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."

Saturday, September 19, 2009

Different President, A Different Corps




49 comments:

  1. Madeleine Albright: "America Has No Intention of Being First Nation of the World"

    Madeleine Albright, a democratic expert on foreign policy, let her hair down during a recent speech to Russian students in Omsk. The former Secretary of State told her audience that America no longer had the intention of being the first nation of the world.

    Pravda reported the news that the US media ignored:

    ---
    America has been having hard times recently, Albright said.

    “We have been talking about our exceptionalism during the recent eight years. Now, an average American wants to stay at home – they do not need any overseas adventures. We do not need new enemies,”
    Albright said adding that Beijing, London and Delhi became a serious competition for Washington and New York.

    John at Power Line has more on Madeleine's outrageous anti-American speech.
    ---
    Chi-Com's economy was up 14% last quarter.
    But they cheat:
    They put China first and steal capitalist tricks.
    How absurd that they're acquiring mineral and energy resources around the globe, as we spurn big energy.
    (as the elite burn more than ever)
    ...and Timmy shovels more wealth to his Wall Street buddies.

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  2. John:
    "There you have it. And Albright was Secretary of State during the relatively moderate Clinton administration.
    I'm afraid she speaks for most Democratic foreign policy "experts." Promoting American weakness: it's not a bug, it's a feature.

    By the way, since "overcoming the gap between the poor and the rich" is the world's number one priority, do you suppose Albright waived her speaker's fee, which is listed coyly as more than $40,000?
    No, I don't think so, either.
    "

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  3. C-17 FOR AMERICA
    ---
    It would have been better to give money to the US Post Office and keep those folks employed, reducing wait time @ remaining POs after downsizing, than to give more to the crooks @ the crony banks.
    Makes FDR's make work projects in National Parks look like pure genius.

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  4. 787 "Parts around the World" Fiasco being Boeing's biggest FU in history.

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  5. ...Bridges, the Army officer w/2 foot ponytail!

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  6. Know anything about this, 'Rat?
    ---
    Outer Banks Adventure - Part 4 Margaritaville - Online State Of Mind

    "I drove past the airport at twilight, stopping for a moment when I saw several wild ponies loping along the beach.

    I love the fact that as much as we all perceive of the East Coast of the United States as one continuous string of cities, sidewalks shopping malls and endless streams of traffic along Interstate 95, there is still a lot of land left where wild horses rule the beach.

    I spotted the large "Howard's Pub" sign and pulled the Green Tomato into the parking lot where Sarah, my real estate lady, told me she would meet me. One of the things I always try to find when I am on the road in a place like Ocracoke is authenticity. In too many coastal towns that I have lived in or visited, progress, or what some people call progress, seems to take hold in more ways than some of us not so progressive types would like. To me, that means finding a local cottage or funky beach hotel to sleep in that reminds me of the kinds of places I used to go with my parents down on the Alabama and Florida Gulf Coast when I was a kid, as opposed to a hotel chain or high rise. The same goes for eating. It comes down to one of my simple rules of travel. Sleep local and eat local. Sarah was there and guided me through town and out to my spot for the night.
    "

    They don't look very wild.

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  7. "I am a creature of habit, and to me, the birthplace of aviation, is a place worth visiting more than once. In fact, I would say it is more than a photo op, a gift shop visit or buzzing the Wright Brothers Monument in your plane. It is a spiritual place to me, as powerful as Diamond Head or Machu Picchu in that regard. It is a sandy piece of land, where one can stand at the exact spot where man left the planet for the first time, and reflect in these troubled times, on what it means to soar above the earth and go traveling amongst the stars. Those kinds of thoughts are the things that separate pilots from passengers."

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  8. Same Corps, same country, still only one President at a time.

    Nothing much has changed, at all.

    Point to the Law that has passed that set new precedent. doug and his Wall Street elites have made no new gains, with Team Obama.

    Sad as that is. The financial rot throughout DC is bi-partisan, to be sure. But exemplified by Phil Gramm and his wife's seat on the board, at Enron.

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  9. "doug and his Wall Street elites have made no new gains, with Team Obama."

    Goldman Sucks sure as Hell has.
    As have others too numerous to mention.

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  10. It won't be the same Corps for long, Rat. Morale goes to hell when your guys are being used for cannon fodder due to silly, suicidal Rules of Engagement.

    These sonsamotherfuckingbitches are starting to get my guys killed, senselessly; and I don't like it. We just had four killed the other day because the McChrystal Crew wouldn't authorize artillery support when they got attacked.

    Time to "Bring'em Home."

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  11. Goldman owned the old administration, and it owns the new administration.

    Old boss, new boss, yada, yada

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  12. 1 Billion = 1 Trillion
    to some.

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  13. Public Private Investment Program gives it a go. $64 Million Gives you Access to $1.3 Billion in Unpaid Principal.

    What a mess. I’m not even sure why they are touting this as a success. The loan portfolio has unpaid principal of $1.3 billion. To get a piece of the action, the winning bidder only had to front $64 million! Did you get that? The public private investment program is off to a perfectly stunning crony start. So not only did we give some good financial crack to this bidder, but then we are going to offer the HAMP (hemp?) program on the loans thus costing more money! The other people’s money mentality is alive and well. The PPIP is a mess and it is now being called the Legacy Loans Program. In other words, this is the toxic crap mortgage program. The zombie assets. The sewage filled nuclear mortgage waste.

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  14. Al Qaeda goes after the weak members of the herd.

    Al Qaeda Threatens Germany Ahead of Elections

    Why not? It worked in Spain.

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  15. "Time to "Bring'em Home."

    No U.S. war should last longer than 18 months (six months to get in, six months to accomplish the objective, and six months out.)

    First you only go in when you have a reason (Afganistan) and you don't when you don't (Iraq).

    You go in implementing the Powell Doctrine and you ignore Powell's "pottery barn rules." You certainly don't go in to implement the neocon vision of nation building or to establish democracy.

    Right now we have half the world loving us. I'd rather have 100% of the world respect us.

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  16. We should have never "gone in" Afghanistan. We should have "Nuke'd" Afghanistan (Tora Bora, specifically.)

    We're exactly where we "should" be in Iraq - a couple of big bases right in the middle of 40% of the world's oil.

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  17. "You go in implementing the Powell Doctrine and you ignore Powell's "pottery barn rules."
    You certainly don't go in to implement the neocon vision of nation building or to establish democracy.
    "
    ---
    Rummy didn't want to stay long in AfPakistan or Iraq.
    To some, Rummy remains the jerk, but Condi set things up for a no-win scenario.
    Black Madelein.

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  18. As for Powell, it's just to forget him. The "Powell" Doctrine was really the "Cheney Doctrine." Cheney made him rework the plans about a half a dozen times before he finally came in with "enough" troops.

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  19. 'Rat has no comment on NC's
    "Wild Horses."
    Probly pre-occupied with ME peace in our time.

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  20. Neither Cheney nor Rummy wanted an occupation.

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  21. ...but some still argue that telling the Iraqi Army to get Fucked was no big mistake.
    My Ass.

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  22. Rufus, take your meds.

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  23. All the supposed "chess" players are missing the picture.

    1) "Our" exporters (Mexico, Venezuela, Norway, Nigeria) are Cratering.

    2) We've increased our imports from Russia by about 600,000 Barrels/Day in just the last couple of months.

    3) Russia is the No 1 Oil Producer in the World.

    4) China's Auto Production (for Domestic Sales) is Exploding at the rate of 80%/Year.

    5) Europe is in the same boat, or worse, as we are.

    6) Russia is in the "Catbird Seat."

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  24. Trish says Pootie drinks too much.

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  25. To paraphrase "Abe:" Find out what he's drinking, and get "Our" guys some.

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  26. The Catbird Scenario Plus Obama could bring the USA down far below what most expect.

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  27. We could be scratching a "broke ass" for a few years, for sure.

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  28. The theme with Obama is simple, basic tribalism. His tribe is the same as Reverend Wright. That is where he chose to sit when no one was looking.

    He really is practicing stealth reparations and will do so taking care of his own. He will do it with government mandated transfer payments.

    First health care, then education, federal jobs and agencies, a few court appointees,and expansion of the democratic voting block.

    He is indifferent to growing the economy.He is interested in growing his agenda.

    He believes that if he imbeds the bureaucracy with mandated entitlements to minority groups and the underclass, the productive class will work harder to maintain their relative economic advantage.

    I do not fault him for doing so. If the American public is so stupid, it is their own fault and they will suffer.

    Census figures show 63.6% of eligible U.S. voters, or 131.1 million people, voted last November, an crease of 5 million voters, almost all minorities. The turnout relative to the population of eligible voters was a decrease from 63.8% in 2004. 34% of whites did not vote at all, that is about 45-50 million white non-voters.

    Not voting has consequences.

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  29. Well, I admit, I wasn't too damned crazy about voting, my damned self. It was a pretty crappy choice.

    I voted for McNutz on National Security Grounds; but it's hard to make a "National Security" argument based on putting an imbecile in the White House.

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  30. Rufus: We're exactly where we "should" be in Iraq - a couple of big bases right in the middle of 40% of the world's oil.

    And from Iraq we can reach out to touch Syria and Iran. But Afghanistan? Frak em. Get out.

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  31. Vote for McCain: He's slightly less Bad than the other guy.

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  32. By the way, you are not supposed to notice and most certainly dare not mention it. The Congressional Black Caucus, would never think or act in regard to racial considerations.

    Please do not notice the name.

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  33. Teresita, I Knew Vietnam. Iraq was never "anything" like Vietnam.

    Afghanistan IS Vietnam.

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  34. W/O the Pretty Girls, of course.

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  35. I am a racial agnostic until someone else wishes to take advantage of their racial entitlement which is a zero-sum game.

    Here are Field Negro's thoughtson the matter

    "So I am having dinner with this so called black conservative this evening and he is doing his best to convince me that the republican party and the right is best for black folks in A-merry-ca. Of course, I was not having it. What followed was a lively discussion about politics,race, and the problems of urban A-merry-ca. Like certain people who frequent this blog he thinks that the dems have tried and failed the inner cities. And while I agree with that to an extent (ultimately, it won't be dems or repubs who save us, we will have to save ourselves) there is nothing that he told me that made me believe that right wing or republican rule would be better for black folks in A-merry-ca.

    Besides, I just don't want to be under the same tent with those people. Sorry, there is just too much bad blood between us at this point. I will take republicans on a one on one basis like I did with my man tonight, but there is no way in hell that I will co-sign with them as a group.

    One thing about us black folks; our gut feelings are always true to us, and I bet every one of you -black folks-reading this get that gut feeling when you are around folks on the right. You know the one. The one that says that this person is not comfortable in this space. It's why I wonder how black conservatives survive in that environment. Don't they get the gut check? Or do they get it and ignore it? I was going to ask my man but he was getting the check, so I wanted to be nice."


    Field Negro is right to support his people, but do not get mussed when someone else notices.

    If you are naive enough to think that this is not representative of American black thinking, then you have been racially gelded and blinded to reality.

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  36. Putin Applauds ‘Brave’ U.S. Decision on Missile Defense

    It was "brave" to put all our battleships in Pearl Harbor too. Pooty means "cocksure".

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  37. ACORN withdrawing from prostitution to focus on its core businesses of mortgage and voter fraud.

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  38. You can almost understand the man's thinking. Russia has the oil, and Europe is going to really be needing it in a few years.

    I'd say the odds are better of the "Armies Marching Eastward" than "Westward."

    The Missile Defense "Shield" would have put the Russians at a hell of a disadvantage. Think, "Napolean, Hitler, et al."

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  39. Rufus: I'd say the odds are better of the "Armies Marching Eastward" than "Westward."

    Euroweenies invading a nuclear power. What have you been drinking, Rufus, and give me some.

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  40. I'm refering to the battlefield tactical nukes, Rufus, no missile shield in Poland will do squat against those.

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  41. I admit the theory needs a little work, T; but, the Euros have never been particularly smart as regards, Russia. (See Napolean, Hitler, et al :)

    Oh yeah, I forgot to mention Nat Gas. Russia has plenty, the Euros are "running out."

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  42. I have no knowledge of horses living on the Atlantic sea coast, doug.

    I do know that the are not large tracts of Federal land for them to be roaming, in NC.

    Or FL, for that matter.

    I'm just trying to survive the disaster the last Republican administration landed US in, leaving me with less time for pontification.

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  43. Thought your eye might discern if you believe they are "wild" in any meaningful sense.
    Look like pleasure horses spending leisure time on the beach to me.
    ...but I know zilch about horses.

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