Silver Lining - The Desperate Fear Mongers

I have been very busy the past month and have not had the time to post an entry in all that time. However in the course of my daily activities I have seen and heard things that make it seem that our media are trying evermore desperately to keep the American people fearful and confused. One real gem is a commercial for the Wine Experience that plays on my local classical music FM station. The spokesman opens with the question, "Does matching food and wine stress you out?" Valium, anyone?
A Newsmax email came in this morning and asked the burning question, "Is Jesus coming back?" I unsubscribed immediately. This is not news but the End Times crap that the lunatic fringe keep alive over the trouble in the Middle East. Nut cases like John Hagee of San Antonio are salivating over the possibility that the United States will go to war with Iran and kick off the Battle of Armageddon. Then Jesus comes back and the Jews convert to Christianity and all the fruitcakes get swirled up into Heaven in the "rapture". This is after Jesus ("Judge not lest ye be judged,") judges all the zombies that are supposed to rise from their graves. Somebody's been watching too many horror movies. But that is all part of the dumbing down of America, a campaign that has been going on for fifty years, ever since the book "Why Johnnie Can't Read" was published. Today Johnnie still can't read and his kids and grand kids are like wise intellectually challenged, but they don't have to worry because Johnnie and his equally clueless colleagues hold high positions in politics, science, and religion. No Johnnie and the kids don't worry because they think Jesus is coming back. As a measure of how bad it's become, there is a product on the market that helps people improve their brain function.
A radio commercial touting this "amazing breakthrough" claims to get your old gray matter humming along like a ten-speed blender. "You can read ten books in the time it takes most people to read one."
Why would I want to do that? I enjoy a well written book and take the time to enjoy reading. I don't think I would enjoy a Beethoven symphony played ten times faster, but speed is the thing these days. Like the commercial (forgot what it was for) which reminded people that after work "you have to pick up the kids, start dinner, run errands, and have little time to yourself." Things get especially hectic around the "holidays" when the whole population is envisioned as running around like chickens with their heads cut off; shopping, planning family get togethers, having the folks in from out of town, and adjusting to peoples' busy schedules.
People are cast as starving rats in a maze with a heavy scent of cheese in the air. It's the way the Real World wants us to be; scattered, off balance, with minds so clouded that one becomes easily confused when presented any concept more involved than coming in out of the rain.
Want to be happy? Then don't find time for yourself - MAKE time for yourself. Want to improve your brain function? Try thinking! Otherwise you can continue allowing others to do your thinking for you and sit quietly by waiting for Jesus to come back. It's only been two-thousand years.

Liz Cheney, Will You Please Shut Up!

Today (Tuesday, July 14) Yahoo! News reported that Liz Cheney doesn't believe that her father, Dick Cheney, did anything wrong in directing the CIA not to disclose to Congress their secret plan to kill al-Qaida figures.
At the same time, Liz Cheney accused House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and congressional Democrats of seeking to politicize lingering arguments over how the Bush administration conducted the war against terrorism in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks.
Where was she when all this was going on? How about this piece of news from the BBC?

Top Ranking CIA Operatives Admit Al-qaeda Is a Complete Fabrication

by Mr. Charrington on January 7, 2008

BBC’s killer documentary called “The Power of Nightmares“. Top CIA officials openly admit, Al-qaeda is a total and complete fabrication, never having existed at any time. The Bush administration needed a reason that complied with the Laws so they could go after “the bad guy of their choice” namely laws that had been set in place to protect us from mobs and “criminal organizations” such as the Mafia. They paid Jamal al Fadl, hundreds of thousands of dollars to back the U.S. Government’s story of Al-qaeda, a “group” or criminal organization they could “legally” go after. This video documentary is off the hook…

See,Liz? Right from the horse's mouth. NO AL-QAIDA! Got it? It was an invention by the Neo-Conservatives (Fascists) just like the reasons (lies) behind the war in Iraq. And didn't dear ol' dad make a fortune from Halliburton't no-bid contracts to provide our troops with bad food and impure water? Overall the war has turned out to be a disaster of the first magnitude and Dick Cheney was one of the prime movers who got it underway. YouTube has dozens of videos that show Cheney denying statements he is alleged to have made, and videos showing him actually making the statements.

But, Liz,I do understand your position. You were, after all, a former principal deputy secretary of state for Mideast affairs during George W. Bush's presidency. I'm sure you got that post because of your glowing credentials and not because you father was Vice President. Mideast affairs? Hey, you did a great job! But I would offer one suggestion, though.

Instead of helping with dad's memoirs your time might be better spent working on his defense because, sooner or later, he and the rest of that slimy regime will be called to account. It's only a matter of time.

Silver Lining - An Exquisitely Beautiful Video

Presented here as a reminder that in this world of pain and suffering, war, poverty, and hunger, all brought about by evil men, that people can still create rare beauty that ennobles the spirit of mankind. Enjoy!


Kim Komando’s Video of the Day » Blog Archive » African thunderstorm

Silver Lining - Why Obama will Fail

Well, we've finally done it, elected a black president. This puts him in an unique position in the history of our nation; he has two constituencies, the voters at large who looked to him for change and the blacks who looked to him for identity; and it looks like he is betraying both groups. By continuing the corrupt policies of the criminal Bush regime Obama has reprised the role of Steppen Fetchit, the servile nigger who jumps at his master's every command. But these are different masters as we have been coming to understand. They are not the Kentucky colonel sitting on the colonnaded porch of his ante-bellum mansion sipping mint julep. No, the latest menagerie of masters are not so open. Hatching their plots behind closed doors and maintaining a level of secrecy that any Nazi regime would find it difficult to match, these masters are the central bankers and imperialists we have come to know as Neo-cons, white trash from top to bottom: Bush, Cheney, Perle, Wolfowitz, Rumsfeld, and all the rest of this stinking collection of human garbage who have committed high treason on several counts. And many of us thinking people wonder why these hooligans aren't doing time in Federal penitentiaries. Why are those who committed such heinous crimes still at liberty?

Certainly the highest of these crimes is being led into two losing wars based on lies, deceptions, contrived "evidence", and the spectre of 9/11 being another Reichstag Fire. Mr. Obama seems to be waffling on his campaign promise to end the war in Iraq that so far has cost the American tax payers over a half-trillion dollars, money that could be much better spent in looking after the needs of our own people. But war is a major part of our history and from which our nation was formed. In the Revolution, the War of 1812, and World War Two, many brave men and woman gave their lives that we might live in freedom. But total freedom wasn't realized until the Civil Rights movement that liberated black America from the rigors of segregation. And this conflict was fought on our own soil, a struggle based on the Constitutional guarantees of equal justice under the law. Mr. Obama has received the fruits of both these conflicts but seems not to acknowledge the gifts he has received by he blood, sweat, and tears of the many brave Americans who stood up for what was right; habeas corpus, the right to a fair trial before a jury of our peers, the Fourth Amendment guarantee of security in our person, houses, papers, and effects against unlawful search and seizure. For so long as Obama tolerates torture, warrantless wiretaps and searches, detentions, and the fictitious "war on terror", so does he deny the double heritage that is his. He forgets these things at his own peril for we, the American people will have the last word as we always have had when the going got tough. There is a revolution sweeping the land; we will take back our nation from the thieves and liars who have steered our ship of state so far off course. And that is because we are a decent people, a generous people, a good people. The permanent changes will not be brought about by stuffed suits in high places, but by decent men and women who comprise our vast body of unsung heroes. Some of these we know, most of those we don't, and some of these were there and we did not notice them at the time. I'll tie this package up by identifying one of the latter, a man well known and loved in his time, and a great American in the bargain.

He was a comedian. His name was Jack Benny and his radio and television shows were very popular in the 1930's to the 1950's. There were black entertainers in that day who had made names for themselves; Nat "King" Cole, Lena Horne, Hattie McDaniel, Louise Beavers, Ruby Dandridge, among them, but they all experienced segregation and the hostility of bigoted whites. And then there was Eddie Anderson.

Eddie was a black man, the ever famous, much beloved "Rochester" on the Jack Benny Show throughout the years. Mr. Anderson wasn't just on the show, he shared top billing with Jack himself, and in that was the latter's greatness. Though he could have taken center stage at any time, he instead stepped aside and and let budding new talent emerge under his wing; Mel Blanc, Sheldon Leonard, Phil Harris, Dennis Day, Frank Nelson, and Eddie Anderson with whom he generously shared the spotlight. Once when the show was on the road the troupe went to the registration desk of swank mid-western hotel to check in. The desk clerk said to Jack, "Why Mr. Benny, we are delighted to have you here - but, of course your friend (Eddie) can't stay here. This great American, Jack Benny replied, "If he doesn't stay here then I'm not staying either." Rochester stayed - and that was more than fifteen years before the Civil Rights movement.

Let's hope Obama sees the light.

Silver Lining - The Emerging Truth

The term that is getting the most usage these days is Revolution and this nation is inching closer to that eventuality by the day. People are getting smarter. The tireless efforts of such true patriots as Congressman Ron Paul, Judge Andrew Napolitano, Peter Schiff, and many others are bringing the truth to a wider cross section of the American people. But now we are seeing the government and its media toadies inadvertently aiding in the very process that will bring their criminal cabal crashing to the ground.
We are approaching the anniversary of our independence, the Fourth of July, and the hype is amping up to nauseating proportions. Gala celebrations are planned throughout the nation, but all the fireworks, bands playing patriotic music, and all the related hoopla, only amplify the garish irony surrounding the encroaching Socialism that threatens to steal more of our personal liberties and bankrupt the nation beyond redemption.

There are still 130,000 troops in Iraq, four more were killed during the pullout from Baghdad. The news carried the story but it was nothing like the media blitz that followed the death of Michael Jackson. "The whole world mourns the death of Michael Jackson," one headline bleated. Really? The whole world? I seriously doubt that anyone was really thinking about Jackson very much lately. He was famous for his odd tastes and the scandals that dogged him every bit as much as he was regaled for his music. His career was nowhere; a recluse, the London tour was intended as a comeback and he put a lot of work into it, to his credit. As with the untimely passing of any human being, Jackson's death was sad but was it a catastrophe of global proportions? Hardly. It may create jobs, though: Michael impersonators, like Elvis impersonators with fancy footwork.

Cigarette taxes tripled over the past thirty days or so as the government continues its fraudulent anti-smoking campaign. They claim its to pay the costs of treating smoking-related illnesses; but where does the money really go? It gets Pentagoned (a new term I just made up to describe the strange disappearance of tax dollars into thin air; Oops! It was here a minute ago!). It is taxation without representation, the issue that tipped the 13 colonies into revolution.

Then there's Crap and Trade (no typo) an innovative way to fuel inflation. The high costs of the meaningless target reductions in "greenhouse gases" will of course be passed onto the already overburdened taxpayers. Another log on the revolutionary fire, and it's coming! I could go on but it's time to get to the point. What kind of revolution am I talking about?

The revolution I am speaking of will not involve Minutemen, militias, or citizens carrying placards or firearms. But they will be armed - with facts and a huge resentment against the thieves and liars who have sold out to big corporations and big money. It's about the MONEY, stupid!

Write this down so you don't forget it: MONEY IS ANYTHING THAT HAS VALUE! Our economy is a barter economy and has never been anything else, and it will always be! Barter is, after all trading one good for another; we use pieces of paper bearing the portraits of dead presidents on one side of most personal transactions and we will continue to do so. These Federal Reserve Notes are worthless though, aren't they? Yes, and they always have been, but that didn't stop us from using them. The point here is simple: We the people have the sole power to decide the nature and value of money: we decide what money is. Like California. They can't agree on a budget; it's in the neighborhood of 24 billion dollars. Schwarzenegger said if the legislature can't submit a comprehensive budget for his approval, the state will have to issue IOUs to pay expenses. Guess what; these IOUs will be money every bit as much as the phony scrip the Fed has been turning out since 1913. Will they be accepted in trade? No reason why not; these Arnolds (we have to call these IOUs something) would be a supplementary currency, used to stretch the dollars supply and to pay state taxes. Remember Tally Sticks?

Some municipalities are already developing alternative currencies.A popular version of these is the Time Dollar. The way these work: I may offer to landscape a neighbor's yard. We agree on $15.00 an hour. The work takes eight hours and is worth $120.00. The customer may decide to pay with Time Dollars, wholly or in part. The person who did the work has $120.00 in Time Dollars that he can use to buy certain goods. The merchant who accepts these TDs in payment for good can use these to pay for goods and services that he needs. If he takes the whole amount in trade he can use the $120.00 worth of TDs to pay a clerk for twelve hours @ $10.00 an hour. This would be a closed loop economy limited to a community of people who agree to the strategy but it could spread as more people see the usefulness of the plan.

When the people get together behind a plan there's nothing that can stop them.

Silver Lining - Ones and Zeroes

The much talked about financial problems out government faces are largely imaginary. What that means is that money created out of thin air can just as easily vanish into thin air once we come to our senses. Where once a hundred-million dollars was considered a lot of money, now we are talking in the tens of trillions, 94% of this just digits stored in computers. Only three percent of the money supply is in the form of bills and coin, and these are in the hands of the people. And it will stay there as a guard against all the gloom and doom predictions of hyperinflation and economic meltdown. As long as we have a currency that represents value, the market forces (laissez faire) that operate on Main Street will see us through. People will sell for less and work for less until they come to their senses and start turning things around. And we will. We can begin by just saying, No.

The depth of the current financial crisis involves derivative financial instruments known as Debt for Credit Swaps. These CDS's are a form of insurance taken out by investors whose holdings appear in danger of losing value. Foremost among these were holders of Collateralized Debt Obligations, another derivative instrument cooked up by Wall Street when the Mortgage Backed Securities that started the whole mess started coming apart.

Banks had been solicited for mortgages by Lehman Brothers that the Wall Street firm packaged into huge concentrations. These enormous inventories and the checks pouring in each month were to be the basis for the Mortgage Backed Securities that Lehman sold to the world's central banks, insurance and retirement funds. The banks wrote mortgages on an ever descending scale of qualification, toward the end lending money to people with no income or assets. The banks did this because they could turn around and sell these mortgages to Lehman and get paid right away. No waiting twenty or thirty years. The further rationalized that the people who bought these mortgages without assets or income could resell their houses in another year, pay of their mortgages, and walk away with a few thousand in profits, as the housing bubble had not yet burst and home prices were rising.

The Mortgage Backed Securities started coming apart, so Wall Street dreamed up the Collateralized Debt Obligation. This piece of poor judgment was an investment on an investment that offered higher interest rates on mortgage packages that involved higher risk. The sole intent here was to raise money to plug the holes in the MBS program, sort of like digging a second hole to fill the first one, then a third to fill the second, and so on. Think musical chairs. Now to the point.

The holders of the Collateralized Debt Obligations began to worry that they would lose their investments when the music stopped, thus the purchases of the Debt for Credit Swaps. It's a sensible move and the cautious investors had been paying premiums to the houses issuing these instruments, most notably AIG. The problem mushroomed to astronomical proportions because the SEC had failed to specify ownership of the securities as a condition of purchase,thus anyone could purchase a DCS whether they owned the securities or not. It's like taking out collision insurance on an automobile; if taken out by the owner then in the event of an accident in which the car is totaled, the insurance company covers the loss; if a thousand people bought the same policy the insurance company would have to pay one-thousand claims on the same car. So the tax payers of this country should not have to be stuck with the bill for this fiasco: AIG should have known better, and the SEC should have plugged the loophole that made this disaster possible. So to the question; should we bail these bums out?

Just say,No.

Zua Buna!

The title of this post is "Good day" in Romanian. I have used this greeting often in the past as I am of Romanian extraction. My family emigrated to this country in 1912 to escape the political upheavals of the time. The nation has never been very stable; it was a kingdom under King Carol, a dictatorship under Chaucescu, and was on the wrong side in World War, Part Two, and took part in Hitler's invasion of the Soviet Union at a heavy cost in lives and resources. In 1989 Romania revolted and broke away from the Soviet bloc. Some improvements have been realized in that troubled land but in some respects it still lives in the Dark Ages. This headline appeared on BBC just today;

A Romanian nun has died after being bound to a cross, gagged and left alone for three days in a cold room in a convent, Romanian police have said.

Members of the convent in north-east Romania claim Maricica Irina Cornici was possessed and that the crucifixion had been part of an exorcism ritual.

Cornici was found dead on the cross on Wednesday after fellow nuns called an ambulance, according to police.

A priest and four nuns were charged with imprisonment leading to death.

Orphan

Police say the 23-year-old nun, who was denied food and drink throughout her ordeal, had been tied and chained to the cross and a towel pushed into her mouth to smother any sounds.

A post-mortem is to be carried out, although initial reports say that Cornici died from asphyxiation.


"I don't understand why journalists are making such a fuss about this," said
Father Daniel

Local media reports that the young woman had arrived at the remote convent three months before, having initially gone there to visit a friend and opted to stay.

She grew up in an orphanage in Arad, in the west of Romania.

Mediafax news agency said Cornici suffered from schizophrenia and the symptoms of her condition caused the priest at the convent and other nuns to believe she was possessed by the devil.

"They all said she was possessed and they were trying to cast out the evil spirits," police spokeswoman Michaela Straub said.

Father Daniel who is accused of orchestrating the crime is said to be unrepentant.

"God has performed a miracle for her, finally Irina is delivered from evil," AFP quoted the priest as saying.

"I don't understand why journalists are making such a fuss about this. Exorcism is a common practice in the heart of the Romanian Orthodox church and my methods are not at all unknown to other priests," Father Daniel added.

If found guilty of killing Cornici, Father Daniel and the accused nuns could face 20 years in jail.

Another disgusting example of the evil of organized religion.