COLLECTIVE MADNESS


“Soft despotism is a term coined by Alexis de Tocqueville describing the state into which a country overrun by "a network of small complicated rules" might degrade. Soft despotism is different from despotism (also called 'hard despotism') in the sense that it is not obvious to the people."

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Five severed heads left outside Mexican school




28 September 2011 Last updated at 04:55 ET BBC

Mexican police have found five decomposing heads left in a sack outside a primary school in Acapulco.

Handwritten messages were also found, reportedly threatening the state governor as well as local drug lords.

It was not clear if the discovery of the heads and five decapitated bodies elsewhere in the city was linked to extortion threats against teachers.

Dozens of schools have been closed since last month after teachers went on strike over security concerns.

Police were called to a street in the Garita neighbourhood of Acapulco on Tuesday morning.

There they found a sack inside a wooden crate placed near the school, officers said.

Inside were the heads of five men, as well as the threatening messages.

Threats
Police had earlier discovered five headless bodies in another part of the city, left either inside or near a burned-out vehicle.

Acapulco, on Mexico's Pacific coast, has seen several episodes of gruesome violence as drug gangs fight for control of the resort city.

The new school year has been disrupted

But as the government crackdown on cartels continues, criminal organisations here and in other parts of Mexico are fracturing and increasingly turning to extortion.

Last month, as the new school year began, dozens of teachers in Acapulco said criminal gangs had threatened them with violence if they did not hand over half their salaries from 1 October.

They and colleagues have since been on strike, leading to the closure of more than 100 schools.

Guerrero State Governor Angel Aguirre has promised a series of measures, including increased police patrols and the installation of security cameras and panic buttons in schools.

But teachers say they still fear for their own and pupils' safety.

One striking teacher told the BBC that although they welcomed the governor's proposals, they could not expect the situation to improve overnight.

Is Drug Legalization the Only Answer?

125 comments:

  1. There is no greater threat to US interests from anywhere in the Middle East that is comparable to what is coming from our southern borders.

    The Mexican government, in 12 January 2011, said 34,612 people had been killed since December 2006, including suspected drug gang members, members of the security forces and those considered innocent bystanders. It is now estimated that some 40,000 people have died from drug related violence during the nearly five years of Mr Calderon's presidency.

    3,100 people were killed in Juarez alone, which has a population of more than a million.

    Shockingly, the Mexican rate of 18.4 murders per 100,000 inhabitants, compares favorably with 25 in Brazil, 37 in Colombia and 61 in El Salvador.

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  2. Deuce: Shockingly, the Mexican rate of 18.4 murders per 100,000 inhabitants, compares favorably with 25 in Brazil, 37 in Colombia and 61 in El Salvador.

    Louisiana has 49.1 murders per 100,000. There are twelve states with a greater murder rate than Mexico.

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  3. "Is Drug Legalization the Only Answer?"

    It would only be a start.
    There would still be extortion, kidnappings,etc.

    Send in the troops, it's a failed state. Corrupt to the core. Or,
    send in Code Pink, heh.

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  4. The murder rate in Mexico, lower than the murder rate in Washington DC @ 21.9 per 100,000.

    Talk about your "Failed States".

    Looks a lot like the pot callin' the kettle black.

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  5. Philadelphia, with a murder rate of 19.6 per 100,000, more dangerous than Mexico.

    Has Pennsylvania become a "Failed State"?

    Cincinnati, Ohio rates 20.5 per 100,000.
    Ohio, another "Failed State"?

    Detroit Michigan, 34.5 per 100,000.

    Kansas City, Missouri, 21.1 per 100,000.

    The US is, by the standard applied to Mexico, failing. The greatest security threat to residents in the US, is us.

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  6. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  7. Mexico is down right peaceful, by comparison, to Washington DC and Newark. New Jersey. Chris Christie, governor of a "Failed State", with a murder rate of 32.1 per 100,000 in his largest city.

    That some think Chris Christie is a viable contender for the White House, not looking at his stewardship of Newark.

    Being the governor of a "Failed State", not much of a reference.

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  8. St Louis, momma mia, 50.5 per 100,000.

    While in El Paso, Texas, the murder rate is .8 per 100,000.

    Texas, not a "Failed State", despite its' proximity to Old Mexico.

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  9. St Louis rates at 40.5 per 100,000, not 50.5, sloppy fingers, mia culpa.

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  10. That's the trick of it, DR!

    Now they will call you a liberal who hates America.

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  11. 40,000 deaths, over a span of 5 years.

    8,000 deaths a year, attributable to the "Narco War".

    In a country of over 110 million folk.

    A rate of 8 per 100,000 per annum that can be laid at the door of Mr Calderon and his war against the drub cartels.

    Puts the "normal" murder rate at about 10 per 100,000.

    Right there in line with Phoenix AZ. Not great, but no failure.

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  12. While the Mexican authorities tell the whirled that they are on the same track as were the Colombians.
    That violence will peak, then diminish as the cartels are dismantled.

    The Colombians who not long ago were being praised, here at the Elephant Bar, for their successes.

    With praise for the US policies which propagated those successes.

    Now, with the same game plan in play in Mexico, also under the auspices of the US, the wailing is constant.

    Perhaps that has more to do with the current "figure head" or "face" of the US government, than with either the "Plan" or the results.

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  13. .

    That some think Chris Christie is a viable contender for the White House, not looking at his stewardship of Newark.

    Blaming Christie for the murder rate in Newark is a bit of a stretch given the amount of time he has been on the job and the times.

    However, I find it interesting that some look at him as a good fit for president. To me he is merely a typical pol with many of the same weaknesses as the rest.

    .

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  14. Mr Christie is Governor of a "Failed State".

    He should stay on there and fulfill his first term in his first elected office.

    Then the rest of US can see, for ourselves, if his performance matches his rhetoric.

    I do enjoy his rhetoric, he does have a shorter history of political performance than Senator Obama did, in 2008.

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  15. And most everyone at the Elephant Ba thought that Obama's short political career disqualified him, for the Presidency.

    That same standard of experience should apply to Governor Christie, tambien.

    It may well be that another seemingly unqualified candidate gets elected to the Presidency, again.

    Stranger things have happened.

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  16. Tell US, Q, is Michigan a "Failed State" based upon the homicide rates in Detroit City?

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  17. .

    I have no idea what a failed state is.

    .

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  18. If Mr Christie is ready to "move on", well, he must see his work in New Jersey as being complete.

    The results are in.

    It is what it is.

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  19. If you were living in one, Q, I'd assumed you'd know it.

    We'll have to ask doug for a detailed analysis and definition of what makes for a "Failed State".

    doug ....?

    doug ....?

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  20. .

    A "failed state" sounds like Newsspeak coming out of OZ to describe a country one political party or the other would like to see taken down.

    .

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  21. Listeria-laced cantaloupes tied to 13 deaths in US
    CBS News - ‎

    (CBS/AP)The Listeria illness outbreak linked to cantaloupes may be one of the deadliest in recent history, according to new CDC estimates.


    13 deaths

    Has the FDA failed US?

    Has the US failed?


    A total ban on the cultivation of cantaloupes would solve the problem.

    Treat cantaloupes like marijuana, they have proven to be much more dangerous to the public health and safety.

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  22. .

    I have no specific references to prove the point but in the back of my mind "failed state' sounds like something Hillary would use in describing Libya or, more recently, Syria.

    .

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  23. Cantaloupes, a peril to the General Welfare of the nation.

    Listeria illness, with symptoms including fever and muscle aches so severe that victims sometimes are incapacitated, has now sickened 72 people across 18 states, according to the CDC.

    The CDC now says 13 deaths have been caused by the cantaloupe-carried infection. The death toll - which includes newly confirmed deaths in Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, and two deaths in Texas - surpassed the total from the 2009 deadly salmonella outbreak from peanuts that killed nine.

    Officials say the death toll could soon reach 16, as they are investigating additional deaths in New Mexico, Kansas, and Wyoming.

    The toll will probably grow in coming weeks because it can take 4 weeks for a Listeria infection to show symptoms, said the CDC's Dr. Robert Tauxe, deputy director of the division of foodborne, waterborne and environmental diseases.

    "That long incubation period is a real problem," Tauxe said. "People who ate a contaminated food two weeks ago or even a week ago could still be falling sick weeks later."

    The 18 states with reported illnesses are California, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Maryland, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. Colorado saw the most illnesses with 15, while 14 were reported in Texas, and 10 were reported in New Mexico.

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  24. .

    Failed State n.


    Definition: One I don't like.

    .

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  25. Save Our Seniors
    Outlaw Cantaloupe!



    The cantaloupes in question were shipped from July 29 through Sept. 10 to Arkansas, Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Illinois, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, and Wyoming.

    Not all of the recalled cantaloupes are labeled with a sticker, according to the FDA, but some may be labeled "Colorado Grown," "Distributed by Frontera Produce," "Jensenfarms.com" or "Sweet Rocky Fords."

    The CDC said the median age of sickened individuals is 78 and that one in five who contract the disease might die ...

    .

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  26. I try not to be in a failed state of mind.

    Billy Joel likes to be in a New York state of mind.

    I guess we will get a failed State of the Union address from Obama soon.

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  27. "Though the overall Canadian homicide rate was up last year - reaching its highest level in nearly a decade at 2.0 persons slain per 100,000 - Toronto was only ranked 10th compared to other major cities.

    "Toronto is a safe city. It is one of the safest cities in North America and we need to keep that in mind," said Toronto Police spokesperson Mark Pugash.

    There were 658 homicides across the country last year, a four-per-cent increase over 2004. Toronto's murder rate lines up with the national rate, at 2.0 victims per 100,000 people. Edmonton had the highest per capita murder rate in 2005, with 4.3 people killed per 100,000.

    Other Western Canadian cities including Vancouver, Saskatoon, Regina and Winnipeg also had rates above the national average. Montreal's was lower, at 1.3 per 100,000 - the lowest it's been since 1981. "


    http://www.citytv.com/toronto/citynews/news/local/article/21732--toronto-s-murder-rate-lower-than-other-canadian-cities

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  28. Wash your lopes thoroughly before handling. It's the outside that is dangerous, not the inside.

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  29. ... in a two-year probe that resulted in more than 40 arrests Tuesday of suspected gang members who had directed crack or "rock" cocaine sales in the South Mountain Village area.

    More than 300 officers from 10-plus agencies fanned out at 4 a.m. Tuesday to make arrests and seize drugs. A total of 71 indictments were made in the case.

    "The many good neighbors in this area deserved to live without fearing gang activity, drug sales and shootouts," said Assistant Chief Kevin Robinson, who helped set the probe into motion.

    The investigation mainly targeted an area from 16th to 32nd streets between the Salt River bottom and Roeser Road. Arrests were made from east Mesa to Avondale.

    ...
    It is a precinct of neighborhoods where poverty, joblessness and crime rub shoulders with upper-middle-income areas of new homes and good schools. It also has seen a string of troubling incidents in the past year: the unsolved slaying of a well-regarded sergeant, accusations by a city councilman of civil-rights violations, the indictment of several officers in an off-duty pay scam, and the indictment of a patrol officer on homicide charges.

    Nearly the entire layer of upper management in the precinct was replaced in the past year. The precinct is now led by Commander Chris Crockett and six new lieutenants


    Read more: http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/2011/09/27/20110927phoenix-police-drug-arrests-brk.html#ixzz1ZGEZTkBk

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  30. Just a Chipotle's delivery accidentally dropped off in the wrong location.

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  31. Were high oil prices partly responsible for the uptick in poverty this year? Yes, say Trevor Houser and Shashank Mohan of the Peterson Institute for International Economics. They pored through the 2011 Census data and found that “over one-third of the increase in the U.S. poverty rate in 2010 resulted from the rapid rebound in oil prices.” (Obviously most of the increase came because incomes are declining.) What’s more, “if oil prices had remained constant at 2001 levels over the past decade, there would be 2.6 million fewer Americans in poverty today.”

    The Bottom Quintile spends 10.3% of its Disposable Income on Gasoline - Chart

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  32. and the bottom quintile represent what proportion of GDP?

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  33. They punch above their weight (income-wise.)

    Don't overlook that the Second Quintile is up to 6.4%.

    You just try to have a successful country when the bottom 40% are in trouble. You'll, eventually, end up with something akin to Russia.

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  34. Does the gas purchase declines of the bottom two quintiles have enough clout to send the country into recession?

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  35. .

    Cantaloupes? I'll give you cantaloupes.

    Detroit police chief wants to put the brakes on Booty bus

    Detroit Police Ralph Godbee Jr. might put the brakes on the Booty Lounge, an alleged strip club on wheels parked at Eastern Market during Lions home games. The chief is launching an investigation into the bus as well as photos on its Facebook page that appear to show two police officers posing with a scantily clad woman in front of the bus last fall...

    Booty Bus

    .

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  36. Ash, their gas purchase decline is fairly minimal (the 4-wk gasoline sales, YOY, are only down 2.4%, as of last friday.) In the short run gasoline demand is pretty inelastic.

    No, the decline that hurts is in their purchase of "Other" products.

    Walmart has been talking about this for a year, now, as regards their U.S. Sales.

    The parking lots of the Tunica Casinos went from packed to half-empty in a matter of 3 weeks from the middle of Feb to the first week of March.

    Rural Merchants are getting crushed. The only people out in the country that are making money are the Dollar Stores, and that's because the majority of their customers are using Food Stamps (that the upper quintile taxpayers are paying for - or, at any rate, they're the ones signing the loans from China.)

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  37. .

    Thousands of illegal immigrant convicts arrested in nationwide ICE operation, 58 from Michigan

    More than 2,900 illegal immigrants with criminal convictions for everything from child abuse to attempted murder have been arrested nationwide, including 58 from Michigan, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced today.

    Of the total Michigan arrestees, 18 were Metro Detroiters whose crimes included criminal sexual conduct, drunken driving, weapons violations and illegally re-entry into the U.S., ICE officials said. They would not disclose the names of those arrested locally. Officials would only say the Michigan arrests involved individuals from Mexico, Guatemala, Cuba, Canada, Iraq Albania, Serbia, Jamaica, India, Poland, the Dominican Republic and Jordan, among others.

    The arrests were the result of a seven-day, national “Cross Check” enforcement operation first launched in 2009. Prior sweeps have led to more than 4,500 arrests of convicted criminals, fugitives and unlawful immigrants who have illegally re-entered the U.S. after removal. The latest operation was the largest of its kind, ICE officials said...


    ICE Bust

    .

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  38. The thing is Bubba, and Bubbette, are barely hanging on, as it is. An extra $100.00/Mo, sent to Saudi Arabia, in order to drive to work, and shopping, etc, has to come from "Somewhere."

    A new, more fuel efficient car to replace the wife's gas-guzzling "paid for" clunker might be a good investment in the long run, but once the Bubs have added up the Car Payment, Increased Insurance, and Taxes Expens, etc, it will just have to wait.

    They might have a buddy come over and "hot-wire" the timer on the washing maching rather than buy a new one, and that "rod and reel" hubby's been looking at is a forgotten item.

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  39. .

    Taiwan is a tough nut to figure.

    Why America should not walk away from Taiwan

    ...But to walk away from Taiwan would in effect mean ceding to China the terms of unification. Over the long run, that will not improve Sino-American relations. Five thousand years of Chinese diplomatic history suggest it is more likely to respect a strong state than a weak and vacillating one. Appeasement would also probably increase China’s appetite for regional domination. Its “core interests” in the area seem to be growing. To Chinese military planners, Taiwan is a potential base from which to push out into the Pacific. At minimum, that would unsettle Japan to the north and the Philippines to the south.

    Ceding Taiwan to China?


    Just as Russian expansion throughout their history has been driven by paranoia, China's history has been driven by "Face" or the lack of it.

    Everytime someone gives in to China they expect more.

    .

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  40. "No, the decline that hurts is in their purchase of "Other" products."




    I'm sorry I didn't phrase my post very well. What I meant to ask was whether the magnitude of the declines in their purchases due to their increased spending on gas was large enough to send the country into recession.

    In other words: I would guess that the proportion of GDP represented by the gas spend of the bottom two quintiles is quite small and very unlikely, in itself, to send the country into recession.

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  41. Rufus II said...

    The thing is Bubba, and Bubbette, are barely hanging on



    and Bubba and Bubbette's changing spending habits are minimal when measured against the GDP of the USA. I don't doubt that they are hurting but the economy of the US is huge in comparison to any variance in their spending.

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  42. :)

    Holy Moly

    Ash, you're going to look back, someday, and say, "did I really believe that?"

    Lordy Mercy, you couldn't be more wrong.

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  43. Look, rufus, the math is pretty simple: If a family earning 40k a year spends an extra 2k a year in gas thus not purchasing 2k a year of other stuff it would, in fact, have no effect on GDP (GDP being a measure of total spending) but say it did have an effect on GDP of the full 2k the sum total of all those 2k is still small in the overall scheme of the American economy. Note I came up with the 2k number based on nothing but take a look at how much is actually spent on gas at, say 3 bucks a gallon vs 4 bucks a gallon. A buck a gallon - you'd be hard pressed to burn a hundred gallons a month totally only 1.2k.

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  44. Watch the monthly "personal income and spending" numbers (next trenche coming out Friday.)

    These are the numbers that, ultimately, tell you if you're "in recession."

    Hint: we're awfully close.

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  45. errr "totaling only 1.2k a year"

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  46. The average family burns about 100 gallons/mo. in the U.S.


    Here's what you're missing, Ash: That Oil is "Imported." Adding to the Trade Deficit, which is a "Negative" for GDP.

    If the money was spent on a "home-grown" fuel that money would recirculate "In" the economy, and be a "Positive" for GDP.

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  47. Let's say they put off buying a new washer from Whirlpool (made in Indiana,) in order to send More money to Saudi Arabia.

    Do you see the problem?

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  48. A recession is generally defined as a decline in GDP for two consecutive quarters.





    Gross Domestic Product. The total market value of all final goods and services produced in a country in a given year, equal to total consumer, investment and government spending, plus the value of exports, minus the value of imports.

    http://www.investorwords.com/2153/GDP.html





    Now don't go trying to redefine words to make your point. A dollar spent on Gas whether imported or not contributes to GDP.

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  49. Look, I'm not saying this is the "Only" problem. That would be silly.

    I'm saying this is a Big problem.

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  50. Sure I see a problem there rufus but it has nothing to do with your contention that the price of gas is the main determinate of whether the USA goes into recession or not.

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  51. NO, you are just wrong. RE-READ what you just pasted.

    "MINUS IMPORTS" is the key phrase.


    And, that "two quarters" stuff is just simplified for the yokels. The Board that is responsible for "dating" recessions uses a much more complicated model.

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  52. Woodbridge (I think it was,) et al found that there has only been one recession since WWII (out of 11) that wasn't preceeded by a spike in gasoline prices. Make of it what you will.

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  53. note the word "equal" in there Rufus- that means the two sides of the statement equal each other.



    Gross Domestic Product. The total market value of all final goods and services produced in a country in a given year

    =

    total consumer, investment and government spending, plus the value of exports, minus the value of imports.


    http://www.investorwords.com/2153/GDP.html

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  54. So, ash, if the US were to suspend the purchase of Saudi oil, approximately $90 million USD per day, and buy domestically produced ethanol, instead ...

    The US GDP would increase by $90 million USD per day, or round about $35 billion USD to our GDP number.

    Just by eliminating those oil imports, from those that flog women for infractions of their established religion's doctrine?

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  55. .

    Give it up Ash.

    Didn't you see that Woodbridge et al found that 10 out of 11 recessions since WWII were preceeded by rises in gas prices. Ipso facto, the gas price rises must have caused the recessions. There could be no other explanation.

    Only a yokel couldn't see that.

    .

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  56. I don't see the word "equal" there, anywhere.

    Being that, as it may, an real bonafide "economist" will tell you that it doesn't matter, because (Cough) eventually (Cough), those dollars will have to be used to buy something from the U.S. (thus, balance out.)

    The problem, obviously, is the word "Eventually." Then, when you get into "eventually" you get into "Inflation." (are the imported dollars worth the same as the exported dollars?) And, the answer is "of course not; time has passed."

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  57. It's okay, Ashl; we're still going to be bidding against China for that Tar Sands Oil for a long, long time.

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  58. 28. stoicheion: This bodes ill for western civilization. Despite our superiority in almost every facet of modern life, Muslims can ‘win’ be outbreeding us.

    You make the same mistake the oil “peakers” do, you wiggle one variable and hold all others static.

    It is only Western Civilization that makes our current 7 billion people possible.

    In Muslim countries, children are rewarded with AK-47s for winning Q’u'r’a'n recital contests. In Western countries, children compete for scholarships for universities so they can make breakthroughs in genetically-engineered food, or killing cancer cells with modified viruses. Take away our technology, impose sharia law globally, and population will fall to the level that can be supported by 600 AD know-how: 200 million. Then the playing field will be leveled, and the West can start all over again, hopefully without the suicidal predilection towards Political Correctness.

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  59. Then, ash, they use their influence to crash the real estate and equities markets, so those "old" dollars are not effected by "inflation", which is nonexistent in the investment markets.

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  60. .

    Just by eliminating those oil imports, from those that flog women for infractions of their established religion's doctrine

    Also, Ash, ignore the fact that the US only gets about 12 % of its imported petro products from Saudi Arabia, a country some here have indicated is making major strides in towards human equality (when it suits his current theme).

    .

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  61. The basic formula for calculating the GDP is:

    Y = C + I + E + G

    where

    Y = GDP

    C = Consumer Spending

    I = Investment made by industry

    E = Excess of Exports over Imports

    G = Government Spending

    http://www.mindtools.net/GlobCourse/formula.shtml




    Do we import refined gas or crude? With that answer in mind Rufus, what proportion of the increase in the price of Gas is negatively reflected in the GDP of the US? Is that downward push on GDP significant enough cause a recession?

    Rat, whip out those mandates and/or government guarantees and watch America bloom!

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  62. I see both sides of the coin, Q.

    They are making slow progress towards modernity, we should not buy oil from them.

    Some, like ash, can be swayed by feelings, so they should be tugged upon.

    But that the enlightenment is moving forward, albeit slowly, in Saudi Arabia, undeniable.

    One is not exclusive of the other.

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  63. Saudi Arabia is a just proxy for OPEC.

    What we're saying applies, also, to Russia, UAE, Kuwait, Nigeria, Venezuela, et al.

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  64. .



    It's called confirmation bias Ash. When one looks for only one thing that is all one sees.

    It leads to cognitive dissonance.

    When all someone looks for is x they don't see y or z. When you point out y or z might be part of the equation, you are told the only reason they have any part in the equation is to the extent they are affected by x.

    No real point in trying to argue with those who have so much invested in that viewpoint.

    .

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  65. I did not realize, until today, that there are no laws against women driving, in Saudi Arabia.
    It is the doctrine of the State established religion.

    Saudi Arabia should be ostracized, by the Federals. Congress should make no law respecting them.

    While the reformation of Islam continues, as evidenced by the Saudi's extending voting privileges to women.

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  66. The cost of refining is pretty much a fixed number, Ash. The cost of the oil (2/3rds imported) is the variable.

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  67. .

    Your point is a good one T.

    The Palis still argue for 'right of return' to Israel but I believe the original 700-800k refugees has grown to around 4-5 million. An impossible number to re-absorb.

    .

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  68. We do import refined gasoline (although, not nearly as much as we did a few years ago.)

    We, also, export refined gasoline (an interesting sidenote is, that for the first time in a long, long time we have actually been exporting a little more "products" than we've been importing.)

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  69. I hear ya Q and that is a large part of the reason I stopped taking part in the discussions here.

    Rat, I'm puzzled by your adoption of top down mandating of solutions for energy. Do you really think the government can, or should, determine that ethanol is the solution and force its adoption on the people of the US?

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  70. That's despicable, Q. You are totally misrepresenting everything that I've written over the years.

    I have written absolutely Nothing that would suggest that I think Oil/gasoline prices are the "Be All/End All."

    But, I've made the argument that they are very, very important, and that a spike in gasoline prices Can (and, from time to time, does) send our economy into recession.

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  71. I post on Many things. You ignore most all of my posts on non-energy related topics, and then, when I post something about peak oil, or biofuels you jump in and claim that "I'm Obsessed" with the topic.

    I'm beginning to think that "You" are the one that's obsessed.

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  72. .

    I have written absolutely Nothing that would suggest that I think Oil/gasoline prices are the "Be All/End All."

    But, I've made the argument that they are very, very important, and that a spike in gasoline prices Can (and, from time to time, does) send our economy into recession.


    Nonsense.

    Everyone here has read your posts. I am not going to waste my time going back and getting examples.

    Dispicable?

    I've been called worse.

    .

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  73. Well, gotta go to the grocery store. I'm making a Beef Stew later. Sorry you'll miss it. :)

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  74. Another Strawman. I didn't call you despicable. I said that line of argument was despicable.

    But, in the interest of comity, I'll change it to "Bizarre."

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  75. I know that it has, ash. I merely think it should continue, on a different course.

    The industrial policy of the US is propagated through the tax code and permitting procedures.

    Rather than subsidizing the oil importing industry, the Federals can shift their focus.

    Whether or not there is an ideological bent to roll government out of the industrial and energy process, it will not be so. The debate is directed to what policies the Federal should be pursuing, not whether or not there should be Federal policies.

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  76. We've been "mandating" oil ever since Prohibition, Ash. Have you never heard of the "Oil Depletion Allowance" (and, yes, it still exists.)

    What the hell is two carrier groups in the Persain Gulf, and Two wars in the Mideast if it's not a Massive Subsidy for Oil?

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  77. .

    ...and then, when I post something about peak oil, or biofuels you jump in and claim that "I'm Obsessed" with the topic.

    Come on Rufus, I don't think I use the word obsessed. I have used the word fixated though.

    At times there is a humorous aspect to it.

    I recall a couple of weeks ago when the blog was arguing about the Liberty. That argument stretched into a second stream and you gave us the following:

    (paraphrase)

    "Come on you guys, this argument has been going on for two days."

    "Time to change the subject."

    "I'll start."

    What followed was a few posts on oil/alternative energy.

    I found it a little funny.

    .

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  78. later. have fun. hope you settle it. :)

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  79. To argue that the Federals should step away from energy subsidies, easy to make, impossible to implement.

    By taking that stance, defeat for ethanol in the short term is preordained.

    That defeat would not be in the national interests of the United States, but would be to the globalists.

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  80. Personally I more inclined to add a tax to imported oil (or all oil) and make the proceeds of that tax available for alternative domestic energy sources primarily in the form of research and development funds.

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  81. Ash said...
    "Though the overall Canadian homicide rate was up last year - reaching its highest level in nearly a decade at 2.0 persons slain per 100,000 - Toronto was only ranked 10th compared to other major cities.

    "Toronto is a safe city. It is one of the safest cities in North America and we need to keep that in mind," said Toronto Police spokesperson Mark Pugash.

    There were 658 homicides across the country last year, a four-per-cent increase over 2004. Toronto's murder rate lines up with the national rate, at 2.0 victims per 100,000 people. Edmonton had the highest per capita murder rate in 2005, with 4.3 people killed per 100,000.

    Other Western Canadian cities including Vancouver, Saskatoon, Regina and Winnipeg also had rates above the national average. Montreal's was lower, at 1.3 per 100,000 - the lowest it's been since 1981. "


    http://www.citytv.com/toronto/citynews/news/local/article/21732--toronto-s-murder

    ---

    Yet Canada has a HIGHER per capita gun ownership than the USA, as do the Swiss.
    ...also low in murders I believe.

    Evidence enough to convert Michael Moore, as reported on his interview this week on Adam Carolla Podcast.

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  82. "make the proceeds of that tax available for alternative domestic energy sources primarily in the form of research and development funds."

    Standing tall on the
    Shoulders of Solyndra tm

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  83. I'm not familiar with that stat re higher per capita gun ownership. Where'd ya hear that from?

    We have quite the history of gun regulation and now a "gun registry". I certainly can't go to my local Wal-mart and get guns and ammo.

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  84. .

    Subsidies? Taxes?

    It's easy to make arguments for any number of solutions to our energy problems, the real problem is in implementing any of them given the short term philosophy rampant in the country and our current disfunctional political system.

    It's tough to get concensus on doing anything in today's economic climate.

    We've know the energy crunch was coming for at least a couple decades. If we had instituted higher taxes while we still enjoyed the peace benefit flowing from the end of the cold war and then used them for expanding alternative fuels in ways suggested by Ash and others we would have probably been much further ahead.

    However, we were cursed with the short-term thinking issue back the also. Politically, the energy tax would have been a loser.

    Arguing for subsidies faces the same headwinds from short-term thinking and political dysfunction as well as the added negative of having the government pick winners and losers.

    Headlines like those from Solyndra don't help much especially when we are sinking in debt.

    .

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  85. Mexico mimics our Predator War on the Ground:

    Targeted attacks taking out Police Chiefs one after another, after another.

    Much more effective than random iron bombs/random violence.

    Quirk and I will determine what constitutes a "failed state."

    An EB Supercommittee, of sorts.

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  86. .


    Yet Canada has a HIGHER per capita gun ownership than the USA, as do the Swiss.

    I would have never believed that for Canada.

    Swiss? Maybe. Isn't every guy there mandated to own a gun for military purposes?

    .

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  87. Crap!!!
    I'll never trust Moore again!

    Canada 1/3 USA

    USA number Uno, of course.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_gun_ownership

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  88. Evidently every Swiss GUY, not gal.

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  89. Moore may still be right on the basis of number of armed HOUSEHOLDS.

    Weirdo gun nuts like my son skew the figures when they own scores of guns.

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  90. .

    Damn, Doug, you should know any guy in the US with any balls has at least five or six guns.

    .

    ReplyDelete
  91. ...friends own MORE!

    Every home a firearm Museum.

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  92. Extra points for Balls and Powder.

    ReplyDelete
  93. .

    They just have bigger balls.

    .

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  94. Last time I touched a weapon was in AIT.
    ...a miniature M-1 Carbine.

    ...not counting inspecting son's collection.

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  95. Join the Code Pink Boycott of Ahava
    DISCOVER THE REAL AHAVA

    Ahava promises “Beauty Secrets from the Dead Sea.” But the real secrets it keeps are an ugly truth—its products actually come from stolen Palestinian natural resources in the Occupied Territory of the Palestinian West Bank, and are produced in the illegal settlement of Mitzpe Shalem. More...
    JOIN US IN BOYCOTTING AHAVA:

    Al Haq report: Economic and Physical Oppression: The Wall, the Occupation, and Palestinian Workers

    ReplyDelete
  96. .

    Join the Code Pink Boycott of Ahava


    What I liked best was the add on the right.

    "Occupation isn't pretty but this T-shirt sure is"

    Nothing like marketing human rights.

    (And the cantaloupes on that chick weren't bad either.)

    .

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  97. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  98. Yes, indeed!

    The Reformation of Islam, at least in Saudi Arabia continues

    (CNN) -- Saudi King Abdullah has revoked a flogging sentence for a woman who allegedly flouted the conservative kingdom's strict rules that prohibit women from driving a car, a source with knowledge of the case said Wednesday.

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  99. An Iranian pastor who has refused to renounce his Christian faith faces execution as early as Wednesday after his sentence was upheld by an Iranian court.

    Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani, who maintains he has never been a Muslim as an adult, has Islamic ancestry and therefore must recant his faith in Jesus Christ, the 11th branch of Iran's Gilan Provincial Court ruled.

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  100. And in Egypt, those that were in charge, before, still are.


    "I never thought that seven months after Mubarak's [departure], I'd be chasing after my friends in prisons, military detention facilities, and, in some cases, military trials," said Noor Ayman Nour, a political activist and the son of presidential candidate Ayman Nour. "I've been attending demonstrations since I was 14 years old, and the most violence I have endured and witnessed has been since Mubarak stepped down."

    Speaking out against the military, which came to power in a 1952 coup that unseated Egypt's last monarch, has long been a dangerous game. But many activists say it has gotten riskier since the 18-day uprising that unseated Mubarak and left the SCAF at the helm.

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  101. ... Tantawi, who is chairman of the SCAF and Egypt's de facto ruler, was Mubarak's longtime defense minister. As head of the SCAF, he has dissolved the parliament, overseen a nationwide referendum that amended Egypt's 40-year-old constitution, and acquiesced, if somewhat begrudgingly, to trying Mubarak and some of his top officials. The field marshal's rule is absolute, however, and few mechanisms exist for holding him accountable. In such an environment, Tantawi has found it expedient to crush protests and stifle dissent, giving rise to fears that he and other members of the SCAF may not return willingly to the barracks.

    The SCAF's insistence that harsh tactics are necessary to "ensure life goes back to normal," as Tantawi's colleague, Maj. Gen. Adel Emarah, put it in April, has left many activists as angry as they are unconvinced. As Nour explains, "Because they say they protected the revolution, [the SCAF] claims that everything they do is legitimate."

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  102. Mubarak may be gone, but many of his repressive policies remain. Since coming to power, the SCAF has tried almost 12,000 civilians in military tribunals -- more than the number who faced military trials during Mubarak's 30-year presidency, according to Human Rights Watch. In such trials, "there is no procedure at all," said Ahmed Yousry, a researcher at the Hisham Mubarak Law Center, an Egyptian law firm that works on human rights issues. "They just catch you in the street at a protest or something. Then you sit in jail until you face a military court, where the judge can sentence you to whatever he wants -- five, 10 years. Whatever. There are no eyewitnesses, no nothing."

    Many who have found themselves in front of military tribunals were arrested because they dared to speak out against the military leaders. In April, blogger Maikel Nabil Sanad was sentenced to three years in prison after being convicted of "insulting the military." His crime was documenting the series of abuses meted out by the SCAF against civilian protesters.

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  103. Geithner suggests they take the 465 billion Euros they already borrowed to create the EFSF, and use it for collateral to leverage it up to as high as 3.6 trillion Euros, with more borrowing. That way Greece can have the eight billion they need in October to pay the interest on what they already owe, and the eight billion can be tacked onto the total bill, like closing costs for a zero-money-down liar's load. All these fun and games are only possible when you do not have a gold standard.

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  104. The military leaders have also drafted the new election law with an eye for resurrecting the system that allowed them to prosper for the last half-century. In particular, the stipulation that one-third of seats be contested by independent candidates -- recently reduced from one-half in response to pressure from a wide cross-section of political parties -- is a thinly veiled attempt to allow members of Mubarak's reviled National Democratic Party (NDP) to re-enter parliament.

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  105. Oh great -adopt a rigid gold standard and watch all you've saved disappear as the financial institutions fall like dominoes

    ReplyDelete
  106. That's what makes the minting of sovereign coin to pay the interest on the Federal debt so attractive.

    Stimulus with no further debt.
    Takes the Federal Treasury out of the debt market for at least two years.

    ReplyDelete
  107. .

    CNN) -- Saudi King Abdullah has revoked a flogging sentence for a woman who allegedly flouted the conservative kingdom's strict rules that prohibit women from driving a car, a source with knowledge of the case said Wednesday.

    Pressure from the EB, the only thing that saved her.

    .

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  108. .

    That's what makes the minting of sovereign coin to pay the interest on the Federal debt so attractive



    As far as I can see, it would have the same effect as Treasury printing up a few more trillion Benjamins and depositing over at the Fed.

    The same reasons for not doing it would apply, part political, part economic, part practical.

    .

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  109. The US embassy in Riyadh said Wednesday it had received information terrorists may be planning to abduct Westerners in the Saudi capital and warned Americans to be on the alert.

    ReplyDelete
  110. They have been telling Christie that this is his moment, and the governor has done little to quiet their clamor. His office has issued soft denials, but some Republicans close to Christie said he was seriously considering jumping into the race.

    One of them, former governor Tom Kean, told the National Review: “It’s real. He’s giving it a lot of thought.”

    Christie’s speech at the Reagan library and a fundraising trip through Missouri, California and Louisiana this week added to the speculation that he might run — even though his schedule had been set for weeks and he agreed to give the speech at the library after a personal invitation from Nancy Reagan.

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  111. If he is genuinely reconsidering whether to run in 2012, the most important question he will have to answer is not whether he can win the election, though even that is a difficult question. He might look like the ideal candidate to those urging him to run, but no one comes to the starting gate of a presidential campaign without flaws and liabilities.

    ...

    Still, the most important question is the one about readiness. Does he believe that, if he were to win, he could effectively lead a country in the throes of serious economic problems and a partisan environment in Washington and nationally that has made governing more and more difficult?

    That is a deeply personal question, and only Christie can answer it.

    ReplyDelete
  112. The Obama administration asked the Supreme Court on Wednesday to hear a case concerning the 2010 health care overhaul law. The development came unexpectedly fast and makes it all but certain that the court will soon agree to hear one or more cases involving challenges to the law, with arguments by the spring and a decision by June, in time to land in the middle of the 2012 presidential campaign.

    ...

    The United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, in Richmond, Va., for instance, ruled this month that it was premature to decide the central question, citing a federal law allowing suits only after certain taxes and penalties are due.

    A fourth challenge to the law was heard last week by the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.

    ReplyDelete
  113. The essence of your idea, Q, is flawed by political reality,

    The printing of the Benjamins, done at the instruction of the banks, not the Congress.

    Federal Reserve Notes are printed by the U.S. Treasury at the instruction of the Federal Reserve member banks, who also act as the clearinghouse for local banks that need to increase or reduce their supply of cash on hand.

    Read more: http://www.investopedia.com/terms/f/federal-reserve-note.asp#ixzz1ZIP1LpIT

    now those banks then use those printed notes to buy the Treasury Bonds, which fund the government.

    The Treasury cannot print new notes without new Congressional authority. Which could never be obtained, in the current political environment.

    The Congress has already passed the legislation that authorizes the Treasury to mint the coin.

    No further legislation is required, just Presidential action.

    The benefits far outweigh both the obvious and unforeseen negative consequences that could arise with an injection of $3 trillion into circulation. Combined with removing the Treasury from the debt markets, we'd see an increase in economic activity.

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  114. The real politic of the coin program, removing the management monopoly the Federal Reserve has squandered.

    A monopoly that is not a method of management mentioned in the Constitution.

    ReplyDelete
  115. Ironically, the only industry anti-gun Obama hasn't damaged is the firearms industry. They're breaking sales records.

    Blacks are beginning to realize they've been had. Just half of blacks ages 16 to 24 have jobs (and that's only counting those who are looking for work). Sharpton says, "Shut up and get back in line." Obama says, "Stop complaining."

    Al Qaeda has had a severe brain drain. A Massachusetts man plotted to blow up Pentagon, U.S. Capitol using a model airplane, Feds say.

    ReplyDelete
  116. It’s as if Solyndra never happened. The Obama Administration is giving $737 million to a Tonopah Solar, a subsidiary of California-based SolarReserve. PCG is an investment partner with SolarReserve. Nancy Pelosi’s brother-in-law happens to be the number two man at PCG.

    ReplyDelete
  117. Dr. Christina Pietz is treating Loughner at the Missouri prison facility where he has spent the past four months.

    ...

    Two federal marshals stood behind him.

    ...

    Loughner wanted to attend the hearing because he wants to see his parents, who live in Tucson.

    ReplyDelete
  118. Crony capitalism, Ms T. it's a governmet thing.

    A pervasive thing, tambien.

    ReplyDelete
  119. The Crown Office, Scotland's public prosecution service, said that it particularly wants the TNC to make evidence and witnesses available for their investigation.

    ...

    A second Libyan man, Al Amin Khalifa Fhimah, also stood trial at a Scottish court sitting in the Netherlands, but was acquitted in 2001.

    ...

    Scotland's First Minister Alex Salmond said in August he would not seek Megrahi's extradition from the TNC after reports said he was drifting in and out of consciousness.

    ReplyDelete
  120. .



    The Treasury cannot print new notes without new Congressional authority. Which could never be obtained, in the current political environment.

    You miss the point.

    The platinum coins, a mere sop to the platinum industry, thrown into past legislation as a favor by some flunky in Congress and never intended to be minted as large denomination coins.

    The only reason more cash can't be printed is that some past Congress decided $300 billion or so was the most cash they wanted floating around at one time, in effect an arbitrary number. Congress can change that number anytime they want. The same political reality regarding the cash affects the coins. Obama has already stated he doesn't think he has the authority to do it (I would suggest that is a political rather than a legal decision on his part).

    As I said, either is equally doable or not doable from a political standpoint.

    There were two reasons suggested for issuing the coins; first, to get around the debt ceiling problem, and second, to pay off the debt. The only reason these are suggested as being needed is because of actions taken by Congress. The first is because Congress established the concept of a debt ceiling. That is easily changed by removing any legislated debt ceiling. In reality, the US has to pay its debts regardless. Why do we need a debt ceiling accept as another excuse for the boys in OZ to shirk their budgeting duties?

    The second reason is because Congress has mandated that bonds be issued in advance to pay for all the deficits they are running up. This requirement too can be reversed by Congress. But that brings us back to the economic and practical reasons for not doing either, minting coins or printing the paper.

    And that was the main point I was alluding to in my post.

    The benefits far outweigh both the obvious and unforeseen negative consequences that could arise with an injection of $3 trillion into circulation. Combined with removing the Treasury from the debt markets, we'd see an increase in economic activity.

    Perhaps in rat-world; however, I would suggest most economists, the Fed, and most of our creditors would disagree with you. In effect, you would be monetizing the debt, something that may happen over time anyway; however, you would do it overnight. I admire the nonchalance with which you assure us there would be no serious problems associated with these actions, but I would also suggest that much of the world, including the boys in OZ (on both sides of the aisle) would disagree with you.

    .

    ReplyDelete
  121. .

    What a night in AL baseball.

    Boston out, Rays in as wildcard.

    Boston leading 3 to 2 in the 9th. Papelbon strikes out the first two Orioles. He has two strikes on the next batter. Baltimore comes back and wins it 4 to 3.

    New York was leading Tampa Bay 7 to 0. The rays come back to tie it. Longoria wins it with a walk off homer in the 12th inning.

    Rays play Texas in the playoffs.

    The Tigers play the Yankees on Friday.

    .

    ReplyDelete