I’ve been thinking about November by Fred Cederholm

Column for on/after Sept. 24th, 2006

I’ve been thinking about November. Actually I’ve been thinking about changes, choices, campaign rhetoric, spin, doublespeak, oxymorons, and rational evaluation. The midterm elections are now some six weeks away and the real campaigning is only just beginning. While all national elections are important, this coming one is shaping up to be a referendum on where we are as a nation, where we are headed as nation, and who will set the course for our future. From my watching, listening, and reading; I’m approaching this coming election with trepidation at best - I am deeply concerned.

You see I believe a major change of course is essential. This is essential fiscally, economically, militarily, diplomatically, morally, and ethically. I want a choice and not an echo. At this point in the campaigns of 2006, I am (shall we say) under-whelmed by the positions being presented, and yet I find myself in shock and awe by what is unfolding in the negativity, the self-contradictory semantics of the rhetoric, and the down-right absurdity of the premises of why we should choose one candidate (or one party) over the other. I mean lets face it, we are stuck with either the Democans or the Republicrats: a choice between Tweedle-tax-and-spend and Tweedle-borrow-and-spend – two Siamese twins joined at the “and-spend.” I am definitely not alone in this observation, or my present level of discontent.

Traditionally the mid-term elections (non presidential ones) show some dissatisfaction with the controlling party, and the voting pendulum tends to swing in the other direction. There was usually an inherent contradiction in the polls with surveys showing an overall animosity for the Washington DC beltway politicos in general. Yet, the vast surveyed majority was also very happy with their incumbent elected officials. In 2006 there is a difference - because while some 70% to 80% now indicate their overall unhappiness with Congressional performance, only about a third indicates they are happy with the recent track record of their own incumbents! Election night 2006 could prove to be a real eye opener.

I pride myself on my vocabulary, my word choice, and my ability to place one word after another. In listening/evaluating what is being said/written by the candidates (and their parties), I am amazed by the blatant verbal manipulations being fed to the electorate. Negativity and mud slinging is surfacing again as the supreme strategy for winning. Can you name one candidate who is running on “these are what I perceive as the problems/challenges facing US/us, and this is what I propose and will follow up with doing to address those issues?” “Vote for me because I’m not…” doesn’t cut it with me.

If you listen to what is said, you will experience the inherent contradictions and gobbledy gook logic of the rhetoric and justifications. Spin morphs a negative into a positive. Doublespeak tells us one thing knowing full well the opposite is the plan. Oxymorons pair contradictory words/concepts in the name of political expediency while sugar coating the vile dragons of what we fear most - verbally morphing them into some warm cuddly puppy. For example, what is patriotic about a Patriot Act which challenges the very core of our rights, personal liberties, and checks and balances “guaranteed” by the Constitution and Bill of Rights? If you oppose it, does that – by default – make you unpatriotic?

Spinning war/terrorism/fear has become an art form and is central to Election 2006. “War” is a total misnomer because “wars” are declared by an Act of Congress - not executive edict. This holds true whether you are talking about Korea, Vietnam, poverty, drugs, Grenada, terrorism, Afghanistan, or Iraq. Show me where any of those “wars in/on” were legally baptized as such by an Act of Congress!

Both sides cloak the current bellicose actions in religion. We hear of a holy war, war of religions, or a religious jihad. Where are God, Jehovah, Jesus, Allah, or Mohammad ever clerically depicted with grenade in hand and the mushroom cloud of a nuclear device rising in the background - graphically or verbally? “The Lord’s our shepherd says the Psalm, but just in case we gotta get a bomb” comes from a Tom Lehrer musical parody - not the Bible OR the Koran. Just what is “civil” about a civil war? We are not talking about two feisty British matrons dishing verbal barbs over a pot of Earl Grey and a plate of scones as in an Oscar Wilde play. Yet, “civil” war in the Middle East is used as justification for policy.

Sectarian killing has been going on in the region since (or before) the time of Moses. “Coalition” occupation in Afghanistan/Iraq and any imposed crash course in Western Democracy 101 won’t change that one bit. Meanwhile… does it really make any difference to the families and loved ones of our killed/maimed service men and women, if their loss/suffering came from hostile or “friendly” fire? I’m Fred Cederholm and I’ve been thinking. You should be thinking, too.

Copyright Questions, Inc. 2006 all right reserved

asklet@rochelle.net

I’ve been thinking about celebrations & afterglow by Fred Cederholm

Greetings Wendy;

I can't believe that happened. We had our annual Creston Booster Days celebration this weekend and it was also Creston's Sesquicentennial this year --- so I got behind in my responses. Sorry for the tardiness of my reply -- I apologize.

That story was "proofed" by four others and nobody caught the gaff. Neither did any of the 25,000+ people who read it at the various web postings (besides you at least no one else wrote me about it). TH*NK*NG is templated so it drops in the same space each week. That is more important for the print editions. After I write it, it gets edited down to be the same number of lines by me before I send it off.

All the information IS actually correct; but because of the edits, a reader didn't get the "apples to potatos" error in the facts as they were finally presented.

The 93 per 10,000 in New York refers to the ratio for the "incarcerated population" and not the "general population." New York State still has the highest ratio of law enforcement personnel to the general population at large. THAT is still a bit less than 1 per 1,000 people like the column states. Somehow when I edited those two sentences and deleted about 9 words, you are absolutely correct that the math and the logic doesn't flow. What I said was all true, it just "looks" screwed-up.

In the "logic of the syllogism," there is a latin phrase which describes what happened here: POST HOC PRAETER HOC, IPSE NON CREDERE (after this before that, the same is not to believe). You are a very thoughtful reader and this was a good catch. It is doubly embarassing to me because I'm a CPA, CFE, and forensic accountant -- so much for credibility. It will probably take a week (or more) to get the corrections made. When I first started writing TH*NK*NG, the mini-bio had me as a "Certified Pubic Accountant." THAT definately did not fit my small town fundamentalist Lutheran upbringing (or personna).

I really do make every effort to be correct and include hyperlinks to my factual sources so my readers can "audit" my columns.

Keep on reading, and definately keep on TH*NK*NG.

Fred C asklet@rochelle.net

Here are the past two week's columns which will not appear at the BC, Vheadline, Moneyfiles, Real Wealth Society, or Smirking Chimp because they are "warm fuzzies" about Creston. (Next week I'll be dealing with oxymorons, and the Orwellian use of double speak ---- Civil War, friendly fire, Aggressors for Peace, soft torture, gentle murder. etc. ) I'm not the only one who doesn't always catch the absurdity of what I say (or write).


Column for on/after Sept. 10th, 2006
I’ve been thinking about celebrations. Actually I’ve been thinking about 50 years, 150 years, Booster Days, parades, the Sesquicentennial, reunions, food, and memories. Celebrations are times when we gather together with family, friends, and neighbors at special events to commemorate something. They are a coming together for good times and fellowship. “Memories, like the corners of my mind…”


You see this coming weekend little Creston, Illinois will hold a double celebration. The events will acknowledge our 50th gathering for Creston Booster Days. They will also mark the culmination of activities commemorating Creston’s Sesquicentennial. While I am not old enough to remember (first hand) what transpired in our village during its full 150 year history, I must admit I remember almost all of the prior 50 Booster Days. OK… my memories of the earliest celebrations have been prodded by the archives of photographs and color slides - as the saying goes, “paper remembers, so we can forget.”
Recollections of the first one center around my family’s entries in the parades. In the children’s parade, I was decked out in a plaid shirt and ragged straw hat with a bandanna around my neck. I pulled my little red wagon decorated to the max with crepe paper. In the wagon were my two big white rabbits. I didn’t win a prize, but I had a great time proceeding down Creston’s main street waiving at the crowd with bunnies in tow. My parents had constructed a float in our garage for the Creston Creamery. It had white petal paper and bright green trim. The focal point was a very large mock-up of a Lily Brand Butter carton which my mother created while my father was constructing the decorated base on an old wooden utility wagon. The float was pulled by Robert Gommel’s red tractor and little David (then age 2) helped.


Since float building was new to all of us. The week beforehand was spent going from garage to garage and shed to shed and corn crib to corn crib helping others realize the dreams of their “moving” creations for the parade. The people of Creston worked together on this celebration from the very beginning. I particularly remember the “sausage works” from the Lang’s Royal Blue grocery store float, and a huge flying ear of corn that highlighted the Dekalb AgResearch float. The Booster Club entry was propelled by the members themselves – pulling together for the betterment of the community even then.


The Booster Days event is far more than just the parades, although they are a big drawing point.


It really is about Crestonites – past, present, and future – coming together to share stories, to share memories, and to share photographs. It is a celebration of what is going on in our lives and provides a chance to renew friendships and relationships. In honor of the Sesquicentennial there will be a special Creston Grade School and Creston High School all-school reunion on Saturday, September 16th. There seem to be a lot of alums returning from all parts of the country for this segment of our celebration.


When attendees are not talking, sharing, hugging, and kissing; I guarantee that most of them will be doing a lot of eating. Consumption of “culinary delights” is definitely a central part of Booster Days. The feasting begins on Friday night with a steak cookout in the bus barn. Saturday (and Sunday) there will be the usual burgers, BBQs, corn dogs, pork chop sandwiches, funnel cakes, and home made pies. Sunday before the parade, Headon’s will provide their legendary barbequed pork chops with cole slaw, potato salad, dinner rolls, and lemonade. Between the pork chop sandwiches served and the Headon’s barbequed chops consumed, it will take the local piggy population a full year to recover.


In addition to the conversation and the eating, there will be the usual carnival rides, continuous entertainment, a vintage baseball game, and a huge fireworks display (Saturday evening). There will be karaoke singing which feature local American Idol wanabees. This year a “Game Show Gurus” trivia contest has been added. Who knows what celebrity superstars will emerge from these events?


For me the highpoint comes on Sunday morning with the community church service in the park. At the conclusion of that service, the current recipient of the Theodore Cederholm Community Service Award is announced. Creston is a very special community only because of the hundreds of hours of hard work given each year by self-sacrificing individuals. Things/events do not just happen. They only come about because of the dedication and hard work of local individuals.
The current year’s celebratory events may come and go, but the memories of what transpired this weekend will last forever. They will join all the other “histories of our little village on the hill” when we celebrate 50 years of Booster Days and commemorate 150 years of Creston. I’m Fred Cederholm and I’ve been thinking. You should be thinking, too.

Copyright Questions, Inc. 2006 all right reserved.



Column for on/after Sept. 17th, 2006 by Fred Cederholm
I’ve been thinking about afterglow. Actually I’ve been thinking about Creston Booster Days, steaks, reunions, pork chops, the parade, attendance, awards, and rain. The 50th annual Creston Booster Days and the combined celebration for the Sesquicentennial of the Village of Creston are behind us. The past weekend is now a part of our ongoing history – and what a weekend it was!
You see Booster Park has been restored to normalcy. The trash has all been gathered and sent to the landfill. All the countless volunteers and the “usual suspects” who coordinated so many things are moving a tad bit slower. Things are back to a regular routine. Sure… there may “some” lingering aches, pains, and stiffness; but the memories if this past weekend will stay with us forever. There are smiles on the faces and an inner feeling of satisfaction for a job (and a celebration) so well done. There is an aura and a real sense of pride in what was accomplished. There is clearly an afterglow effect.


Last Friday, 150 tickets for the steak dinner were pre-sold. Over 50 more people showed up (hoping to join in the feast) without getting their tickets in advance. Unfortunately not everyone could be accommodated - that is why we sell the tickets in advance folks, sorry! Skinner’s Carnival rides ran from 7 to 9 and from the top of the Ferris wheel you could see the lights of NIU in DeKalb and those of the Global III Inter-modal in Rochelle. I’m so glad I didn’t join in the “Trivia Blitz;” my reputation as a trivia-ologist would have been completely trashed. (Just who are Brittany Spears and 50 cent, anyway?)


The all-school reunion at CGS on Saturday was so much fun for those who came/participated. The school hallways and gymnasium were filled with alumnae. There were many old class pictures, old yearbooks, and candid picture boards displayed to prod memories. There were hugs and kisses and handshakes galore. I wonder how many more pictures were taken and added to personal collections and archives during those three hours? There is clearly an afterglow effect.


If Saturday didn’t set all-time records for carnival rides taken, food consumed, and friendships renewed; it certainly should have. The fireworks display was even more spectacular than usual. The special initial ground display of the Village of Creston logo set the standard for what followed. There was clearly an afterglow effect that lingered on well beyond all the ooohs and aahhs.
Sunday began with the community church service in the park and the announcement of Gene Roinas as the recipient of the 2006 Cederholm Award for community service. Headon’s Pork Chop BBQ sold out and was absolutely delicious – as always. (Alas… poor Porky, I knew him well.) The parade which followed set a recent record for the number of floats. First prize went to New Beginnings Baptist Church, second went to St. Johns Lutheran Church, third went to the Flagg-Rochelle Public Library, fourth went to First National Bank (Rochelle), and fifth went to Bee’s Crane Service.


Booster Days was clearly on its way to setting a number of all time records when the sky began to darken and the rain began to fall. While the rain may have forced the cessation of the vintage baseball game (which had only just started), the carnival rides were stopped, and the karaoke event had to be cancelled; the rain didn’t really dampen the spirits of the revelers. There was still bingo in the bus barn, and there was still more food available. Pork chop sandwiches continued until about 3:30 PM and burgers, hotdogs and corndogs, BBQ’s, pie and beverages were sold until 7 PM.


Community Awards were not announced from the stage because of the rain, but the certificates will still be delivered to the recipients during the week to come. Most Improved Property went to McInerney’s for the renovation of the “Sam Heal House” and to Young’s for renovation of the “Buster Hansen House.” Certificates for Outstanding Comprehensive Landscaping went to the Dan and Linda Graber, the Morales Family, Greg and Judy Hopkins, Sandra Muraira, and Chuck Martinson. Certificates for Outstanding Colorful Plantings went to Dick Young, Victoria Powers, Charlotte Berg, Bill Middleton, and Ron and Betty Jones. Certificates for Outstanding Lawns went to Bob Garland, Bill Snyder, Don and Dede Forrest, David and Sharon Brown, and Dorothy Lockard. These acknowledge work done to maintain and beautify the Village of Creston.


While the events of the past weekend are now behind us, a heartfelt thank you goes out to all who worked and participated in the festivities. Booster Days may have turned 50 and the Village may have turned 150, but we can sure still throw one “heck” of a party. You all come back now, next year - our best is yet to be. I’m Fred Cederholm and I’ve been thinking. You should be thinking, too.

Copyright Questions, Inc. 2006 all right reserved.

Banking On Armageddon: The Gate To Chaos - Part 3 By SB Kayser

Fanaticism consists of redoubling your
effort when you have forgotten your aim -- George Santayana

Let's not beat around the bush, the Pope's scathing attack on Islam wasn't meant to be diplomatic; more than anyone else he knows the power of the words and those words have pleased Islamophobics. The fact that he expressed regrets does no longer matter at this stage: the message has gone through whatsoever.

Alas I couldn't care less about anyone going ballistic because of religious beliefs. Enough hypocrisy, religions all share a legacy of blood, a fact that should be widely mentioned in all history textbooks for the sake of wisdom. While our dear Western media reports ad nauseum about the Pope's words targeting Islam, partial and deliberate amnesia struck again. You see, TV broadcasts and newspapers have completely forgotten that last August 2006 the Vatican's envoy in the Holy Land and bishops from three other churches have launched a rare joint attack on the Christian Zionist movement, accusing it of promoting "racial exclusivity and perpetual war."

Do you hear the ticking clock? This is an omen that may be announcing a sign of The End Of Times. Not the end of Mankind but the end of the world as we know it and along with the brutal transition that is going to throw us all into a religious clash of all time. Are you ready? How can you get yourself prepared? I sincerely would recommend the book by Sam Harris titled: The End Of Faith: Religion, Terror, and the Future of Reason which takes aim at the destructive fundamentalist trends on all sides of the spectrum throughout history and also pictures religious moderates as the bearers of a terrible dogma, in short arguing that moderation has too its own limits eventually and is thus an illusion of the mind.

Moreover power and religions have always been bedfellows and the current geopolitical climate clearly indicates that the globalist entity named "The New World Order" - NWO - has bailed out the most mainstream doctrines (if not all) to fulfill the sempiternal motto: divide and conquer. Religions are highly sensitive grounds as much lethal as landmines because masses do not get the necessary education to interpret whatever eschatology and that every man has his own understanding about everything.

Not to mention that religious figures are at fault for not closing the gap between materialism and spirituality. According to their agenda the two realms must never reconcile. Ever. Never. Divide and conquer again. Did you ever hear the Pope speak of Jesus chasing the "money changers" out of the Temple, condemning the monetary practices that are still today in place, usury more precisely. Do elementary schools teach this by the way?

While Sam Harris argues that God must go the way of Apollo and Zeus, the arising dilemma is the same that the egg or chicken question - which comes first. Is Faith or their devout followers in this very case the problem ... or otherwise? One thing is more than certain is that one just cannot keep reading Kant's Critique of Pure Reason - in which Kant argues that analytic reasoning can't tell us anything that isn't already self-evident - over and over to escape the reality of Quantum Physics.

All the major religions warned against materialism and wrongly spiritualists have trashed it constantly. Up to this day, I haven't yet heard the Dalai Lama - nor the Pope - giving a press conference addressing to the global monetary fraud, have you? So what? Yep, you got it: the Devil definitely wears pink. There are lots of people who do not have any religious beliefs but comprehend what ethical codes of conduct mean. Humanity always has questioned and probed the existence of "a" God and it is our inalienable right to do so. The ever-growing global turbulences indicate that the next great battle of Mankind is accepting that Faiths cannot resolve our cultural nor existential misunderstandings.

Because of the mathematical and exponential structure of the Universe, everything it rules must obey the Chaos Theory, but there are two different kinds of Chaos. That leading to order... or its opposite to annihilation. We have the right to choose as always. That leading to order demands benevolent actions based on knowledge and logic. And the failure to respond simply implies a return to the Nothingness. At this stage explaining those very concepts refers to utopia, although the only way toward a viable exit. But we've got to wonder who the real utopians are in the end because shooting oneself in the foot or harming beloved ones ultimately is no more less than extreme masochism and sadism.

There is no Freedom and free will without Kowledge but barbary, failed models and deceits. Truth stands by itself completely. Individualistic humility and cooperation to beat the matrix is thus the essential to empower our inalienable rights as Human Beings... shall we succeed?

Hey Buddy can you spare 65 trillion? By SB Kayser

(09/08)

Last august 28, the suntimes.com ran the following and terrifying headline: We can't afford to put off facing economic reality. The article revealed that the U.S. has about $80 trillion in future entitlement promises -- unfunded liabilities -- about six times larger than the whole economy. If this amount disturbs you, then please try visualising the mountain of banknotes representing 65 trillion, or the amount to put the country back on a "sustainable course". What is more, depending on how you do the accounting: real deficit $3.5TN for 2005.

Sustainable course. Nothing wrong with your sight, yes you're reading correctly.

On an international level, our bankrupt nation owes 14 trillion to foreign countries according to former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohammad. Still much for you to envision, I assume. But don't worry, you are not alone: such numbers are nearly impossible for us to fathom. Me included even though my economic knowledge is well above the average.

On the household front, what the NY Times states is also highly distressing: in one year time, the 2004-05 cycle I mean, the debt rose to 132% of disposable income. And the whole picture is even more debilitating: household debt hit $11.5 Trillion last April. As for the corporate debt, it shows a 8.5 trillion black hole. For a report in depth, please visit the page of Michael Hodge.

How did we get there?

Elementary, my dear Watson . The answer is quite simple, so simplistic that it hurts: everything you thought you know about economics is false. Emotions will not solve the deadly economic entangled web of lies, we must define the new equations as fast as we can. Although the global bust is in the cards and will occur gradually as dominoes start falling one by one, we can make this financial holocaust the very last one ever.

Mainstream CNBC pundits and the like do not even (fully) understand the fallacies they are spreading with the blessing of their own central banks, because what matters to them is to get you buying stocks, and to pump up shares to fill the pockets of their cheerleaders such as Donna Hitscherich who claims like many others that the rising debt levels must be viewed along with other factors such as lower interest rates, which make it easier to carry higher debt loads. "You can't look at those numbers in the abstract", she says.

In the abstract! Sorry Donna and Co we're bleeding to debt and the mainstream TV broadcasts keep focusing on the alienating war on terror while the real terror - concocted by our national financial institutions and lawmakers - resides inside the gates . They all know what is going on and are perfectly aware that we are bankrolled into chaos. A few days ago, the IMF cautioned that the risk of a severe global slowdown in 2007 is substantial. No later than yesterday, two HSBC economists were too embracing the odds of a painful readjustment caused by the deflating housing bubble, one of them even said calmly: Americans will have no such luck this time around.

America is faced with a debt sentence and the guillotine threatens her economic neck.

Why should you ever believe anything anymore? (2) By Joost van Steenis

Dear reader, this is the 77th Letter of an Autonomous Thinker.

In my 22nd Letter (http://members.chello.nl/jsteenis/letter22.htm ) I wrote that you should not believe anything that the elite says. The elite tells fairy tales as was the case with the secret CIA concentration camps and with the reasons to invade Iraq. All these lies are accepted by fellow-leaders.

Why?

Because all what elitepersons are saying has the purpose to preserve and improve the already prosperous world of privileged elitepeople.

Not only Bush, Rice or Cheney are lying. Leading people in other countries repeat the lies of Bush cs and the media obediently publish the lies even when editors know it is not the truth.

The international laws that were made to protect masspeople from the horrors of a war are only used in regard to elitepeople. Concerning masspeople the international laws are flagrantly violated by the same elitepeople that made the laws.

Why should you ever believe that elitepeople are thinking about the misery of masspeople when they make laws?

Indeed, why should you ever believe anything elitepeople are saying, they may speak the truth but they also maybe lying.

Take the Afghan War.
The same lies that were used during the Vietnam War are now used to describe what happens in the Afghan War (and the Iraq War).

Then it was said that scores of Viet Congs were killed but the Tet Offensive proved that most of the killed Viet Congs were very much alive.

Now many Taleban are reported to have been killed, that the Afghan government get more control over the country and that democracy is spreading in tribal Afghanistan. But it is not possible to deny that the opium production is thriving. (By the way who get most money from this opium?).

I think that most so-called Afghan insurgents that are reported to be killed are just ordinary citizens. Once the Taleban soldiers may also suddenly attack en masse the Western occupiers.

The Americans left Vietnam and the "enemy" is still ruling the country.
Maybe history will repeat itself when the Western forces will leave Afghanistan and a Taleban-like regime will take control over Afghanistan .

We masspeople will never know what is going to happen because we do not get the facts. The elite is at least bending the truth in its favour, not only in regard of Afghanistan or Iraq but in regard to all subjects.

All what is said is inspired by the guiding idea that everything must defend, improve and favour the eliteworld.

My dear readers, do not believe anything what the elite is telling you, you cannot distinguish what is right or wrong. Draw your own conclusions and do not even discuss what leaders are saying, you do not know if the facts in the media are right or wrong. Try to combat the existence of any elite. That is not possible by discussing mistakes and lies of the elite. That is only possible by autonomous actions that are not influenced by any lies of the elite.


For example, about 9-11 the only fact I know is that the Twin Towers crumbled. To talk about the question who caused the attack is a waste of time, use your energy to combat what happened after 9-11, to combat the ever increasing elitist control of masspeople. 1984 is closer than you think!

Yours truly,
http://members.chello.nl/jsteenis
Ways to increase masspower

Zowie By BabyloneToday

Well the August number is in. As of the end of August fiscal 2006
interest paid on the Federal debt so far this fiscal year was a whopping
385 billion dollars. This blew away the former annual record total, set
in 2000, by over 20 billion dollars. And there is still another month
to go in this fiscal year! As of August 31 this debt interest
represented 66% of our nation's total on budget deficit for fiscal 2006.
It is much more than reasonable to expect that this fiscal year's annual
total will top well over 400 billion. Tragically, the average maturity
of U.S. indebtedness has shrunk to around 55 months. This means that
the total interest paid still includes notes from a period in which the
government enjoyed some of the lowest interest rates in 40 years. Since
then T-bill rates and Fed Funds have tripled. Where should we suppose
this leaves us for 2007, as our nation, and average debt maturity,
settles into this period of higher rates?

Link to chart: http://www.babylontoday.com/#interest_expense

Scroll for chart comparing 2005 to 2006 interest by month

click on picture to enlarge

Gloom And Doom All Over By SB Kayser

My goal at this stage is to track and share the inconsistencies in what the media is trying to hide and point as much as possible to columnists that are worth reading. People who know me well also know that I do subscribe to a certain type of "Gloom and Doom Reports" since 9-11. Not that I was born a pessimist, far to the contrary I'm quite optimistic that societies will find the light at the end of the tunnel after the world unprecendented debacle, which is necessary to terminate fallacies that are inherently responsible for our disruptions. As a matter of fact with the financial system we have real good news are pretty seldom because predictions and estimates always turn out being wrong eventually. You may doubt my words, this is your absolute right but then what to think of the CNBC type of crowd who still see nothing amiss with $ 80 trillion debt load?


There is no freedom possible if we do not learn economics 101 by ourselves because the-powers-that-be will never give away their secrets. Never... ever.

To start with, I' recommend: The Money Myth Exploded, a tale that anyone having achieved high school is able to comprehend: economics is not as complex as we're told, at least not the basics. This is a topic one can learn completely alone. But once this is assimilated, it becomes very difficult to teach an old dog new tricks.

Surfing the Net and looking for signs of a Day Of Reckoning approaching, I came across one Danielle DiMartino's article whose headline just added to my worries: All the world feels weight of U.S. debt. I always read what she has to say by the way. She goes further citing our most-favored-economic-nation status, our wonderful dollar which the current title to the world's reserve currency and that we buy more exports than any other country.

DiMartiono 's observations are right, like her I agree: "world currency reserve" is a big word and completely meaningless. I have another reason to think this way though. The USD is today worth a mere 5 cents or so, it lost 95% since 1913. Doesn't everything look suddenly relative?

So what do the words "most-favored-economic status" entail exactly based on the statement above? The strength of the country is like beauty in the eyes of the beholder.

In the meantime, I'd like to mention that China replaces the United States as world's largest exporter. This is very bad news and it only adds another layer of financial upheaval. The problem you see is when one starts playing with "easy money", the only way to the exit is the B-U-S-T. Mathematics only copes with logic and reason. This is not "greed" anymore but "stupidity.

As for being "the biggest export buyer", at what price? If you have not watched "In Debt We Trust", do it a.s.a.p and you will see what I mean. Anyone who cares about one's own survival ought to see this extremely insightfull documentary.

As the chickens are coming back home to roost, the ownership and control of the Country descends into oblivion one step at a time: we can only look at the trade deficit that hit $68B record 2 months ago like mummies. How nice to be the "biggest export buyer" in the world while digging our own grave... completely oblvious to the greastest Greek drama ever in the making.

We are all are interdependent now, the money in our wallet is just worth a promise to pay called IOU... and as long as the debt is not paid, IOU assets are like a figment of our imagination. Considering the levels of debt throughout the world, everything we have is merely rented, leased, borrowed for a period of time.

Welcome to the world of voddoo economics!

The trouble with globalism By SB Kayser

America's debt experience is not unique, the problem is widespread. Over the last to 15 years or so, several economic meltdowns have taken place. In Asia, Mexico, Russia, Argentina come to mind. They all share similarities though: mad speculation, irrational exuberance and corruption caused by manipulations of the money supply, cheap money and the so-called bad loans.

Closer to America, the UK government is also in dire shape and Britons are too mortgaged to the hilt.

The next to go will be America and China. And of course this will ripple through the entire planet. We may really describe what is coming as an economic tsunami.

Which will be the first going belly up is quite difficult to predict: either when the American consumers - whose savings rate has been negative for more than one year - stop spending and ultimately will decide when the Chinese demise must occur. Or China - and others in concerto - when the country will dump America's debts. Ever heard of the musical chairs game? Last August 22, one could read a Reuters article talking of China's true level of public debt which is more than four times the official figure. Beijing "actively tries to hide the amount of indebtedness," a Chinese official said.

Gloablization - trade between nations -has always existed but what we see today has nothing to do with globalization. It is globalism, an ideology of absolute domination consisting in bankrupting countries, take over and plunder their resources while acting under the guise of altruism.

The WTO is an axis of evil that must be terminated for the sake of mankind. And it is the right moment to so. Although on life support because the globalists haven't said their final words, this fascistic organization is now on its death bed practically, many see the beginning of its end.

But the fight starts first at home, by spreading the word and setting up small community debates.The elites and monetarists currently in power can no longer save the Titanic.

Banking On Armageddon: Truth Is Unprofitable - Part 2 By SB Kayser

While many would argue that Truth is purely subjective, here is a truth that is invariable thus objective: Truth is unprofitable because myths and deceptions are exposed all of which makes exploitation and coercion look futile.

This is also not without a reason that Alexander Solzhenitsyn once said “Violence does not and cannot exist by itself; it is invariably intertwined with the lie." This quote does not only apply to physical confrontations but every problem we encounter. When something undesirable occurs, we'd systematically wonder: this may very well be about a lie or a cherished delusion we have told to ourselves.

"The opinion of 10,000 men is of no value if none of them know anything about the subject." -- Marcus Aurelius

The subject in this particular case and which that needs to be debated once and for all is the debasement Of Nature. Nature does not forgive failures. A cellular breakdown can also cause death and on a philosophical level the failure to address slavery wherever it is located leads to a lack of faith in Man. The lack of faith is the underlying consequence of replacing unawareness and neglecting one’s sense of responsibility by denial and its restless search for scapegoats. And as we all know denial seriously blurs the way we perceive TBP - the big picture - which is inescapable no matter what.

Furthermore denial also affects our control over little things; ideally when we’re able to think straight the micro and macro end up merging and consequently sustain the view of a broader picture. Only a Fountain of Youth - infinite life spans - could help us decipher the Universe; or unless one is Buddha’s reincarnation, 75 years are just too short to get to the existential bottom line. Nature’s debasement also consists in making the masses believe that a hierarchical structure can prevent humanity from being thrown into chaos. It is not so surprising if People often visualize The Eden as The Kingdom Of Liberty but spend more time to picture our planet as a living Hell. Truth to be told, free will and freedom will forever inspire the worst fears because they cannot be commanded. The dilemma in a nutshell: based on such a state of mind, freedom must be fundamentally evil... mustn't it?


Alas the human mind is not tailored nor predisposed to make certain deductions naturally: Man must learn and doing so requires an open mind, a sense of individualism and critical thinking as well. Even though Truth is invariable and constant in a not so distant future, perceptions of the Truth will have changed whatsoever. Nobody finds being proven wrong exciting. It is however intriguing to see how so many seem to be convinced about the accuracy of their knowledge. From an early childhood we are taught that this is how the “model” has always functioned and have been persuaded that its structure is unalterable, along with some Powers That Be – PTB – in the background and who supposedly take care of our welfare.

Yes our welfare, while a quick reality check tells us that the PTB have always had one and sole vision: the Empire and if history is any indication, the empire syndrome has plagued Mankind ever since. So what now? Awfully the Western Supremacy Bubble is no exception.


Masses generally get caught by the Empires’ web of deceits because of the Empire always goes first through an apogee and its temporary but awesome benefits. Selling “the” empire is actually a very easy task therefore: all what is needed is irrational exuberance - just think of the stock market. Then follows the tipping point caused by an ever growing power whose lies have become exponential. It is also found out that Empires are financially not sustainable. Eventually cracks start to appear and masses end up holding the bag and get whacked in the worst case scenario. Empires have always been marketed to the gullible people as sustainable formulas. All is a matter of perception and giving the sense that today "they" know better: “this time will be different”.

That’s right, this time is truly different! Is the rise of a Global Dictatorship truly different?

If you really think that Hitler was dead, how is it possible that our Western economic policies unnecessarily kill 7 million people yearly in the developing world and that this very genocide has been going on for at least 30 years as reported by John Perkins? To be fair many (in the so-called rich world) view the system as imperfect but as long as the majority seems to cope, the same folks choose apathy over action. Why bother: “If the PTB are seemingly kind with us, they wouldn’t burden us with so many debts, would they? So the problem must be elsewhere. If so how does one explain that U.S. has about $80 trillion in future entitlement promises -- unfunded liabilities -- about six times larger than the whole economy? This is not about bashing America; similar trends are observable in every so-called wealthy areas of the globe.


Indeed. Why bother if the same elites have the habit to finance the two sides of any conflict, the loser supplied with food and drugs and the strongest with artillery… why bother with objectivity and dissent: the policy of “see and speak no evil” facilitates greatly social contacts between successful and beautiful people… Why the heck bother if everybody “does it” anyway. Why bother if taxation is one of the most powerful weapons available to the PTB as means of transferring wealth in favor of their rich pals, closest cheerleaders and punishing their nemeses. Why bother trying to root the corruption out of the markets because if we did everything would collapse over night… Indeed why bother: a slow decay that is obviously preferable over instant chaos – let the next generation deal with it! Now let’s be clear: thinking that the next generation will and/or should fix things is a sign of moral bankruptcy, which condones social disruptions. Getting away with a lie done to a pal or a relative is a lot much easier than lying to a whole nation. Yet John and Jane Doe are convinced that wars will always exist; sadly because they are among those avoiding their own responsibilities and unwilling to voice their concerns out about the system failures openly. They have no (sorry, damn) clue as how political lies impact their lives whatsoever. As long as their existences can continue the way they see it fit… One thing is more than certain though: some day war will become obsolete one way or another, either because every nation will have a “red button” to make the planet explode and will use it as a deterrent or just because the threat will have been implemented and that Earth will have ceased to exist. Do we have to reach that breaking point to grasp the delusional meaning of war and thirst for power? That this idea is no freakin’ utopia in some Lalaland?


Nowadays there are a bunch of people who willingly work two and even three jobs because a government theft (named “inflation and taxation”) deteriorate their purchasing power and that they have to sustain their lifestyle. Scaling back on their spending habits is not an option for them, nor do they ask themselves why their purchasing power has vanished over the time. Fifty years ago, one middle class salary was enough to pay the expenses of a family of 4 and even 5. Now both, the mother and the father, must work 40 hours weekly and live from paycheck to paycheck and their savings rate is negative. If they want more, at least one of them must have a second job. Let’s be realistic, this is called economic serfdom. This is why a sound monetary system is necessary. It is very dangerous to have a monetary system with a currency that is only worth “our” confidence. How “confident” exactly are you that your neighbor can pile on debt to feed “our debt based-vulture capitalism”? Can’t you smell a rat?


Then there is a category of human beings who engage in certain behaviors even when knowing the important risks associated with them. Thinking that it is “their” problem after all, where is the catch would you ask?


Let’s summarize the big picture: since planning has always been the governments’ mouthpiece those very behaviors work in a way to destabilize what was planned insidiously and thus set in motion the next crisis. In short it is called “shooting oneself in the foot”, something the PTB has grasped and learned to use at their advantages. So there you have it: the PTB just need to come up with brilliant ideas to get voters but know that in the long run everything they promise is... doomed.


From weird to weirder: from what I heard on the radio in the last 2 weeks, in China submitting the government family's funeral expenses is now a law while in America now 80% of the population living in hurricane areas does not take insurance policies anymore but expects the government (taxpayers) to finance their new homes. The similarities here consist in the governments’ omnipotence. In China it is imposed. In America people ask for it. The result is alas the same.

As a matter of fact, the more knowledge the more power over the others. Power wants you to remain as ignorant and stupid as possible. Without this axiom, the rulers cannot claim to have the solutions - to the problems they foster themselves because the use of coercion and force is unethical.

There is no such a thing as enforcing good actions. So how logical is the idea to ask the elites to protect our interests? Moreover there is less than 5% of the population that are truly in control, the rest (especially the upper and middle classes) think they are but too nurture delusions. My advice: let’s wait for the housing crash and the ensuing witch-hunts. Sure the most distressing will be for the little guys who are going to be left holding the bag. It's gonna be staunchy and dirty, worst that the Savings & Loans Crisis! Reality is just too painful for many to endure: imagine Angelina Jolie and her brave UN endeavors while that very infamous organization has a record of more than 40 years of failure, works with loan shark providers such as the IMF and the WB, shelters firms that have links to the military industrial complex and can’t even help prevent genocides.


Wait, it gets even nastier. On the other hand centralization of power does not and cannot respect the effect called “time preference”: what suits an individual may not for another in the same time frame period. This is why the system will never be regulated enough. At some point too many regulations will exacerbate the collusion or plots between the system-cheaters, especially for those being on top: laws will end up being drafted in their favor because they actually own the high-powered food chain represented by our politicians, media and the military industrial complex. “Deregulations” will always be uncovered because the elites make the rules for themselves; they wouldn’t be the elites otherwise. In the broad sense today the world system is being threatened with too many regulations and because truth is hidden from the people who have no idea about what reality truly is.


Reforms simply mean new regulations that will be proven useless or unworkable after a while. But of course "reforms" are excellent tactics to get votes in due time. Based on 6,000 years of history, centralization has failed to achieve its goal and the repeated wars and financial meltdowns have proven this. Supporters of centralized planning behave like junkies that do not want to recognize the property rights based on absolute ownership and human sovereignty which is a concept that places the individuals before the “group” are the only weapons to end any form of cartelization. Corporatism today is no more less than keeping corporations on welfare with our tax-money. Lions and zebras do not sleep together, do they? Though it is interesting to notice that the lions eat once weekly and that fat animals don’t exist in the wilderness!


In economic term "fatness" translates into “super wealth”. Up to this day “being filthy rich” implies that unethical deeds have helped accumulate assets. And this regardless of the awareness of the so-called Wealthy themselves since many end up being duped by the system too. Take the U.S housing boom for example, and which could not have come alive without “all kinds of exotic loans, a technique called house flipping, reckless speculative schemes, etc”. Yet masses have always praised signs of wealth, generating envy and the will to join the ranks of the powerful. There are so many rewards to be obtained from our monopolies, they think. Please bear in mind: Mogul Donald Trump has fooled bank shareholders by filing twice for bankruptcy. Bill Gates couldn’t have made it if he hadn’t gotten mega loans to takeover the planet, which helped him defeat “natural” competitors. Right now, every man and woman rich enough to afford a "personal wealth manager" is guilty of participating in the legal plunder of natural resources and polluting the planet for the sake of pure profit, using a mega pyramid-scheme called the stock market.


People engaging in risky behaviors generally do so because “time is money”. But as I stated earlier (in Part 1) the path of the least resistance is too often lethal for the participants themselves or the others when the risk can be shifted. Well, risks are always shifted unwillingly or not. Every unethical deed has a Karma, must be paid by either the family, the neighborhood or the planet, depending on its scale. Instead of blaming irrationality maybe is it about time to adjust our train of thoughts here again. Irrationality per se does not exist. What some call irrationality is rational for others, it just depends on hard data and parameters being used. Only knowledge defines the (ir)rationality factor. Mental illness aside, if you perceive somebody or a group of people as irrational and thus not dangerous based on the assumption that you know better, you’d better watch out. What I mean here is that the 5% of the population who obviously know much better is far less dangerous than the 80% of ignorants. Still banking on Armageddon?


(PS: the 15% able to grasp the big picture are shaking their heads in disbelief and pray for the Four Horsemen to spare them)

go to: part 1 - part 3

I’ve been thinking about policing By Fred Cederholm

Column for on/after August 27th, 2006

I’ve been thinking about policing. Actually I’ve been thinking about reasons/answers, damning stats, security deployments, Baghdad, ratios, costs of war, and exclusions. Initially the invasion/occupation of Iraq was justified by weapons of mass destruction, links to Al-Qaeda, and the events of 911. Now, when asked about what Iraq had to do with the terrorist attacks of 911 at an August 21, 2006 press conference, President Bush responded: “Nothing… (pause) Except it’s part of… (pause) Nobody’s ever suggested that the attacks of September the 11th were ordered by Iraq.” Huh? Yes, you heard him correctly quoted – the truth finally comes out.


You see we are witnessing the biggest backtracking flip-a-roo in the history of political damage control, spin, hype, or Orwellian doublespeak revisionism. The mid-term elections are now ten weeks away and the defining issue is the quagmire of Iraq. While the campaigns do not begin in earnest until after Labor Day, incumbents of both parties are distancing themselves from the Bush Administration - or any bi-partisan connection of support for the actions in Iraq. Because we broke it, it is ours. We are now (at best) in a policing mode - trying to keep the lid on things until some other authority comes along and allows US/us to transfer/dump it on them. Any way you cut it, the war in Babylon is a complete and unmitigated failure – a total disaster.


Iraq sits atop the world’s third largest known oil reserves. Yet… the Iraqi budget for oil/petroleum distillate IMPORTS for August and September had to be doubled. The wells are not pumping; the refineries are not refining. Current functioning petro-capacity is less than half of what it was under Saddam – even under the restricted limitations of sanctions/embargoes.


How many Iraqis are working – being gainfully employed? How many Iraqi children are in schools? How many Iraqis feel free to leave their homes for whatever reason without fear? Is electricity available 24/7 at the flick of a switch? How many toilets now flush? Do the faucets run; and if they do, is the water potable? Why is such data/information not heralded or forthcoming? Trust me, if answers to those questions were anyway positive; we’d hear about it.

Baghdad was the crown jewel of Iraq. It is now a cesspool of death and destruction. In July, an averages to upwards of 100+ Baghdadians were slaughtered by uncontrolled sectarian violence each day. August stats will not be much better. New York State has the highest US ratio of law enforcement personnel per capita with 93 per 10,000 of population – about 1 per 1,000. With 133,000 US troops in Iraq and assuming 75% of those detailed in Baghdad (with a population of 6 million) that’s 1 “peacekeeper” per 60 Baghdadians. And… that’s not enough?


48 nations initially joined Bush’s “Coalition of the Willing” (COW) in Operation Iraqi Freedom. Of those, 39 actually sent troops. Of those, 32 provided less than 1,000 in personnel including non-military humanitarian helpers. Of those, 17 have already withdrawn completely. More indicate their intention to get the hell out by year end. Last Friday when British forces were consolidating troops and abandoned the base at Abu Naji; Iraqi looters stripped it of everything moveable within minutes/ hours. Meanwhile, the Bush Administration is proceeding with construction of the largest, most costly embassy complex on planet Earth. At 104 acres, it will rival the Vatican City in size. Cost estimates range from $592 million to $1.5 billion. Why not just leave pallets of cash, a container of petrol, and a book of matches by the Tigris instead?

$310 billion has been spent by Uncle $ugar on this “undeclared” war in Iraq of the $318.5 billion appropriated for it through Sept.30, 2006. This does not include the costs of “benefits” to the families of our 2800+ acknowledged as killed, or the medical/ rehab costs for our 25,000+ seriously injured. The replacement costs for equipment/munitions “appropriated” by the Department of Defense and sent with the reserve units and the State National Guard units being deployed in Iraq have not been publicly quantified. THAT amount will be huge.

In the coming weeks, candidates for national offices – both the newbie’s and the incumbents – will be hawking their song and dance to the electorate. They’ll try to steer the focus to their own agenda – anything to get them elected/re-elected. We must “police” the debates, the issues, the questions, and above all “REMEMBER in NOVEMBER.” I’m Fred Cederholm and I’ve been thinking. You should be thinking, too.

Copyright Questions, Inc. 2006 all right reserved.

To “audit” this column and to learn more about the subjects discussed, please check out:

Iraq doubles funding for oil imports
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060817/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq_fuel_shortage_1

Iraqi Death Toll Rose Above 3,400 in July
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/15/world/middleeast/15cnd-iraq.html?ex=1313294400&en=791fbf910f54ab2f&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

July deadliest month in Iraq, tallies show
http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/08/15/news/iraq.php

Variation of Incarceration Rates in the States
http://www.prisonpolicy.org/prisonindex/variation.shtml

Iraqi military base looted after Britons leave.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20060825.wiraq25/BNStory/International/home

Giant U.S. embassy rising in Baghdad
http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/iraq/2006-04-19-us-embassy_x.htm

The Cost of War in Iraq
http://costofwar.com/wrappedindex.html

Notes and Sources
http://costofwar.com/numbers.html

Interesting Statistics about Iraq.
http://www.hightowerlowdown.org/node/833

Another Milestone for Bush’s War
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/americas/article1222033.ece