive one. This is demonstrated in the fact that the child is now less educated. Apply this out for a few generations and soon you have a system that takes money from one group and gives it to another for the sole purpose of existence. That is properly understood as a leech. And really, other then fish, who likes leeches?

Government should exist to enforce the ramifications of the contracts agreed upon. Not to draw up new ones itself or to direct policy. Quite frankly it should have no pony at this show.

Yet here we stand in 2012 and people just don't get it.

Real GDP increased 1.7 percent in 2011 (that is, from the 2010 annual level to the 2011 annual level), compared with an increase of 3.0 percent in 2010.

Got that? Growth is half of what it was last year and that's only because government is spending money like an 18 year old stripper. $52,409 is what each person "owes" the Federal government. But do they really owe this? The correct answer is yes and no. And therein is where people usually check out. 

You see the banks via the Federal Reserve have stolen rights, in the case of Bob, rights C and D and left us with A and B. Additionally, they dislike the responsibility that goes along with those rights. The government, our employees, cannot simultaneously claim that they are "in charge" or "leaders" while passing the bill to us. In doing so, they are seizing the power via fraud, spending the spoils on junk (lots of it), lying to you about the situation and when you finally find out, they try to imprison or kill you.

You do not owe fraudulent debt. Period. You did not incur that debt, they did. Many times in complete defiance of your stated wishes. They are rogue. They are usurpers. 

The correct way to deal with these ilk is to 1) Expose them 2) Arrest them 3) Try them and finally 4) Administer justice

Until we do this, we are just wasting time and resources.

Egypt Cracks Down On US "Democracy"

Egypt makes a move -

Six Americans working for publicly funded U.S. organizations promoting democracy in Egypt have been barred from leaving the country, provoking angry demands in Washington that Cairo's new military rulers stop "endangering American lives".

 Do you think it has something to do with this?

A month after police raided the Cairo offices of the IRI, NDI and eight other non-governmental organizations, it raises the stakes for Washington, which had already indicated it may review the $1.3 billion it gives the Egyptian military each year if the probe into alleged breaches of local regulations went on.

'You're going to investigate us? Then we'll just stop sending the checks.'

And whose hands are all over this?

John McCain, the leading Republican senator who chairs the IRI...

Of course, he's outraged at such things -

...voiced "alarm and outrage" at a "new and disturbing turn" which included a travel ban on Sam LaHood, the group's Egypt director and son of President Barack Obama's transport chief.

The Real Effect
"(O)rganizations promoting democracy" indeed. This makes one wonder if the Egyptian government is disposing of US (CIA?) assets that helped the revolution start in the first place? Goodness know that George Soros is up to his eyeballs in the stuff. We've covered that in the past-

The American Embassy in Cairo helped a young dissident attend a US-sponsored summit for activists in New York, while working to keep his identity secret from Egyptian state police.

On his return to Cairo in December 2008, the activist told US diplomats that an alliance of opposition groups had drawn up a plan to overthrow President Hosni Mubarak and install a democratic government in 2011.

Almost one year ago, we posted the following in response to a bloody uprising (The start of the "Arab Spring") -

History indeed. It is very telling that there is a revolt in Egypt of all places. With the Coptic Christian murders on the 1st (New Year) precluding this seeming evolution of this country, one doesn't have to think very hard to see some parallels to some sort of magical thinking here.

...with dead Christians in the wings, the Egyptian army firing on its people and the Pharaoh seemingly stepping down, people need to take notice because this could get ugly fast.

And boy did it get ugly fast.  There were more insurrections, overthrows and wars then a person could shake a stick at. The Ivory Coast, Bahrain, Syria just to name a few. Of course the magical implications of the Libyan operation took the cake -

Of course the timing of this has nothing to do with the so called Supermoon that was present that day. Nor does the fact that it's called Operation Odyssey Dawn mean a whole lot to the astronomically inclined among us. (Nor the new "suns" created in the Fukushima incident.)Think of this a sort of magical invocation, conjuring the spirits of war and death.

Naturally anyone who had read the Religious Wars Series would have realized that this was coming. Look up and down the coast of where these events are happening and you quickly get an idea of why things are going the way they are. With Libya more-or-less conquered and Egypt somewhat in line, the only country left to beat on the way to the Iranian prize is Syria.

Bankrupt Nations Scramble To Bailout Other Bankrupt Nations

Portugal Pops

Portugal goes the way of Greece -

As the world awaits resolution out of Greece and the debt exchange offer which even if passed today would have to cram 6 months of actual work into 54 days, the global bond vigilantes are not sticking around, and continue to attack the next weakest link - Portugal, whose 10 Year bonds just passed 15% in yield, and were trading well below 50 cents of par with CDS hitting a new record of 1350 bps.

So if one does use Greece as a benchmark how long does Portugal have? As the third chart shows, the last time 10 year GGBs passed 15% was back in August. So Portugal has 6 months. Give or take.

The Real Effect
I would say that it's fun watching so-called "experts" predict recovery and the like only to fall flat on their face just a year later. The down side to that is that these are not companies, these are countries inhabited by people. Let's go back to late 2007 and Vicente Fox again -

NAFTA has been good, as a matter of fact we should have a new vision, go further, integrating and working together to build a better future for both. "That happened with Spain and with the European Union with them joining the union and having access to those huge cohesive bonds, they were able to overcome poverty and today Spain, or Ireland or Greece or Portugal are all very successful nations, what you need is a little bit of solidarity." Stewart then went on to ask "Would you like to see a North American Union with the U.S. Mexico, and Canada, you want Canada in there?" To which Fox responded "Yes long term, yes."

This interview was given where the little red circle is in the chart below. Note what comes next...

Namely a 50%+ drop in the markets. At this time, this sight and this author were being lambasted as "crazy", "conspiratorial" and "tin-foil hat wearing" What are you talking about? They would say. Market collapse? Tyranny? Uh yeah, that about sums it up.

More importantly, compare Vicente's observation of "poverty destruction" with the following -

...the EU's first summit of 2012, to be held on Jan 30, will focus on finding ways to kickstart growth and create jobs across the 27-country union, which is on the brink of recession and has average unemployment of 10 percent, rising to 45 percent among the young in countries such as Spain.

Half of these young people are unemployed. HALF.

Let that sink in for a second because the same is true over here. Most of the reason why we have not witnessed the proverbial crud hitting the fan yet is precisely because Europe is that much worse. Yet we have these liars on stage parading again telling you that it's "your fault" because you want services that you paid for. It's businesses fault, not Wall St., for not hiring you and being selfish. It's the rich people for not paying enough. Of course all of this is pure class warfare from ALL sides, not just the left.

• The left would have you believe that it is noble to dwell in poverty because you aren't "hurting" anyone.
• The right would have you believe that it is noble to steal because, 'We need it'.

Of course, the solution will be to plunge the American hemisphere into a totalitarian dictatorship just like Europe. 

A SC Mayor, Gingrich and the Globalists

Consider the following for a moment -

The Times and Democrat of Orangeburg reports that Norway Mayor Jim Preacher was stopped for speeding on Wednesday. After the traffic stop, Norway turned on the blue lights and siren in his vehicle and pulled the trooper over.

Norway acknowledges he was speeding, but says he was acting in his capacity as the town's chief constable. 

The Real Effect
Now what does this have to do with Gingrich? Let's look at the following -

Mr. Gingrich, a former House speaker, on Tuesday morning threatened not participate in any future debates with audiences that have been instructed to be silent. That was the case on Monday, when Brian Williams of NBC News asked the audience of about 500 people who assembled for a debate in Tampa to hold their applause until the commercial breaks.

In an interview with the morning show “Fox and Friends,” Mr. Gingrich said NBC’s rules amounted to stifling free speech. In what has become a standard line of attack for his anti-establishment campaign, Mr. Gingrich blamed the media for trying to silence a dissenting point of view.

As the Drudge Report is aptly pointing out, this isn't exactly unprecedented.

At the start of the Sept. 26, 2008, debate Jim Lehrer explained: “The audience here in the hall has promised to remain silent, no cheers, no applause, no noise of any kind, except right now, as we welcome Senators Obama and McCain.”

Once again, you may ask, what does one have to do with the other? Easy, both demonstrate the symptoms of the overall problem in American politics. Using the power of the law to get what you want.

In the first example we have a mayor, obviously torqued because he was pulled over. So he decided to show that trooper who his boss was by returning the favor. This is not justice. This is not equity. This is a raw use of power to send a message, I am above all this.

In the example provided with Gingrich, we see the same dynamics at work. Gingrich routinely  throws out the moral outrage card in an attempt to sway his audience into taking his side. This has nothing to do with what actually happens in these situations, it has everything to do with taking control. Again and again we see this in Gingrich's private life and public. He doesn't care for the situation so he aggressively tries to gain control so that he can 'right' things. Of course opposing him is the equivalent of opposing America. Never mind the  sort of idiots that feel marriage should be a federal issue support an individual such as Newt should be in charge of this sort of nonsense. After all, what could be wrong about having a foreign army defending a country they neither love nor reside in?

It is no small wonder then, that most discussions start not with questions of justice or law, but rather appeals to authority and the 'good of society' in an attempt to avoid the relevant issue of justice.

As a final note, perhaps John Stewart can shed some sort of light on this.

The Daily Show
Get More: Daily Show Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,The Daily Show on Facebook

Rand Paul 'Detained' By the TSA

Are the sides being drawn?

Texas Congressman and current Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul – Sen. Rand Paul’s father – placed a post on Facebook about the news as well. “My son Rand is currently being detained by the TSA at the Nashville Airport,” Ron Paul posted. “I’ll share more details as the situation unfolds.”

Ron Paul adds, via Twitter, that the TSA detained his son “for refusing full body pat-down after anomaly in body scanner.”

The Real Effect
I love the situation in this. A sitting US Senator is 'detained' by a quasi-gestapo like agency that is supported by the supposed conservatives who wish to 'keep America free'. This is exactly why these agencies are such a horrific idea. They inevitably turn into tools that the government can use to repress another group, be it liberal, moderate or conservative. This action to protect our 'safety' and simultaneously removes our liberty, turns into the exact mechanism that ultimately consumes our safety. Any semi-interested student of history knows this in a heartbeat with minimal effort.

The irony that is present in a system being espoused by the so-called freedom lovers that would see one of its own representatives possibly jailed over a so-called discrepancy on a DNA wrecking scanner and yet maintains a policy of systemic murder over its unborn children and southern border citizens is not just palpable, it's downright disgusting.

If we cannot trust the individuals that make the laws that govern our society, who can we trust?

Thank you Rand for giving an incredibly public face to this atrocious issue.

Newt and the Election - Character Matters

While I do not subscribe to the virtuous candidate rhetoric as much as some of my counterparts, Newt is finding out the hard way why character makes a difference -

In her most provocative comments, the ex-Mrs. Gingrich said Newt sought an "open marriage" arrangement so he could have a mistress and a wife.

She said when Gingrich admitted to a six-year affair with a Congressional aide, he asked her if she would share him with the other woman, Callista, who is now married to Gingrich.

"And I just stared at him and he said, 'Callista doesn't care what I do,'" Marianne Gingrich told ABC News. "He wanted an open marriage and I refused."

Marianne described her "shock" at Gingrich's behavior, including how she says she learned he conducted his affair with Callista "in my bedroom in our apartment in Washington."

"He always called me at night," she recalled, "and always ended with 'I love you.' Well, she was listening."

 The Real Effect
While I cannot speak to Mr. Gingrich's love for his wife at the time, the more critical component that we need to take note of is that he is a user. As others and I have been saying for decades, this is a man that has two sides, his public and his private. His outward projection of 'love' or 'patriotism' is subjugated primarily to his devotion to himself. This is not a warrior, nor a faithful husband. This is a man that creates a paradigm that others view him in and then carries on in his own manner as he sees fit. The key word we are looking for is conviction. Or perhaps more succinctly - fraud.

It is via this metric that we discover that his fidelity to his wife only bears on his job performance in as much as it demonstrates that when the stakes really matter, Newt will back....well, Newt. Of course his history tells us as much. From 2010 -

Fool me once, shame on you.

In 1994, Republicans surged into power with the Contract With America amid promises of shrinking the size of government, promoting lower taxes, greater entrepreneurial activity, tort reform and welfare reform. While one can quibble that this was achieved to a degree, the overall net effect during this time was the exact opposite. Government largess grew exponentially, myriads of wars were started, Federal departments were created and liberty was slashed to a nub. Towards the end of 2008, all that remained were entitled carcasses of what was in effect "dead" politicians.

Just like the ring of power, Republicans seized the power and then the power seized them. This is why we the Democrats were able to route the Republicans in 2008 amid "Hope and Change".

Put simply, this is exactly the reason why I support Rep. Paul. He is the only Republican candidate that wants to destroy the ring of power and the reason why he is being marginalized is because he will actually do it.

WSJ Economist: Ron Paul's 0% Income Tax = Massive Insourcing of Jobs into America

The Real Effect 
Exactly. For starters an income tax is a repugnant idea. It basically holds that you "owe" another entity, in this case the Federal Government, a bill because you had "income". Put another way, the Federal government is entitled to a percentage of each and every trade that is made to improve our social conditions. This is an outrageous idea on it's face and part of the reason why I staunchly oppose most flat taxes and the like. Those plans view the problem as this -

Well, the government "needs" 30% to stay afloat, so we have to "pay" for that somehow.

While true that the government has debt, it ignores the much larger issue in the room. Government is supposed to benefit the people, not vice-versa. And who can really argue that the people are benefiting from the government at this point? It is exactly this type of top-down approach that gets the initial question wrong, therefore any solution that follows may succeed in a sense, but is ultimately doomed to fail.

This is what we learned in the last 100 years of socialist experiments. When you allow the state to control the means of production through either outright or overt methods, the bloodshed and war that intrinsically follow literally consume the people's prosperity. It is to this end that the government is established, to prevent this from occurring not enable it.

The question that we must ask is not what can government afford, but what can the people afford? With millions of us unemployed, on food stamps and in some cases literally starving how can we as a nation justify not implementing this 0% tax?

Ultimately, we need to do what is right for the people, not the banks or the government.

Europe Is a Mess - Collapse Coming Soon

Let's look at just a few stories out of the fascist front -

On Jan. 13, 2012, we lowered to 'AA+' the long-term sovereign credit ratings on two of the European Financial Stability Facility's (EFSF's) previously 'AAA' rated guarantor member states, France and Austria.

The EFSF's obligations are no longer fully supported either by guarantees from EFSF members rated 'AAA' by Standard & Poor's, or by 'AAA' rated securities. We consider that credit enhancements sufficient to offset what we view as the reduced creditworthiness of guarantors are currently not in place.

We are therefore lowering our long-term issuer credit rating on the EFSF to 'AA+' from 'AAA'. We are also affirming the 'A-1+' short-term rating on EFSF.

 In short, the 'lifeboat' to save Europe also has holes in it. Guess that's what happens when you propose a global ponzi scheme to save a global ponzi scheme.

Next, we move to Greece -

Time for the dominos to fall where they may: head of sovereign ratings at S&P Kraemer spoke on Bloomberg TV, and said the following:

• KRAEMER: GREECE, CREDITORS `RUNNING OUT OF TIME' IN DEBT TALKS -BBG
• KRAEMER: EURO LEADERS HAVEN'T TACKLED CORE UNDERLYING PROBLEMS -BBG
• KRAEMER SAYS EUROPE MUST DEAL WITH IMBALANCES, COMPETITIVENESS -BBG

Portugal can't feel left out now...

Portuguese 10Y bond spreads to bunds just broke 1250bps, +180bps on the day and at record wides. Given the subordination concerns as ESM is accelerated, it is perhaps no surprise that the ECB's SMP has seemingly decided that Portugal has crossed the Rubicon into Greece territory

The Real Effect
As noted in a post from Dec of 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.

The music has stopped, now where are the chairs? If I were you, I would get cash, on hand. Buy silver, buy gold, and items to protect yourself because we're going in for a crash landing.

 Further, this was predicted back in 2008, before the US crisis hit it's nadir and was identified as an actual 'crisis' -

European Union -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)

The groundwork is being prepped for Europe's phoenix moment. But like the mythical bird of lore, before the new can come into being, first the old must burn.

Elections 2012 - The Candidates

Updates: 1/19/2012 - Perry is rumored to drop out today. Gingrich was surging in the polls, but this interview with his ex-wife is going to destroy him in the south.

Front runners
Rep - Mitt Romney, Ron Paul, Rick Santorum
Dem - Barrack Obama, Hillary Clinton, ?

Potential Republican Candidates for President (Run/Win)

• Ron Paul - Texas Representative (9/7)
• Only candidate that saw the "economic crisis" coming.
• Polls high in NH.Second place in Iowa.
• Most likely candidate to defeat Obama.
• Will be portrayed again as weak on national security.
• Candidates are trying to be him 
• Herman Cain...impeachment...
• Rick Perry...end the money printing..
• Mitt Romney (10/5)
• He will be in
• Flip flopped on -  
•  Abortion
• Claims he's pro-life
• Attended a Planned Parenthood fundraiser in 2004
• He even instituted tax-funded abortion on demand two years after his orchestrated “pro-life” conversion.
• Support for Islam, or not?
• Rammed through State run health care in Massachusetts (Will be in dead in the water vs Obama) and still supports it. (Obamacare is based on Romneycare)
• Believes the theory of anthropogenic global warming is real
• Has an economist adviser - Greg Mankiw  who in 2007 wrote an op-ed for the New York Times entitled “One Answer to Global Warming: A New Tax.”
•  He advocates carbon taxes through a “tax-swap plan” and declares that resultant “higher energy prices would encourage energy efficiency.”
• “the first and only state to set CO 2 emissions limits on power plants.”
• Wants to implement austerity
• Would raise the age for Social Security and Medicare
• Won't release his tax returns
• Supports Federal intervention into marriage.
• Used to support gay marriage, flipped recently.(2)
• Refuses to sign petition to oppose gay marriage
• Mormon 
•  Supports gun control
• He describes his position on assault-weapon bans as the “same as [Sen. John] Kerry and [the late Sen. Ted] Kennedy.”
• Supports the War on Drugs? 
• Supports war with Iran
• His foreign policy team consisting largely of recycled Bush-era veterans, including: former CIA Director Michael Hayden, former Department of Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, former Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Eric Edelman, former Pentagon comptroller Dov Zakheim, former State Department Policy Planning Chief and North Korea expert Mitchell Reiss.
•  Support -
• Former Salt Lake City mayor Rocky Anderson, who ran an ad in which he said, “Take it from this liberal Democrat. If you want an amazing leader, vote for Mitt Romney.”
• Quotes
• 1998 - “Hillary Clinton is very much right, it does take a village.”   
• “[T]hose who are here contrary to the law should seek to establish legal residence,” the document claims he said, “and if they do so, I’d be delighted to provide support.”
• Rick Santorum (5/4)
• He's in...
• Comes in 2nd in Iowa, falls dramatically in New Hampshire
• Flip flops
• Abortion
• No abortions even in cases of rape; one violence is enough. (Aug 2011)
• Exception for rape & incest ok, even though they take a life. (Sep 2006)
• 2008 bailouts - Supported
• 2005: Fannie & Freddie should create housing affordability. (Jan 2012)
• TARP was biggest government intrusion into private sector. (Oct 2011)
• Tax credits to promote home ownership in distressed areas. (Apr 2003) 
• Marriage
• Supports Federal intervention into marriage. 
• Marriage is a federal issue; we need one definition, not 50. (Jan 2012)
• Marriage Protection Amendment is last resort, but needed. (Apr 2006) 
• No-Fault Freedom: doing whatever we want damages society. (Apr 2006)
• Leave marriage definition to state legislatures & the people. (Jul 2004)

• Does not support the Constitution
• Dislikes the 2nd Amendment
• Voted to mandate locks on handguns in 2005
• In the 90s, he voted to support the Lautenberg Gun Ban
• Dislikes the 4th Amendment 
• Supports the Patriot Act
• Voted YES on reauthorizing the PATRIOT Act. (Mar 2006)
•  Voted YES on extending the PATRIOT Act's wiretap provision. (Dec 2005)
• Pro torture
• Voted NO on requiring CIA reports on detainees & interrogation methods. (Sep 2006)
• Dislikes the 10th Amendment
• First Executive Order: suspend ObamaCare. (Jul 2011)
• Voted YES on recommending Constitutional ban on flag desecration. (Jun 2006)
• Supports the War on Drugs
• Voted YES on increasing penalties for drug offenses. (Nov 1999)
• Voted YES on spending international development funds on drug control. (Jul 1996)
• Is pro-life
• Supports the Federal Reserve
• Department of Homeland Security fixed an internal mess. (Sep 2011)
• Supporter of Medicare Part D
• Supporter of No Child Left Behind
• Is pro-war
• Terrorism is an asymmetric threat; we need worldwide bases. (Jun 2011)
• Don't cut one penny out of defense spending. (Oct 2011)
• Supported the invasion of Iraq
• Want's to "confront" Iran
• Giving money to Iran rebels is not enough. (Nov 2011)
• No apologies for past American interventions in Iran. (Aug 2011)
• Iran has been at war with us since 1979. (Aug 2011)
• Voted YES on Strengthening of the trade embargo against Cuba. (Mar 1996) 
• Supported Sen. Arlen Specter in 2004
• Supports the IMF, NAFTA
• Voted YES on $17.9 billion to IMF. (Mar 1998)
• Voted YES on implementing CAFTA for Central America free-trade. (Jul 2005)
• Voted YES on establishing free trade between US & Singapore. (Jul 2003) 
• Voted YES on establishing free trade between the US and Chile. (Jul 2003)
• Voted YES on extending free trade to Andean nations. (May 2002) 
• Voted YES on permanent normal trade relations with China. (Sep 2000)  
• His nephew supports Ron Paul 
• Cut all corporate tax rates to zero. (Sep 2011) 
• Pro amnesty
• Welcome legal immigrants as part of made-in-America plan. (Nov 2011)
• Economics
• Pro National Sales Tax
• 84% of Americans pay more tax if we have national sales tax. (Oct 2011)
• Likes to spend when he agrees with it
• Voted YES on $3.1B for emergency oil assistance for hurricane-hit areas. (Oct 2005)
• $90M to study effects of media violence on kids. (Apr 2006)
• Fund reverse-commuting for distressed suburbs. (Apr 2006)
• Voted YES on restoring $550M in funding for Amtrak for 2007. (Mar 2006) 
• Voted YES on targeting 100,000 hydrogen-powered vehicles by 2010. (Jun 2003)
• Voted YES on more funding for forest roads and fish habitat. (Sep 1999)
• Pro austerity
• Means testing: reduce Social Security benefits for wealthy seniors. (Jan 2012)
• 1994: Proposed raising retirement age, despite unpopularity. (Sep 2011)

Newt Gingrich (7/2)

• Going to be out soon...
• Testing the waters
• Fading fast...
• Is a bigger moral hypocrite then most.
• He's lost his campaign staff
• Pretends he dislikes the Federal Reserve
• Supports carbon taxes 
• Supports an ethanol mandate
• Doesn't know what he thinks on Libya
• Likes to spend lots of money
• Has attended Bohemian Grove

Drop outs

•  Rick Perry - Texas Governor  (10/8)
•  He's considering, he's almost there, he's in...is he out? Nope. But NOW he is...
•  He supports Gingrich, baaad choice.
• He's positioning to take the Republican "savior" role. 
• Doesn't believe in law
• Believes in an "Economic Recovery Package" 
• He does not honor his campaign promises
• Violated his pledge not to run for President in 2012 
• Did not attend to the massive issues with the Mexican border
• Bliderberg Attendee  (2007 & 2010)(In doing so, he violated the Logan Act)
• Supports the Trans-Texas Corridor (A key leg of the NAU superhighway) 
• Supported mandatory Gardasil vaccines for Texas school children. (Via executive order) (Flip-flop)
• Helped almost double the size of Texas spending  ($49 billion in 2000 to $90 billion presently) and debt for a debt to GDP ratio of 22.9%.
• He's raised taxes and fees again and again
• He supported Al Gore for president by running his Texas campaign in 1988 (2)
• He's pro-lightbulb liberty
• FLDS El Dorado raid (2008) – Another massive attack on parental rights and peaceful home schoolers; Religious Oppression. 438 children ripped away from parents and traumatized for months.   
• Supports No Child Left Behind Act and Dept. of Education
• Supports Sobriety Check Points
• Supports the Patriot Act
• Vetoes Texas Eminent Domain Bill
• Signs Hate Crimes bill
• Endorsed Rudy Giuliani for President in 2007
• He's a money making machine. (Question - Just who is giving him the money?)
• John Huntsman - Governor of Utah (5/3)

• He's in... 
• ...and he's out.
  
• Was a member of the Council on Foreign Relations
• He gave money to Democrats 
• Climate change believer
• Opposed the Tea Party
• He supported Obamacare in Utah Will not sign pledges

• Michelle Bachman (7/4)
• She's in...she's out
• She wins Iowa poll.
• Doesn't understand the 4th amendment
• A former tax collector. 
• Supports the Patriot Act
• Supports Federal intervention into marriage. 
• Pro stimulus
• Supports "blockading" Iran
• Gary Johnson (9/6)
• Former Governor of New Mexico
• Libertarian leaning
  
• Heavy on vetoes
• Herman Cain (9/8)
• He's in......and he's out.
  
• He's pro-choice
• Does not support the Second Amendment.
• Past President of the Kansas City Federal Reserve
• Favors no oversight or audits on the Fed and lies about not supporting an audit.
• Supported the TARP program
• A Security and Prosperity Partnership (SPP) steering group member (Information unclear)
• Seems to support a pro-Israeli platform 
• Is about as politically bright as Perry.
• Sarah Palin (8/3)
• She's 'On fire' and she might be in. She's out. (Building "support" for a late entry?)
• She has the "It" factor
• Has supported many successful "Tea Party" candidates
• Is getting foreign policy advice from Henry Kissinger
• Supported the Libyan "No-Fly Zone"
• Is firmly in support of Israel 
• Paul Ryan (7/5)
• He's thinking about it..he's out
• Fairly conservative
• Not honest about the facts underpinning his economic recovery plan 
• Charges town hall attendees $15 to access their Congressman?
• Is generally pro-war., as long as it's a Republican leading the way.
• Voted for war with Iran.
• Voted for war with Iraq.
• Tim Pawlenty (9/3)
• He's all in...he's out.
• A moderate at best. 
• Refused to sign a pledge to enforce the Defense of Marriage Act by the National Organization for Marriage
• Haley Barbour
• He's out
• Mitch Daniels
• He's out
  
• Needs to rebuke the recent police state ruling in his state
• Mike Huckabee (9/5)
• He's out

• Bobby Jindall (7/3)
• Rudy Giuliani (7/4)
• Scoring high in polls
• His claim to fame is that his city was attacked while he was Mayor.
• General Patreaus (7/7)
• Chris Christie (5/4)
• He's thinking about it...still thinking about it...
• Somewhat moderate
• Pro-immigration
• Arnold Schwarzenegger (5/5)
• Fathered at least one out-of-wedlock child.
• A wild card. He has made no secret about his desire for the presidency.
• Jeb Bush (4/4)
• He's thinking about it. He appears to be a possibility.
• Fatigue on all things "Bush".
• Rand Paul - US Senate (SC) (3/4)
• Significantly unlikely.
• John McCain (4/3)
• He's thinking about it

Other important players

• Glenn Beck
• Supports carbon taxes, VAT taxes
• Donald Trump
• He's out

Potential Democrat Candidates for President (Run/Win)

• Barack Obama (9/5)
• His "family is ok with one term"
• Israel is furious with him
• Bilderberg Attendee (2008) 
• He has personally presented an inauthentic (Fraudulent?) long form birth certificate
• Bin Laden story keeps shifting
• Hillary Clinton
• Bilderberg Attendee (2008) 
• Is she being bribed out of running?

The Issues

• The Debt (National, State)
• The economy (Unemployment)
• Entitlement programs
• The college bubble
• Foreign policy (4 concurrent wars - Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, Libya)
• Syria, Yemen, Iran 
• Property Rights

The Real Effect
Week 12 - 8/12/2011 - Finally, some fireworks as we get the first Republican debate in Iowa. Not a whole lot to write home about but the results are somewhat encouraging. (Bachmann 4823, Paul 4671, Pawlenty 2293, Santorum 1657, Cain 1456, Romney 567, Gingrich 385, Huntsman 69, McCotter 35, (Perry got 718 write-in votes)) Yet Paul is treated as a media side-show by everyone under the sun.
 In relevant news, Perry finally got into the race.

Week 9 - 7/22/2011 - The periphery is heating up as Obama is falling in the polls like a rock. The Republicans are hunting for a viable candidate even as they continue to give away the farm on the debt ceiling negotiations. 'Tanks in the streets' is the verbiage that is being used to bully the people into supporting even greater levels of debt. Look for more candidates to get involved as it becomes obvious that America is going down. Yet, the new candidates are just new window dressing on the same ideas that got us into this mess in the first place.

Week 8 - 7/15/2011 - Wow, a month goes by fast. Not a lot has changed over the past few months. Thankfully the candidates positions are being fleshed out and this is allowing us to see just where everyone stands.

Week 4 - 6/17/2011 - Ric Perry cashed in on the momentum of the previous week by giving what is being hailed as a 'Reaganesque' speech that all but solidified his entry into the field.

Week 3 - 6/10/2011 - Rick Perry showed up in a big way when Newt's crew ditched him to hypothetically join Perry's non-campaign. Coincidentally, the Bilderberg meeting is occurring at the same time.

Week 1 - 5/27/2011 - Up to now, we've seen quite a few dropouts in the fields with Donald Trump showing that he was nothing more then an establishment distraction, Schwarz being pushed aside because of his extra children, Daniels feeling the pinch of his state's Supreme court ruling effectively declaring war on his citizens and Huckabee falling out. Paul Ryan continues to obfuscate, but his off grasp/honesty on the Medicare issue going to remove him anyways. Herman Cain continues to draw in nominal Conservatives that aren't doing much research. At this point it's becoming obvious that the debt and property ethics are going to be THE campaign issues on the people's mind.

Note: This is a resource and will be updated periodically. Originally published 5/6/2011.

1/16/2012 - and now John Huntsman is out with South Carolina looming.
1/4/2012 - ...and the first round in Iowa goes to Mitt Romney with second place going to Santorum? Michelle Bachman drops out with Perry eying the exit as well.

1/3/2012 - And now Santorum is surging in an attempt to bleed evangelical votes from Ron Paul. It's the first Primary in Iowa and Paul is pulling ahead.
12/19/2011 - I removed all the irrelevant candidates from the running list. Gingrich has enjoyed his 15 minutes of adoration and now everybody remembers just why they hated him so much. Paul is surging and looks certain to win in Iowa, possibly New Hampshire.
11/10/11 - Between Perry's gaffes, Cain's women issues and Romney's liberalism it's a wonder the party still exists.
10/5/2011 - Palin is out, Cain also shoots himself in the face with the OWS crowd.
9/27/2011 - Rick Perry shoots himself in the face over immigration, Herman Cain wins the poll if Florida, Ron Paul continues to gain.
8/22/2011 - Paul Ryan is out.
8/14/2011 - Tim Pawlenty is out, Rick Perry is in, Michelle Bachmanm wins Iowa  straw poll.
7/22/2011 - Jeb Bush throws his name into consideration, added Chris Christie
6/21/2011 - Added John McCain, added Jon Huntsman, added Rick Perry announcement, added Gingrich data.
6/14/2011 - Added Michelle Bachman announcement, Obama 1 term.
6/9/2011 - Added Newt Gingrich campaign staff walkout and rating, Rick Perry potential, Hillary Clinton World Bank idea.
6/8/2011 - Added Herman Cain issue (No Audit the Fed)
5/27 - Added Michelle Bachman as Rep. candidate. Added Mitt Romney running. Ron Paul poll. Rick Perry, Rudy Giuliani potential run. Haley Barbour drop out. Added running analysis at the bottom. Added front runners section.

Ron Paul Surges Past Santorum, Youth of America Pave the Way

The establishment has to be getting worried -

Ron Paul has surged past Rick Santorum into the top tier in South Carolina, gaining a staggering 11 per cent in the last week alone to climb to third with a total of 20 per cent, with Mitt Romney’s first place position at 29 per cent looking increasingly vulnerable.

After being heralded as a favorite in South Carolina, Santorum has sunk to just 7 per cent. Having at one stage been as low at 8 per cent, Paul clearly has the greatest momentum going into next Saturday’s primary.

The Real Effect
The "conservative" talk show circuit has been a set of logic for decades that basically correctly concludes that the more liberty oriented a candidate is, the more likely they are to win. In general this is true. Candidates know this and have practiced it in politicking for decades as well. It has led to the rise of a general strategy in which one lies campaigns to the base in order to secure votes and then subsequently finds his governing 'style' by moving to the middle.

Consider if you will how this would play out at your oil change place. The mechanic tells you that for $20 you can get an oil change and quick inspection. While your vehicle is being drained of its lifeblood, the mechanic looks at the books and gets pragmatic. 'I'm sorry,' he tells you 'but I also represent my boss' interests and he wants $100 for this oil change. In the name of partisanship, I am charging you $50. Normally, we charge $60, but I'll give you a deal at $50 so you're getting 20% off! Just think of your savings!'

Most people would have one word for this. FRAUD.

This is the political reality that these candidates find themselves in. The bait-and-switch tactic has worked admirably for so long why change it? Except there is a larger generational war brewing here. In fact in terms of sheer momentum, it's not a war, it's a potential massacre.

Nearly half of all voters under 30 went for Paul in the first two states to vote, helping to propel him to a second-place finish in the New Hampshire primary and third place in Iowa’s leadoff caucuses.

Chew on that for a few minutes. That's not a blip, that's a revolution that's just getting started. These youth realize that the Boomer generation has taken Carpe Diem to ridiculous new heights and have not prepared to take care of themselves. They rightly surmise and fear that the this historical voting populace will turn to the state gun to legally screw their generation over.

To this extent, the Boomers are perplexed. The world is collapsing. Why are these randy youths making matters worse voting for uncle nutsy? Iran will get the bomb, the banks will collapse, Medicare will collapse! They must be stopped at all costs!


It is in this last thought that the problem becomes all too clear. Call it what you will, the true problem here is not Democrat, or Iran, or patriotism, terrorists, the Depression or anything else.

The true problem lie in personal responsibility.

In most things, the Boomers want someone else to fix the problem. 'Talk to the police. Get insurance. Attend church and school board meetings. Vote for Medicare.' In all things, the Boomers believe in the efficacy of the System. We must move as a whole, not as individuals within a whole. Taken in this light, it becomes stunningly clear why the problem will never be resolved. They will continue to empower those who promise to 'make it better' and pay any cost to do it including sacrificing their own children.

It is because of this that the children rightly wish to dismantle the parts of the system that are illegal and immoral. Many of them have a deep and biding respect for the law, they just choke on the concept of legalizing slavery again! Many  of them simply want to be left alone to fix their own problems. This is the definition of responsibility.

The system must be pruned dramatically. Not abolished. To the extent that it recognizes personal responsibility and keeps the consequences for actions nearest the primary actors will be the extent that our country will recover. The edifices of archaic 'law' that seeks to enslave one party to cover another parties risk must be done away with completely if we are to survive.

Iran Propaganda debunked in less than 6 minutes

Iran - Current Situational Analysis - Poisoning the Asian Well

I recently posted an update to the Iranian military action page (along with reordering it so that recent actions appear first). There is a world of maneuvering going on over the last few days -

• Jan 10, 2012 - The IAEA- Iranian officials earlier said the Fordo plant, deep inside the mountains near the central Iranian city of Qom, was build to produce 20-percent uranium needed for a research reactor in Tehran, which produces medical isotopes to treat cancer patients.
• Jan 9, 2012 - Iran has begun uranium enrichment at a new underground site built to withstand possible airstrikes
• Jan 9, 2012 - Iran has sentenced alleged CIA spy, 28 year old Amir Hekmati, to death. 
• Jan 9, 2012 - The Russian carrier Admiral Kuznetsov anchored at Syria’s Tartus port along with the destroyer Admiral Chabanenko and frigate Yaroslav Mudry.
• Dawoud Rajha was received on the deck by a guard of honor of marines under a flyover of Russian Su-33 and Su-25 fighter-bombers
• Jan 9, 2012 - France consigned an air defense destroyer Forbin to the waters off Tartus”
• Jan 8, 2012 - Defense Secretary Leon Panetta says is not yet building a bomb and called for continued diplomatic and economic pressure to persuade Tehran not to take that step.
• Jan 8, 2012 - RQ-4 Global Hawk UAV, took off from the USS Stennis aircraft carrier for for a Broad Aerial Maritime Surveillance Mission (BAMS) over the coasts of Iran.
• Jan 8, 2012 - Ali Ashraf Nouri, a senior commander in Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, told Khorasan daily on Sunday that the Iranian government has decided to close the strategic Strait of Hormuz at the mouth of the Persian Gulf if the country’s oil exports are blocked.
• Jan 8, 2012 - Philip Hammond, the UK's Defence Secretary, warned the regime in Tehran that Britain will not tolerate the ‘very significant consequences’ if it fulfils a threat to block the Strait of Hormuz.
• The HMS Daring is a Type 45 destroyer that has the world’s most sophisticated naval radar is sent to the Gulf.
• French Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier is dispatched to the area as well.
• Jan 7, 2012 - Iran launches security exercises on Afghanistan border. Mohammad Pakpour, commander of the Revolutionary Guards' ground forces, said the "Martyrs of Unity" exercises near Khvat, 60 km (40 miles) from Afghanistan, were "aimed at boosting security along the Iranian borders," Fars reported. 

The Real Effect
So what on earth is going on? Quite frankly, a large chess match. The US and Israel's goal, along with NATO, is to invade Iran. Russia and China, Syria and Iran oppose this. Let us take a quick look at the events leading up to this from Iran's perspective:

• The US has invaded almost all nations surrounding Iran as part of a larger Geo-political strategy. (In existence before and NOT in response to 9/11 and the War on Terror) This is part of a much larger religious strategy designed to demonize Christianity AND Islam.
• Iran is currently surrounded by US forces.
• The US imposes sanctions on Iran.
• It is actively looking for justification for the war. (In part by using propaganda to paint Iran as aggressors)
• The US is positioning against Syria one of Iran's allies. (Part of the larger move) Israel is also joining the fray.
• And Jordan
• This same strategy was used recently, against Iraq and Libya.
• The US has been trying to wear down your forces recently.
• The French, with the Globalist Sarkozy, have positioned an aircraft carrier near your nation. (They too are part of the broader War on Terror)

It doesn't take a genius to figure out what the US wants to do to Iran. As a matter of fact, they keep screaming it from the pulpits. So where do you stand as a nation?

• The revived Russian Federation says they have your back. (2) (As part of the larger strategy)
• Countries are stating they will buy more oil in an attempt to bolster Iran
• South Korea
• China 
• Japan
• China might have your back. (I would think that would depend on how much they think the US will retaliate.)
• Do you take a shot at the UK's 'advanced' but eminently pegable and juicy target HMS Daring?
• Will NATO take the shot? And then claim you did it?
• You move your cutting edge, highly expensive facilities to where the 'enemy' can't get them.
• Eventually you push ahead with nuclear warheads because if you can get them, perhaps you'll be left alone or at a minimum, you'll take the other side with you.

Overall, I believe all of this is designed to inflame two parties -  The Muslims in the Mideast and the Asian nations. If the US can get Iran, the focus on the war on terror shifts from the Muslims of the Mideast to the Muslims from such countries as Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan which just so happen to share a border wiiiiiith...........

China and Russia.

Round 2 - New Hampshire

The media tries to correlate cook = Paul and turn his "I went" image into a joke -

Describing the news media as mob-like, Ron Paul's campaign says the candidate was shaken up by what happened this morning.

His wife was shoved by a reporter, and his stop at a diner was cut short when he was mobbed by reporters before making a clean getaway despite pleas to stay.

The Real Effect
With the Huntsman "Hate" fraud being exposed, Ron Paul is surging. Look for fraud galore as the system tries to bury Paul here. Here's a quick tool for tonight, the backstop of vote rigging is exposed -

1. Removed safeguards for its same-day registration system.
2. Ignores the law on ballot-stuffing safeguards
3. Breaks the chain of custody
4. Conceals vote-counting from the public, in violation of Article 32 of its own Constitution
5. Removed candidate recount rights (2009)
6. Made it illegal for public citizens or members of the press to examine the ballots after the election is over (2003)

2012 Terrorist Identification Chart

Constitutional Crisis Brewing?

Be careful what you wish for, you just might get it -.

But when Congress refuses to act, and as a result, hurts our economy and puts our people at risk, then I have an obligation as President to do what I can without them. (Applause.) I’ve got an obligation to act on behalf of the American people. And I’m not going to stand by while a minority in the Senate puts party ideology ahead of the people that we were elected to serve. (Applause.) Not with so much at stake, not at this make-or-break moment for middle-class Americans. We’re not going to let that happen. (Applause.)

The Real Effect
Well that didn't take long -

In response a Constitutional Crisis emerges

I will concede that I thought that the origin of this particular crisis would be economic in nature and not an overt power grab. Overall the result will be the same, but the rhetoric leads me to believe that time is not on our side.

Look for the Republicans to object to this grab but to do nothing about it except bluster. After all, if challenging the guy's eligibility to be president, why would they care about what he does with the power when he gets it? Why?

Because they want the power too.

Iowa Post Caucus Analysis

Well, the opening salvo for 2012 has been fired and what a doozy it has been.

Observations so far:

• All things considered, Ron Paul did amazing - When you factor in his complete lack of media coverage and backstabbing by the GOP, his results are all that much more encouraging.
• Ron Paul won the most delegates. (Watch the Repubs change the rules)
• From BI - Iowa's Republican caucuses are non-binding — they are technically just a straw poll, so once selected, delegates are free to vote for whichever presidential candidate they choose.
• The "Iowa doesn't count" speech has disappeared. Convenient. 
• Paul is polling 2nd in NH.
• Santorum doesn't have the support structure or platform to make it much further. He is the flavor of the week.
• Democrats support Ron Paul because they believe in him, not because they are messing in the elections.
• There might be some statistical shifting (2, 3, 4) going on. Reports are that the entry and exit polls had Ron Paul at 30%. (Consistent with Drudge) If true, I don't believe it's enormous. Perhaps 2-3% was shifted from Paul to Santorum or Romney to create a "tie" there and make the story about those two and NOT about Paul's immense showing. Of course that "outside firm" would be the one fixing the results.

Ron Paul Rockets Into the Lead In Iowa and History

Not that the Powers That Be will let him keep it but the Drudge Report has Rep Ron Paul up 5% over Romney in online voting with 200,000 votes cast. In Iowa, the lead is even more stunning at 10%!

Update 3: Shenanigans.

The final Iowa vote count normally takes place at state party headquarters in Des Moines, but following dubious “security concerns” about Occupy protesters disrupting the tabulation process, the Republican Party of Iowa announced that it would be moving the final vote count to a secret undisclosed location.

The move occurred despite Occupy protest leaders confirming there were no plans to disrupt the caucuses themselves.

Update 2: "Unamed sources" and a variation on the race card again - Niiiice.

As Iowa voters head to their caucuses tonight, some in the media are asking if Iowa is "too white, too evangelical, too rural" to accurately represent the political views of the country as a whole.

Update: Who said the GOP were democratic? Rush floats the idea from Palin to force the nomination.

...and Sarah Palin said, it's time that we coalesce behind one conservative, have us all agree -- candidates and voters agree -- on one conservative to go up against Romney, after New Hampshire winning employing into South Carolina and be done with this.

Against All Odds...

The man deemed 'unelectable' by the 'experts' among us -

With the New Hampshire primary just one week away, two new polls have found Ron Paul is in a strong second place behind runaway leader Mitt Romney.

Romney is practically a dead cert to take the primary, and has been for some time. Consequently Paul’s campaign and his supporters will undoubtedly be encouraged by such a strong showing with just seven days before voting begins.

The Real Effect
Let us remember in this new year who stood against Ron Paul.

• The GOP - Influential members of the Republican establishment within the state are offering sweetheart deals to prominent voting blocks in key swing districts in order to “sway” the result and ensure Ron Paul doesn’t win. 
• John Boehner
• Rick Santorum - "Ron Paul is disgusting,"
• Newt Gingrich
• Michelle Bachman
• Iowa Governor Terry Branstad - Denounced his own state's performance if Paul were to win.
• Donald Trump 
• Politico Strategist Roger Simon - “If Ron Paul wins Iowa, we just take it out,” 
• Rush Limbaugh - “right now anybody other than Ron Paul could beat Obama if the election were tomorrow — easily.” "That audience goes nuts," Limbaugh said the next day. "I think, 'Oh, my gosh, what am I watching here?' "
• Glenn Beck
• Mark Levin - “I will do everything within my power, as limited as it is, to fight them every damn step of the way and if Ron Paul decides that he is going to go third party, which is detrimental to this nation and pulls a million votes, which is relatively insignificant in the big scheme of things, I will do everything within my power to defat his son in Kentucky,”  
• Michael Savage - On December 29, Savage said on his popular radio show that Ron Paul is a racist “lunatic” who supports terrorist groups and hates Israel.  
• Anne Coulter
• Bill O’Reilly
• Family Research Council President Tony Perkins 

With all of the maneuvering behind the scenes, don't look to this year as beginning of ethics in politics.



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