'Time Bomb'

From CNBC:

US and European regulators are essentially forcing banks to buy up their own government's debt—a move that could end up making the debt crisis even worse, a Citigroup analysis says.

Regulators are allowing banks to escape counting their country's debt against capital requirements and loosening other rules to create a steady market for government bonds, the study says.

While that helps governments issue more and more debt, the strategy could ultimately explode if the governments are unable to make the bond payments, leaving the banks with billions of toxic debt, says Citigroup strategist Hans Lorenzen.

This is beyond belief.It is literally insane.This reminds me of a relative who sold his house for dope,unbelievable.

The Law Of Unintented Consequences

From David Ignatius:

As an intelligence operation, it must have seemed like pure genius: Recruit a Pakistani doctor to collect blood samples that could identify Osama bin Laden’s family, under cover of an ongoing vaccination program. But as an ethical matter, it was something else.
The CIA’s vaccination gambit put at risk something very precious — the integrity of public health programs in Pakistan and around the globe. It also added to the dangers facing nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) in a world that’s increasingly hostile to U.S. aid organizations.
What’s gotten attention in America is the plight of Dr. Shakil Afridi, the Pakistani physician who helped the CIA through his vaccination campaign in the tribal areas and the nearby province where bin Laden was hiding. The doctor was sentenced last week to 33 years in prison for treason, prompting indignant protests from Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
U.S. officials shouldn’t treat the Afridi case simply as outrageous behavior by Pakistan. They’re right that the doctor’s actions weren’t treasonous: He was seeking information about terrorist leaders who were Pakistan’s enemies. I hope he’ll be released, but in any event Afridi and his handlers should reckon with the moral consequences of what they did.
Here’s the painful truth: Some people may die because they don’t get vaccinations, suspecting that immunization is part of a CIA plot. The rate of polio infection is rising in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Nigeria, in part because people believe conspiracy theories about vaccination. If the spread can’t be reversed in these three countries, warns a recent World Health Organization report, “polio eradication will fail.”

100 years from now will history celebrate the death of  bin Laden,or will it mourn the loss of the opportunity to eradicate polio?History is full of what ifs!

'Winning The Battle - Losing The War'

Every news outlet is reporting that Romney has secured the GOP nomination with his win in the Texas Primary.That's not really true though.




Ive said this before.If Romney and company expect my vote come November they have to be out of their minds,after trying to silence mine and millions of others vote in the GOP delegate process.

Hat tip to The republican Mother.

'Two,Three,Many Obamas'

Victor Davis Hanson:

The fringe Birthers made outlandish claims for years that Obama was not born in the United States and therefore was not eligible to be president. But suddenly, after nearly four years of his presidency, we discover that for over a decade and a half Obama’s own publicity bio listed him as Kenyan-born. Why and how did this happen — given that authors customarily write their own autobiographies and have annual opportunities to edit them? Did Obama think that to fudge an identity might make his book on a mixed-race heritage more saleable in 1991, and then himself more exotic as a state legislator and senator in the ensuing 16 years — but for some reason not as a presidential candidate?
What is real and what is not? The Obama “composite” girlfriend who sort of existed and sort of did not? Was there one Obama named Barry and another who became Barack, one with the middle name Hussein that was taboo to utter in the campaign of 2008 and another with the middle name Hussein that after January 20, 2009, was supposed to resonate in the Muslim world?

One Obama was the constitutional-law professor at the prestigious University of Chicago; another was a part-time lecturer who never published and was rarely seen or heard at the law school. One Obama was a brilliant Harvard Law Review editor; another never wrote an article. One Obama had the highest IQ of any entering president and was indeed the smartest man we ever elected commander-in-chief; another Obama proved it by not releasing his college transcripts. One Obama is the fittest and most energetic of recent presidents; another Obama is the most secretive and reluctant about proving it through the customary releasing of medical records.

Why so secretive if there is nothing to hide?Imagine if Bush was this secretive?The MSM would be going bananas,hijacking press conferences,berating Bush constantly about his past,under the idiom of 'our right to know',or in Dan Rather's case,he would just fabricate a story and try to pass it off as fact.

If not for the truth,then for their own fame and fortune their has to be at least one Woodward or Bernstein in the media to go out and dig into this,finding their own 'Deepthroat' that would lead them to the truth,thus making a name for themselves?Is their not anyone in the MSM who is independent and not part of the Borg?

'6 Reasons for Hyperinflation'

Hat tip to That Mr. G Guy's Blog.

Memorial Day

Today is the day we have chosen to remember the fallen.Today is the day we honor their sacrifice for our freedom.Let us be mindful that freedom is never free,it bears a cost.A cost that can only be paid with the life of brave men on distant battlefields and battlefields near at home.

God bless our fallen and keep their families that have borne this sacrifice as well.

'Afterburner with Bill Whittle: Into the Sea'

Hat tip to Free North Carolina.

'The Deficit's Even Worse Than We Thought'

From the Indianapolis Star:

The federal deficit is worse -- much worse -- than you may think.

That's because there's government-style accounting, which reported an official deficit in the last budget year of $1.3 trillion.

Then there's real-world accounting, the kind that applies to businesses and state and local governments. By federal law and under accounting rules set by oversight boards, most entities have to include retirement commitments in their financial records.

But Congress and the president use a different set of rules (of course), so shortfalls in obligations such as Social Security and Medicare aren't included in the official deficit report.

USA Today, however, calculated the deficit with entitlement programs included. And the newspaper found -- are you ready, for this? Best hold on to something firm -- that the actual deficit last year was $5 trillion.

There's more -- and you really should sit down for this one. To cover the promises it has made to retirees and current workers, the federal government would need $22.2 trillion (yes, that's with a T) set aside in reserves and earning interest. Such reserves don't exist, of course. Instead, the government continues to pile up more debt, and at increasingly alarming rates.

Hat tip to Conservatives4Palin.

Half Of U.S. Homes Are On The Government Dole

From The Wall Street Journal:

49.1%: Percent of the population that lives in a household where at least one member received some type of government benefit in the first quarter of 2011.
Cutting government spending is no easy task, and it’s made more complicated by recent Census Bureau data showing that nearly half of the people in the U.S. live in a household that receives at least one government benefit, and many likely received more than one.

This is the crux of the problem.Half of this country is living off the other half and borrowing from their children's and children's children's future to pay for it.Until half this nation is willing to vote itself a pay cut,we will be stuck with Big Government.

Benjamin Franklin said it best:

"When the people find that they can vote themselves money,that will herald the end of the republic."

Why Is The Federal Government Regulating Public Swimming Pools?

From The Washington Times:

Earlier this year, the Justice Department ruled that the Americans with Disabilities Act requires publicly accessible pools and spas have lifts, ramps or elevators, and gave a March deadline for compliance, sparking panic among hotels and community pools. As the deadline neared, and under pressure from Congress, the department issued an initial delay and then earlier this month said pools have until next year.
On Thursday, acting just ahead of the Memorial Day weekend that marks the traditional opening of many outdoor pools, the department went a step further and said the rules apply chiefly to future pools. Existing pools will only need to comply if it’s easy to do so.

What business is it of the federal government whether someone who is disabled has access to a public swimming pool?Isn't this the domain of the state government or better yet local municipal governments to regulate?Does the fate of the republic hinge on who can swim and who can't?

Also this from Steny Hoyer:

“For many Americans with disabilities, swimming pools are an important source of physical activity and emotional comfort,” said House Minority Whip Steny H. Hoyer, Maryland Democrat.
He told his colleagues that rolling back the rules “would constitute a serious setback to Americans with disabilities, including many of our veterans — and I want you to think about this — many of our veterans wounded while serving our nation overseas.”

This is where everybody gets mad as Hades with me.

By the mere definition of the word disabled,they are things you can no longer or never could do because you have a disabilty that denies you that abilty.Blind people can not see,therefore they can not drive.People who are paralyzed can not engage in an activiity that requires standing.They are disabled,nature and circumstances deny them.

Its one thing for a propietor of a swimming pool to deny acess to someone who is disabled,but its another thing entiely if someone is denied access by their disabilty.No business should be forced by the government to provide unreasonable aceess to their establishment to anyone,whether disabled or not,its a business not a charity.

For everyone who thinks I'm cold and heartless,just remember this,the market will provide.Someone,somewhere will find a way to make a profit from those who are disabled and want to swim and he or she will provide them the means to do so.In so doing they just might force others to provide the same means,competition is the great equalizer.

Disarm The FDA

We have officially become a Marxist-socialist state with the arming of the tyrannical,alphabet soup bureaucracies,that intrude upon and dominate our daily lives!

Hat tip to SayAnythingBlog.com.

A Real Conservative Alternative

Maybe we should stop spinning our wheels in the GOP and start working to get men like this elected.

Hat tip to Free North Carolina.

The Neo-Cons Are Getting Nervous

From a very popular conservative blog,Atlas Shrugs:

There is a Paulian putsch underway. I have been receiving alarming emails concerning an underhanded, anti-American Paul coup at the GOP convention.
From Virginia: "I'm running for delegate to the RNC convention in Tampa.  There is a serious Paulbot infestation in the GOP here in Virginia.  I'm spending a lot of time at GOP apparatchik meetings.  I've gotten the endorsement of the Conservative Coalition (I was the top vote-getter) and usually that is enough but not this cycle."
I recently touched upon it here: Paulbots Sabatoge Another Republican Caucus - Atlas Shrugs, but it is much bigger than that. Paul is a dangerous, self-deluded man and his followers behave like occupy fascists.
I may not have been Romney's first supporter, but I am his last supporter and fierce. I would have preferred someone more conservative, but Romney is going to be the GOP candidate, and next to Obama, Romney is the Ronald Reagan. Obama and Ron Paul would split the freak vote. Paul's putsch must be stopped. Ron Paul supports a nuclear Iran and the abandoment of Israel. What is the RNC doing?

Pamela Geller,you are a mental gymnast to draw these conclusions.A man who supports an America first foreign policy is anti-American.Someone who is operating by the rules is underhanded and is trying to stage a coup.Plus his 'followers' (supporters) who operate by the same rules also 'behave like occupy fascists.'He never attacks his opponents personally,but he is dangerous and self-deluded.Yes,Ron Paul is a menace to society and must be stopped at all hazards.Please!

For this mental somersault,Pammy,you win the gold medal though,"next to Obama,Romney is the Ronald Reagan."Next to Obama,Bill Clinton bears a striking resemblance to 'The Gipper.'But take Mitt Romney and Ron Paul,stand them up against Reagan,then tell me who is more like Reagan,it 'ain't' Romney.

Maybe,Pam,Ron Paul isn't the one who is self-delusional here?

The Bankster's Facebook Con

I am certainly no high finance expert by any means,but this whole business with Facebooks IPO stinks.The banksters on Wall Street knew Facebook's stock was over priced before it was offered publicly.Instead of informing all their investors,Morgan Stanley,JP Morgan,and Goldman Sachs,only let their 'sophisticated institutional investors'(their rich friends) know that Facebook was over hyped,while their 'smaller investors' (the working man) were left in the dark.The SEC and FINRA both say the will investigate,but nothing will come of it because the banksters have them in their hip pocket.

Wall Street is nothing more than an corrupt gambling house now and your a fool to gamble with them!

Hat tip to Riehl World View.

What Is Barack Obama Really Trying to Hide About His Past?

From In From the Cold:

But there's a larger issue at work here.  What type of individual lies about his background (or lets others do it for him) for the better part of two decades?  Writing at National Review, Mark Steyn likens Obama to Jay Gatsby, the F. Scott Fitzgerald character who invented a past that was most pleasing and convenient for him.  Steyn compares the aloof Obama to Fitzgerald's character, totally aloof as the social and political whirl spins about them.  In Steyn's words, "the more autobiographies [Mr. Obama writes] the less we know about him.  And obviously, what we do know about him has been carefully tested and contrived.

While we like the Gatsby analogy for Mr. Obama, we think there's one that is even more appropriate.  In some respects, Obama's vague (but storybook) past reminds us of Don Draper on AMC's Mad Men. Anyone remotely familiar with the series knows that Draper, the creative director of two major advertising agencies, has long held a dark secret.  He was born Dick Whitman, the illegitimate son of a prostitute who lived in poverty as a child and was abused by his stepfather.

After dropping out of high school, Whitman winds up in the Army during the Korean War, serving under a lieutenant named Don Draper.  When the real Draper is killed in a gasoline fire (and his body is burned beyond recognition), Whitman takes his dog tags and becomes the lieutenant, figuring it may give him a chance for a better life.  His deception goes unnoticed until one of Draper's agency rivals, Pete Campbell, learns his secret and reveals the news to the firm's senior partner, Bert Cooper, who shrugs it off. "Who cares?" he tells Campbell.

What exactly is Obama trying to hide?Is it simply that he is Kenyan born rather than Hawaiian or is there more?Could it be that there is something more darker and sinister lurking in his past than any of us could possibly imagine,or is it just something that is so embarrassing his insecure,fragile ego couldn't handle it?

We know Barack Obama doesn't cultivate personal relationships.He has no friends that we know of,certainly none he grew up with or knew while in school.He has no family that he assiocates with outside of his wife and 2 girls.The only types of relationships he seems to have formed are those of a political nature or that is beneficial to him in some way or another.Outside of Michelle,their is no one remotely close to him or knows anymore about him than the general public.

His past remains a fog.Obama released a birth certificate last year but questions still abound.According to Obama he lived in Hawaii til age 6,then he lived in Inodensia til 10,then he returned to Hawaii to attend the Punahou School,but no one remembers him.Obama still refuses to release his records from Harvard and Columbia university and again no one who attended those schools at that time remembers him.The only thing we know about 'Barry' outside of the approved biography is that he might of been dealing drugs in Harlem while attending Columbia,outside of that he is forgotten.

Their is something hidden in that fog,something more than just where Barack Obama was born and thats what I want to know.

Mitt Romney Is Trying To 'Purge' Ron Paul Delegates From The RNC

Doug Wead:

Remember my warning that there were votes in a locked box taken from the state convention in Arizona?  And that the Ron Paul victory there could be reversed if someone wanted to cheat?  Well they did, and we lost it.  I am gathering the facts and it is stunning, with 100 new ballots appearing out of the Romney ether.
Worse, there is evidence that the Ron Paul victory in Louisiana, a victory that even the media acknowledged and proclaimed to the world, may be reversed as well.  I will give you the details Monday.
Meanwhile, there is evidence of a full scale purge of any Ron Paul delegate, from any state, to the RNC.  If you are a delegate, keep your head down.  They are looking for you.  More on all of that this Monday.

You know these people have to be out of their mind if they think they are ENTITLED to my vote.

Yes We Do Need The Constitution

TL In Exile:  

While I harp on the Constitution, I know that most of my blathering is just for those who think there is some legitimate means of resistance. I don't think we need it. We do not need to justify our actions through the Constitution, but others might.

We cannot go back to it, but we can demand that the ideals that spawned it are alive and held within the hearts of those patriots of today, because the Constitution is nothing other than a declaration of the power of the people over their government, not the other way around. If one understands and believes that the individual is supreme, what else needs to be established?

TPTB have twisted ever word, every intent to serve themselves, yet the words remain, plain and in simple terms to anyone who cares to read it. We don't. Forget it, it doesn't matter, because we are determined to have liberty through whatever means secures it, or death. That is the original intent of the Constitution, to provide the legitimacy for those who need it and the rest, like us, we don't need it. We know we are not free and nothing else matters.

Their are 3 things that I believe in with all my heart.One is the Holy Bible,it is the unadulterated,inerrant,and inspired Word of God.Another is the Declaration of Independence,it defines where our liberties come from -our 'Creator'-,the purpose of government,and secures to the people the right' to alter or abolish' any form of government 'that becomes destructive to these ends.'Finally I believe in the Constitution as originally constructed,it creates our Federal government,defining its form,purpose,and limitations,through its original intent our liberties are protected.

My question is when did the Constitution betray you,Mr. Davis?When did the Constitution as originally constructed ever steal your liberty?Yes,they have been those,beginning with Lincoln all they way to our present time,who have subverted it,trampled upon it,and manipulated it,who have stolen our liberty,but the Constitution didn't do it.For those who have ears to hear,the Constitution rebuked them for it,but we didn't heed it.The fault lies with 'We the people',not with the Constitution it self.

If not the Constitution,then what form of government do you suggest?What form of government can you come up with that would best secure our liberties to ourselves and our posterity?Not a better one.

As for me,Mr. Davis,I will trust James Madison and our Founding Fathers over you or any one else where our liberties are concerned.

'A Censored Race War'

Thomas Sowell:

A wave of such attacks in Chicago were reported, but not the race of the attackers or victims. Media outlets that do not report the race of people committing crimes nevertheless report racial disparities in imprisonment and write heated editorials blaming the criminal-justice system.
What the authorities and the media seem determined to suppress is that the hoodlum elements in many ghettoes launch coordinated attacks on whites in public places. If there is anything worse than a one-sided race war, it is a two-sided race war, especially when one of the races outnumbers the other several times over.
It may be understandable that some people want to head off such a catastrophe, either by not reporting the attacks in this race war, or by not identifying the race of those attacking, or by insisting that the attacks were not racially motivated — even when the attackers themselves voice anti-white invective as they laugh at their bleeding victims.
Trying to keep the lid on is understandable. But a lot of pressure can build up under that lid. If and when that pressure leads to an explosion of white backlash, things could be a lot worse than if the truth had come out earlier, and steps taken by both black and white leaders to deal with the hoodlums and with those who inflame them.

These latter would include not only race hustlers like Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson but also lesser-known people in the media, in educational institutions, and elsewhere who hype grievances and make all the problems of blacks the fault of whites. Some of these people may think that they are doing blacks a favor. But it is no favor to anyone who lags behind to turn their energies from the task of improving and advancing themselves to the task of lashing out at others.

I tremble for my country.We are a powder keg waiting to explode and at some point someone is going to be successful in liting the fuse and all we loved will be be gone forever and the United States will be an epitaph written in the history books.God help us all.

'Bank Of America Abuses'

From TL In Exile:

The Bank of America is the country’s largest bank with assets of $2.3 trillion. This bank currently has $75 trillion in credit derivatives.

Here is a list of additional grievances:

This financial institution has been found guilty of laundering South American drug money in 2006 ($7.5 million settlement).

They received $20 billion in US Treasury support with an additional $118 billion government backstop to buy Merrill Lynch.

They failed to properly disclose employee bonuses and financial losses at Merrill Lynch before shareholders approved the merger of the companies: $150 million settlement with the SEC.

Bank of America Illegally Foreclosed on Active Service Members’ Homes. Settlement agreement was $20 million.

Their purchase of Countrywide resulted in a loss of $65 billion to stockholders.

They paid $335 million to settle Countrywide’s housing discrimination claims.

They paid $410 million to settle a class-action lawsuit affecting more than 13 million Bank of America customers who accused the bank of charging excessive overdraft fees for electronic transactions.

 Bank of America moved approximately$18 trillion worth of derivative obligations from Merrill Lynch and the BAC holding company to the FDIC insured retail deposit division. This transfers the risk from the bank to the taxpayers since the FDIC cannot cover this amount.

Their executives are major donors to the president’s reelection campaign.

The president will give his acceptance speech for the Democrat nomination for president at the Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte.

Warren Buffett injected $5 billion into Bank of America for special considerations for stock warrants and a 6% annual return for ten years. This bank's regular personal savings account pays 0.05% annually.

We propose the following actions to be taken immediately:

1. Close out any personal or business accounts with Bank of America.
2. If you are a business, do not accept their debit or credit cards for purchases.
3. Sell your personal stock in this bank.
4. If your retirement or mutual fund owns stock in this bank, request that they divest it from their portfolios.
5. Help spread this effort in any manner that you can.
6. Fill out the form at this link showing what actions you took based on this project.

I don't have any funds whatsoever in this den of thieves and if I did I would assuredly join in on this project.One point I would like to add though,don't just remove your money from BOA and then put it into another den of thieves,Mellon,Wells Fargo,etc. - all your doing is removing money from one beast and feeding another.Take your hard earned money and find a local state bank to do business with,feed your own community.

 Also,for those of us who believe elections don't really matter anymore -because their is not much difference between the 2 major parties -the Democrats and Republicans- and this will continue until if and when people like Ron Paul wrest control of the GOP from the neo- cons- I have often thought the best path for those of us who are liberty minded is to follow the Polish Solidarity movement as our  example and this boycott of BOA is a step in the right direction.

Update:

Here is a link to an updated list of those who are taking their business elsewhere from Bank of America at Free North Carolina.

An Inmate Gets 40% Of The Vote Against Obama In The West Virgina Primary

This sounds like a crazy question from the Match Game,'people are so fed up with Obama,that instead of voting for him,they voted for a blank?'40% of Democrats in West Virgina answered that question by voting for a convicted extortioner,Keith Judd, over the sitting POTUS.Only Charles Nelson Riley answered differently,he voted for Rip Taylor.

'1975 Reagan Speech Speaks'

I miss Ronald Reagan a lot.

Hat tip to The republican Mother.

The Hindenburg Disaster

From Yahoo:

On May 6, 1937, the Hindenburg airship burst into flames over a New Jersey field.  75 years later, the disaster remains a source of mystery and fascination.

The Hindenburg was one of the first disasters caught on film, thanks to newsreel coverage. It had an unmistakable effect on the masses (it doomed travel by airship) and remains one of the most iconic moments of the 20th century. Reporter Herbert Morrison's reaction, "Oh, the humanity," quickly became the stuff of legend.
While the explosion was tragic and many people died, there were more survivors than you might think. Of the 97 people onboard, 36 people died (including one member of the ground crew). Despite all the attention that went into the determining the cause of the explosion, much remains a mystery.

The Powder Keg Is Building

From Zero Hedge:

it is just getting sad now. In April the number of people not in the labor force rose by a whopping 522,000 from 87,897,000 to
88,419,000.  This is the highest on record. The flip side, and the reason why the unemployment dropped to 8.1% is that the labor force participation rate just dipped to a new 30 year low of 64.3%.

Almost 46% of working age adults are not employed,this is not good.In fact it would have been better if unemployment went up,rather than the labor force to shrink.This is a powder keg waiting to explode!

Crony Capitalist John Kerry

From The Washington Free Beacon:

Failed Democratic presidential nominee Sen. John Kerry’s (D., Mass.) long history of ethically dubious investments could invite controversy as he takes on a new role as a “top surrogate” for President Obama’s reelection campaign.
Kerry’s net worth as listed on his 2011 financial disclosure form is at least $193 million and likely much higher, making him the wealthiest member of the Senate. He is also a prolific investor, maintaining an array of stocks and other holdings through a mix of family trusts, marital trusts, and commingled fund accounts with his wife, Big Ketchup baroness Teresa Heinz.
The five-term Senator has a well-documented history of investing in companies that would benefit from policies he supports, as well as making conveniently timed and highly profitable trades coinciding with the passage of major legislation and, in some cases, the dissemination of privileged information.
For years, Kerry has invested millions in a number of green energy companies that have benefitted from the president’s efforts to aggressively subsidize the industry with taxpayer dollars.
These companies include Exelon, which received a $646 million taxpayer-guaranteed loan in 2011 to build a solar facility in California and created only 20 permanent jobs, as well as Fisker Automotive, the fledgling electric car company that offshored its manufacturing operation to Finland after receiving a $529 million federal loan guarantee in 2010.
The loan guarantees, approved by the Department of Energy, were made possible by funding allocated in the 2009 stimulus bill, which Kerry supported. According to Kerry’s own office, the Senator “played a key role” in crafting the portions of the legislation designed to offer federal support for green energy projects.

This is what you get when Washington gets to pick the winners and losers instead of the free markets,corruption.