Democrat Style Free Speech

One could come up with many, many, many other examples of "gocha style" press interviews, but this is sort of a classic.

Peter Schiff, a potential candidate for Chris Dodd's senate seat is hardly allowed to talk as the host desperately attempts to shove words in his mouth and catch him in some type of trap.

Notice how the thing starts. Even the highly partisan host has to acknowledge Peter's very accurate predictions regarding the economic crisis.

Sadly--- most press interviews are not much better.

Video Of Georgia Congressman Shows Contempt For His Constituents

No time to put this video in a wider context. As we all know more and more of the bloom has gone off the Democrat's rose and more and more people are doubting and publicly questioning their agenda in hundreds of events and protests around the country.

Here, Georgia Congressman, David Scott goes postal during a supposedly open town hall type meeting and makes the mistake of assuming a doctor in his own distrct, who questions his plans is an out of district paid lobbyist or crazed racist.

Obama Joker

Let's just say those who have made a profession out of being offended are shocked and upset at the above posters showing up around the country.

To put this in context, here's a small taste of the images you may have seen around during the last few years. Can't seem to come up with all the great anti Reagan images that were plastered all over NYC in the 1980's.

Tough Times For Community Organisers

There are many reasons to be very depressed as our nation sleepwalks toward disaster.
However the recent videos of people actually asking tough questions shows that for many, the Kool Aid buzz is gone and they are wide awake and angry.



The AARP is not an organization I know too much about-- I think mostly it's grown as people seek discount deals and other membership benefits. What most don't know or never cared to object too before was that mere membership was taken as a full endorsement of AARP's agenda.

Here a group of members seem to think that a "town hall healthcare meeting meant a two way conversation. Instead they are told too shut up and listen to what the AARP's unelected leadership and staff thinks is best for them.

Exits Blocked & The Real Pain Begins

Sorry, for not posting- hopefully I'm not needed to shout fire anymore. Peter Schiff has another great update video about what's likely the next leg down.

To recap- We all know about dramatic fall in asset prices, the pain from the debt bubble and the dramatic rise in unemployment. But it really looks like the real pain is just getting started.

The near total collapse of the private economy has been offset so far by a dramatic increase in federal spending that we only thought we could afford. The initial Lehman shock caused a massive pull back from almost every asset class except super duper safe-- US government debt which allowed team Obama to cheaply- if temporarily push out trillions in new bonds most of which are short term notes.

Meanwhile our real ability to pay off this debt has gotten much worse.

"The numbers could hardly be more stark: Tax receipts are on pace to drop 18 percent this year, the biggest single-year decline since the Great Depression, while the federal deficit balloons to a record $1.8 trillion.(or more)

Other figures in an Associated Press analysis underscore the recession's impact: Individual income tax receipts are down 22 percent from a year ago. Corporate income taxes are down 57 percent. Social Security tax receipts could drop for only the second time since 1940, and Medicare taxes are on pace to drop for only the third time ever."

As foreign economies seem to be leading the recovery, the conditions which made finacing the U.S debt so easy are going into reverse- exposing the country to far higher interest rates-- or galloping inflation.Our rising market has underperformed most and in fact has hardly kept up with the rapid decline in the dollar's value.

Youngstown Ohio Ranked By Entrepreneur Magazine As A Top City For Entrepreneurs

This post was also put on Pittsburgh Arts: Digging Pitt.

This post falls in to the "chaos" section of topics and is not directly about art.

Pittsburgh has been getting a lot of buzz from clueless national media who have "discovered" the city because of the G20 summit.

Hello-- Pittsburgh has had-- major leading universities
Leading medical institutions
Nationally known cultural institutions
A large number Of major corporate headquarters (once number three in the nation)
Lot's Of major charitable foundations
Many wonderful parks
A very historic and beautiful housing stock
A major airport

So, It's hardly news that Pittsburgh is now finally doing sort of OK--- the real question is what the hell took it so long. Few small cities have combined assets like these with poor economic growth.

Now, if you want to talk about a place left with a bag of lemons, it's Youngstown Ohio.

No national airport
Little known
Never home to many major corporate headquarters (and almost all of them are long dead)
Horrific industrial brownfield issues
No major foundation money
No major research universities
In state with poor political and economic climate

NO Pittsburgh Steelers!

So it's news that-- little Youngstown is on the map for it's small but thriving mix of business start ups.

"But in the last decade, something special has happened in this northeast Ohio city. Jim Cossler and his innovative Youngstown Business Incubator, which offers fledgling B2B software companies mentors, networking and services like office space and bandwidth for free or at a deferred cost, are taking Youngstown’s business future into their own hands. The incubator concept was revolutionary enough to help ignite a renaissance in this small city. “Youngstown fell so far, traditional community leaders threw up their hands and told the younger generation, ‘You guys try,’” Cossler says. “The new generation is envisioning things we wouldn’t have talked about 10 years ago.”

Read more: http://www.entrepreneur.com/magazine/entrepreneur/2009/august/202666-9.html#ixzz0M7qNTJPw

By the way-- one could have guessed that something special was going on there by the proliferation of local blogs eager to Shout About Youngstown.

Tails, You Lose: The Amazing Goldman Sachs

No, Goldman Sach's did not create the insane, senseless collectivist free for all that passes for our system of government these days- a system based on the blind belief that a small group of elite folks will serve and protect "the public interest".

Of course, most folks smart enough to work at a place like Goldman Sachs know there is not and will never be a way for anyone to know what might best for millions of living, thinking changing human beings. Goldman, and it's employees and alumni however have had an amazing record protecting their own interests.They didn't invent the game but man can they play it.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Was Hank Paulson- the former Treasury Secretary and former Goldman Sachs CEO protecting his own interests when thought it critical to bail out AIG-- a firm that just happened to owe Goldman 13 billion or more?



Is it any wonder why we can't audit the FED?

Bring Out Your Dead: Four Bank Failure Friday

The FDIC finally pulled the plug on four more ailing banks.

Two have assets over $1 billion.

Vinyard Bank, California
Total Assts $1.9 Billion

Temicula Valley Bank, California
Assets $1.3 Billion

Two are much smaller

Bank First, South Dakota
Assets $275 Million

First Piedmont Bank, Georgia
Assets $109 Million

A Note About Links

You might have noticed I have a long list of links which I hope will become longer. Inclusion on the list means that I found a blog or site to be of interest, but I in no way can claim to endorse every word or post in your blog.

Also, my linking process is pretty lazy and random so not being in my blogroll might very well mean I just haven't found your blog or haven't gotten around to linking yet.

Obviously, blogs with a rational spin which promote freedom, capitalism and individual rights are of greatest interest.

Regional and State Employment and Unemployment Summary: June 2009

Too depressed to give all the "highlights".

Nationwide Unemployment 9.5%

Michigan--------------------------------------15.2%
Rhode Island----------------------------------12.4%
Oregon----------------------------------------12.2%
South Carolina--------------------------------12.1%
Nevada----------------------------------------12.0%
California------------------------------------11.6%
Ohio------------------------------------------11.1%
North Carolina--------------------------------11.0%
Washington D.C.-------------------------------10.9%
Kentucky--------------------------------------10.9%
Tennessee-------------------------------------10.8%
Florida---------------------------------------10.6%
Georgia---------------------------------------10.2%

Still a few farm belt and Mountain states with small populations come in with fairly low numbers.

Montana---------------------------------------6.4%
Oklahoma--------------------------------------6.3%
Iowa------------------------------------------6.2%
Wyoming---------------------------------------5.9%
Utah------------------------------------------5.7%
South Dakota----------------------------------5.1%
Nebraska--------------------------------------5.0%
North Dakota----------------------------------4.2%

At this point a 7-8 % unemployment rate for a major state is reason to crow.

While Washington D.C's rate is high as normal, two neighboring states, Virginia and Maryland which comprise the bulk of the greater D.C. metro area show surprisingly good figures in spite of being hit by a significant housing price crash.

Virginia--------------------------------------7.2%
Maryland--------------------------------------7.3%

This supports my theory of a new "Obamaconomy" or Bushobamaconomy in which the private sector is crowded out by a parasitical state.

Table B. States with statistically significant unemployment rate changes
from May 2009 to June 2009, seasonally adjusted
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Rate |
|-----------|-----------| Over-the-month
State | May | June | rate change(p)
| 2009 | 2009(p) |
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Arizona ........................| 8.2 | 8.7 | 0.5
Florida ........................| 10.3 | 10.6 | .3
Georgia ........................| 9.6 | 10.1 | .5
Idaho ..........................| 7.8 | 8.4 | .6
Iowa ...........................| 5.7 | 6.2 | .5
Massachusetts ..................| 8.2 | 8.6 | .4
Michigan .......................| 14.1 | 15.2 | 1.1
New Jersey .....................| 8.8 | 9.2 | .4
New York .......................| 8.2 | 8.7 | .5
Texas ..........................| 7.1 | 7.5 | .4
West Virginia ..................| 8.4 | 9.2 | .8
Wyoming ........................| 5.0 | 5.9 | .9

A Very Furry Fourth

I think this was fourth year Pittsburgh has hosted the largest convention of people with an um interest in animals; animal cartoons, animal games, Sci fi animals, stuffed animals and even a lot of folks who like dressing up as animals.Why? Best not to know probably, but one has to admit that they make a very nice picture. A lot of these suits are very fine and I think many of these characters and costumes are personal inventions. Some for example had invented sports team logos.

I finally got to see a little of this in person and me and my friend got these shots of A Furry outside the hotel, a big furry drinking party outside of Tonic and a Furry Bunny on the Convention Center Walkway. (I will post that when I can)

The NY Mets who have been stuggling with injuries were and were in town to do a make up game with the Pirates on July 2nd had the misfortune of spending a long night in the Furry Hotel. Broadcaster and former Met star, Keith Hernandez had this exchange with his broadcast mate the next day.

Hernandez: What are they called..?

Cohen: …wolves…

Hernandez: Ferriers..? All’s I know is I got in the elevator with four of them and the odor was horrific. [Camera shows the Pirate Parrot again.]

Cohen: Not the Pirate Parrot. He’s a natural mascot.

Hernandez: I had to get off. I’m not lyin’. I was on the 17th floor, goin’ down. I had to jump off on the 10th floor. I almost passed out.

Cohen: Guess those costumes don’t breathe very well. But it was, it was something, we walked into the hotel last night, comin’ from Milwaukee, and there was a, a, person in a wolf’s costume. And another person in a dog costume.

Hernandez: I saw a guy with, with his pet beaver. He had his hand, he was stroking it, he was petting it. [Long pause.] I’m serious! It was a, like a stuffed animal, and he was comforting it. Very bizarre.

Cohen: It’s a different world.

For the record-- all the furries I saw seemed very clean, from a safe distance and were all very happy to be photographed.

Jean McClung took most of these shots.

Seven Bank Failure Thursday

The FDIC broke it's all friday pattern of bank shutdowns, to officialy pull the plug on 7 banks-- deemed too small to save. Six of them are in the great state of Illinois and most are very small but the last one on the list had assets of almost a billion.

All info from Calculated Risk which links to The FDIC Website.

Rock River Bank
Oregon, Illinois

"As of April 30, 2009, Rock River Bank had total assets of $77 million and total deposits of approximately $75.8 million ... The FDIC estimates that the cost to the Deposit Insurance Fund (DIF) will be $27.6 million."

First State Bank Of Winchester
Winchester, Illinois

"As of April 30, 2009, The First State Bank of Winchester had total assets of $36 million and total deposits of approximately $34 million. ... The FDIC estimates that the cost to the Deposit Insurance Fund (DIF) will be $6 million."

John Warner Bank
Clinton, Illinois

"As of April 30, 2009, The John Warner Bank had total assets of $70 million and total deposits of approximately $64 million ... The FDIC estimates that the cost to the Deposit Insurance Fund (DIF) will be $10 million."

First National Bank Of Danville
Danville, Illinois

"As of April 30, 2009, The First National Bank of Danville had total assets of $166 million and total deposits of approximately $147 million. ... The FDIC estimates that the cost to the Deposit Insurance Fund (DIF) will be $24 million."

Elizabeth State Bank
Elizabeth, Illinois

As of April 30, 3009, The Elizabeth State Bank had total assets of $55.5 million and total deposits of approximately $50.4 million. ...The FDIC estimates that the cost to the Deposit Insurance Fund (DIF) will be $11.2 million.

Millennium State Bank of Texas
Dallas, Texas

From the FDIC: As of June 30, 2009, Millennium State Bank of Texas had total assets of approximately $118 million and total deposits of $115 million. State Bank of Texas agreed to purchase essentially all of the failed banks assets. ... The FDIC estimates that the cost to the Deposit Insurance Fund will be $47 million.

Founders Bank
Worth, Illinois

As of April 30, 2009, Founders Bank had total assets of $962.5 million and total deposits of approximately $848.9 million.The FDIC estimates that the cost to the Deposit Insurance Fund (DIF) will be $188.5 million.

At the end of the day, 52 banks had officially failed this year but the number of banks in living dead zombie state is much much higher. It's also a secret.

Finally, Obama Called Out On Canned Interviews And Press Control

Here's a slice of the exchange between reporters,Chip Reid, the legendary Helen Thomas and White House press secretary, Robert Gibbs as transcribed by CNS news.com regarding the extreme trend in Obama's administration towards stage managed conferences with pre selected audiences and questions.

"Helen Thomas: “That's not his point. The point is the control--”

Reid: “Exactly.”

Thomas: “We have never had that in the White House. And we have had some, but not-- This White House.”

Gibbs: “Yes, I was going to say, I'll let you amend her question.”

Thomas: “I'm amazed. I'm amazed at you people who call for openness and transparency and—”

Gibbs: “Helen, you haven't even heard the questions.”

Reid: “It doesn't matter. It's the process.”

Thomas: “You have left open—”

Reid: “Even if there's a tough question, it's a question coming from somebody who was invited or was screened, or the question was screened.”

Thomas: “It's shocking. It's really shocking.”"

Gibbs seems to regard the normal right of the press and the public to openly question the President as minor issue of process (much like reading bills before they are passed).The trend towards the executive branch with close to 30 "czars" to sidestep or roll right over the the law and the Democratic process should shock everyone.

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