POLITICS - Osama Bin Laden was killed last night by a helicopter raid in the town of Abbottabad, Pakistan. The raid on Osama Bin Laden's fortress in western Pakistan was a daring attack vs a small army of bodyguards. President Barack Obama made the announcement last night.
Note: The lead up to and the final assault is sure to become a feature film.
Osama Bin Laden, the leader of Al Qaeda, was shot in the head while fighting back against the helicopter assault force. One of Osama Bin Laden's sons died with him.
Osama Bin Laden was living in a house in the town of Abbottabad that was “custom built to hide someone of significance” according to US intelligence officials.
Abbottabad is approx. 100 kilometres from the Pakistani capital Islamabad, far from the remote mountain caves along the Pakistan-Afghanistan tribal border where it was believed he was hiding.
Instead Osama Bin Laden was living in a million dollar mansion just a stone's throw from the Kakul Military Academy, an army run institution where top military officers train.
Osama Bin Laden has been in hiding ever since September 11th 2001, accused of plotting the terrorism attacks of that terrible day.
The 5-year-old compound Osama Bin Laden was hiding in was guarded by 12 to 18 feet high walls, barbed wire, burned its own trash so people wouldn't snoop through garbage, had no phone or internet connections to the outside, internal walls and two separate security gates. It was practically a prison already.
The building was 8 times larger than other homes in the area and stuck out like a sore thumb. Its amazing people didn't question who actually lived there, and with the military academy so close it seems odd. It was really a matter of time before someone in US intelligence noticed the strange building during visits to the nearby academy.
As it turns out it was a Pakistani informant who told the USA where to find Osama Bin Laden. The informant told the CIA about a courier who worked for both Khaled Sheikh Mohammed and Abu Faraj al-Libi, both high ranking Al Qaeda members. The CIA then tracked the courier to the compound, which kick started an investigation into who might be living there.
The helicopter raid started being planned weeks ago...
On March 14th President Obama held the first of a series of 5 high security meetings to plan the operation. The last meeting was Friday at 8:20 a.m.
Following the meeting Obama traveled to Alabama to witness the damage from the recent tornadoes.
Many critics and conspiracy theorists have long believed that Pakistan might be hiding Osama Bin Laden within their border. The proximity to their highest ranking military academy suggests possible collusion with the Pakistani military.
The team of helicopter pilots and the assault crew are already being hailed as heroes. No Americans died during the assault.
Osama Bin Laden's body was recovered during the assault and American forces are now debating what to do with it. Like JFK and Che Guevara it will likely have to be shown publicly before people will believe he is dead.
Showing posts with label Barack Obama News. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Barack Obama News. Show all posts
May 2, 2011
November 23, 2010
North Korea attacks South Korean island of Yeonpyeong
By Charles Moffat - November 2010.
POLITICS - The island of Yeonpyeong is on the South Korean side of the border, but that didn't stop North Korea from attacking it with an artillery barrage that killed two soldiers and wounded 20 people. South Korean President Lee Myung-bak called the attack "an invasion" of South Korea.
If that is an invasion, what do we call North Korea's other actions from the past year and a half? They have test-detonated nuclear weapons, launched long range missiles across the Pacific Ocean towards the USA and torpedoed the South Korean warship Cheonan, killing 46 sailors.
The increasingly belligerent North Korea seems to be bent on war and many analysts believe nuclear war with North Korea is now inevitable. The only question remains is who will strike first, and where.
The Yeonpyeong Attack on November 23rd
The tiny island is home to a military base and a local residential population of farmers and fishermen. Both North and South Korea have a string of military bases near the DMZ (Demilitarized Zone) that is the border between the two nations.
North Korea claims South Korea fired first, something South Korea denies, but its not impossible they did indeed fire first because tensions on the Peninsula are the highest they've been in the 57 years since the 1st Korean War ended in 1953. What is known is that North Korea fired approx. 200 large artillery shells at the island. At the time South Korea was conducting a military drill in the region, but the firing was not [supposed to be] directed at North Korea.
The first sign of trouble was when on the morning of November 23rd, at 8:20 AM local time, North Korea sent a wire message warning South Korea not to conduct drills close to the border.
At 10 AM South Korea began conducting their military drill.
Hours later, at 2:34 PM local time, North Korea began shelling the town of Yeonpyeong and destroying anything it hit. A few of the artillery shells (like the one in the photo above) did not explode. North Korea stopped firing at 2:55, but resumed firing at 3:12 and doesn't stop until 3:41.
Since then many of the residents of the island have been evacuated, leaving only the military presence on the island and clean up crews sorting through the rubble. South Korea is now trying to determine when residents can return to their homes.
The 2nd Korean War?
For months now the USA and South Korea (and a few others) have been conducting military exercises in preparation for what they believe will be a combined invasion and nuclear attack from North Korea. The North is becoming desperate and the leadership from their frail and ill leader Kim Jong Il (and the handover of power to his 27 year old son Kim Jong-Un) is fraught with danger for the rest of the world.
#1. Kim Jong Il might decide to go out in a blaze of glory (or because of his illness, might allow his generals more control).
#2. His son Kim Jong-Un is a mere 27 years old, far too young to have his own arsenal of nuclear weapons. He was chosen to replace his father because his older brothers were considered to be too friendly towards foreigners and the military leadership wanted someone who absolutely hated the USA.
The more time North Korea has, the more nuclear missiles they will build. They've already determined they have enough missile power to reach Hawaii or Alaska from North Korea. Launching from a submarine or ship off the coast of the USA would drop the distance significantly.
For South Korea, Japan, China and the USA the issue is very complicated and dangerous.
South Korea is the hated rivals/family... there are many in South Korea who want a peaceful solution with North Korea and reunification.
Japan however is the hated enemies from centuries of conflict.
China is an ally, but one which has increasingly lost interest in North Korea in favour of its economic ally the USA, and thus could become a potential target if they are seen to be betraying North Korea to the USA and the South.
The USA is the hated and feared enemy, the one North Korea hates the most for a combination of racial, religious and ideological reasons.
Analysts say there is two ways this war could pan out...
#1. North Korea launches a sudden blitzkrieg invasion of South Korea, its military abandoning North Korea entirely and fighting guerrilla style in South Korea, combined with a volley of nuclear missiles directed at Seoul, Pusan, Tokyo, various military bases and American cities. The USA has missile interceptor ships currently standing by in the region, but the city of Seoul is mere a mere 30 km from the DMZ.
#2. A tit-for-tat war until South Korea/USA decides to launch a pre-emptive strike to try and remove North Korea's nuclear arsenal, a task most analysts see as impossible because they would not be able to remove all of North Korea's missiles at the same time.
Regardless, the end result would be a full scale nuclear war, something which hasn't happened yet and the whole world would be watching to see how the USA / Barack Obama handles such a problem.
According to an American scientist who visited North Korea's facilities on November 12th in a "disarmament for food aid" deal North Korea has thousands of centrifuges for enriching uranium. Their nuclear arsenal could already be in the hundreds. The facility was described as modern and very new, suggesting it is not the first but one of several such facilities.
Stanford University scientist Siegfried Hecker told U.S. officials he was “stunned” by the “sophistication” of the facility which was operated by “an ultra-modern control room.”
This game of brinkmanship however is difficult to estimate how it will unfold. Who will blink first? Who will get an itchy trigger finger?
South Korea’s population is very vulnerable to attacks from the North, over 50% of the South's population lives within 80 km of the DMZ.
We've been warning for years now that North Korea is deliberately escalating the threat they pose. The younger generation in the North is hungry for war and think it is a solution to their problems... worse, they actually think they can win.
Nobody wins in a war.
See Also
North Korea reacting to war games
North Korea's heir apparent
North Korean timeline towards Inevitable War
North Korea launches missile
North and South Korea on verge of open war
POLITICS - The island of Yeonpyeong is on the South Korean side of the border, but that didn't stop North Korea from attacking it with an artillery barrage that killed two soldiers and wounded 20 people. South Korean President Lee Myung-bak called the attack "an invasion" of South Korea.
If that is an invasion, what do we call North Korea's other actions from the past year and a half? They have test-detonated nuclear weapons, launched long range missiles across the Pacific Ocean towards the USA and torpedoed the South Korean warship Cheonan, killing 46 sailors.
The increasingly belligerent North Korea seems to be bent on war and many analysts believe nuclear war with North Korea is now inevitable. The only question remains is who will strike first, and where.
The Yeonpyeong Attack on November 23rd
The tiny island is home to a military base and a local residential population of farmers and fishermen. Both North and South Korea have a string of military bases near the DMZ (Demilitarized Zone) that is the border between the two nations.North Korea claims South Korea fired first, something South Korea denies, but its not impossible they did indeed fire first because tensions on the Peninsula are the highest they've been in the 57 years since the 1st Korean War ended in 1953. What is known is that North Korea fired approx. 200 large artillery shells at the island. At the time South Korea was conducting a military drill in the region, but the firing was not [supposed to be] directed at North Korea.
The first sign of trouble was when on the morning of November 23rd, at 8:20 AM local time, North Korea sent a wire message warning South Korea not to conduct drills close to the border.
At 10 AM South Korea began conducting their military drill.
Hours later, at 2:34 PM local time, North Korea began shelling the town of Yeonpyeong and destroying anything it hit. A few of the artillery shells (like the one in the photo above) did not explode. North Korea stopped firing at 2:55, but resumed firing at 3:12 and doesn't stop until 3:41.
Since then many of the residents of the island have been evacuated, leaving only the military presence on the island and clean up crews sorting through the rubble. South Korea is now trying to determine when residents can return to their homes.The 2nd Korean War?
For months now the USA and South Korea (and a few others) have been conducting military exercises in preparation for what they believe will be a combined invasion and nuclear attack from North Korea. The North is becoming desperate and the leadership from their frail and ill leader Kim Jong Il (and the handover of power to his 27 year old son Kim Jong-Un) is fraught with danger for the rest of the world.
#1. Kim Jong Il might decide to go out in a blaze of glory (or because of his illness, might allow his generals more control).
#2. His son Kim Jong-Un is a mere 27 years old, far too young to have his own arsenal of nuclear weapons. He was chosen to replace his father because his older brothers were considered to be too friendly towards foreigners and the military leadership wanted someone who absolutely hated the USA.
The more time North Korea has, the more nuclear missiles they will build. They've already determined they have enough missile power to reach Hawaii or Alaska from North Korea. Launching from a submarine or ship off the coast of the USA would drop the distance significantly.For South Korea, Japan, China and the USA the issue is very complicated and dangerous.
Analysts say there is two ways this war could pan out...#1. North Korea launches a sudden blitzkrieg invasion of South Korea, its military abandoning North Korea entirely and fighting guerrilla style in South Korea, combined with a volley of nuclear missiles directed at Seoul, Pusan, Tokyo, various military bases and American cities. The USA has missile interceptor ships currently standing by in the region, but the city of Seoul is mere a mere 30 km from the DMZ.
#2. A tit-for-tat war until South Korea/USA decides to launch a pre-emptive strike to try and remove North Korea's nuclear arsenal, a task most analysts see as impossible because they would not be able to remove all of North Korea's missiles at the same time.
Regardless, the end result would be a full scale nuclear war, something which hasn't happened yet and the whole world would be watching to see how the USA / Barack Obama handles such a problem.
According to an American scientist who visited North Korea's facilities on November 12th in a "disarmament for food aid" deal North Korea has thousands of centrifuges for enriching uranium. Their nuclear arsenal could already be in the hundreds. The facility was described as modern and very new, suggesting it is not the first but one of several such facilities.Stanford University scientist Siegfried Hecker told U.S. officials he was “stunned” by the “sophistication” of the facility which was operated by “an ultra-modern control room.”
This game of brinkmanship however is difficult to estimate how it will unfold. Who will blink first? Who will get an itchy trigger finger?
South Korea’s population is very vulnerable to attacks from the North, over 50% of the South's population lives within 80 km of the DMZ.
We've been warning for years now that North Korea is deliberately escalating the threat they pose. The younger generation in the North is hungry for war and think it is a solution to their problems... worse, they actually think they can win.
Nobody wins in a war.
See Also
North Korea reacting to war games
North Korea's heir apparent
North Korean timeline towards Inevitable War
North Korea launches missile
North and South Korea on verge of open war
October 13, 2010
Obama is Palin's 10th Cousin
POLITICS - According to Ancestry.com President Barack Obama, Rush Limbaugh and Sarah Palin are all cousins. 10th cousins specifically.
The online genealogy service Ancestry.com now reports that Obama and Palin are 10th cousins, and Obama and Limbaugh are 10th cousins once removed. In both cases, the ties date to the 1600s.
Obama’s distant family ties to former president George W. Bush and former vice-president Dick Cheney surfaced during his presidential campaign. Obama is also a distant cousin of billionaire investor Warren Buffett and actor Brad Pitt, according to Ancestry.com.
“It just shows how all of these politicians, they’re on different sides of the political spectrum, but in the end they’re all part of what makes America great, and they all go back to deep American roots,” says Anastasia Tyler, the lead genealogist on the project.
Obama’s white, Kansas-born mother’s side of the family dates back quite far and according to genealogyofpresidents.blogspot.com almost all the U.S. presidents in recent history are descendants of Charlemagne, the French King and Emperor of Rome.
Both Sarah Palin and Barack Obama can track their family trees back to Massachusetts settler John Smith, a Protestant pastor in the 1670s who opposed the persecution of Quakers. Smith’s wife was the sister of one of the first governors of the Plymouth Bay colony, Thomas Hinckley. Hinckley’s father, Samuel, is the familial link between Obama and Bush.
In some cases there is more than 1 connection between some presidents. Almost like a small town with a limited gene pool.
Obama’s and Limbaugh’s common ancestor is Richmond Terrell, who settled in Virginia around 1656 and acquired a large amount of land.
Everyone is related if you go back far enough, but its less likely to be in recent centuries. Although if the presidents are all descended from the early settlers you realize that there really was very FEW early settlers.
But boy oh boy, they must have had a lot of children.
The online genealogy service Ancestry.com now reports that Obama and Palin are 10th cousins, and Obama and Limbaugh are 10th cousins once removed. In both cases, the ties date to the 1600s.
Obama’s distant family ties to former president George W. Bush and former vice-president Dick Cheney surfaced during his presidential campaign. Obama is also a distant cousin of billionaire investor Warren Buffett and actor Brad Pitt, according to Ancestry.com.
“It just shows how all of these politicians, they’re on different sides of the political spectrum, but in the end they’re all part of what makes America great, and they all go back to deep American roots,” says Anastasia Tyler, the lead genealogist on the project.
Obama’s white, Kansas-born mother’s side of the family dates back quite far and according to genealogyofpresidents.blogspot.com almost all the U.S. presidents in recent history are descendants of Charlemagne, the French King and Emperor of Rome.
Both Sarah Palin and Barack Obama can track their family trees back to Massachusetts settler John Smith, a Protestant pastor in the 1670s who opposed the persecution of Quakers. Smith’s wife was the sister of one of the first governors of the Plymouth Bay colony, Thomas Hinckley. Hinckley’s father, Samuel, is the familial link between Obama and Bush.
In some cases there is more than 1 connection between some presidents. Almost like a small town with a limited gene pool.
Obama’s and Limbaugh’s common ancestor is Richmond Terrell, who settled in Virginia around 1656 and acquired a large amount of land.
Everyone is related if you go back far enough, but its less likely to be in recent centuries. Although if the presidents are all descended from the early settlers you realize that there really was very FEW early settlers.
But boy oh boy, they must have had a lot of children.
September 1, 2010
Iraq War officially over, says Obama
POLITICS - “Operation Iraqi Freedom is over," says United States President Barack Obama.
The declaration was spoken in a live address from the White House's Oval Office, marking the end of American combat operations in Iraq after 7 years of inability to find Weapons of Mass Destruction and the USA presiding over a civil war being Sunnis and Shiites.
Obama praised American soldiers, but admitted they still have work to do in Afghanistan where he now plans to take troops on the offensive. The 50,000 troops currently in Iraq are scheduled to leave by the end of 2011. Some may leave sooner to be restationed in Afghanistan where they are needed for a growing offensive against Taliban strongholds.
The fate of Iraq's feuding Sunni and Shiite factions, to say nothing of the Kurds in the north will have to be dealt with through diplomacy. The toll of the Iraq War includes 4,400 American soldiers killed, almost 32,000 wounded and over 106,000 Iraqi deaths (Stats from Iraqbodycount.com).
Obama didn't assign blame for the Iraq War and its failings. “It’s well known that he and I disagreed about the war from its outset. Yet no one could doubt President Bush’s support for the troops or his love of country or his commitment to our security,” said Obama.
On the topic of Afghanistan the President renewed his promise to drawback troops there in August 2011, which implies that if the USA still has works to do there it needs to be done more quickly and efficiently. "As was the case in Iraq, we cannot do for Afghans what they must ultimately do for themselves," says Barack Obama.
“The pace of our troop reductions will be determined by conditions on the ground and our support for Afghanistan will endure. But make no mistake – this transition will begin – because open-ended war serves neither our interests nor the Afghan people’s."
America's slow withdrawal of troops from Iraq also means that if war breaks out with Iran or North Korea that the USA will have more experienced troops they are able to draw upon in the event of such a conflict.
The declaration was spoken in a live address from the White House's Oval Office, marking the end of American combat operations in Iraq after 7 years of inability to find Weapons of Mass Destruction and the USA presiding over a civil war being Sunnis and Shiites.Obama praised American soldiers, but admitted they still have work to do in Afghanistan where he now plans to take troops on the offensive. The 50,000 troops currently in Iraq are scheduled to leave by the end of 2011. Some may leave sooner to be restationed in Afghanistan where they are needed for a growing offensive against Taliban strongholds.
The fate of Iraq's feuding Sunni and Shiite factions, to say nothing of the Kurds in the north will have to be dealt with through diplomacy. The toll of the Iraq War includes 4,400 American soldiers killed, almost 32,000 wounded and over 106,000 Iraqi deaths (Stats from Iraqbodycount.com).
Obama didn't assign blame for the Iraq War and its failings. “It’s well known that he and I disagreed about the war from its outset. Yet no one could doubt President Bush’s support for the troops or his love of country or his commitment to our security,” said Obama.
On the topic of Afghanistan the President renewed his promise to drawback troops there in August 2011, which implies that if the USA still has works to do there it needs to be done more quickly and efficiently. "As was the case in Iraq, we cannot do for Afghans what they must ultimately do for themselves," says Barack Obama.
“The pace of our troop reductions will be determined by conditions on the ground and our support for Afghanistan will endure. But make no mistake – this transition will begin – because open-ended war serves neither our interests nor the Afghan people’s."
America's slow withdrawal of troops from Iraq also means that if war breaks out with Iran or North Korea that the USA will have more experienced troops they are able to draw upon in the event of such a conflict.
August 10, 2010
Castro accuses USA of seeking nuclear war
POLITICS - Fidel Castro turns 84 next week but he is as feisty as ever. In a speech before the Cuban parliament Saturday, his first official visit in 4 years, Fidel Castro accused the United States of seeking nuclear war with North Korea and Israel of seeking nuclear war with Iran.
Surprisingly healthy-looking despite his recent health problems Fidel Castro appealed to President Barack Obama and other wealthy nations in his 11-minute speech to prevent a global nuclear war. It was a short speech compared to his normal hour long speeches he has given in decades past.
Castro has been writing and talking about the topic of nuclear war in recent months, believes that the United States and Israel will attack Iran and North Korea and suggests such a war will have dire consequences.
After the speech the floor was opened up to questions. One parliamentarian asked if Obama would be capable of starting a nuclear war and Castro replied, “No, not if we persuade him not to.”
“Fidel, Fidel, Fidel! Long live Fidel!” participants later chanted. Fidel Castro has been absent from politics since his emergency intestinal surgery in 2006 and his younger brother Raul has been leading the Cuban government in his absence. After the speech Fidel didn't sit in his normal chair, which had been reserved for him while he was gone, but instead sat beside a minister.
Fidel Castro has been the leader of Cuba for 50 years, ever since his band of revolutionaries toppled Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista on New Year’s Day 1959.
Surprisingly healthy-looking despite his recent health problems Fidel Castro appealed to President Barack Obama and other wealthy nations in his 11-minute speech to prevent a global nuclear war. It was a short speech compared to his normal hour long speeches he has given in decades past.Castro has been writing and talking about the topic of nuclear war in recent months, believes that the United States and Israel will attack Iran and North Korea and suggests such a war will have dire consequences.
After the speech the floor was opened up to questions. One parliamentarian asked if Obama would be capable of starting a nuclear war and Castro replied, “No, not if we persuade him not to.”
“Fidel, Fidel, Fidel! Long live Fidel!” participants later chanted. Fidel Castro has been absent from politics since his emergency intestinal surgery in 2006 and his younger brother Raul has been leading the Cuban government in his absence. After the speech Fidel didn't sit in his normal chair, which had been reserved for him while he was gone, but instead sat beside a minister.
Fidel Castro has been the leader of Cuba for 50 years, ever since his band of revolutionaries toppled Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista on New Year’s Day 1959.
April 30, 2010
Should the USA be worried about militias?
POLITICS - Should the United States be worried about the growth of anti-government militia groups? Yes and no, but for different reasons.
Since 2008 there has been an astonishing growth of anti-government militia groups with a hatred of the White House, the New York Stock Exchange and America's banking industry. The recent capture of the Hutaree militia / terrorist group for example was planning to attack police officers in the hopes of setting off a civil war between militia groups and the U.S. government.
Yes, the USA should worry about terrorist attacks on government and financial institutions. Such attacks would damage the USA's economy and defensive capabilities, leaving long term repercussions on civil liberties and the economic status quo.
No, the USA should not worry about possible civil war with militias. People are overestimating the number of right-wing fanatics out there actually willing to declare war on their own government. Wackos are rare and their schemes are ludicrous to say the least. The vast majority of militia groups support the government, not the other way around, so the assumption that all militias are inherently anti-government is wishful thinking on the part of would-be terrorists.
But that doesn't mean the government should not take these groups seriously for the potential to damage and cause chaos.
Calming down these people will take time however. We can't just assume they're all Astroturf conspiracy theorists. Some of their anger is real, especially when it comes to bank bailouts and the current economic crisis. It doesn't matter whether they blame Bush or Obama, they blame the government in general and that dissatisfaction needs to be addressed so that such groups can be diffused with common sense instead of calling out the SWAT team.
See Also
Christian militia sought civil war with US government
Anti-government sentiments a cause for concern
William Swor, Hutaree lawyer must be on crack
Since 2008 there has been an astonishing growth of anti-government militia groups with a hatred of the White House, the New York Stock Exchange and America's banking industry. The recent capture of the Hutaree militia / terrorist group for example was planning to attack police officers in the hopes of setting off a civil war between militia groups and the U.S. government.
Yes, the USA should worry about terrorist attacks on government and financial institutions. Such attacks would damage the USA's economy and defensive capabilities, leaving long term repercussions on civil liberties and the economic status quo.
No, the USA should not worry about possible civil war with militias. People are overestimating the number of right-wing fanatics out there actually willing to declare war on their own government. Wackos are rare and their schemes are ludicrous to say the least. The vast majority of militia groups support the government, not the other way around, so the assumption that all militias are inherently anti-government is wishful thinking on the part of would-be terrorists.
But that doesn't mean the government should not take these groups seriously for the potential to damage and cause chaos.
Calming down these people will take time however. We can't just assume they're all Astroturf conspiracy theorists. Some of their anger is real, especially when it comes to bank bailouts and the current economic crisis. It doesn't matter whether they blame Bush or Obama, they blame the government in general and that dissatisfaction needs to be addressed so that such groups can be diffused with common sense instead of calling out the SWAT team.
See Also
Christian militia sought civil war with US government
Anti-government sentiments a cause for concern
William Swor, Hutaree lawyer must be on crack
Military to help oil rig spill cleanup
ENVIRONMENT - Yesterday United States President Barack Obama said his administration will use “every single available resource at our disposal” to respond to the massive oil spill expected to reach the Gulf coastline today.
The government's response will include the Defence Department and Obama has dispatched three Cabinet officials to the region and has called the governors of the five Gulf Coast states to coordinate the cleanup efforts.
The oil company BP PLC will ultimately pay the cost of the cleanup. BP operated the offshore rig that exploded and sank last week.
The oil drilling underwater is leaking massive amounts of oil into the gulf coast. Its unknown when the drilling will be capped, but the environmental damages are already estimated to be catastrophic.
The government's response will include the Defence Department and Obama has dispatched three Cabinet officials to the region and has called the governors of the five Gulf Coast states to coordinate the cleanup efforts.
The oil company BP PLC will ultimately pay the cost of the cleanup. BP operated the offshore rig that exploded and sank last week.
The oil drilling underwater is leaking massive amounts of oil into the gulf coast. Its unknown when the drilling will be capped, but the environmental damages are already estimated to be catastrophic.
April 20, 2010
Anti-government sentiments a cause for concern
POLITICS - There is a small but growing number of Americans who are unhappy with the direction the United States is going. First the recession, then the bank bailouts by the Bush Administration, then a black president named Barack Obama, then free health care which they consider to be a socialist idea... coupled with America's changing demographics and it has conservative Christian families extremely worried about their future.
Basically its people like the Tea Party movement, the Branch Davidians in Waco Texas, the Oklahoma City bombers Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols, the Hutaree Christian militia, the Klu Klux Klan and anybody else which has a vendetta against America's democracy movment and increasing ethnic diversity.
The kind of people who think Barack Obama is like Stalin, Hitler or is the devil incarnate. The kind of people who think Satan or the anti-Christ is alive and we're all going to hell in 2012. You know, complete religious WACKOS who have lost touch with reality and are living in their own delusional fantasy world and take the Book of Revelations in the bible way too seriously.
9 years ago I recall a discussion with an university colleague from the USA and she mentioned something about how there was a very real threat of a second American Civil War. It was a mindboggling concept at the time and I thought she was exaggerating. To me the idea of Americans fighting amongst themselves was ludicrous because it drew a mental picture of people fighting in the streets. Complete anarchy seemed too far fetched and it still does.
Except that isn't really a practical method. What we should be worried about instead is DOMESTIC TERRORISM. Small groups acting alone but sharing their thoughts and ideas online via the internet in an effort to overthrow the U.S. government and establish some kind of new order where Christians (and to some extent white people) are the sole majority and all other religions or non-belief are banned.
The thing is however is I don't think the average Christian in the United States has any interest in overthrowing the U.S. government and creating a fascist regime in its place. These home-grown Christian terrorist groups are over-estimating their support and haven't clued in to what kind of minority they are.
Let me explain...
1. The percentage of Americans who are in a militia is relatively small compared to the larger number of Americans as a whole. Most of these militias are more casual and there more for fun, "weekend warriors", more than anything else. The danger is the religiously-motivated militias like the Hutaree who form conspiratory groups focused on acts of domestic terrorism. (The Hutaree wanted to wage war against police officers and form their own country located in Michigan, Indiana and Ohio. The Hutaree however grossly over estimate their ability to gain followers.)
2. The Klu Klux Klan is a leftover from the first American Civil War and reached its peak during the 1920s with 6 million members, a number which has become dramatically reduced. There is no shortage of racism in America however so its difficult to estimate their popularity. One thing is for certain: The KKK is incompetent. The KKK have been around for 145 years and have been nothing more than a thorn in the side of American politics and have focused their attentions more on denying African-Americans civil liberties, a task they ultimately failed in.
3. 76% of Americans identify themselves as Christians. 16% aren't religious at all and 8% are other religions. However this doesn't mean that 76% of Americans are die-hard Christian extremists. Like any religion the percenatage that fall into that category of extremism is likely less than 1%.
4. There are varied beliefs between the different anti-governmental groups. Some people just hate taxes. Some are worried about free "socialized" health care. Some are upset about bank bailouts. Some are just racist and upset about having a black president. Some are religious wackos who think the Apocalypse is coming. They're all divided on these issues and there is no leadership (which is a good thing!), and no amount of Sarah Palin lovers is going to change that.
Now I'm not saying that its impossible for the USA to become embroiled in an anti-government civil war, what I'm saying is its more likely to take the form of terrorism first because these individuals/groups have no real leadership, they are divided in their beliefs, they over-estimate their own numbers and they're under the delusion they could actually win popular support.
Lets pretend for a moment that the Anti-Christ is real. Not a real person per se, but conceptually... the Anti-Christ represents the perversion of Christianity. Taking Jesus Christ and using him as an excuse for war. No actual person, just a symbolic metaphor for people who are so obsessed with serving Jesus that they've warped Jesus Christ into an upside down version which allows them to commit murder and acts of terrorism.
Nothing about the brotherhood of mankind. Nothing about turning the other cheek. Just murder in the name of Jesus.
I'd argue that REAL Christians (and I've known quite a few, nice people for the most part) believe in forgiveness, acceptance and learning to live together peacefully.
This radicalized version of Christianity where men and women tote guns and have become deluded into thinking the U.S. government is in league with the devil... well, thats just plain wacko and has nothing to do with real Christianity beyond being a perversion of it.
My advice for Americans is that people need to think for themselves.
Jesus may be a good moral compass sometimes, but basing your beliefs on superstitious coincidences from numbers in the Book of Revelations is just silliness. Revelations mentions almost every number anyway so trying to predict the Apocalypse based on circumstantial numbers is a bit like trying to guess which baseball player will get paid the most based on a batting average from 5 years ago. Or guessing which horse will win the Kentucky Derby based on the weight of its jockey to the square root of the horse's best time on a wet track.
Judge people on their actions, not on their religion, race or shoe size.
Basically its people like the Tea Party movement, the Branch Davidians in Waco Texas, the Oklahoma City bombers Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols, the Hutaree Christian militia, the Klu Klux Klan and anybody else which has a vendetta against America's democracy movment and increasing ethnic diversity.
The kind of people who think Barack Obama is like Stalin, Hitler or is the devil incarnate. The kind of people who think Satan or the anti-Christ is alive and we're all going to hell in 2012. You know, complete religious WACKOS who have lost touch with reality and are living in their own delusional fantasy world and take the Book of Revelations in the bible way too seriously.
9 years ago I recall a discussion with an university colleague from the USA and she mentioned something about how there was a very real threat of a second American Civil War. It was a mindboggling concept at the time and I thought she was exaggerating. To me the idea of Americans fighting amongst themselves was ludicrous because it drew a mental picture of people fighting in the streets. Complete anarchy seemed too far fetched and it still does.
Except that isn't really a practical method. What we should be worried about instead is DOMESTIC TERRORISM. Small groups acting alone but sharing their thoughts and ideas online via the internet in an effort to overthrow the U.S. government and establish some kind of new order where Christians (and to some extent white people) are the sole majority and all other religions or non-belief are banned.
The thing is however is I don't think the average Christian in the United States has any interest in overthrowing the U.S. government and creating a fascist regime in its place. These home-grown Christian terrorist groups are over-estimating their support and haven't clued in to what kind of minority they are.
Let me explain...
1. The percentage of Americans who are in a militia is relatively small compared to the larger number of Americans as a whole. Most of these militias are more casual and there more for fun, "weekend warriors", more than anything else. The danger is the religiously-motivated militias like the Hutaree who form conspiratory groups focused on acts of domestic terrorism. (The Hutaree wanted to wage war against police officers and form their own country located in Michigan, Indiana and Ohio. The Hutaree however grossly over estimate their ability to gain followers.)
2. The Klu Klux Klan is a leftover from the first American Civil War and reached its peak during the 1920s with 6 million members, a number which has become dramatically reduced. There is no shortage of racism in America however so its difficult to estimate their popularity. One thing is for certain: The KKK is incompetent. The KKK have been around for 145 years and have been nothing more than a thorn in the side of American politics and have focused their attentions more on denying African-Americans civil liberties, a task they ultimately failed in.
3. 76% of Americans identify themselves as Christians. 16% aren't religious at all and 8% are other religions. However this doesn't mean that 76% of Americans are die-hard Christian extremists. Like any religion the percenatage that fall into that category of extremism is likely less than 1%.
4. There are varied beliefs between the different anti-governmental groups. Some people just hate taxes. Some are worried about free "socialized" health care. Some are upset about bank bailouts. Some are just racist and upset about having a black president. Some are religious wackos who think the Apocalypse is coming. They're all divided on these issues and there is no leadership (which is a good thing!), and no amount of Sarah Palin lovers is going to change that.
Now I'm not saying that its impossible for the USA to become embroiled in an anti-government civil war, what I'm saying is its more likely to take the form of terrorism first because these individuals/groups have no real leadership, they are divided in their beliefs, they over-estimate their own numbers and they're under the delusion they could actually win popular support.
Lets pretend for a moment that the Anti-Christ is real. Not a real person per se, but conceptually... the Anti-Christ represents the perversion of Christianity. Taking Jesus Christ and using him as an excuse for war. No actual person, just a symbolic metaphor for people who are so obsessed with serving Jesus that they've warped Jesus Christ into an upside down version which allows them to commit murder and acts of terrorism.
Nothing about the brotherhood of mankind. Nothing about turning the other cheek. Just murder in the name of Jesus.
I'd argue that REAL Christians (and I've known quite a few, nice people for the most part) believe in forgiveness, acceptance and learning to live together peacefully.
This radicalized version of Christianity where men and women tote guns and have become deluded into thinking the U.S. government is in league with the devil... well, thats just plain wacko and has nothing to do with real Christianity beyond being a perversion of it.
My advice for Americans is that people need to think for themselves.
Jesus may be a good moral compass sometimes, but basing your beliefs on superstitious coincidences from numbers in the Book of Revelations is just silliness. Revelations mentions almost every number anyway so trying to predict the Apocalypse based on circumstantial numbers is a bit like trying to guess which baseball player will get paid the most based on a batting average from 5 years ago. Or guessing which horse will win the Kentucky Derby based on the weight of its jockey to the square root of the horse's best time on a wet track.
Judge people on their actions, not on their religion, race or shoe size.
April 13, 2010
America to double exports by 2015
POLITICS - American President Barack Obama has issued an executive order called the "National Export Initiative" which aims to double American exports overseas by 2015 in an effort to boost the American economy.
The goal is simple: Increase factory productivity, increase exports overseas = more profits, more people working, less Americans unemployed.
By improving "conditions that directly affect the private sector's ability to export" and working to "remove trade barriers abroad" the idea is that businesses (large and small) will be more able to compete in a global economy.
The National Export Initiative includes:
The goal is simple: Increase factory productivity, increase exports overseas = more profits, more people working, less Americans unemployed.
By improving "conditions that directly affect the private sector's ability to export" and working to "remove trade barriers abroad" the idea is that businesses (large and small) will be more able to compete in a global economy.
The National Export Initiative includes:
"(a) Exports by Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs). Members of the Export Promotion Cabinet shall develop programs, in consultation with the TPCC, designed to enhance export assistance to SMEs, including programs that improve information and other technical assistance to first-time exporters and assist current exporters in identifying new export opportunities in international markets.
(b) Federal Export Assistance. Members of the Export Promotion Cabinet, in consultation with the TPCC, shall promote Federal resources currently available to assist exports by U.S. companies.
(c) Trade Missions. The Secretary of Commerce, in consultation with the TPCC and, to the extent possible, with State and local government officials and the private sector, shall ensure that U.S. Government-led trade missions effectively promote exports by U.S. companies.
(d) Commercial Advocacy. Members of the Export Promotion Cabinet, in consultation with other departments and agencies and in coordination with the Advocacy Center at the Department of Commerce, shall take steps to ensure that the Federal Government's commercial advocacy effectively promotes exports by U.S. companies.
(e) Increasing Export Credit. The President of the Export-Import Bank, in consultation with other members of the Export Promotion Cabinet, shall take steps to increase the availability of credit to SMEs.
(f) Macroeconomic Rebalancing. The Secretary of the Treasury, in consultation with other members of the Export Promotion Cabinet, shall promote balanced and strong growth in the global economy through the G20 Financial Ministers' process or other appropriate mechanisms.
(g) Reducing Barriers to Trade. The United States Trade Representative, in consultation with other members of the Export Promotion Cabinet, shall take steps to improve market access overseas for our manufacturers, farmers, and service providers by actively opening new markets, reducing significant trade barriers, and robustly enforcing our trade agreements.
(h) Export Promotion of Services. Members of the Export Promotion Cabinet shall develop a framework for promoting services trade, including the necessary policy and export promotion tools."
October 11, 2009
The Fat Tax is Coming
HEALTH/POLITICS - What was once a joke in political circles is now becoming a reality: The Fat Tax.
First, lets look at one example of a Fat Tax already on the books.
West Virginia and Arkansas already have a tax on soft drinks. New York City is about to do the same thing, which may indeed spread to the rest of the United States and Canada.
But other taxes are being proposed, such as taxes on 'unnatural' processed foods, fast food or anything containing an unhealthy ratio of fat/sugar/calories.
Its all part of America's ever widening battle with obesity. The idea is simple... tax unhealthy fattening foods and promote healthy alternatives / exercise.
For example last month Barack Obama openly mused about having a farmers' market across the street from the White House. It didn't happen, but this week Michelle Obama was cutting the ribbons to open a new farmers' market down the street a block away.
Michelle Obama also started her own vegetable garden on the White House lawn, again promoting the idea that Americans can save money and eat healthier (and get exercise) by growing their own vegetables.
Since 1999 the health costs of obesity in America have doubled. Its now over $147 billion per year.
Another closely related price is the $116 billion spent on type 2 diabetes, which is caused by overeating/lack of exercise.
Hundreds of billions more is spent on cardiovascular diseases and obesity-related cancers. The more we consume, the more toxic materials enter our bodies and cause serious health problems.
Creating a Fat Tax is only one part of the solution. The money raised from that tax needs to be used to help make more Farmers' Markets, promote healthy eating, boost support for children's sports and recreational activities, and boost public exercise programs / public gyms.
Between TV and the internet obesity is a growing problem that will eventually endanger America's ability to be competitive in the global marketplace. To say nothing of America's dropping birth rate, skyrocketing national debt, dependency on oil and all the other problems the United States is facing.
See Also
Anorexia Vs Obesity in North America
Obesity in Canada
American Obesity Rates
Obesity in China Skyrocketing
i'm fat and lovin' it - McDonalds and Obesity
Obese Shoppers are Discriminated in Stores
Lose Weight Canada, Get Lower Taxes
Healthy Eating Out
First, lets look at one example of a Fat Tax already on the books.West Virginia and Arkansas already have a tax on soft drinks. New York City is about to do the same thing, which may indeed spread to the rest of the United States and Canada.
FACT: Coke and other soft drinks account for a staggering 15% of the average American adolescent's daily caloric intake.
But other taxes are being proposed, such as taxes on 'unnatural' processed foods, fast food or anything containing an unhealthy ratio of fat/sugar/calories.
Its all part of America's ever widening battle with obesity. The idea is simple... tax unhealthy fattening foods and promote healthy alternatives / exercise.
For example last month Barack Obama openly mused about having a farmers' market across the street from the White House. It didn't happen, but this week Michelle Obama was cutting the ribbons to open a new farmers' market down the street a block away.
Michelle Obama also started her own vegetable garden on the White House lawn, again promoting the idea that Americans can save money and eat healthier (and get exercise) by growing their own vegetables.Since 1999 the health costs of obesity in America have doubled. Its now over $147 billion per year.
Another closely related price is the $116 billion spent on type 2 diabetes, which is caused by overeating/lack of exercise.
Hundreds of billions more is spent on cardiovascular diseases and obesity-related cancers. The more we consume, the more toxic materials enter our bodies and cause serious health problems.
According to the current rates in the rise of obesity 75% of Americans will be overweight or obese by 2015.
Creating a Fat Tax is only one part of the solution. The money raised from that tax needs to be used to help make more Farmers' Markets, promote healthy eating, boost support for children's sports and recreational activities, and boost public exercise programs / public gyms.
Between TV and the internet obesity is a growing problem that will eventually endanger America's ability to be competitive in the global marketplace. To say nothing of America's dropping birth rate, skyrocketing national debt, dependency on oil and all the other problems the United States is facing.
See Also
Anorexia Vs Obesity in North America
Obesity in Canada
American Obesity Rates
Obesity in China Skyrocketing
i'm fat and lovin' it - McDonalds and Obesity
Obese Shoppers are Discriminated in Stores
Lose Weight Canada, Get Lower Taxes
Healthy Eating Out
October 9, 2009
Barack Obama wins Nobel Peace Prize
POLITICS - Wow. Barack Obama hasn't even been elected a full year and he's already won a Nobel Peace Prize.
Too soon?
Even Obama thinks so. He is the first to admit the Nobel Peace Prize comes as a shock since he's been president for less than a year. The reason is he is receiving the prize is "for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples."
That's it? For diplomacy? I guess Oslo has been so upset about the lack of diplomacy under the Bush Administration that suddenly having a diplomat in power again comes as a bit of a shock.
While we do concede Obama deserves the Nobel Peace Prize for finally getting free health care for Americans, he still has to clean up George W. Bush's mess in Iraq and Afghanistan, fix the United States economy (which Bush left in shambles) and combat Climate Change.
No doubt by the time he is done Obama will be deserving of 3 or 4 Nobel Peace Prizes.
Perhaps Oslo is just getting a head start?
Too soon?
Even Obama thinks so. He is the first to admit the Nobel Peace Prize comes as a shock since he's been president for less than a year. The reason is he is receiving the prize is "for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples."
That's it? For diplomacy? I guess Oslo has been so upset about the lack of diplomacy under the Bush Administration that suddenly having a diplomat in power again comes as a bit of a shock.
While we do concede Obama deserves the Nobel Peace Prize for finally getting free health care for Americans, he still has to clean up George W. Bush's mess in Iraq and Afghanistan, fix the United States economy (which Bush left in shambles) and combat Climate Change.
No doubt by the time he is done Obama will be deserving of 3 or 4 Nobel Peace Prizes.
Perhaps Oslo is just getting a head start?
September 23, 2009
HST is not a tax increase, just a replacement
CANADA - Hello fellow Ontarians.
If you live in Ontario you may have recently received emails asking you to sign an online petition against the Harmonized Sales Tax that is due to come into effect on July 1st 2010.
I am going to point out that the HST is just an amalgamation of the 5% GST and the 8% PST. Its not a new tax. Its just a replacement of two old taxes. Its not a new tax. Its not even an increase. Its just a renaming/amalgamation of the GST and PST.
Several other provinces in Canada already have HST including New Brunswick, Newfoundland & Labrador and Nova Scotia. British Columbia is also switching to HST in July 2010. Doubtlessly other provinces will eventually follow.
There is actually some benefits of switching to HST too. Ontario will be able to decide what things are EXEMPT from tax instead of the federal government. There is a long list of things in Ontario exempt from PST but not from GST. There are some luxury items that may see a slight increase, but overall its nothing to be worried about.
More good news is beer and liquor taxes will come down 2% in restaurants and 4% in LCBOs. There are other examples too, too many to list them all.
Its unfortunate sometimes that some politicians sometimes get a bad reputation for "taxing the people" when in reality they haven't actually increased any taxes, just rearranged it a bit.
Take Barack Obama for example. In order to pave the way for universal health care in the United States he has cut the amount Americans who make over $250,000 / year get back when making charitable donations. It used to be if a wealthy American gave $ to charity they could claim it on their income taxes and they would get 35% back from the government. Barack Obama has since cut that amount to 28%.
So its not like Obama raised taxes or anything. All he did was shave 7% off the refund, and apparently that was a substantial amount enough to pay for universal free health care in the United States.
And yet you should see the lineup of people criticizing Obama for "increasing taxes", bringing about "socialized health care" and calling him a Communist for wanting to finally make the United States join the rest of the free world that already has free health care. Prior to this change the USA was the only western country that didn't have free health care.
Sometimes people need to give politicians the benefit of the doubt, even though they are generally an untrustworthy breed.
If you live in Ontario you may have recently received emails asking you to sign an online petition against the Harmonized Sales Tax that is due to come into effect on July 1st 2010.
I am going to point out that the HST is just an amalgamation of the 5% GST and the 8% PST. Its not a new tax. Its just a replacement of two old taxes. Its not a new tax. Its not even an increase. Its just a renaming/amalgamation of the GST and PST.
Several other provinces in Canada already have HST including New Brunswick, Newfoundland & Labrador and Nova Scotia. British Columbia is also switching to HST in July 2010. Doubtlessly other provinces will eventually follow.
There is actually some benefits of switching to HST too. Ontario will be able to decide what things are EXEMPT from tax instead of the federal government. There is a long list of things in Ontario exempt from PST but not from GST. There are some luxury items that may see a slight increase, but overall its nothing to be worried about.
More good news is beer and liquor taxes will come down 2% in restaurants and 4% in LCBOs. There are other examples too, too many to list them all.
Its unfortunate sometimes that some politicians sometimes get a bad reputation for "taxing the people" when in reality they haven't actually increased any taxes, just rearranged it a bit.
Take Barack Obama for example. In order to pave the way for universal health care in the United States he has cut the amount Americans who make over $250,000 / year get back when making charitable donations. It used to be if a wealthy American gave $ to charity they could claim it on their income taxes and they would get 35% back from the government. Barack Obama has since cut that amount to 28%.
So its not like Obama raised taxes or anything. All he did was shave 7% off the refund, and apparently that was a substantial amount enough to pay for universal free health care in the United States.
And yet you should see the lineup of people criticizing Obama for "increasing taxes", bringing about "socialized health care" and calling him a Communist for wanting to finally make the United States join the rest of the free world that already has free health care. Prior to this change the USA was the only western country that didn't have free health care.
Sometimes people need to give politicians the benefit of the doubt, even though they are generally an untrustworthy breed.
September 15, 2009
The Changing Face of American Capitalism
By Ai Lung Nguyen - September 2009.
ENTERTAINMENT/POLITICS - What is happening to American capitalism?
If you haven't noticed it seems to be unraveling at the seams. (Ha, pun.)
Its really a combination of personal debt, bank debt and government debt. All the debt has become unsustainable and lax government policies have refused to acknowledge the problem or try to pay back the skyrocketing debt.
Remember Bill Clinton? When he left office the American National Debt was going to be paid off in 4 years. George W. Bush got into power, gave out a bunch of tax breaks, went to war twice and more than tripled the US national debt to 11 trillion.
If he had just left it alone he could have paid it off and become the first Republican president to EVER pay off the debt. True, it was Clinton's doing, but that wouldn't have stopped him for taking credit for it.
But fiscal responsibility isn't exactly in the Republican phrasebook. They spend more than drunk liberals.
Bush also left the United States with the biggest recession since the Great Depression, leaving poor Barack Obama to clean up his mess. If Clinton's record is to be used as a benchmark it will take 12 years to pay off a debt 3 times the size. Which means since Obama will only be in power for 4-8 years he won't see the debt paid off under his administration, even in the sunniest of conditions.
After all we're still bogged down in two wars overseas. Its another Vietnam.
Times two!
On a related topic this sort of fiscal irresponsibility has really angered documentary maker Michael Moore. His latest film "Capitalism: A Love Story" discusses the bailouts George W. Bush gave to the American banking industry when the mortgage industry went bust.
"Capitalism: A Love Story" tracks the disintegration and corruption of America's banking and money systems to the 1980 election of Ronald Reagan. Reagan's "trickle-down" theory of empowered bankers and businessmen leading the peasants to greener fields became known as "Reagonomics" and was entirely bull-shit. It was designed to make the rich richer and the poor just stayed poor.
The problem with Reagonomics is that rich people don't spend money that often. They save it. It sits in banks and does nothing, collecting interest. Sometimes they invest it, but overall tax cuts for the rich doesn't really do anything but fatten their bank accounts a bit more.
"We, the American people allowed this to happen. We bought into this thing of, `Jesus, we could all be rich.' And it was just a big ruse. It was part of the Ponzi scheme. What is the difference between what Bernie Madoff did and what Reaganomics was about, which was to guarantee that the very few at the top of the pyramid were going to make off like bandits, and everybody else was going to work their asses off thinking they were going to get to the top of the pyramid?" says Michael Moore.
Moore knows some people in the USA are going to call him socialist and even communist for wanting to help the poor and middle-class, but he doesn't care.
"There's nothing wrong with buying stuff. I'm not going to be a hypocrite here. I have three iPods. I've got the little one, the nano, and the one that's got the screen. What I'm against is that sort of senseless consumerism that forces people to go into debt for things they shouldn't be going into debt for. It's crazy," says Moore.
The thing about capitalism is that it needs socialism and communism for it to work properly. Its like a three-legged stool. If you take out one or two legs the stool will collapse with just a nudge.
"Capitalism: A Love Story" opens October 2nd 2009.
ENTERTAINMENT/POLITICS - What is happening to American capitalism?
If you haven't noticed it seems to be unraveling at the seams. (Ha, pun.)Its really a combination of personal debt, bank debt and government debt. All the debt has become unsustainable and lax government policies have refused to acknowledge the problem or try to pay back the skyrocketing debt.
Remember Bill Clinton? When he left office the American National Debt was going to be paid off in 4 years. George W. Bush got into power, gave out a bunch of tax breaks, went to war twice and more than tripled the US national debt to 11 trillion.
If he had just left it alone he could have paid it off and become the first Republican president to EVER pay off the debt. True, it was Clinton's doing, but that wouldn't have stopped him for taking credit for it.
But fiscal responsibility isn't exactly in the Republican phrasebook. They spend more than drunk liberals.
Bush also left the United States with the biggest recession since the Great Depression, leaving poor Barack Obama to clean up his mess. If Clinton's record is to be used as a benchmark it will take 12 years to pay off a debt 3 times the size. Which means since Obama will only be in power for 4-8 years he won't see the debt paid off under his administration, even in the sunniest of conditions.
After all we're still bogged down in two wars overseas. Its another Vietnam.
Times two!
On a related topic this sort of fiscal irresponsibility has really angered documentary maker Michael Moore. His latest film "Capitalism: A Love Story" discusses the bailouts George W. Bush gave to the American banking industry when the mortgage industry went bust.
"Capitalism: A Love Story" tracks the disintegration and corruption of America's banking and money systems to the 1980 election of Ronald Reagan. Reagan's "trickle-down" theory of empowered bankers and businessmen leading the peasants to greener fields became known as "Reagonomics" and was entirely bull-shit. It was designed to make the rich richer and the poor just stayed poor.
The problem with Reagonomics is that rich people don't spend money that often. They save it. It sits in banks and does nothing, collecting interest. Sometimes they invest it, but overall tax cuts for the rich doesn't really do anything but fatten their bank accounts a bit more.
"We, the American people allowed this to happen. We bought into this thing of, `Jesus, we could all be rich.' And it was just a big ruse. It was part of the Ponzi scheme. What is the difference between what Bernie Madoff did and what Reaganomics was about, which was to guarantee that the very few at the top of the pyramid were going to make off like bandits, and everybody else was going to work their asses off thinking they were going to get to the top of the pyramid?" says Michael Moore.
Moore knows some people in the USA are going to call him socialist and even communist for wanting to help the poor and middle-class, but he doesn't care.
"There's nothing wrong with buying stuff. I'm not going to be a hypocrite here. I have three iPods. I've got the little one, the nano, and the one that's got the screen. What I'm against is that sort of senseless consumerism that forces people to go into debt for things they shouldn't be going into debt for. It's crazy," says Moore.
The thing about capitalism is that it needs socialism and communism for it to work properly. Its like a three-legged stool. If you take out one or two legs the stool will collapse with just a nudge.
"Capitalism: A Love Story" opens October 2nd 2009.
September 14, 2009
Obama says No More Bailouts
POLITICS - President Barack Obama sternly warned Wall Street today that there will no more bailouts. The bailouts were George W. Bush's idea and there will be no bailouts under Obama's administration. Especially when Wall Street has gone back to its old tricks of paying huge pay-cheques to corrupt CEOs and executives.
Obama meanwhile stressed that it was his $787 billion stimulus package which pulled the the United States back from the brink of a second Great Depression.
Obama meanwhile stressed that it was his $787 billion stimulus package which pulled the the United States back from the brink of a second Great Depression.
Obama extends Cuba embargo for only 1 year
POLITICS - In the United States today President Barack Obama extended the U.S. trade embargo on the Communist nation of Cuba for one year.
Usually U.S. Presidents renew the trade embargo for four years, the length of their presidency, but Obama renewed it for only a single year, a symbolic gesture which gives Congress another year to solve their differences with Cuba.
There have been numerous signs of a thaw in U.S.-Cuban ties. Early last year Raul Castro took over as president from his brother, Fidel. Fidel Castro has been the Cuban head of state since leading the revolution that ousted the corrupt U.S.-backed Batista regime on January 1st 1959.
Under existing U.S. law, the Helms-Burton Act, Congress is required to take action specifically ending the trade embargo, but diplomacy is often a slow process and the easing of U.S.-Cuban animosity is bogged down in negotiations and red tape.
The last extension by former President George W. Bush ran out on September 11th 2009.
When the trade embargo does end it means the United States and Cuba will finally be able to explore options that would create cooperation between their two nations. Currently Cuba serves as a cheap vacation spot for Canadians, British and other nations.
Cuba's economy is almost entirely dependent on tourism. Its only other economic virtues is sugarcane, tobacco, nickel, citrus fruits and coffee.
Usually U.S. Presidents renew the trade embargo for four years, the length of their presidency, but Obama renewed it for only a single year, a symbolic gesture which gives Congress another year to solve their differences with Cuba.There have been numerous signs of a thaw in U.S.-Cuban ties. Early last year Raul Castro took over as president from his brother, Fidel. Fidel Castro has been the Cuban head of state since leading the revolution that ousted the corrupt U.S.-backed Batista regime on January 1st 1959.
Under existing U.S. law, the Helms-Burton Act, Congress is required to take action specifically ending the trade embargo, but diplomacy is often a slow process and the easing of U.S.-Cuban animosity is bogged down in negotiations and red tape.
The last extension by former President George W. Bush ran out on September 11th 2009.When the trade embargo does end it means the United States and Cuba will finally be able to explore options that would create cooperation between their two nations. Currently Cuba serves as a cheap vacation spot for Canadians, British and other nations.
Cuba's economy is almost entirely dependent on tourism. Its only other economic virtues is sugarcane, tobacco, nickel, citrus fruits and coffee.
September 1, 2009
Clinton pushing climate change initiatives in Canada
ENVIRONMENT - Bill Clinton was in Canada last Saturday promoting climate change initiatives and free health care.
Of course, Canada already has free health care, but the point is still made. The United States is just starting on the road to free health care, for every uninsured child, senior and adult in the United States.
Clinton tried to pass free health care during his 8 years in the White House and only managed a few meager initiatives, health care programs for uninsured children. His goal of free health care for Americans was shouted down by Republican bigots in Congress worried about the overall cost and "Communist-style health care" (which is nonsense, because the USA up until 2009 was the only western country that didn't have free health care).
When George W. Bush got into power America's public health care system took one step forward and two steps backward. Bush signed into law a Medicare drug benefit program (something even Canada doesn't have), but later vetoed State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) legislation which would have expanded free health care to ten million American children (and would have been funded by a modest increase to cigarette taxes).
Since getting into power President Obama has quickly managed to do what Clinton couldn't do because he didn't have support from Congress, and what Bush refused to do because he doesn't give a damn about poor people. Less than a month in power and riding on overwhelming support and a Democratic majority in Congress, Obama signed the United States into a new era of free health care.
The issue is still being discussed in Congress, but its essentially a done deal. Better yet Obama already found a way to pay for it by decreasing the amount wealthy people get back from the IRS when they make charitable donations. Wealthy Americans used to get back 35% of their donation, but now they only get back 28%.
And poof! Free health care in America finally became a reality. Done and paid for.
Now if only we could do the same thing for the environment?
Clinton is effectively an unofficial ambassador for the Obama administration. So whenever he visits Canada or other nations overseas to give speeches, he's not just acting as a former president who cares about the USA, he's acting as a global ambassador for the USA to the rest of the world. That is how a former American president should act... help the USA and the world by being a spokesperson. (You will note Bush in comparison avoids the spotlight as much as possible.)
The problem is that selling the environment is a much tougher sell than health care (and we can see how long it took Americans to join the rest of the civilized world).
Think of it like a car... when you buy a new car from the Ford Motor Co. you expect it to work properly. But lo and behold they bought cheap brakes from China and the next thing you know you are upside down in a ditch, the car is on fire and in order to rescue you the firemen have to amputee your leg.
Afterwards you sue the Ford Motor Co. for damages (because they imported faulty brakes from China) and are awarded millions. Ford then promises to only buy quality brakes built in North America and has to recall thousands of cars to replace the brakes on each one.
But what about the tailpipe? Try and make the argument that cars pollute, produce greenhouse gases, which locks in heat, which causes global warming, which causes climate change, which causes a host of other environmental problems like polar ice caps melting and rising sea levels.
You can't sue Ford for damages. You'd have to sue the entire automotive industry, the coal industry and any other industry producing excess amounts of greenhouses gases... and it wouldn't just be the United States. It would be a global lawsuit. Its so ridiculously huge it would just plain never happen.
Thus trying to sell green initiatives to Americans can be very tricky. We can't even do it in Canada because we currently have a corrupt Conservative government under the "do nothing" bogus Prime Minister Stephen Harper. Harper has no intention of setting caps on greenhouse gases. He's been bought and paid off by the Alberta oil industry and the Atlantic coal industry.
Name one thing Harper has done to help the environment since getting into the PM's chair in February 2006? He announced some new national parks. That is it. The man epitomizes the "do nothing" approach to politics.
There has been no new "climate change initiatives" in Canada since Paul Martin left power in 2006.
And thus we come full circle. Now we understand why Bill Clinton is pushing such initiatives in Canada. Its because our own government is too lazy and corrupt to do it themselves.
83% of Canadians support initiatives to combat global warming and climate change. So why can't we elect a government that will actually make good on its promises?
Its because Canada has three separate left-wing parties: The Liberals, the NDP and the Greens. The NDP and the Greens will NEVER get elected and win a majority government, but the vote splitting between the three has resulted in the Liberal party being held back from winning majority governments. Its the reason we keep getting minority Conservative governments.
Remember Stephane Dion's idea to put a tax on carbon emissions? He bet an election on it and failed, despite the fact that it was originally a Conservative idea. What happened was the Reform Party (which has since changed its name to the Canadian Alliance Party, and changed it again to the Conservative Party) held a discussion back when Jean Chretien was still in power. Chretien wanted to put a cap on carbon emissions, but the Reform Party under Stockwell Day thought it was a better idea to just tax carbon emissions instead.
Stephen Harper later replaced Stockwell Day as leader, but because Harper is a puppet of the oil industry (whereas Stockwell Day is a puppet of right wing Christians) they had to abandon the carbon tax idea... which left it to be picked up by the Liberals and touted.
The problem is there really is no other ways to combat climate change. We have to cut carbon emissions somehow, and the only ways to do that is:
Which implies we will eventually start taxing/capping greenhouse gases anyway. Its just a matter of who will do it first, Canada or the United States?
Judging by the fact Obama has a majority of Democrats in Congress the USA might beat Canada to it.
Of course, Canada already has free health care, but the point is still made. The United States is just starting on the road to free health care, for every uninsured child, senior and adult in the United States.Clinton tried to pass free health care during his 8 years in the White House and only managed a few meager initiatives, health care programs for uninsured children. His goal of free health care for Americans was shouted down by Republican bigots in Congress worried about the overall cost and "Communist-style health care" (which is nonsense, because the USA up until 2009 was the only western country that didn't have free health care).
When George W. Bush got into power America's public health care system took one step forward and two steps backward. Bush signed into law a Medicare drug benefit program (something even Canada doesn't have), but later vetoed State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) legislation which would have expanded free health care to ten million American children (and would have been funded by a modest increase to cigarette taxes).
Since getting into power President Obama has quickly managed to do what Clinton couldn't do because he didn't have support from Congress, and what Bush refused to do because he doesn't give a damn about poor people. Less than a month in power and riding on overwhelming support and a Democratic majority in Congress, Obama signed the United States into a new era of free health care.The issue is still being discussed in Congress, but its essentially a done deal. Better yet Obama already found a way to pay for it by decreasing the amount wealthy people get back from the IRS when they make charitable donations. Wealthy Americans used to get back 35% of their donation, but now they only get back 28%.
And poof! Free health care in America finally became a reality. Done and paid for.
Now if only we could do the same thing for the environment?
Clinton is effectively an unofficial ambassador for the Obama administration. So whenever he visits Canada or other nations overseas to give speeches, he's not just acting as a former president who cares about the USA, he's acting as a global ambassador for the USA to the rest of the world. That is how a former American president should act... help the USA and the world by being a spokesperson. (You will note Bush in comparison avoids the spotlight as much as possible.)
The problem is that selling the environment is a much tougher sell than health care (and we can see how long it took Americans to join the rest of the civilized world).
Think of it like a car... when you buy a new car from the Ford Motor Co. you expect it to work properly. But lo and behold they bought cheap brakes from China and the next thing you know you are upside down in a ditch, the car is on fire and in order to rescue you the firemen have to amputee your leg.
Afterwards you sue the Ford Motor Co. for damages (because they imported faulty brakes from China) and are awarded millions. Ford then promises to only buy quality brakes built in North America and has to recall thousands of cars to replace the brakes on each one.
But what about the tailpipe? Try and make the argument that cars pollute, produce greenhouse gases, which locks in heat, which causes global warming, which causes climate change, which causes a host of other environmental problems like polar ice caps melting and rising sea levels.
You can't sue Ford for damages. You'd have to sue the entire automotive industry, the coal industry and any other industry producing excess amounts of greenhouses gases... and it wouldn't just be the United States. It would be a global lawsuit. Its so ridiculously huge it would just plain never happen.
Thus trying to sell green initiatives to Americans can be very tricky. We can't even do it in Canada because we currently have a corrupt Conservative government under the "do nothing" bogus Prime Minister Stephen Harper. Harper has no intention of setting caps on greenhouse gases. He's been bought and paid off by the Alberta oil industry and the Atlantic coal industry.
Name one thing Harper has done to help the environment since getting into the PM's chair in February 2006? He announced some new national parks. That is it. The man epitomizes the "do nothing" approach to politics.There has been no new "climate change initiatives" in Canada since Paul Martin left power in 2006.
And thus we come full circle. Now we understand why Bill Clinton is pushing such initiatives in Canada. Its because our own government is too lazy and corrupt to do it themselves.
83% of Canadians support initiatives to combat global warming and climate change. So why can't we elect a government that will actually make good on its promises?
Its because Canada has three separate left-wing parties: The Liberals, the NDP and the Greens. The NDP and the Greens will NEVER get elected and win a majority government, but the vote splitting between the three has resulted in the Liberal party being held back from winning majority governments. Its the reason we keep getting minority Conservative governments.
Remember Stephane Dion's idea to put a tax on carbon emissions? He bet an election on it and failed, despite the fact that it was originally a Conservative idea. What happened was the Reform Party (which has since changed its name to the Canadian Alliance Party, and changed it again to the Conservative Party) held a discussion back when Jean Chretien was still in power. Chretien wanted to put a cap on carbon emissions, but the Reform Party under Stockwell Day thought it was a better idea to just tax carbon emissions instead.
Stephen Harper later replaced Stockwell Day as leader, but because Harper is a puppet of the oil industry (whereas Stockwell Day is a puppet of right wing Christians) they had to abandon the carbon tax idea... which left it to be picked up by the Liberals and touted.
The problem is there really is no other ways to combat climate change. We have to cut carbon emissions somehow, and the only ways to do that is:
- Cap Carbon Emissions.
- Tax Carbon Emissions (and hope companies reduce the amount they release).
- Make cars more efficient (which we've already done).
- Increase sales of more fuel efficient cars like hybrids, electrics, hydrogen, etc. (which we are currently doing).
- Phase out coal powered plants by building lots of solar/wind alternatives (which we are doing already).
Which implies we will eventually start taxing/capping greenhouse gases anyway. Its just a matter of who will do it first, Canada or the United States?
Judging by the fact Obama has a majority of Democrats in Congress the USA might beat Canada to it.
August 21, 2009
Poll shows Obama is a Moderate Democrat
POLITICS/UNITED STATES - The popular political comic strip Doonesbury has been conducting a poll on their website recently. Its for fun, but the results are rather amusing.
In the poll you are asked two questions:
1. Is Obama a Nazi, a Socialist or a Moderate Democrat?
2. Are you a Nazi, a Socialist or a Moderate Democrat? Check one.
Out of the approx. 6000 votes so far tallied 91% of people identified Obama as a moderate Democrat. Approx. 5% thought Obama was a Socialist and approx. 2% called him a Nazi. (You will note the numbers do not add up to 100% because they don't include decimals.)
More so the majority of the people who were calling Obama a Nazi claimed on the survey that they themselves were a Nazi (maybe they got confused and checked the wrong box?). But even so 44% of self-proclaimed Nazis still thought Obama was a moderate Democrat, 16% thought he was a Socialist and only 39% of Nazis called Obama such (which again suggests people got confused about what box to check).
So what you get out of this is that the Nazis and the Socialists are calling Obama a Liberal and a moderate Democrat... evidently he's not a Nazi/etc, but some people will stoop to any level just because they don't like free health care.
And those people who are stooping so low are Republicans. (BTW, no serious Republican would ever read Doonesbury. They would have to be a left leaning Republican if they read it and participated in the above poll.) Its the Republicans who are sour about losing the 2008 election, and apparently are so uneducated they don't know the difference between Socialism and Nazism, who are calling Obama a Nazi or a Socialist or both.
And even dumber is why they are calling Obama a Nazi or a Socialist.
I mean come on... the guy gets into power, decides its time for Americans to have free health care, finds the money to pay for it, and then they call him a Nazi for "imposing his will on America" and call him a Socialist for giving away free health care? Americans have been demanding free health care for decades, its not like they weren't asking for it.
All the fuss is because Republicans are worried about the COST of free health care. They apparently don't worry about the cost of free education, police, fire, military services... but free health care? Oh no!
The silly thing is how Obama paid for it. Its already a done deal.
All he did is cut a income tax refund for charitable donations for people making over $250,000/year. So instead of a 35% refund they now only get a 28% refund. The 7% more the government keeps was enough money to pay for free health care for all Americans. So its not like Obama raised taxes or anything... all he did was cut back on a refund.
After its done and paid for however there's always a percentage of people who complain... like whats being going on with the car industry and the banking industry. Although you can't blame Obama for the bailouts because that was all Bush's doing while he was still in power.
True, Obama has helped out the auto industry (cleaning up Bush's mess), but Congress has helped out the auto industry many times before during Bush Sr's era and the Reagan era. Its hardly anything new. Every time there is a recession the auto industry asks for bailouts and loans (which they eventually paid back).
Calling a sitting president a Nazi is nothing new. Quite a few people called George W. Bush a Nazi during his time in the Oval Office, but in reality Bush was just a man who made mistakes and occasionally put his foot in his mouth. It is still questionable as to whether Bush was the corrupt puppet or the evil puppeteer pretending to be dumb, but he was certainly not a Nazi.
And calling Obama such is just plain ridiculous and childish.
In the poll you are asked two questions:
1. Is Obama a Nazi, a Socialist or a Moderate Democrat?
- Obama is a Nazi. Totalitarian and anti-parliamentarian, he opposes economic and political liberalism. He also believes in a racially and ethnically pure state -- and mass murder to achieve that end.
- Obama is a Socialist. Deeply opposed to capitalism, he believes in class struggle, the redistribution of wealth, and in state ownership and management of the production of goods.
- Obama is a moderate Democrat. He believes in compromise, civil discourse, and modest, incremental policy reform, disappointing everyone but the centrist voters who made his presidency possible.
2. Are you a Nazi, a Socialist or a Moderate Democrat? Check one.
Out of the approx. 6000 votes so far tallied 91% of people identified Obama as a moderate Democrat. Approx. 5% thought Obama was a Socialist and approx. 2% called him a Nazi. (You will note the numbers do not add up to 100% because they don't include decimals.)
More so the majority of the people who were calling Obama a Nazi claimed on the survey that they themselves were a Nazi (maybe they got confused and checked the wrong box?). But even so 44% of self-proclaimed Nazis still thought Obama was a moderate Democrat, 16% thought he was a Socialist and only 39% of Nazis called Obama such (which again suggests people got confused about what box to check).
So what you get out of this is that the Nazis and the Socialists are calling Obama a Liberal and a moderate Democrat... evidently he's not a Nazi/etc, but some people will stoop to any level just because they don't like free health care.
And those people who are stooping so low are Republicans. (BTW, no serious Republican would ever read Doonesbury. They would have to be a left leaning Republican if they read it and participated in the above poll.) Its the Republicans who are sour about losing the 2008 election, and apparently are so uneducated they don't know the difference between Socialism and Nazism, who are calling Obama a Nazi or a Socialist or both.
And even dumber is why they are calling Obama a Nazi or a Socialist.
I mean come on... the guy gets into power, decides its time for Americans to have free health care, finds the money to pay for it, and then they call him a Nazi for "imposing his will on America" and call him a Socialist for giving away free health care? Americans have been demanding free health care for decades, its not like they weren't asking for it.
All the fuss is because Republicans are worried about the COST of free health care. They apparently don't worry about the cost of free education, police, fire, military services... but free health care? Oh no!
The silly thing is how Obama paid for it. Its already a done deal.
All he did is cut a income tax refund for charitable donations for people making over $250,000/year. So instead of a 35% refund they now only get a 28% refund. The 7% more the government keeps was enough money to pay for free health care for all Americans. So its not like Obama raised taxes or anything... all he did was cut back on a refund.
After its done and paid for however there's always a percentage of people who complain... like whats being going on with the car industry and the banking industry. Although you can't blame Obama for the bailouts because that was all Bush's doing while he was still in power.
True, Obama has helped out the auto industry (cleaning up Bush's mess), but Congress has helped out the auto industry many times before during Bush Sr's era and the Reagan era. Its hardly anything new. Every time there is a recession the auto industry asks for bailouts and loans (which they eventually paid back).
Calling a sitting president a Nazi is nothing new. Quite a few people called George W. Bush a Nazi during his time in the Oval Office, but in reality Bush was just a man who made mistakes and occasionally put his foot in his mouth. It is still questionable as to whether Bush was the corrupt puppet or the evil puppeteer pretending to be dumb, but he was certainly not a Nazi.
And calling Obama such is just plain ridiculous and childish.
May 4, 2009
Stocks markets up, Obama vows to catch tax cheats
POLITICS - There are increasing signs the American recession may end sooner than expected. For starters the Toronto Stock Exchange charged ahead again today, extending a rally that has propelled Canada's main index up 30% in less than two months and it is just one of many stock markets that have been doing better over the last 3 months suggesting the global economy is stabilizing and Obama's (and Canada's) stimulus package is working.
Today alone Toronto's S&P/TSX composite index surged 373.41 points to 9,870.37. It was the biggest one-day gain so far in 2009. Most of the gains have been in the last 2 months, with the TSX up over 2300 points since early March.
In the United States the Dow Jones industrial average gained 214.33 points today to 8,426.74 while the Nasdaq composite index climbed 44.36 to 1,763.56.
Construction spending is the USA is finally up and home sales are up again too. Commodity stocks are up, but so is oil prices (to $54.47 USD per barrel). These are all positive signs that the recession (which many economists have avoided calling a depression) may be on the rebound finally.
OBAMA PLANS TO CLOSE TAX LOOPHOLES
How do you pay for a stimulus package without raising taxes? Well, you can start by catching tax cheats who have been storing their ill-gotten cash in offshore bank accounts.
For years now greedy tax cheats in the United Statess have been storing their profits overseas in offshore bank accounts. Sometimes the money is the result of criminal activity or corporate corruption, which is also something that needs to be addressed.
President Barack Obama vowed today to "detect and pursue" American tax evaders and go after their offshore tax shelters. The Obama administration will begin by overhauling the U.S. tax code, so that existing laws that make it possible to "pay lower taxes if you create a job in Bangalore, India, than if you create one in Buffalo, New York."
After all, why should corporate bad-boys get a tax break for making jobs overseas. Wouldn't it make more sense to give them a tax break for making jobs in North America?
President Obama said he wants to prevent U.S. companies from deferring tax payments by keeping profits in foreign countries rather than recording them at home and called for more transparency in bank accounts that Americans hold in notorious tax havens like the Cayman Islands.
"If financial institutions won't cooperate with us, we will assume that they are sheltering money in tax havens and act accordingly," Obama said.
This was also one of Obama's campaign promises and he hammered on this issue repeatedly during his long campaign for the White House. Tracking down these tax cheats could result in an extra $210 billion over 10 years and "make it easier" for companies to create jobs at home. Over a decade, $210 billion would make a welcome dent in a federal deficit expected to swell to $1.2 trillion in 2010 due to the new stimulus package.
Under the new plan, companies would no longer be able to write off domestic expenses for generating profits abroad. The goal is to reduce the incentive for U.S. companies to base all or part of their manufacturing operations in other countries.
Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner called the new move "common-sense changes designed to restore balance to our tax code."
"Nobody likes paying taxes, particularly in times of economic stress," Obama said. "But most Americans meet their responsibilities because they understand that it's an obligation of citizenship, necessary to pay the costs of our common defence and our mutual well-being."
The current tax code, he said, makes it too easy for "a small number of individuals and companies to abuse overseas tax havens to avoid paying any taxes at all."
The government is hiring nearly 800 new IRS agents to enforce the U.S. tax code and catch tax cheats.
Today alone Toronto's S&P/TSX composite index surged 373.41 points to 9,870.37. It was the biggest one-day gain so far in 2009. Most of the gains have been in the last 2 months, with the TSX up over 2300 points since early March.
In the United States the Dow Jones industrial average gained 214.33 points today to 8,426.74 while the Nasdaq composite index climbed 44.36 to 1,763.56.
Construction spending is the USA is finally up and home sales are up again too. Commodity stocks are up, but so is oil prices (to $54.47 USD per barrel). These are all positive signs that the recession (which many economists have avoided calling a depression) may be on the rebound finally.
OBAMA PLANS TO CLOSE TAX LOOPHOLES
How do you pay for a stimulus package without raising taxes? Well, you can start by catching tax cheats who have been storing their ill-gotten cash in offshore bank accounts.
For years now greedy tax cheats in the United Statess have been storing their profits overseas in offshore bank accounts. Sometimes the money is the result of criminal activity or corporate corruption, which is also something that needs to be addressed.
President Barack Obama vowed today to "detect and pursue" American tax evaders and go after their offshore tax shelters. The Obama administration will begin by overhauling the U.S. tax code, so that existing laws that make it possible to "pay lower taxes if you create a job in Bangalore, India, than if you create one in Buffalo, New York."
After all, why should corporate bad-boys get a tax break for making jobs overseas. Wouldn't it make more sense to give them a tax break for making jobs in North America?
President Obama said he wants to prevent U.S. companies from deferring tax payments by keeping profits in foreign countries rather than recording them at home and called for more transparency in bank accounts that Americans hold in notorious tax havens like the Cayman Islands.
"If financial institutions won't cooperate with us, we will assume that they are sheltering money in tax havens and act accordingly," Obama said.
This was also one of Obama's campaign promises and he hammered on this issue repeatedly during his long campaign for the White House. Tracking down these tax cheats could result in an extra $210 billion over 10 years and "make it easier" for companies to create jobs at home. Over a decade, $210 billion would make a welcome dent in a federal deficit expected to swell to $1.2 trillion in 2010 due to the new stimulus package.
Under the new plan, companies would no longer be able to write off domestic expenses for generating profits abroad. The goal is to reduce the incentive for U.S. companies to base all or part of their manufacturing operations in other countries.
Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner called the new move "common-sense changes designed to restore balance to our tax code."
"Nobody likes paying taxes, particularly in times of economic stress," Obama said. "But most Americans meet their responsibilities because they understand that it's an obligation of citizenship, necessary to pay the costs of our common defence and our mutual well-being."
The current tax code, he said, makes it too easy for "a small number of individuals and companies to abuse overseas tax havens to avoid paying any taxes at all."
The government is hiring nearly 800 new IRS agents to enforce the U.S. tax code and catch tax cheats.
April 20, 2009
CIA tortured 2 men 266 times
POLITICS - CIA interrogators used waterboarding, the near-drowning torture technique that top Obama administration officials have described as illegal torture, 266 times on two key prisoners from Al-Qaida, far more than had been previously reported, according to a series of legal memos released in the United States last Thursday.
The CIA officers used waterboarding at least 83 times in August 2002 against Abu Zubaydah, according to a 2005 Justice Department legal memorandum. Zubaydah is believed to be an Al-Qaida operative.
Former CIA officer, John Kiriakou, told ABC News and other news media organizations in 2007 that Zubaydah had undergone waterboarding for only 35 seconds before agreeing to tell everything he knew. But apparently Kiriakou lied.
The 2005 legal memo also says that the CIA used waterboarding 183 times in March 2003 against Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, the self-described planner of the September 11th 2001, terrorist attacks.
No info was gained from Shaikh Mohammed, but rather the torture was simply punishment.
The New York Times reported in 2007 that Mohammed had been barraged more than 100 times with harsh interrogation methods, causing CIA officers to worry that they might have crossed legal limits and to halt his questioning. But the precise number and the exact nature of the interrogation method were not previously known.
The release of the numbers has become part of the debate about the lack of morality by the Justice Department under the Bush administration, which George W. Bush had flip-flopped over whether torture should be condoned or not.
CIA officials had opposed the release of the interrogation memo, dated May 30th 2005, which was one of four secret legal memos on interrogation that were ordered to be released last Thursday.
Congress has now made several proposals for a "truth commission" to examine the Bush administration's 'War on Terrorism' programs, including torture, wiretapping and illegal eavesdropping on Americans.
The Senate Intelligence Committee has begun a year-long, closed-door investigation of the CIA interrogation program, in part to assess claims of Bush administration officials that brutal treatment, including slamming prisoners into walls, shackling them in standing positions for days and confining them in small boxes, was necessary to get information.
Or whether they did it just for fun.
Remember Abu Ghraib prison? I don't think it would surprise Americans to learn the prisoners in Guantanamo were being tortured just to pass the time.
The CIA officers used waterboarding at least 83 times in August 2002 against Abu Zubaydah, according to a 2005 Justice Department legal memorandum. Zubaydah is believed to be an Al-Qaida operative.Former CIA officer, John Kiriakou, told ABC News and other news media organizations in 2007 that Zubaydah had undergone waterboarding for only 35 seconds before agreeing to tell everything he knew. But apparently Kiriakou lied.
The 2005 legal memo also says that the CIA used waterboarding 183 times in March 2003 against Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, the self-described planner of the September 11th 2001, terrorist attacks.
No info was gained from Shaikh Mohammed, but rather the torture was simply punishment.
The New York Times reported in 2007 that Mohammed had been barraged more than 100 times with harsh interrogation methods, causing CIA officers to worry that they might have crossed legal limits and to halt his questioning. But the precise number and the exact nature of the interrogation method were not previously known.The release of the numbers has become part of the debate about the lack of morality by the Justice Department under the Bush administration, which George W. Bush had flip-flopped over whether torture should be condoned or not.
CIA officials had opposed the release of the interrogation memo, dated May 30th 2005, which was one of four secret legal memos on interrogation that were ordered to be released last Thursday.
Congress has now made several proposals for a "truth commission" to examine the Bush administration's 'War on Terrorism' programs, including torture, wiretapping and illegal eavesdropping on Americans.
The Senate Intelligence Committee has begun a year-long, closed-door investigation of the CIA interrogation program, in part to assess claims of Bush administration officials that brutal treatment, including slamming prisoners into walls, shackling them in standing positions for days and confining them in small boxes, was necessary to get information.Or whether they did it just for fun.
Remember Abu Ghraib prison? I don't think it would surprise Americans to learn the prisoners in Guantanamo were being tortured just to pass the time.
April 19, 2009
Obamamania at the Summit of the Americas
POLITICS - President Barack Obama was in Central America Friday at the Summit of the Americas where he offered a new beginning for United States-Cuba relations and even shook hands with Venezuela's fiery, leftist president for a quick grip and grin.Obama shook the hand of Venezuela's Hugo Chavez, a leader who once likened George W. Bush to the devil. Chavez even presented Obama with a book
In an opening speech to the 34-nation gathering, the president promised a new agenda for the Americas, as well as a new style. "We have at times been disengaged, and at times we sought to dictate our terms," Obama said to loud applause. "But I pledge to you that we seek an equal partnership. There is no senior partner and junior partner in our relations."
But perhaps the biggest applause line was his call for a fresh start in relations between Washington and Havana. Obama signaled he was ready to accept Cuban President Raul Castro's proposal of talks on issues once off-limits for Havana, including the scores of political prisoners held by the communist government. The USA has had a trade embargo against Cuba ever since the 1961 Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba, but Obama has signaled multiple times in the past he is ready to lift the trade embargo in an effort to see Cuba improve its human rights record and shift towards democracy/capitalism."I know there's a longer journey that must be traveled to overcome decades of mistrust, but there are critical steps we can take toward a new day," Obama said. "I am not interested in talking for the sake of talking. But I do believe that we can move U.S.-Cuban relations in a new direction."
Last Tuesday, Obama ordered an easing of travel and remittance restrictions for Americans with relatives in Cuba. Within hours, Raul Castro – who took over from his ailing brother Fidel a year ago – responded with an offer of talks on "everything" that divides the two countries.
The White House has since welcomed the offer, but suggested Cuba start by releasing some of Havana's scores of political prisoners. Friday Obama promised a new hemispheric growth fund, an initiative to increase Caribbean security and a new regional partnership to develop alternative energy sources and fight global warming, and offered an end to old hemispheric arguments."I didn't come here to debate the past," Obama said. "I came here to deal with the future ... We must learn from history. But we can't be trapped by it."
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