Grateful Dead

I'm glad your old man would have approved. As it was, mine was a die-hard Republican who loved to read Ayn Rand! Wear a Barak Obama button starting the first of the year and let people know you're open to political discussion. It's our political process and we are damn lucky to have it. Vote Nobody For President, like Wavy Gravy, but VOTE!

I am "channeling" my dad right now, and saying "Here Here!!" Nah he's be slapping his knee and saying "right on" I think no president has had it harder, just out of spite, than Obama-blocked every time he turns around from the right, and critisized from the left. And he IS a decent man!

I am temporarily moving to a key swing state to work for Barak Obama after the first of the year. I believe he has done a better than average job of turning around the ship of state. Yes, he has done some things that many liberals do not like but politics is the art of compromise, which seems to be lost on the Republicans. While the Republicans came into office in January of 2001 with the dumber, more stupid Bush they inherited a BUDGET SURPLUS. Then they left the candy store unattended in the financial industry and another generation of the 1% made their power play and sunk the entire world economy to this very day, where it is still teetering. Obama is not responsible for the debt debacle. Obama Care was a much needed reform to stop the health insurance companies from running amok. Obama got us out of Iraq and is now drawing down troops in Afghanistan. Is everything he is doing correct? No. But many of the vital legislative bills he has proposed have been shot down by Republicans who have no ideas except take the rules out of the financial industry again and don't tax business and rich people. They are the obstructionist party of NO, NO, NO. We need 4 more years of an honest, decent man who is trying like hell to put this country back to work after the Repubs. bailed out the banks 7.7 trillion dollars (the revised figure from the Federal Reserve) fully half our current national debt of 15 trillion dollars. If you live in a swing state your vote will be very important this year. Please vote for Obama.

If you value your right to vote, you need to look at our interactive report on how it's being threatened -- and believe me, you will be amazed by some of the stuff in there. Then, sign on to fight back: http://www.protectingthevote.org Here's why: In at least 40 states, Republicans have introduced laws that would make voting more difficult for everyone -- particularly minorities and young voters. Coincidence? Of course not. It's all for partisan gain. GOP leaders have said it themselves: They do better when fewer people show up to vote. That's right: Right here in America, some people are actually trying to make sure fewer people show up at the polls next year. This is an issue that Democrats have always fought for -- bringing more people into the electoral process. It's central to who we are. That's why we're jumping to action right now -- and our vigilant voter protection team is on the case, digging in on these suppression efforts every day. Check out our report now. When you do, you'll see that some of these new laws are downright absurd. You can vote with a gun license in Texas, but not a student ID. In some states, even a Veterans ID card wouldn't be sufficient photo identification to vote. Republicans are trying to justify their suppression efforts by claiming "voter impersonation" is rampant, but here's what's funny: Between 2001 and 2007, there were just nine possible occurrences of voter impersonation. (During that same period, 352 people were killed by lightning, and there were more than 32,000 reports of UFO sightings.) Republican lawmakers have already rammed through laws like these in Wisconsin and Florida, and given that they currently control both chambers in 24 other state legislatures -- nearly all of which also have Republican governors -- I'll bet they're thinking they're going to keep getting away with this. They're banking on you not doing anything about it. Let's show them that's a bad assumption to make -- and that we're just getting started fighting this. Here's how we can beat this: First, we spread the word about these laws, so that we're poised to fight them -- one ballot initiative, one state legislature at a time. Second, we compound our on-the-ground efforts to register and educate new voters in all 50 states. Because here's something we know: One of the best ways to thwart any voter suppression efforts is going to be by making 2012 the largest turnout ever -- even larger than 2008. Sound like something you want to be a part of? Learn more, and sign on to join us now. Because this isn't about Democrats and Republicans. It's not about red states versus blue states. It's about a fundamental right that should transcend the politics that some of our own representatives are foisting on our democracy. We're slapping that down right now, and that starts with a massive showing of support from people like you. Read our report, add your name, and stay tuned: http://www.protectingthevote.org

wouldn't THAT be interesting... not that I'm wishing economic collapse on the world, but breaking up monoliths, I tend to like that.

The Chinese depend on their GDP to grow by 8% a year or better to avoid social unrest. Their GDP grew at a rate of 8% this year with the US & European economy on the skids. The Chinese are teetering on the edge. The way the Chinese value their currency has artificially propped up their economy. If they allowed the Renimbi to float freely on the currency market it is very sure that their economy would slow as Chinese products become more expensive and better paid Chinese workers buy imported luxury (and mostly other) goods from the Western countries. Of course, the Chinese are not about to shoot themselves in the foot by doing this. However, with the economy lousy in the US and Europe, there is a chance that both of these large economic blocks may bring the Chinese below that vital 8% plus GDP line, causing what may be the break-up of China, which could contract and allow Tibet freedom. Or, at the least,self autonomy. Rangzen! Freedom for the Land Of Snows!

The following tone is a reference tone of 700 cycles, recorded 10dB below operating level

This is,partially, what I was talking about a couple of weeks ago. Banks were freezing up in Europe because the US banks wouldn't lend to them, even on an overnight term. That would have brought Europe to a standstill the same way it happened in the US. Fortunately, the US, world and Central European banks have agreed to engage in "swaps" in which they loan dollars for Euros. There is far more faith in the dollar than in the Euro these days. So, Europe can go about it's business as usual. But this is only one part of the problem. The analogy is like putting gas in your car that is falling apart. The falling apart part is the massive sovereign debt in the Euro-zone. Without the harsh reforms being called for by the Germans and French this is nothing but rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic. The same countries are hollering for a Gestapo to police the Euro-zone economies so that nothing like this can happen again. A question remains -- the European bankers were loathe to start these swaps and the fact they did means they saw something really bad on the immediate horizon and felt the immediate need to act -- perhaps a large bank about to collapse. The oligarchs in Russia have moved 70 billion dollars out of Russia and the Chinese economy has slowed. There is no where in the world that is safe and the 1% are moving their money to wherever it is temporarily safe. If the Euro collapses it would be the same as the dollar collapsing. It would be a contagion that would effect the entire planet, leading to such things as a revolution in China. Don't believe the jolly proclamations of those wqho say it is going to be all right. It isn't. The same way it isn't when you borrow too much on the credit cards and can't even make the minimum payments from your weekly paycheck.

“There’s one faction of Occupy that is very reform-minded — they want a repeal of Citizens United or a financial transactions tax,” said Richard Kim, executive editor of The Nation. “They don’t differ all that much from the left wing of the Democratic party.” Many people in the Occupy movement are already actively participating in “the system,” Kim said, noting that not all aspects of the movement were anarchists looking to bring down capitalism. That said, there are radical aspects of the Occupy effort that have taken hold in many cases and are now leading to confrontations with police, said Riehan Salam, a blogger with the National Review. “Suddenly, the movement becomes not about these larger economic inequality issues, but about the movement itself — about the right to protest in these particular ways,” he said. However the Occupy movement impacts the 2012 election, there will likely be long-term implications, Salam said. “Is there are smaller population of middle class, ex-college kids, who’ve been radicalized and who might actually go on to future kinds of social organizing and activism that could prove disruptive, destructive, or could prove quite productive in ways that we don’t fully understand,” Salam said. Yes -- Productive, a positive word. Positive words and images that the movement projects of it's goals right now will pay off in further growth. This movement will take some time to mature, but when it does it will be like Vietnam or President Obama's election. There is a maturation process. A fully matured movement will, unfortunately, bring over-reaction and repression.

The Pakistani's are going batshit about this errant raid. The US is scrambling for an explanation. They should have been able to avoid the Forts with a GPS. The Pakistani's are still pissed because we raided their country to snatch Bin Laden. They must have been getting some huge retainer for protecting the guy living next to their national military academy. So, they have already stopped the use of a base to stage Drones and two major (40%) re-supply routes that pass directly through the Khyber Pass. These things are important to the NATO forces. Shit happens in a war. The laddies need to be damn sure about the bosses order.