Afghan Base Bombed During Cheney Visit
February 27th, 2007Man, it’s not easy for Cheney these days. Aircraft trouble, now this…
Hmm.
Via: The Australian:
A SUICIDE bomber killed as many as 20 people outside the main US base in Afghanistan today, coinciding with a visit to the base by US Vice President Dick Cheney. Mr Cheney was not hurt, according to his spokeswoman.
Related: U.S. Generals ‘Will Quit’ if Bush Orders Iran Attack
U.S. Mortgage Crisis Goes Into Meltdown
February 27th, 2007I explained the racket in my Wall Street Chop Shop essay.
Via: Telegraph:
Panic has begun to sweep the sub-prime mortgage sector in the United States after the bankruptcy of 22 lenders over the past two months, setting off mass liquidation of housing loans packaged as securities.
The rapid deterioration could not come at a worse time for British bank HSBC, which has set aside $10.5bn (£5.4bn) to cover bad loans in the US.
The cost of insuring against default on these loans has rocketed in recent weeks, from 50 basis points over Libor to 1,200, raising fears that a credit crunch could spread to the rest of the property market.
Lawrence Livermore Demonstrates 67KW Solid State Laser
February 27th, 2007Do you really think They plan on sending this thing to town with lithium ion batteries on board?
Several weeks ago, I wrote the following about EEstor: “[The] clean green electric Hummers of the future are going to be spunoff from Pentagon death ray and super cannon projects…. The military needs the energy density that this EEstor thing provides for weapon systems.”
Obviously, there’s no mention of EEstor in the BBC piece below… And, likewise, when the EEstor device finally comes out, and the corporate press is whooping it up over the Earth friendly Hummers, etc, they’ll forget about the military death rays.
If you’re wondering how They’re going to energize the power cells on these bad boys, you’re not the only one!
Via: BBC:
A laser developed for military use is a few steps away from hitting a power threshold thought necessary to turn it into a battlefield weapon.
The Solid State Heat Capacity Laser (SSHCL) has achieved 67 kilowatts (kW) of average power in the laboratory.
It could take only a further six to eight months to break the “magic” 100kW mark required for the battlefield, the project’s chief scientist told the BBC.
Potentially, lasers could destroy rockets, mortars or roadside bombs.
For many years, solid state, electrically powered lasers like SSHCL were only able to operate at a fraction of the 100kW mark.
Then, in March 2005, the system achieved 45kW. Hitting 67kW, said SSHCL programme manager Bob Yamamoto, meant 100kW was now within reach.
Related? Textron Employee Searches for Information on Modified Bedini Cole Window Motor
Cryptogon Reader Contributes $1
February 27th, 2007Thanks, DK.
Al Gore’s Personal Energy Use Is His Own “Inconvenient Truth”
February 26th, 2007To anyone out there who still doesn’t understand the limousine liberal scam…
Via: tennesseepolicy.org:
Last night, Al Gore’s global-warming documentary, An Inconvenient Truth, collected an Oscar for best documentary feature, but the Tennessee Center for Policy Research has found that Gore deserves a gold statue for hypocrisy.
Gore’s mansion, located in the posh Belle Meade area of Nashville, consumes more electricity every month than the average American household uses in an entire year, according to the Nashville Electric Service (NES).
In his documentary, the former Vice President calls on Americans to conserve energy by reducing electricity consumption at home.
The average household in America consumes 10,656 kilowatt-hours (kWh) per year, according to the Department of Energy. In 2006, Gore devoured nearly 221,000 kWh—more than 20 times the national average.
Last August alone, Gore burned through 22,619 kWh—guzzling more than twice the electricity in one month than an average American family uses in an entire year. As a result of his energy consumption, Gore’s average monthly electric bill topped $1,359.
Since the release of An Inconvenient Truth, Gore’s energy consumption has increased from an average of 16,200 kWh per month in 2005, to 18,400 kWh per month in 2006.
Gore’s extravagant energy use does not stop at his electric bill. Natural gas bills for Gore’s mansion and guest house averaged $1,080 per month last year.
“As the spokesman of choice for the global warming movement, Al Gore has to be willing to walk to walk, not just talk the talk, when it comes to home energy use,†said Tennessee Center for Policy Research President Drew Johnson.
In total, Gore paid nearly $30,000 in combined electricity and natural gas bills for his Nashville estate in 2006.
Related: Energy Scarcity vs. Cost of the War in Iraq
U.S. Economy Leaving Record Numbers in Severe Poverty
February 25th, 2007Via: Bradenton.com:
The percentage of poor Americans who are living in severe poverty has reached a 32-year high, millions of working Americans are falling closer to the poverty line and the gulf between the nation’s “haves” and “have-nots” continues to widen.
A McClatchy Newspapers analysis of 2005 census figures, the latest available, found that nearly 16 million Americans are living in deep or severe poverty. A family of four with two children and an annual income of less than $9,903 – half the federal poverty line – was considered severely poor in 2005. So were individuals who made less than $5,080 a year.
The McClatchy analysis found that the number of severely poor Americans grew by 26 percent from 2000 to 2005. That’s 56 percent faster than the overall poverty population grew in the same period. McClatchy’s review also found statistically significant increases in the percentage of the population in severe poverty in 65 of 215 large U.S. counties, and similar increases in 28 states. The review also suggested that the rise in severely poor residents isn’t confined to large urban counties but extends to suburban and rural areas.
The plight of the severely poor is a distressing sidebar to an unusual economic expansion. Worker productivity has increased dramatically since the brief recession of 2001, but wages and job growth have lagged behind. At the same time, the share of national income going to corporate profits has dwarfed the amount going to wages and salaries. That helps explain why the median household income of working-age families, adjusted for inflation, has fallen for five straight years.
These and other factors have helped push 43 percent of the nation’s 37 million poor people into deep poverty – the highest rate since at least 1975.
WHAT HAPPENED TO CHENEY’S AIRCRAFT?
February 25th, 2007Uhh… Something VERY weird happened here.
Via: Sky News:
A Reuters photographer at Sydney airport said Air Force 2 had proceeded towards the runway as normal and revved its engines before the engines appeared to decelerate.
A mobile staircase was sent out to the plane but a door in the plane opened and an unidentified figure appeared and waved the stairs off.
The door was then closed and the plane proceeded to the runway and took off.
De Facto U.S. Flat Tax: 40%
February 25th, 2007You godda problem wid dat?
Via: MSN:
Politicians… generally talk about only one tax: the federal income tax, which offers graduated rates from 10% to 35%.
Politicians rarely talk about what real people experience: the true maze of taxes and government benefits. If someone put them all together, we could see what our actual tax burden was. We could see who pays at the highest or lowest rates. Discussions of tax policy wouldn’t be a waste of time.
Well, two researchers did it.
In a study for the National Bureau of Economic Research, Boston University economists Laurence J. Kotlikoff and David Rapson have found that our all-in marginal tax rate is 40%, give or take a bit. Yes, you read that right: 40%.
U.S. Generals ‘Will Quit’ if Bush Orders Iran Attack
February 25th, 2007A couple of quick quotes from recent Cryptogon essays:
Brzezinski’s testimony indicates to me that the expansion of the conflict into Iran might not be allowed to happen. Don’t ask me how it will be stopped, but he is the mouthpiece of the people who run this show, not in appearance, but in fact. He didn’t say what would happen if Congress doesn’t stop the junk yard dogs.
—Zbigniew Brzezinski Before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee
And…
THE WAR WITH IRAN MUST BE STOPPED BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY.
Where does that leave us?
The full weight of this burden now rests squarely on the shoulders of the men and women of the U.S. military. Attempt to save America and the world from the diabolical lunatics who have subverted power, or parish in oblivion with the rest of us: Those are the options that every member of the U.S. armed forces must now consider.
—Bush Violation of FISA Law a Felony
Now, as you read the mainstream, British news article below about the “unprecedented” hostility between U.S. military and the White House, ask yourself what these generals are really talking about over whiskey?
I bet it’s not golf.
Via: Times Online:
SOME of America’s most senior military commanders are prepared to resign if the White House orders a military strike against Iran, according to highly placed defence and intelligence sources.
Tension in the Gulf region has raised fears that an attack on Iran is becoming increasingly likely before President George Bush leaves office. The Sunday Times has learnt that up to five generals and admirals are willing to resign rather than approve what they consider would be a reckless attack.
“There are four or five generals and admirals we know of who would resign if Bush ordered an attack on Iran,†a source with close ties to British intelligence said. “There is simply no stomach for it in the Pentagon, and a lot of people question whether such an attack would be effective or even possible.â€
A British defence source confirmed that there were deep misgivings inside the Pentagon about a military strike. “All the generals are perfectly clear that they don’t have the military capacity to take Iran on in any meaningful fashion. Nobody wants to do it and it would be a matter of conscience for them.
“There are enough people who feel this would be an error of judgment too far for there to be resignations.â€
A generals’ revolt on such a scale would be unprecedented. “American generals usually stay and fight until they get fired,†said a Pentagon source. Robert Gates, the defence secretary, has repeatedly warned against striking Iran and is believed to represent the view of his senior commanders.
The threat of a wave of resignations coincided with a warning by Vice-President Dick Cheney that all options, including military action, remained on the table. He was responding to a comment by Tony Blair that it would not “be right to take military action against Iranâ€.
…
General Peter Pace, chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, said recently there was “zero chance†of a war with Iran. He played down claims by US intelligence that the Iranian government was responsible for supplying insurgents in Iraq, forcing Bush on the defensive.
Pace’s view was backed up by British intelligence officials who said the extent of the Iranian government’s involvement in activities inside Iraq by a small number of Revolutionary Guards was “far from clearâ€.
Hillary Mann, the National Security Council’s main Iran expert until 2004, said Pace’s repudiation of the administration’s claims was a sign of grave discontent at the top.
“He is a very serious and a very loyal soldier,†she said. “It is extraordinary for him to have made these comments publicly, and it suggests there are serious problems between the White House, the National Security Council and the Pentagon.â€
Mann fears the administration is seeking to provoke Iran into a reaction that could be used as an excuse for an attack.
Related: Retired U.S. Officers: Iran Attack Would Be a Disaster
A Fascist for Every Occasion
February 25th, 2007Honestly, I haven’t looked too closely at the Neoconservative literature. Why? I read The Prince when I was eighteen years old. The whole Neocon thing just seems like a Machiavelli fan club/psychopath cult to me; a rehash, in other words.
So, why do the Neocons appear to be in control?
Politics, for most of the history of civilization, has been about weaponizing religions and superstitions to swindle people who were too stupid to know what was happening to them. “God” is less of a factor in the politics of some countries now, but pages from that old playbook still work very well in the U.S. It’s a bit like customizing the crime to fit the victim. What’s even more desirable is to turn the victims into accomplices. The U.S. is packed with tens of millions of zombie, idiot “Christians.” If you wanted to rob them blind and kill lots of other people in far away lands and steal their resources, what’s the easiest way to get results?
“God told me….” <--- Fill in the blank. Imagine that, instead of tens of millions of zombie, idiot Christians dominating the public façade of American politics, the pendulum swung toward the zombie, idiot environmentalists, militant vegans or some other form of crackpot Left fascism. The elite wouldn't play the "Christian" religious card. Again, they would customize the crime for the victim-accomplices. You'd see a charismatic black lesbian vegan U.S. President, driving her armored hybrid Subaru station wagon, talking about how anyone who eats meat is destroying the environment and contributing to global warming. Obviously, theft of other peoples' resources and raiding the public treasury are the goals, no matter what line of bullshit is spewing from the lips of politicians. (See the Note at the end.) What's the easiest way to go about reaching those goals? Animate some puppet that mumbles things related to the inane messages contained on the stickers that the majority of people are slapping on the ass ends of their vehicles. Simple. If most vehicles have "God" stickers, go with a "God told me..." candidate. A majority of Save the Environment-type stickers would see the rise of some candidate touting Clean Green Walmarts and carbon offsets for cat farts. Charles Mansion stickers? Get Chucky into office. A convicted murderer for President? Chuck is responsible for far fewer murders than any past U.S. President, so why not? Maybe most cars wind up with professional wresting bumper stickers. Well, in that case, Idiocracy should be seen as a prescient glimpse into the future, and not just grim satire.
Absurd? Not as absurd as thinking that Dick Cheney is a Christian, and supporting his diabolical policies while calling them God’s will.
Indeed, be careful about thinking that the Neocons are the root of the problems we’re facing. Jeff Wells actually picked the meat from this carcass back in 2005. In, The Lone Conmen, he wrote:
The neocons are the Lone Gunmen of Iraq. They’re the patsies who’ll eventually take the fall for its failure, which will actually mean success to the real players who’ve allowed them the liberty to play their hand. Like Oswald, these patsies aren’t innocents, but neither should perfect blame be laid at their feet. And like Oswald, when their heads are offered to the public the public will be expected to sigh with relief that the beast has been slain and all is right again in the land.
To modify slightly one of the many great lines from the film Apocalypse Now: Neocons are errand boys, sent by grocery clerks, to collect a bill.
While the patsies and errand boys of the day might change, the focus belongs on fascism and humanity’s seemingly insatiable desire to be trodden upon by jackboots.
Via: High Clearing:
As many who have read me for any significant time would by now know, I am convinced that neoconservatism is a deeply pernicious, even evil political ideology; I further believe that many neoconservative individuals are lying purveyors of wickedness. To continue in my endeavors to support these positions (alas, prior such efforts remain in unretrieved Inactivist archives), I turn to Shadia B. Drury, a scholar of the former University of Chicago philosopher Leo Strauss; Drury recently wrote in Free Inquiry of the enormous influence the unusual and controversial Strauss has had in shaping the views of neoconservatives.
First, as Drury notes neoconservatives regard religion much as Marx did — except they eagerly embrace it as a means of manipulating hoi polloi:
There is a certain irony in the fact that the chief guru of the neoconservatives is a thinker who regarded religion merely as a political tool intended for the masses but not for the superior few. Leo Strauss, the German Jewish émigré who taught at the University of Chicago almost until his death in 1973, did not dissent from Marx’s view that religion is the opium of the people; but he believed that the people need their opium. He therefore taught that those in power must invent noble lies and pious frauds to keep the people in the stupor for which they are supremely fit.
Note: Yes, I’ve linked to Ron Paul speeches, and what he says isn’t bullshit. The problem, though, is that Ron Paul has no power. I’m sorry, but he doesn’t. But let’s imagine, by some miracle, that Ron Paul becomes President and actually wanted to abolish the Federal Reserve…
Oh come on. I can’t do this.
This is la-la land stuff.
I’d rather spend my time trying to fly through the air by flapping my arms and running around the cow paddock than fantasizing about some alternate reality in which the President of the United States isn’t a psychopath. I might not reach too high of an altitude, but I’d get some good exercise with all that running and arm-flapping.
