- I find it interesting and telling just how the black/African-American population and MSM don’t lift up Cosby as a role model and guru for their people. Instead of the Jay-Z, Sharpton, and hundreds of hip-hop/music celebrities, why not Bill Cosby? Undoubtedly it has to do with his message that is often contrary to the poor advice, position and opinions of the black-celebrity majority. It seems to me he will get a headline reference once a year on a conservative website. I do not know if I would agree with all of his views but the ones that have made it to my awareness.
- Hopefully the courts will side with the Fox reporter and put an end to the abuse of power by the law enforcement and government. It’s clear her source was accurate and she reported responsibly which is what a reporter is supposed to do. Seems to me that her source should be viewed as a whistle-blower and they need to be protected.
- Apparently a lot of the reduction in personal debt in the average USA citizen’s household has been erased and the old practices depitalism are back with a vengeance.
Tag: economy
Intentions
Over the last two weeks much has been written about the events that are unfolding in the Middle East. Much of what has been pushed out to the masses has been commentary and opinion not actual developments. Here is my 2 cents:
The matter of Iran and the nuclear weapon issue gets down to discerning their intention based on their actions. What they want is for everyone to believe their intention in reference to nuclear technology has no correlation to their actions and policy in actual experience in the Middle East and abroad. The lives negatively impacted in the region because of their funneling funds, weapons and soldiers in places such as Syria should be considered the exception to the rule. The same goes for their funding, weapons and strategic leadership to Hezbollah; yes, another supposed exception. The same goes for their … with Hamas and other identified terrorist groups. All of these we are to believe are the exception to their “noble” intentions. Yes, what they want the world to believe is that when it comes to nuclear technology they have no desire to develop and use it for military resources. They have no desire to make it available to Hezbollah, Hamas, etc. They have no desire or intention to acquire the “flaming sword of Islam”. We are to believe that the ayatollah – the chief ruler of Iran – has an ethical precept when it comes to nuclear weapons. (Mind you, not the tons of WMD chemical weapons in Syria’s arsenal. This they allowed to be after all who are they to infringe on a sovereign recognized nation?) No we are to disregard the current and historical practices of the leadership of the country and accept the warm smile, kind words and a promise that they have no intention to create nuclear weapons.
I have written it before but am stating it again – the current president of the USA is actively working a nuclear strategy in the Middle East that will make the demand that Israel must get rid of their nuclear weapons. The groundwork has been made over the past six to twelve months. The final calling line – If Iran is to have no nuclear weapons why is Israel allowed to have them? The political strategies the chief empty suit is trying to make into a staunch reality is one in which Israel will be positioned as a war-monger and in order to exist peacefully (wink, wink) they will need to relinquish much more land and authority to the Palestinians and scrap heap their nuclear weapons. They are being quickly corralled into a corner (if not have been) that is of the making of Barrack Hussein Obama.
The events which are occurring and the way our current administration is engaging them is scary. We have a HORRENDOUS vacuum of leadership in our government – Wise, Ethical Leadership. And if I may take it even a step farther – Christian Leadership.
MEANWHILE, in the USA’s MSM and the populace as a whole important matters have been relegated to the small font, less prominent headline placeholders (if even present) on websites and publications:
- the NSA and government invasion of privacy across the globe the economy and the change of the norm for the average employee remains inferior and for many unacceptable and unsustainable
- the mandatory national health insurance plan created by the president that is economically and practically unsustainable is uncoiling and coming to life
- the almost complete erosion of moral principles, civility, decency and etiquette in society
- many more things but I’m sure you get the point
Catching up
A lot of things have been going on in personal life which has kept me from posting here like I want to. I have quite a bit of articles and news in my folder as things to share which are somewhat old news now. At the bottom of the post are links to articles of interest I wanted to share and still do.
The developments in Egypt seem to be improving. Why do I write that? Because the leader of the MB has been arrested as well as many of the high level leaders. Some were captured dressed like women trying to leave the country. I’m sure others hid among children and women using them as human shields being the cowards and immoral troublemakers they are. Saudi Arabia stood up for the people of Egypt in the nick of time and got the idiots in our government and other WH cronies in Europe to shut up with their pro-MB rhetoric. Absolute idiots – all of them. Of course blood has been shed – that is what happens when you try to disarm and remove power from murderers and terrorists. I think the nation is fortunate that so far the death toll is not higher than it is.
Syria and more evidence of current chemical weapons. I doubt Assad did it or put another way – that he authorized such use. Hopefully he will give investigators full access and the whole story will come out. I suspect it will be the actions of radicals – Islamists – also known as terrorists trying to bring intervention of the world in to the arena to remove him from power so that they can hopefully fill the vacuum when the dust settles (see recent history in Egypt and Libya).
So quickly here in the USA the NSA’s intrusion in our lives with the full power and knowledge of the Democrat WH has become old news and back burnered (if even on the stove). The actions by the UK against Greenwald’s partner shows the heart of those we are suppose to actually trust. The loser president of the US pontificating a couple weeks ago of real independent investigation into the NSA practices has been revealed to be —– wait for it ——– yet another ——— L I E. It is a team of four people, one a recent acting head of the CIA and 3 former WH advisers. Meanwhile in the USA the majority of people are tuning into some show Duck Dynasty. Absolutely no wonder we got what we have in leadership positions in our governments.
Big dive coming in the US economy. Never rely on the government numbers. They are skewed – they admit they are if you are willing to read the details and fine print. To understand the state of the economy you must look at the actual numbers of the companies/manufacturers/etc. It is obvious when looking at sales and profits things are off. When welfare hand outs are at their highest levels ever – don’t “drink the kool-aid” and look around.
On a less serious note I see that a huge blunder has been made by Warner Brothers.
Here are the articles:
http://www.cnn.com/2013/08/19/politics/cia-iran-1953-coup/index.html?hpt=hp_t2
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/jul/31/nsa-top-secret-program-online-data
http://www.ibtimes.com/european-union-clearly-confused-about-middle-east-1359809?ft=61pb1
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/aug/14/nsa-intelligence-committee-under-pressure-document
Egypt, Iran, NSA and the American Government
Deputy Secretary of State William Burns, the first senior US official to visit Cairo since the military coup of July 3, exchanged tough talk with the coup leader, Defense minister Gen. Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, Monday, after he met interim President Adly Mansour and Prime Minister Hazem al-Beblawi.
The general frankly advised Washington to be more realistic about the situation in Egypt. Accordingly to DEBKAfile’s Middle East sources, El-Sisi asked Burns bluntly why the Obama administration backed the Muslim Brotherhood and appeared to accept an Egypt plunged in chaos and economic meltdown during Mohamed Morsi’s one-year presidency. Article here
Mustafa Bakari, an Egyptian politician, issued a brutal assessment of U.S. Ambassador to Egypt, Anne Patterson. Bakari stated, “In my opinion, she [Patterson] is a member of the sleeper cells of the Brotherhood, likely recruited by Essam al-Erian or Muhammad al-Baltagi.”
In a June 18 speech, Patterson made the following statement in a speech about the turmoil in Egypt:
“Some say that street action will produce better results than elections,” Patterson said. “To be honest, my government and I are deeply skeptical.”
Patterson, who is reportedly in line for a promotion as Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs, has been increasingly viewed, according to Hudson, as the “key implementer for a policy that at least offers tacit support to the Muslim Brotherhood.” Article here
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told CBS News’ Face the Nation that Iran will reach the “red line” he laid down at the United Nations in Sep. 2012–90% uranium enrichment–within “a few weeks,” and that Israel will be prepared to act. “I won’t wait until it’s too late,” he told CBS News’ Bob Schieffer.
Netanyahu described Rouhani as a “wolf in sheep’s clothing” whose strategy was “smile, and build a bomb.” He insisted that Iran “stop all enrichment of nuclear material, take out the enriched uranium, and shut down the illegal nuclear facility in Qom,” or face harsher sanctions and, in the last resort, military action. Article here
Thursday, the Egyptian military reported that a security operation carried out by the armed forces in northern Sinai in the past 48 hours had led to the deaths of 10 jihadists. Armed militants killed three Egyptian policemen in earlier separate attacks overnight.
Thursday, DEBKAfile reported that the security situation in Sinai and along the Egypt-Israel frontier is rapidly going from bad to worse. The Islamist coalition’s war on Egyptian police and military positions has gone far beyond the isolated strikes here and there reported by official spokesmen, DEBKAfile’s military sources report.
Hundreds of Salafist Bedouin, Muslim Brotherhood adherents and Palestinian Hamas and Islamic Jihad fighters from the Gaza Strip have joined forces to block northern Sinai’s key road arteries. They have stopped traffic to the Egyptian-Israeli border terminal at Nitzana, to the US-led multinational national observer base at Al Gora near El Arish, and to the big cement factory built by the Egyptian military in El Arish which is the region’s main source of employment.
By blocking those roads, the Islamist fighters have choked off the movement of goods between Egypt and Israel and placed 1,000 MFO troops, including some American officers, under siege. Any vehicle driving in or out of Al Gora comes under anti-tank rocket fire. Flyers have been distributed forbidding locals to take jobs with Egyptian security forces or MFO.
The Islamists are now attacking Egyptian military and security targets at the rate of 30 strikes a day, traveling at speed between targets in minivans on which rocket launchers and heavy machine guns are mounted, or using motorbikes for raiders brandishing rocket-propelled grenades. Article here
Collect it all:
In late 2005, as Iraqi roadside bombings were nearing an all-time peak, the National Security Agency’s newly appointed chief began pitching a radical plan for halting the attacks that were killing or wounding a dozen Americans a day.
At the time, more than 100 teams of U.S. analysts were scouring Iraq for snippets of electronic data that might lead to the bomb-makers and their hidden factories. But the NSA director, Gen. Keith B. Alexander, wanted more than mere snippets. He wanted everything: Every Iraqi text message, phone call and e-mail that could be vacuumed up by the agency’s powerful computers.
“Rather than look for a single needle in the haystack, his approach was, ‘Let’s collect the whole haystack,’ ” said one former senior U.S. intelligence official who tracked the plan’s implementation. “Collect it all, tag it, store it. . . . And whatever it is you want, you go searching for it.”
The unprecedented data collection plan, dubbed Real Time Regional Gateway, would play a role in breaking up Iraqi insurgent networks and significantly reducing the monthly death toll fromimprovised explosive devices by late 2008. It also encapsulated Alexander’s controversial approach to safeguarding Americans from what he sees as a host of imminent threats, from terrorism to devastating cyberattacks. Article here
2 cents:
- Egypt: Hopefully the USA’s government will allow the government re-organization in Egypt to play out. Considering the people in leadership (cough, hack) in our government we should stick the sidelines with our mouths shut and eyes looking elsewhere (such as Iran or domestically). If Ronald Reagan was alive and was our president my diagnosis would be very different but since we have a…. well, let’s leave it as “unsaid”.
- Iran nuclear aspirations: We need to have the IAEA approach the new government of Iran and see what plays out. Change in transparency? Nicer language and positioning but the same activities? Ultimatums need to be pocketed as well as any embargo-easing.
- Domestically, the USA is almost a year into the four year term of the pathetic leadership (cough, hack) that was elected. Our problems/issues are numerous. The lack of wise practical leadership is massive. I think the question is how long can the country and its economy tread water? Other questions: Will the conservative, Christian people have a serious contender to offer up to the nation as a choice for the next presidential election? Will tangible positive change be swept into Congress? Will the people in the USA quit allowing themselves to be led by MSM and its hateful destructive philosophies? Will the concerned, ethical citizens of the USA unite and push for the much needed responsible systemic changes that the local, state and federal governments need? An American Spring?
Exceptionalism was identified as too costly
A well written column by Noonan titled Privacy Isn’t All We’re Losing.
It brought to mind the concept of American Exceptionalism and how that has been attacked and ALMOST wiped out. Bear with me here – it will hopefully make sense.
A practice in the business world is bench marking. I believe the original purpose/intent of the practice was to see what other companies/organizations/leaders were doing that you weren’t and then adjust your practices/processes/principles so that you to could achieve more/grow/develop/improve. That purpose was short lived because it actually became the resource/justification for cutting costs. An example, I worked in a global giant of a company. Its history and reputation up to 80s was that of leadership, pride, ingenuity and putting people first. In fact it is one of the earliest,if not the first company, to create the mechanism of employees owning stock in the Company as well as profit-sharing. Results for the Company were typically very good including profit and it attracted some of the greatest minds in science, engineering, marketing and design. Unfortunately what transpired in the late 60s and is in practice current day is the use of bench marking as a cost saver. The employee benefits and programs have been whittled down year after year, decade after decade to be aligned to the companies it identifies itself with in their bench marking. The Company decided to forego exceptionalism and instead drive lower costs, hoping thereby to increase profits. The result? The Company’s culture is stagnant, demoralized, under performing, lacks innovation and struggles to attract the sharp minds. It has went from THE leader to “in the pack”. Sure its name is one of the globe’s most recognized names but that is because of the efforts and achievements of the years prior to the late 60s/early 70s. Exceptionalism was identified as too costly.
Here in the USA, the nation has been attacked since its inception by those who favored a more global (trying to be PC) approach. The lofty goals of doing things right and for the right reasons has been replaced by doing what is right according to the majority at that given moment of time. Despite the fact it is unpopular the truth remains that this nation was adopted and built on principles that embraced Christianity or at the very least Deism. Entwined in the founding principles of the USA was the idea of freedom, liberty and capitalism. In my opinion the wickedness of some’s hearts we watched the idea of capitalism be replaced by oligarchies, monopolies and what is now termed “too big to fail”. What replaced freedom and liberty was fear of the haves to not gain more and thereby the need to restrict the have-nots. Slowed erosion of personal freedom and liberty has provided platforms where each generation loses more but the current generation of the time is clueless to the actual loss and its cost. Our so called leaders have sought to benchmark with the countries of the world and instead of American exceptionalism we see American apathy. For example see NASA, Congress, abortions, education scores/rankings, actual innovation that IMPROVES life, etc.
Wrapping it up: In my country we are a patient that is very sick and it is a direct result to the diet that it has existed on. The diet, as diets do, has affected its abilities to think, feel and reason. This country is serious, grave shape. The thing is it is not fully aware of how bad the prognosis is because its looking around at the other nations in the world instead of its own history of greatness – exceptionalism.
Catching Up
Egypt > Morsi played his hand too early and now he is having to fold. Egyptians need to realize that was simply one hand of many to follow and if he has any wits about him, he has learned from this go around. MB will not give up, they have waited for something like 70 years if I remember correctly. Nevertheless like most people from the Middle East, they know and play the long game.
Syria > I honestly don’t believe Assad will use the chemical weapons on his people. That would give justification to the outside forces like the US to get involved in the affairs of the country and surely his removal as the nation’s head. That “said”, I would not be surprised if some of these weapons ended up being used against Israel, of course, accidentally.
Fiscal cliff > O will get what he wants. He is not in the game now with a seeking reelection weight hanging over him like the Congress does. I think an executive order will be used to provide tax cuts to the middle class if Boehner and the House doesn’t cave in to O. The Dems want the cut in military spending among other things. Those making over 250K are expected to pay more in taxes. O will get what he wants. Going over the fiscal cliff is the goal so as to put a millstone around the Republicans heads so in two years the Dems will have ownership of both houses of Congress. Then O will have his remaining two years to push measures uninterrupted as long as the rest of the Dems are onboard
Good column about Israel’s situation. I’m not a Friedman fan but this column lacks his commentary and provides the facts and gist of the situation.
Also further proof positive that Hamas is not the peaceful answer or serious partner in peace.
Hope, Levity and Wonder 