People's Nanny Republic Of San Francisco To Ban New Head Shops In The Haight

Sane people with who love liberty have long known San Francisco to be a horrible place to live but it's probably going to become a drag to even visit.

From Libertarian Republican

"The Supervisor's Board, made up of all Democrats and Greens, voted unanimously in favor of the amendment. (Not a single Republican or Libertarian serves on the SF Board of Supervisors.) Mayor Newsom is expected to sign it. From the SF Examiner:

Mayor Gavin Newsom will consider signing the bill, his spokesman said.

“When even the Green Party politicians are opposing head shops, you know it’s a legitimate issue,” Newsom spokesman Nathan Ballard said."



If you have any Do Re or Mi left get out of California. Could it be that the owners of old head shops advocated this bill to eliminate potential competitors?

Remember--- No Preconditions: Iran And North Korea Call Obama's Bluff

Today, Iran's so called "president" made this statement.

"We are surprised at Mr. Obama," Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said in remarks to judiciary officials broadcast on state television. "Didn't he say that he was after change? Why did he interfere?"

"They keep saying that they want to hold talks with Iran ... but is this the correct way? Definitely, they have made a mistake," Ahmadinejad said."

Why is Iran surprised? Well, because he has repeatedly said and implied that he would meet with the leader of any tyrannical regime at anytime with no preconditions-- none at all- no matter who they arrest,kill, attack or threaten.

Ahmadinejad is clearly offering talks as a reward to Obama which confirms the point made by many that by simply publicly talking to tyrannical governments we are giving them a respect they don't deserve.

We are seeing the same process with North Korea which has rewarded years of talks and hundreds of millions in foreign aid with nuclear tests, threats to attack Hawaii and "wipe the US off the map".

Doctor Who Helped Neda In Her Last Moments Speaks

The government of Iran and others have denied the facts of the account told here-- and normally, one one should advocate that they be confirmed or investigated. But, all of the hundreds of videos and accounts shot in Iran and most importantly-- the government's own actions, threats and live statements confirm everything he says.

Happy shopping to all Iranian government officials attending UN gang summits in New York.

Great Discussion On Iran On Libertarian Republican

A really good talk has broken out on The Libertarian Republican blog that exposes the deep divide between Republican and Libertarian views on defence and foreign policy. Carefully read the thread and the original post. This was one of my favorite comments which I responded to.

"I have to say that "military intervention everywhere" vs. "callous, amoral isolationism" is a false choice.

We didn't set up Radio Free Asia/Europe or VOA because we were just aching to invade the Communist Bloc at any day.

Military action against Iran may one day be necessary, but I'm resetting my Twitter account's time and place to Iran to assist the protesters- not to encourage a frickin' invasion of the place.

And yeah, we really do need to kick out the loopy Paul-bots and the remnants of the Buchanan fascists out of the GOP- they're on the wrong side of history and an embarrassment."

Best comment so far. I guess I'm a Randian on this as on most things.

I think her basic view would be that- no we as citizens of the U.S. should not be forced to fight for the freedom of Iran or forced to fund any war of that kind- until and unless they become a direct threat to us(which is open to debate). However, we are also free as individuals to condemn the actions of the Iranian government and aid the people there in any way we can- up to and including the active armed support.

We also should expect our government to not be funding Iran in any way as we do now through the IMF and World Bank or giving them any unearned respect through agencies like the "United Nations".

Most likely, regimes like this would have collapsed years ago without this support.Remember that Iran also gets lots of technology from countries like Russia which also receive tons of aid and loans. Has any of Obama's Hamas cash gotten into Iran or aided other Iran supported terror groups?

If it's Not The Axis Of Evil, It's Pretty Close

We all may argue with the best way to deal with Iran, but was George Bush really far from the truth when he called it's regime- Evil? If we can't fight all the world's battles, can't we at least have the courage to call a bad government, bad.

In 2003 a Canadian photographer died in custody after photographing a protest in Tehran.

“Everything I saw indicated it was organised torture and not an injury that caused her death,” Dr Azam said. Deep scratches behind her neck “looked like the result of nails digging into the flesh”.

Her right shoulder was bruised, she had two broken fingers, a broken nose, three missing fingernails, a skull fracture, crushed left toe and a burst ear membrane, he said. Male doctors in Iran are not permitted to conduct vaginal examinations, but a nurse found severe abdominal and genital bruising and concluded that it was the result of savage rape. Ms Kazemi had bruises from her abdominal area down to her thighs."

Saaed Mortazavi,known in Iran as "the butcher of the press, responsible for brutal arrests of journalists, bloggers and activists in Iran is has been put in charge of prisoner interrogations.



Well, it's getting better--- No free hot dogs.

Hat tips to Atlas Shrugs for trying to keep a clear focus on the horror going on in Iran.



Many, many videos online. Of course confirming facts and stories is difficult since most communications have been cut and all press are banned from walking the streets.

Team Obama: Stimulus Predictions Vs. Reality

June 23 (Bloomberg) -- President Barack Obama said that he expects the U.S. unemployment rate will exceed 10 percent this year, though a second stimulus package isn’t needed yet. (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)



It's unlikely the press will remind people that Obama previously claimed that his stimulous package would prevent unemployment from reaching 9% He now, less than five months later is admiting it will reach 10% even though we passed his bill.



The blogger, Innocent Bystander put together the chart above. Red Dots show actual unemployment data. Blue lines show predictions of Obama team.



The top chart shows the one thing team Obama, Bernanke and Co, have done very well, which is destroy the value of the dollar.

Letter From Richard Mourdock Regarding Chrysler Outrage

This is a letter I found on Zero Hedge, written by the Indiana Treasurer of State after the loss of the Supreme Court appeal he brought on behalf of Indiana pension funds that had invested in what they thought was secured senior debt of the company.

The disgraceful thing is that neither the court or any of the commentators or critics of Mourdock could say he was not defending his historic and formerly absolute rights under the bankruptcy code. The law is now seen as a frivolous inconvenience and people who bring it up are held up as villains.

Dear Friends & Supporters:

Now that all of the media attention and inquires have lessened, I wanted to thank all of you for the supportive phone calls, kind notes, and encouraging e-mails regarding Indiana’s involvement in the Chrysler, LLC bankruptcy proceedings. I have tried to respond to each of you individually, but given the enormous number of letters, calls, and emails have made that impossible. Forgive me for this impersonal note, which may read like a form letter, but please know that I have been personally touched by the incredible response of kindness by all of you.

From the beginning, Indiana’s legal challenges to the Chrysler, LLC bankruptcy dealt with the federal government throwing away the rules of bankruptcy law to benefit a select few. Indiana’s retired state police officers, retired teachers, and Hoosier taxpayers were victimized by illegal acts of the federal government, which was wrong. Let me be very clear, we never once suggest that Chrysler, LLC had broken the law. In reality, Chrysler, LLC, like any other corporation, could not have ignored 150 years of bankruptcy law like the federal government did.

I hold as a point of pride -- despite all the attacks by a couple of newspaper editorials, Chrysler, LLC, Indiana Congressman Joe Donnelly, Indiana Senator Evan Bayh, and some others -- no one EVER challenged us on the points of law. In the New York Bankruptcy Court, the New York District Court, the United States 2nd District Court of Appeals, and even the United States Supreme Court, no attorney for either the federal government or Chrysler, LLC, ever attempted to dispute our legal arguments. Even in the denial of our request to halt the bankruptcy proceedings by the Supreme Court of the United States, Madame Justice Ginsburg stated, “This denial of stay is not a decision on the merits on the underlying legal issues.” In essence, the Supreme Court prohibited our case from being heard on a technicality therefore deciding not to rule on the points of law that we raised.

The bankruptcy proceedings are finished and most of Chrysler, LLC is now the Chrysler Group. I hope to see them be productive, profitable, and prosperous.

Thank you again for your words of encouragement and for your support of my efforts to protect Indiana’s retirees and taxpayers.

Sincerely,

Richard E. Mourdock
Indiana Treasurer of State

Freedom From Reality II : The New Upper Class

Some readers may know, that Pittsburgh, PA was selected by team Obama to be the location of the September G20 meeting, which finally invites countries like India, China and Brazil to the conference table since the formerly rich exploiters have to beg money off them.

Team Obama, gave the large number of green buildings in the Pittsburgh region as a major reason for the choice but it's pretty clear they had to reach for a city that is not visibly depressed.

The selection exposes the openly delusional and childish nature of the administration, which seems filled with the permanent bureaucrats and elite tenured academics who seem to make up a new upper class, free from the harsh realities most people are facing. Pittsburgh's job base relies heavily on major universities, retired people living on Social Security checks and a massive "health care industrial complex", which transfuses vast amounts of government cash into the region.

Actually, the last remaining "green lawns" in our economy seem to be State capitals, college towns and areas around major army and government facilities. Team Obama sees these places as the model for the new America.

Leon County, Fla. — Home to the state capital, Tallahassee. Population 264,000. Percentage of government workers 20. 6.2 percent March unemployment and an AP Stress Index Score of 7.26 (4th lowest in Florida).

Champaign County, Illinois — Location of the University of Illinois. Population 193,600. Percentage of government workers 18.5. 7.1 percent unemployment in March and an AP Stress Index Score of 7.87 (ninth lowest in Illinois).

Johnson County, Iowa — Location of the University of Iowa. Population 128,000. Percentage of government workers 25.6. 3.6 percent March unemployment and an AP Stress Index Score of 3.89 (lowest in Iowa).

Riley County, Kansas — Home to U.S. Army's Fort Riley and Kansas State University. Population: 71,000. Percentage of government workers 17.4. 3.4 percent March unemployment and an AP Stress Index Score of 3.71 (12th lowest in Kansas).

Washtenaw County, Mich. — Home to the University of Michigan. Population 347,000. Percentage of government workers 19.1. 7.4 percent March unemployment and an AP Stress Index Score of 9.25 (second lowest in Michigan).

Los Alamos County, N.M. — Los Alamos National Laboratory location. Population 18,000. Percentage of government workers 30.7. 2.9 percent March unemployment and an AP Stress Index Score of 3.28 (second lowest in New Mexico).

Albany County, N.Y. — Has both the state capital in Albany and a State University of New York campus. Population 298,000. Percentage of government workers 22.6. 7 percent March unemployment and an AP Stress Index Score of 8.4 (seventh lowest in New York).

Orange County, N.C. — University of North Carolina located here. Population 126,000. Percentage of government workers 26.2. 6.5 percent March unemployment and an AP Stress Index Score of 7.13 (lowest in North Carolina).

Dane County, Wisc. — Both University of Wisconsin and the state capital, Madison, are here. Population 482,000. Percentage of government workers 16.3. 5.5 percent unemployment in March and an AP Stress Index Score of 6.34 (lowest in Wisconsin).

Albany County, Wyo. — Location of the University of Wyoming. Population: 32,700. Percentage of government workers 21.9. 2.9 percent March unemployment and an AP Stress Index Score of 3.05 (second lowest in Wyoming).

Perhaps it's time to check out the water supply to these few plush lawns-- Ooooooooops, it looks pretty dry.



Virtually all the major states and cities in America have budgets that are structurally bankrupt and were taped together by lies, one time accounting gimmicks and dependent on volatile tax flows. Add to this, the long term damage to private endowment funds and personal college savings and one has the recipe for severe problems.

Latest State Unemployment Stats.

Hopefully, you all work in razor blade factories- but there's even grim news there. People who used to only use fresh blades to slit their wrists are now sharing blades.Please don't share blades, people need these jobs.

Nationwide Rate 9.4%

Michigan..................... 14.1%
Oregon.......................... 12.4%
Rhode Island................. 12.1%
South Carolina............... 12.1%
California....................... 11.5%
Nevada........................... 11.3%
North Carolina............... 11.1%
Ohio.............................. 10.8%
District Of Columbia........ 10.7%
Tennessee....................... 10.7%
Indiana......................... 10.6%
Kentucky........................ 10.6%
Florida......................... 10.2%
Alabama......................... 9.8%
Georgia......................... 9.7%
Washington.................... 9.4%
Missouri...................... 9.0%
New Jersey................... 8.8%
Alaska.......................... 8.4%
Maine........................... 8.3%
Arizona........................ 8.2%
Massachusetts................ 8.2%
New York...................... 8.2%
Pennsylvania................. 8.2%

The nationwide stats show broad pain but still a few states come out with low numbers mostly in the mountain west and farm belt.

Iowa......................... 5.8%
Utah......................... 5.4%
South Dakota................. 5.0%
Wyoming...................... 5.0%
Nebraska..................... 4.4%
North Dakota................. 4.4%

Texas, with a 7% rate looks relatively good.

Also, the trend I predicted of states close to the Washington, D.C. area benefiting from the bulging growth of government also holds true. In fact, at this point college towns, state capitals and other places with economies dependent on government spending seem the healthiest. Of course, anyone looking at the state of government finances has to wonder how much longer this can last.

Our nation has a new upper class-- People who work for the Government.

Virginia has a 7.1% rate (my guess is that it's lowest in Northern Virginia.)
Maryland has a 7.2% rate (probably lowest in Southern and Eastern Maryland)

Beware Of Just Relying On The Internet And New Media

just don't know enough about this but it seems like one of the lessons we are getting from the repression in Iran is just how vulnerable and easily internet communication is to censorship and repressive spying.

"Several reports indicate Internet access in Iran has been disrupted since the election this weekend. And while there is some disagreement over the source of that disruption, there is no doubt that Iranians’ connection to the outside world is precarious. The nation's state-run Internet provider, Data Communications Iran (DCI,) gets its bandwidth from six regional providers. On Saturday, only one of those six pipes was operating normally, according to an analysis by that New Hampshire-based Renesys Corp., a firm that observes Internet traffic flow. That means almost all traffic in and out of Iran flowed through one set of fiber-optic cables passing through Turkey. The pipe would be easy to cut, and relatively easy to filter according to content."

Iran may be an extreme case with only one internet pipe tthe outside world and a controlled and concentrated infrastructure. Still, around the world we are seeing that governments are finding it relatively easy to see and conrol what people are seeing, transmitting and saying.

"And while listeners could tune into radio broadcasts in anonymity, it’s often trivial for countries to observe what their citizens do when they’re online.

“It's actually a very dangerous medium to communicate in," Pain said. "That's counterintuitive, but it's true. ... And most people don't know what's at stake."

Ultimately, almost all Internet traffic into and out of a country must flow through one or more "backbone" providers. Even wireless Internet access through Wi-Fi or cell phones, which might seem to avoid land lines, ultimately must find their way onto the Web through a backbone. In a country like Iran or China, where there is only one state-run ISP, filtering is relatively easy.

This shows just how important it is for all of us who still believe in freedom to find many ways to know and communicate with each others and get our message out there.

Glenn Beck has been talking about the importance of meeting each other personally and having phone contact info.Plain old flyers, posters and pamphlets can also play a big role as well as rallies and lots of personal small group interactions.

I hate to say that we are going to have to think about things like this in the United States Of America- but it's not a joke;We are. It's clear that websites like this are being monitored and we have seen the state make bold moves to punish people they consider "wrong" or enemies. The recent Auto dealer purge being a good example.

We can't just assume we are living in a free country and we can speak openly and challenge government authority without fear. That hasn't been to true for a while and it's becoming less so by the hour.

Was There A Coup In Iran?

Who can tell from a distance just what is going on in a country as large,isolated and opaque as Iran; a society in which a crust of stability seems to cover a rumbling boil of hopes and discontentment.

Thirty years ago resentment at the Shah's repressive regime brought to power a theocratic Shia Islamic state which preached fear and hatred of America and the "unclean" western world. A government increasingly unpopular with both educated urban youth who resented the repression and stupidity of religious rule and many of the rural poor who saw the government as corrupt and ineffective.

A Times editorial makes a strong case that President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has turned a state dominated by a religious elite with an illusion of democracy,into a military dictatorship in which clerics play a more symbolic role.

"In Mr. Ahmadinejad, the public saw a man who repudiated the profligacy of the clerical class, a man who was ascetic, humble and devout. And he capitalized on that image to consolidate power and to promote his brothers in arms. Fourteen of the 21 cabinet ministers he has appointed are former members of the guards or its associated paramilitary, the Basij. Several, including Defense Minister Mostafa Mohammad Najjar, are veterans of notorious units thought to have supported terrorist operations in the 1980s.

This creeping militarization has not been restricted to the central government: provincial governors, press commissars, film directors, intelligence officers and business leaders are increasingly former members of the guard. The elite force controls much of the economy either directly — the Basij has rights to oil extraction — or through proxy companies like Khatam al Anbiya, which dominates construction throughout Iran."

Ahmadinejad's intimidating confidence and threats support the view that the council of clerics who control Iranian elections are no longer really in charge as does the "in your face openness" of the vote rigging. "The unusually speedy certification of the election and Ayatollah Khamenei’s quick blessing — “a divine miracle” — only served to underscore an obvious sham."

The vast crowds of people demonsrating against the election may have walked into a trap as the regime uses the opportunity to arrest and silence it's organisers often using twitter and Facebook to track them down. But it's not over yet. The number of demontrators and their courage reveal a fury that will be hard to stop forever. Unfortunately the stage is set for explosive violence.

Video Of Anti Pelosi Rally In Texas

Obama Gives 73 Million Dollars To Robert Mugabe

Warning the videos below and almost every fact about the rule of Robert Mugabe is disturbing, frightening and disgraceful. If ever there was a chance for Obama to stand up for basic humanity this was it.

"The president, President Mugabe, I think I've made my views clear, has not acted, oftentimes, in the best interests of the Zimbabwean people"



Claims that the aid is not going directly through the Mugabe government are a sham. Every dollar will only extend the agony of the people of Zimbabwe.




"It only stands to reason that where there's sacrifice, there's someone collecting the sacrificial offerings. Where there's service, there is someone being served. The man who speaks to you of sacrifice is speaking of slaves and masters, and intends to be the master."

Ayn Rand

There are two sides to every issue: one side is right and the other is wrong, but the middle is always evil.

Ayn Rand

The man who lets a leader prescribe his course is a wreck being towed to the scrap heap.

Ayn Rand

We are fast approaching the stage of the ultimate inversion: the stage where the government is free to do anything it pleases, while the citizens may act only by permission; which is the stage of the darkest periods of human history, the stage of rule by brute force.

Ayn Rand



"Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote!"

Benjamin Franklin

"Mercy to the guilty is treason to the innocent"

Ayn Rand

Great Debate About Drug Legalization

Here's a very good debate between Actor, Stephen Baldwin and congressman, Ron Paul about legalizing Marijuana. For the record, I am pro legalization for most of the reasons Ron mentions .I did inhale, more than once, but never liked it much. Be back with more thoughts, when I can.

Obama Removes AmeriCorps Investigator-After He Investigates Friend

Of course, everyone deserves some benefit of the doubt as to their reasoning and integrity until they show they don't deserve it. Naturally we don't trust a person convicted of multiple repeat cases of fraud the way we do a normal citizen.

"President Barack Obama says he has lost confidence in the inspector general who investigates AmeriCorps and other national service programs and has told Congress he is removing him from the position.

Obama's move follows an investigation by IG Gerald Walpin of Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson, who is an Obama supporter and former NBA basketball star, into the misuse of federal grants by a nonprofit education group that Johnson headed"

So far, Obama has given no specific reason for the firing except to say through a spokesman that the decision was "carefully considered".

Legally, I believe he must give his this reason and hopefuly people will force Congress to demand it. We have long since past the point at which we can give Obama the benefit of the doubt.

Elizabeth Warren On TARP

This post was also orignally put on Smart Girl Politics a few days ago



First, one has to wonder if she doesn't have a degree in diplomacy for spinning her panel's review of the TARP program. In spite of this, a few problems seem too big to ignore.

First is that it's basic "stress assumptions" were a joke. The worst case scenario for employment assumed for this year was blown through in four months and we are now within easy striking distance of the worst case test for next year of I think 10.3% unemployment, which is projected as the recession low. (A note here. One needs to understand just how much faulty inputs like the Birth/Death model are already understating the real unemployment rate.)

Second, she notes that the entire stress time frame is only two years long, even
with a long pipeline of suspect mortgages and debts out there.

Third, She points out that the raw data that goes into the tests about just what assets and bad loans banks hold has been kept from the public, making it impossible to cross check the results.

What comes across is that the Treasury, FDIC and FED are in no way instruments of real transparency but are obstacles to it.

This fits with the "shut up, elitist, experts know best' attitude of this administration. She does, correctly point out just how against the FED's grain any level of transparency is.

Her last comment about the very ambiguous way the TARP law was written means that it is in fact a blank check for the executive to do as it wishes.

The March To Fascism And How To Stop It

People know I've been beating the drum, warning of the Fascist trends in our government which have been building for years and are reaching a crisis.

Jack Gildern did a much better post on this subject than I have called Fascism: Foolish Fallacy Or Frightening Fact. I urge you to read it-please.

He starts with a simple definition of Fascism.

Here is the literal definition of Fascism:
fas⋅cism [fash-iz-uhm]
–noun
1. A governmental system led by a dictator having complete power, forcibly suppressing opposition and criticism, regimenting all industry, commerce, etc., and emphasizing an aggressive nationalism and often racism.
2. The philosophy, principles, or methods of fascism.

Of course, we haven't reached this level yet. Exactly when one says something that walks like a duck and quacks like a duck can be described as a duck is always a judgement call. The problem is--- This is not a duck we are talking about here-- It's Fascism!-- or perhaps some other brand of totalitarianism. We test and test for cancer in a way we don't for colds because- it's a deadly and often fatal disease and when we find it we try to kill it and cut it out. (no that was not just a call to kill the president. Our troubles go much deeper than one man. He was actually elected)

I made two comments that prescribe what I think might be the quickest and most effective way to stop this train and get people to think. You need to read the post and comments for context.

Comment One

"One of the best posts on here ever. I think one of the biggest factors at work here is what Hitler called the big lie. Admiting just how bad, Obama is means confronting our own guilt for having elected him and going deeper into just how the government got this out of control means looking at almost a century of guilt.

We as American's as whole- not all, have betrayed our founders and the basic ideals and foundations our country was founded on in exchange for a few favored programs or vague promises.

People need to stop and admit they live a nearly bankrupt and nearly Fascist country and then decide what role they have played in it and what they are going to do about it.

As, I mentioned before-- I think the Tenth Amendment route might be the fastest clearest way to stop this train. There are states and places in the country where enough broad support for individual rights and the Constitution exists. We need to work from there, to both educate and broaden this base and use it to confront the Monstrous powers in Washington.

After all, the Constitution and the founding documents of the country are on our side. If enough people scream that they really matter, and that the law matters and rights and truth matter, something might be done."

Comment Two

Well, I'm going to have to admit to living in "blue states" all my life in either NY or PA.

But my perception from my reading, interactions and occasional travels is that there really are very large chunks of the country that could almost be called "occupied territory" at this point. I mean when was the last time Wyoming, Utah or Alaska voted blue. I think we need to start from there and work to educate the people about just how deeply damaging the federal occupation of their states has been. Instead of working from positions of weakness, we can start from strength where there is already a lot of political and media support and build on that.

The starting point should be for the "occupied states" to one by one re-affirm their commitment to the original Constitution and it's tenth amendment- which in reality is an implied threat to take the clear course out of the union that the Constitution allows.

Hopefully, a chain of firm resolutions by a large number of states that seem very serious will in itself put a radical brake on things. Remember that just by taking these actions, one is calling attention to all the Constitutional and legal violations, which may help more people in other states to wake up and think deeply about what's going on. This will be hard for the media to ignore.

Remember---the Constitution and all the legal traditions of our country are on our side. Every founding document shows a clear intent to protect individuals from out of control federal power and to protect minorities from a possible tyranical majority.

We can't do this blindly so each resolution needs to state clearly the exact Federal moves that would trigger further action. For example, I think every state should declare federal limitations on free speech and the press to be an instant trigger for further action. Moves against the Second Amendment are in close to the same territory.

Katrina Pierson Invites Janeane Garafolo To July 4th Tea Party

There's almost a zero chance Janeane Garafolo will take up this offer to confront her biased and prejudiced views by actually going first hand to the upcoming Tea Party in Dallas.

Prejudice

1: injury or damage resulting from some judgment or action of another in disregard of one's rights ; especially : detriment to one's legal rights or claims

2 a (1): preconceived judgment or opinion (2): an adverse opinion or leaning formed without just grounds or before sufficient knowledge b: an instance of such judgment or opinion c: an irrational attitude of hostility directed against an individual, a group, a race, or their supposed characteristics



One has to realise how much the biased and distorted image projected by the media has itself helped to control who shows up. After all who would show up at events broadly portrayed as wacky, right wing and racist which is of course their intent.

Fighting The "Right Wing" Slur

This is a follow up to my earlier post about the misuse of the term "Right Wing".

"You can't get out of school without learning that the term "Right Wing" is a synonym for a close minded, hateful Fascist. Politics, education and media have been so long dominated by the left, creating a situation in which alternate views could be distorted, since people rarely saw them in the flesh. The recent European elections provide a chance to see that views often grouped together as "far right", have little in common."

Even though the European elections brought strong gains for the Tory party and other conventional groups supporting ideas like greater individual freedom and lower taxes, the coverage of the win has focused on one very dark and grim shadow in the form of gains by a truely racist party with links to Nazism as well as a few similar groups across Europe.

I can't fully agree with Daniel Hannan on this one. Even relatively small gains by a party as nasty as the BNP are no joke anywhere, let alone in a place with the history Europe has.(video made before election)



Still, I don't think the article, after article, after article of coverage, particularly in the traditionaly Socialist and pro Labour press is exactly innocent.

"Why do the pundits do it? Partly, to show what nice people they are ("I hate those evil fascists even more than he does!") Partly because some commentators wish that they had had the chance to be part of a struggle against Nazism and, not finding much by way of a genuine fascist menace, build up the paltry BNP as the next best thing. Partly, too, because the BNP is a handy card for quangocrats and their supporters to play against localism ("you couldn't possibly have elected police chiefs; what if the BNP won?")

Above all, though, the BNP is used as an indirect weapon against the mainstream Right. You will have noticed that the party is almost never mentioned without the soubriquet "far Right". The BNP doesn't call itself Right-wing, of course. It favours nationalisation, higher taxes, protectionism and (though it keeps quiet about this) republicanism. It markets itself as "the Labour Party your parents voted for". Its manifesto calls for "the selective exclusion of foreign-made goods from British markets and the reduction of foreign imports," and promises to "restore our economy and land to British ownership" and "to give workers a stake in the success and prosperity of the enterprises whose profits their labour creates by encouraging worker shareholder and co-operative schemes".

For years now, long before the BNP had gained almost any traction, Labour leaders and their allies have been giving them press. Tony Brown urged people to the polls to vote against the BNP as have all kinds of musicians, actors and pop star celebrities. As well as well funded website-- called "Hope Not Hate".

Each story is a chance to use the terms "Hate", "Right Wing", "Extreme Right Wing" Racist and Fascist again, hoping people link "Right Wing" and bad. Of course a real examination of the BNP's stated platform might show how similar it is to that of the left so no real discussion is allowed. They are racist, hatefull, Fascist and "Right Wing" so they should be banned and not talked about except by us in thousands of short blurbs saying just how right wing and bad they are-- is the spin.

I'll use the a metaphore to try to explain how we got here.

In the Socialist's ideal world we all sit around a huge collective pot into which everyone has thrown their earnings, sweat and labor. From each according to his ability. To each according to his needs.

This blissfull state is usually painted as the end of all troubles since everyone has overcome their "selfishness and greed" to join hands in this hopeful new world. We joyfully wait our turn and watch the poorest exploited folks around the world get served first and then our own poor and then- well it's a long wait.

The big trouble in housing estates in places like Leeds and Manchester is that this waiting around the bowl thing is nothing new. These are the places Labour has controlled for close to a century. They know the game too well. From the lines for places in crime infested public housing to lines for the poor quality national health system, they have seen it all, and know very well the watery drool left in the bowl when they get to it. Now that Europe's already collectivist states have joined together into a grand union run by an even more opaque and elitist bureaucracy, their chances of getting anything seem even slimmer.

If a lot of the traditional left's support comes from people still drunk on Kool Aid and U2 songs, then the BNP's supporters come from people who aren't drunk anymore. Most of them are not well educated, but they know from common sense and personal experience that their countries can't afford to support everyone in the world through foreign aid or allow all of the world's poorest refugees in--and support them on the dole.

They haven't given up as collectivists since that's what they know and were taught was right, but they are now working to protect the people they know; their family; their tribe; their race. Screaming, chanting groups always get the good stuff out of the bowl. Then in walk the true Fascist's who tell them that real men just join a gang and grab the bowl and that history is an endless war between national and racial gangs. This is what is happening.

The only real antidote to this insanity is a system of objective laws to protect the individual's, not the group's rights to their own life, liberty and property. The smear campaign to imply a connection between the growing worldwide movement towards liberty and Fascist groups like the BNP cannot be allowed to stand.

What Does "Right Wing" Mean?

This is also something I first put on Smart Girl Politics.

You can't get out of school without learning that the term "Right Wing" is a synonym for a close minded, hateful Fascist. Politics, education and media have been so long dominated by the left, creating a situation in which alternate views could be distorted, since people rarely saw them in the flesh. The recent European elections provide a chance to see that views often grouped together as "far right", have little in common.

Labour and other left wing parties hoped to pose as the alternative to extreme parties like the British National Party.

The BNP, can rightly be called hateful and racist.

"According to its constitution, the BNP is "committed to stemming and reversing the tide of non-white immigration and to restoring, by legal changes, negotiation and consent the overwhelmingly white makeup of the British population that existed in Britain prior to 1948."[15] The BNP also proposes "firm but voluntary incentives for immigrants and their descendants to return home."[16]

It advocates the repeal of all anti-discrimination legislation, and restricts party membership to "indigenous British ethnic groups deriving from the class of ‘Indigenous Caucasian’". The BNP also accepts white immigrants that are assimilated into one of those ethnicities.[15]"

Further on in the Wikipedia one can see a past linked to anti-semitism although right now they claim to hate muslims more.

"In 1988, The Sunday Times revealed that Holocaust News, a publication that claimed the holocaust was an "evil hoax", was being published by the BNP's then deputy leader, Richard Edmonds, on behalf of a BNP front organisation, the Centre for Historical Review, and distributed by members. John Tyndall, the party's leader, said he was not involved in the publication but that it had his full support.[39]

The 2002 Channel 4 documentary Young, Nazi and Proud featured hidden-camera footage of the then BNP youth leader Mark Collett stating his admiration for Adolf Hitler, and stating "I'd never say this on camera, the Jews have been thrown out of every country including England. It's not just persecution. There's no smoke without fire." It also featured footage of visitors to the party's annual 'Red White and Blue' festival, some of whom wore the legend "88" (code for HH, "Heil Hitler").[40] Collett resigned from the party after the documentary's filming, but rejoined shortly afterwards, with Nick Griffin's approval, on the condition that Collett changed his views on the subject."

But even a mild look at the rest of the party platform has to make one wonder why it's described as being "right wing".

The BNP, endorses high protectionist tarrifs and policies like this.

"Central to the BNP's domestic policies are greater share ownership and the establishment of worker co-operatives. The party advocates the provision of extra resources for "especially gifted children" and the reversal of closures of special needs schools.[16] It has proposed that repossessed homes should become council houses, to prevent these being sold off cheaply to undercut private sellers, and to provide housing for those who need it.[95]

The party supports animal welfare (such as the banning of Halal and Kosher slaughtering and the phasing out of factory farming) and environmental policies, supporting Greenpeace in its fight against Japanese whaling ships and the RSPCA's campaign against the docking of dogs' tails. [96]"

Huh? Do restrictions on free trade and "workers co-operatives sound a bit Socialist to you? Well, they are! In fact, the whole concept of judging people by race or group identity is collectivist at it's core.

Really, there is no logical basis for linking the BNP with the Tories, The Independence Party or most other Conservative parties- except to create a smear.The BNP is a classic "Fascist Party", much like the National Socialist party of Germany and the party who gave us Apartheid in South Africa under the strange banner-- Workers of the World Unite For A White South Africa.

Is Obama Offering Military Technology To China To Cancel Debt?

This was also first posted on Smart Girl Politics

I want to start this out in bold print. This falls into the unbacked rumor category.

We do know that, the U.S. is deep, deep, deep in debt, much of which is held by foreigners. This has been the underlying theme behind the trips abroad to creditor nations by the President and administration officials. People on Wall Street call them Dog And Pony Shows.



We also can make an educated guess that Obama doesn't see many government programs he wants to cut, but rather an ever larger number of worthy causes and bankrupt party backers that need help. We also know that nations like China are becoming more and more nervous about our debt and eager to start exchanging their dollars holdings into things they really want like--oil fields, gold, copper, iron ore and uranium mines as well American technology.



Placed in this context, the president of Squanderville may soon have to shop around some real assets like this...

"According to the Administration, this proposal will help the United States resolve its debt issues. They point out their belief that the B-2 bomber is "strategically obsolete", according to a source in the White House Press Office. In addition, the
source claims that the Chinese would be unable to create their own functioning stealth bomber fleet for "at least eight years."

"American allies Taiwan, Japan, and South Korea are very wary of the proposal. Koo Syi, a geopolitical analyst from South Korea, points out that this technology could be passed to China's allies. This was the case when Chinese nuclear technology was transferred to Pakistan and North Korea. According to Koo, Obama has rendered US allies' opinions as "irrelevant."

My point, really isn't that this rumor is true or false, it's that it points out the underlying fact that sooner or later, we will have to do things like this to keep on spending the way we have been."

I honestly blame not only the Democrats for this but also many of the so called
Neo-Cons many of whom seemed to think we could remain a powerful nation while allowing spending levels that were sure to make us weak. Remember the Suez Crisis?

Please Go Now

Sorry, my posting here has become eratic. I post things on a number of blogs and often switch around where I post first. This was originaly put on Smart Girl Politics.



The European voters have given a stunning blow to the vacuous authoritarian leadership that has brought Europe to it's knees.

No one party dominated-- but almost all the parties normally known as leftist or Socialist were rejected. In parts of England, Labour ended up in 5th place.

I think one of the biggest benefits of the elections will be that a range of opinions normally ignored and smeared as "far right" will have to be examined and heard more closely.

Great Report On The Housing Crisis

I found this long and interesting report on the housing crisis which recaps a lot of info we know and also suggests it's likely far from over. Check out the rising default rates in prime and jumbo loans as well as the mega disaster-- called Alt-A which will create huge losses and powerful downward pressure on housing in places like California.

A big unknown is how long the recent surge in mortgage rates will last and what effect this might have on a market that seems to need these absurdly low rates.

For the most part, the Fed's role in causing the bubble is not discussed.

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Racist Chinese Disrespecting Obama Again

Here in the good old USSA, where all the children have drinken deeply from the state's endless Kool aid supply, we all know that critics of Obama are driven solely by "white male rage." But what's going on overseas? First, Pravda the former voice of the Soviet Union say's we are Commies and now this...

Tim Gethner, one of a parade of officials panning the globe for spare change; while at the same time assuring everyone what a good credit risk we are; is now in China. Kool Aid seems scarce there.

A number of students laughed heartily at the bromide swill, we suck up here.

"Chinese assets are very safe," Geithner said in response to a question after a speech at Peking University, where he studied Chinese as a student in the 1980s. (refering to their holdings of U.S. Treasury and agency debt)

His answer drew loud laughter from his student audience, reflecting scepticism in China about the wisdom of a developing country accumulating a vast stockpile of foreign reserves instead of spending the money to raise living standards at home."

Comments from a former Central bank advisor, Yu Yongding were even more blunt and filled with disparaging references to American officials and their policies.

In response to Obama's current promise to cut federal deficits from close to 13% of GDP to 3, Yu said:

"It may be helpful if “Geithner can show us some arithmetic,” said Yu. “We need to know how the U.S. government can achieve this objective.”

Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke gets it worse.

"Referring to the Federal Reserve “as the world’s biggest junk investor,” and to Chairman Ben S. Bernanke as “helicopter Ben,” Yu said the Fed has dropped “tons of money from the sky since the subprime crisis.”

“The balance sheet of the Federal Reserve not only has expanded like mad but is also ridden with ‘rubbish’ assets,” he said".

Are these "people of color" crazed with racist rage or just stating simple questions we all should be asking. Thankfuly the rest of the world is looking fairly and squarely at Barak Obama and judging him and his administration by the content of the character they have shown.

More Thoughts About Secession

Here are more of my thoughts about the secession/10th Amendment issue.

First,I included my entire original post in quotes.

"Secession from any country is a drastic measure that can't be taken lightly, most especially from one with such a long and successful history. Doing so during what should be the happy early moments of our first black presidency doesn't make it easier. Reading about the Pre-Revolutionary period makes one aware how far fetched the break which we now see as positive and inevitable seemed at the time.

Take my word for it, I don't take it lightly but I think bringing up and realistically using this threat may provide the only near term path towards fixing our nation.

Living, at this moment in Western PA, and having lived my entire life deep in one "blue state" or another, I find it almost impossible to see broad support for a return to the Constitution or fiscal sanity.

As the long political divide between "red" and "blue" states becomes deeper, two paths seem to be emerging. The first is the continuation as a nation loyal to it's geographical borders, but not it's political and philosophical ones, in which at best- only small relative degrees of freedom remain; a nation too crippled and bankrupt to remain whole for long. The second being a move towards two nations in which- at least one has a near term possibility of returning to the Constitution.

The trick in my opinion is to focus less on convincing the most extreme "blue states" they are on the wrong path than in more thoroughly educating and creating deep broad support for the original values in the states already trending red. Remember that as separation seems more likely--this trend will be aided by an influx of new liberty loving refugees from the socialist republics.

A consistent trend of states asserting their sovereignty and directly affirming loyalty to the original meaning of the Constitution- may help knock enough sense into people to forestall a final breakup.

All thoughts are appreciated. Please understand, that our Federal government's total liabilities in relation to it's GDP are already far beyond what has sunk most nations. We are at a point of extreme crisis."

This lead to a two very good comments which you can read here as well as my response.I think Nancy Hart's statement cuts to the heart of the matter.

"Secession does sound rather extreme; however, are we not in an extreme place in our country's history? And are not states' rights under attack from the Federal government's ever-increasing efforts to tread on these rights and all the citizens living in those states (you know, the USA!).? I think we should review the 10th amendment and back the efforts of a coalition on behalf of this amendment."

Here was my response.

It really comes down to your opinion on the position our country is in. I think the facts show that it's pretty extreme. Federal liabilities already acknowledged are already something like 4x all private debt levels and interest alone on this debt will in a few decades take up close to half the federal budget or much worse if rates rise. The dollar is near all time lows and gold near all time highs.

Make no mistake about it-- The 10th Amendment's only real teeth is each states implied right to secede. If handled with firmness and resolution it might provide a powerful check against what is happening.

I think:

"First, all the firmly "red states" must pass strong resolutions affirming their tenth amendment rights. Since these comprise a potential block of southern and western states and form the largely contiguous borders of a new country- if it comes to that.

Second; These states must agree on what final lines the Feds cannot cross without triggering possible secession. In my opinion these should include- major new federal encroachments on the 2nd Amendment; the 1st Amendment and also moves to guarantee or back the debts of insolvent states. Remember that backing the debt of states like California, New York and New Jersey would create just the kind of "taxation without representation", that triggered the Revolution from colonists tired of being bled to pay for Britain's wars and debts. It would mean that the citizens of states that had acted more responsibly would have no chance to pull out of this situation and would almost surely enable new rounds of out of control state spending and pension entitlements. The result would be a delayed-- but much larger crisis; almost certain hyperinflation and probably a chaotic future crackup of the country anyway."

I want to elaborate on this. The Republican party and the last holdout defenders of real freedom and free markets as well as the Republic as whole are likely at a true turning point. Imagine for example being caught deep in the wrong lane of traffic on a rapidly moving expressway and seeing the last exit off for 1000 miles or more and having to take the risk of changing lanes and making a desperate cut for it. A closer metaphor would be to imagine that the road is actually out up ahead and this is the last exit before a cliff.

It's been far from perfect but in the past, the federal system of government which large amounts of state and local freedom has let at least parts of the country to escape some of the worst effects of misguided federal policies and retain at least strong relative levels of growth and opportunity. For example, many "right to work" states have escaped the job killing impact of forced unionization.

This freedom as well as the formerly vibrant networks of churches, charities and independent organizations(yes, once most of these groups did more than beg for and channel federal funds and grants and were actually independent) that made up "civil society" allowed a range of experimentation in new ideas.These more independent cities and states also could become the incubators for fresh and less tainted leaders who might then infuse new blood into national politics.If the national tree of liberty was sick, at least some fresh new plants and seeds might be nurtured somewhere.

What Obama's policies are likely to and are designed to do is to extinguish these sprigs-- and actually drag every remaining state down to the level of the worst. We have seen this process in the banking and car industry. The result of backing and bailing out states like California will be to make suckers (like you ain't already) out of any state or city with even a shred of fiscal responsibility and sanity while rewarding the worst possible behavior. We've done enough of this already, but "You ain't seen nothing yet".