It’s Hard to be Jolly with Sad Santa Stories

Posted on December 23, 2009 by stacyherbert| 242 Comments

Stacy Summary: Ho, ho, hoooooouuuugggghmmm.

For America’s Mall Santas, It’s Hard to be Jolly With the Tales They’re Hearing

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242 Responses to It’s Hard to be Jolly with Sad Santa Stories

Bonn | December 23, 2009 at 3:55 am |

ikka = Ace = 1 in Hindi
Mike/Liverpool | December 23, 2009 at 4:02 am |

My poor Gold
Sob
;(

Mike
Bonn | December 23, 2009 at 4:07 am |

@ Mike
LOL
Mike Gold and precious metals are always held on for the long run
Its Semi – precious metals where your nose should be on the Graph
And I think I mentioned X-mas time Dollar would get stronger, Jan End is when I think the Smile will come back on your face
But Lets see what Max Keiser gotta say
Hic
Phil /Germany | December 23, 2009 at 4:07 am |

@Mike … Cheer up!

http://www.321gold.com/editorials/thomson_s/thomson_s_122209.html
Phil /Germany | December 23, 2009 at 4:09 am |

@Mike .. Bonn is right.

FIAT : It’s only a promise of paper money
GOLD : is real money
Fibon11235 | December 23, 2009 at 4:12 am |

@ Mike/Liverpool

Why dont you go on a quest and find out how prices are manipulated, then tell us all?
Daniel S | December 23, 2009 at 4:15 am |

Send these Santas to Iraq.
Marc Authier | December 23, 2009 at 4:16 am |

Strange ? Meanwhile the financial terrorists fromm Goldman Sachs are hustling you guest it, CRE Reits ! Selling the crap to their moronic clients while problably personnally shorting them. I have a question for you. Knowing what a lot of people know about Goldman Satan Sachs, why do people do business with these scumbags ? CRE Reit are hot hot hot dixit the the Goldman Sachs crooks.
Daniel S | December 23, 2009 at 4:20 am |

Mike, calling a Whaaambulance for you right now.

Be sure to tell the paramedics about your childhood.
Bonn | December 23, 2009 at 4:20 am |

@ Marc Authier
CRE Reit are hot hot hot dixit the the Goldman Sachs crooks.
The screw up is its all smoke and mirrors .So no one really knows who is doing business with who I guess
Now they seem to be heading to monopoly
I really dunno just guessing
Joe | December 23, 2009 at 4:26 am |

any happy news posted here?
Joe | December 23, 2009 at 4:31 am |

Home Sales, Prices Brighten – WSJ.com http://bit.ly/8SXfSn
Tofu Charlie | December 23, 2009 at 4:37 am |

via experimentalgameplay.com:

“A new game from Paolo Pedercini, “Every Day the Same Dream” is a beautiful game with a very bleak outlook (perhaps partially belied by its restrained color scheme).”

play here:
http://www.molleindustria.org/everydaythesamedream/everydaythesamedream.html
Daniel S | December 23, 2009 at 4:42 am |

Worldwide median income.

If you lined up every adult in the world by income, I wonder how much the person standing in the middle would be earning.

Also, what would be the median quality of housing, diet, level of education, status of health, degree of happiness?

I’d rather think in human terms globally than by nation since nations are enforced illusions necessary for the maintenance of various injustices.
Phil /Germany | December 23, 2009 at 4:44 am |

@Joe … any happy news posted here?

No , we deal in misery only !
ronron | December 23, 2009 at 4:45 am |

@Stacetherbert. let’s hope the goldman boys get a visit from 3 gousts and then run over by a bus.
Mother Earth | December 23, 2009 at 4:47 am |

AJ doesn’t get the US have screwed up a global peace treaty in Copenhagen http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d4ywJgOk9og

He recently attacked the young turks very funny here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I8FUHVLHzVA
Tofu Charlie | December 23, 2009 at 4:49 am |

Wow! Sounding great!!! Rev. Billy & The Not Buying It Band
18 Dec 09, upstate NY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOHfWmV1dkI

maybe Rev Billy could to team up with a great mildly-political NY afrobeat band called Antibalas to take this to the next level?… there’s Fela Kuti potential here…
Youri Carma | December 23, 2009 at 5:00 am |

French November Consumer Spending Drops as Job Concerns Beat Car Subsidy http://tinyurl.com/yclqwdy
stacyherbert | December 23, 2009 at 5:05 am |

@Youri – I am sure the ‘drop’ in French consumer spending is found in the ‘rise’ in UK consumer spending . . . prices are HUGELY different between Paris and London; you can find almost all the same brands in London for at least 20% less and up to 50% less, based on both the exchange rate and the sales that London holds, whereas there have been very few sales I have noticed here in Paris; for example, I just bought a sweater dress kind of thing that I had my eye on here in Paris where it was 98 euros, I bought the same exact dress for 48 euros in London
Mother Earth | December 23, 2009 at 5:12 am |

@Stacy

But I get the impression you need to smuggle the stuff yourself to have that advantage..
Crumpet Muncher | December 23, 2009 at 5:13 am |

Santa Training School? You mean he’s not real? Sometimes I think everything I’ve ever been told is a lie.
Joe | December 23, 2009 at 5:14 am |

@maxkeiser.com
Happy holidays!

Defense Bill Raids Personnel Funds to Pay For Weapons–
http://trueslant.com/matttaibbi/2009/12/18/defense-bill-raids-personnel-funds-to-pay-for-weapons/
Daniel S | December 23, 2009 at 5:14 am |

This whole deflation, currency fluctuations thing. (sigh) Makes me want to wait to buy most things, but a guy’s gotta live. I bet the US-made rower I’ll be buying soon will be at least 15% cheaper in my currency a year from now. Add to that the fact I could buy an ounce of gold for a very similar amount and there is likely lost capital gains too. So I’ll be paying a dollar a day in opportunity costs to use a rower twice a week. Meh. Shm’economics. On the bright side I’ll be thinking more clearly and making better decisions with the rest of my money due to the exercise.
Crumpet Muncher | December 23, 2009 at 5:15 am |

@stacy. Post up a picture of you in that new dress. I bet you look hot.
Daniel S | December 23, 2009 at 5:17 am |

Santa and his reindeer are getting old. I hope Goldman Sachs haven’t taken out insurance policies on them too!
stacyherbert | December 23, 2009 at 5:17 am |

@Crumpet – more like warm . . . ! I will wear it on next Keiser Report

@Mother – why would you need to smuggle it? Unless you are buying tens of thousands worth, I don’t think there is any restriction on getting a better deal in London . . .
Mother Earth | December 23, 2009 at 5:24 am |

@Stacy

By smuggling I mean transport it yourself, individually. I expect (from what I see) that if you wanted to order it online (which should be booming business) that there would be added fees so the price would equalize. Its more or less my experience (VAT+Fees). If you get UK buyers to send it via personal packages then it could work. Maybe I’m wrong and just a bit frustrated with my own experiences

Can I ask what video editing software you use?
Youri Carma | December 23, 2009 at 5:31 am |

@stacyherbert

Mmmmm ……..has London always been that cheap? Or is can this all be explained by the the fall of the British Pound? Big Cities mostly are more expensive in goods but also in housing. If you want to live in Amsterdam for instance you pay at least 30% more on a house even if it is in a bad shape from outside Amesterdam.

I know that the French have a tendency to “over pricing” depending if rich tourists are involved sometimes. Maybe therefor prices in Paris always have been up somewhat compared with the more rural areas.

Bottomline: The British Pound was battered and the French over price sometimes especially if you are in a big tourist city like Paris. Also the crises is more obvious in London than it is in Paris so maybe the London businesses have acted earlier by lowering there prices? Paris has still come to that conclusion or go out of business in the end.
henk | December 23, 2009 at 5:38 am |

@mother erath,

I bey a lot from the Uk an deven with transport…prices are much lower.
stacyherbert | December 23, 2009 at 5:39 am |

@Youri – it is not that I shop at tourist locations here; I have lived here for five years

the pound has tumbled so fast against the euro that I think all these international brands (and almost everything these days is) have not had time to adjust the prices; plus the French aren’t big on doing sales, whereas the Brits and Americans I guess like churn and are constantly slashing prices . . . from what I can tell here, the shops are happy to hold the merchandise for quite a long time in the hopes that they will sell it at the full price
Veritas | December 23, 2009 at 5:39 am |

Jack Bauer interrogates Santa:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6yUCbqAGrg&feature=player_embedded
Youri Carma | December 23, 2009 at 5:41 am |

The Fed’s balance sheet ballooned to $2.24 trillion – 142% up from the beginning of 2008 http://tinyurl.com/ylzmsxg
Marc Authier | December 23, 2009 at 5:42 am |

@Joe

SHADOW INVENTORY INCREASES BY 55% !

http://www.americanbanker.com/issues/174_243/shadow-inventory-increases-1005431-1.html

These are NOT the real numbers. Why ? Check the word “Shadow inventory”. Bank to maintain the illusion of a pickup are playing a little smokes and mirror game. They put up the houses for sales. No buyers at that price. (like Sotherbys and Christie bid rigging). They buy it back themselves. It gives a fantastic illusion that the market (pardon the racket) is now stable. It’s not.
Mother Earth | December 23, 2009 at 5:44 am |

@Max

I made a vid where I have DEM written on my left hand, and REP written on my right, so I can bitch slap the viewer like the US government does its citizen. there is no way out thorugh politics, they are all bought. Would be fun to see you do that!
Youri Carma | December 23, 2009 at 5:48 am |

Value of acquisitions worldwide dropped 34% this year http://tinyurl.com/y8zeule
Youri Carma | December 23, 2009 at 5:52 am |

Value of acquisitions worldwide dropped 34% this year –> The lowest point in six years.
ronron | December 23, 2009 at 5:53 am |

fox news accuses local santa of pessimism porn.
Will | December 23, 2009 at 5:57 am |

Can China beat US in gold reserves in 10 years?
http://www.commodityonline.com/news/Can-China-beat-US-in-gold-reserves-in-10-years-24146-3-1.html
China has set the most ambitious task on gold reserves and gold mining: take the country’s gold holdings from the current 1054 tonnes to a massive 10,000 tonnes in the next 10 years.

Is this grand task a realistic plan or a golden dream? Chinese officials say the dragon country wants to overtake the United States in gold reserves. America is the world leader in gold reserves. America owns 8133 tonnes of gold reserves that accounts for 76.5% of its foreign exchange reserves. Naturally, the Chinese plan is to ensure that bulk of its foreign exchange reserves–currently held in the forms of US dollar and bonds–is turned into gold reserves.

…the main factor at play is fear of a U.S. dollar devaluation.

Erik Bethel of seekingalpha.com points out the following major thrusts to explain how the Chinese appetite for gold reserves is simply rising and rising:

* People in China are seriously starting to take notice of the fragility of the U.S. dollar and are loading up on commodities.

* Chinese retail investors are also starting to take notice. As an example, there are “gold retail stores” popping up throughout major cities where individuals can buy mini gold bullion. There’s even a China Gold Store located in Beijing Airport’s new Terminal 3.

* Another example is that while it was illegal to buy gold two years ago, Chinese citizens can now go to the bank and purchase “paper gold” certificates. Paper gold is basically the Chinese equivalent of an ETF and is supposedly backed by bullion held at the banks.

* Chinese gold mining stocks are red hot and up 2-4x since last year.

China has US$2 trillion and is going to start deploying it in overseas mining assets.

Old news if you’re paying attention, but echoes are important.
stacyherbert | December 23, 2009 at 5:59 am |

Who made this . . . http://artedetomas.blogspot.com/2009/10/max-keiser.html
Will | December 23, 2009 at 6:00 am |

(The last sentence in the above post is mine, but the formatting went away. Oh please, Stacy, add a preview button!)
Will | December 23, 2009 at 6:02 am |

@Stacy – Who made this?

Tomas Estrada-Palma!
Bonn | December 23, 2009 at 6:04 am |

Unemployment funds going ‘absolutely broke’
40 state programs to be emptied by the jobless tsunami within two years
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34519544/ns/business-washington_post
Mother Earth | December 23, 2009 at 6:20 am |

@Will

The US strategy until now has been to blame China for the problems, and when everything in the US collapses that will translate into a war imho. Much easier than any other scenario. The US is run by people with an underdeveloped highschool mentality.
Youri Carma | December 23, 2009 at 6:26 am |

@Mother Earth

AJS had some very interesting headlines indeed TnX!

There’ll be nowhere to run from the new world government Dec 20th, 2009 (Telegraph UK) http://tinyurl.com/ybarzfx

Copenhagen climate summit: plan for EU to police countries’ emissions Dec 20th, 2009 (Telegraph UK) http://tinyurl.com/y9vf33k

Jason Bermas & Alex Jones:Gordon Brown The Decider & Food Irradiation and Meat sprayed with Virusses http://tinyurl.com/ykhnc6r

A mixture of six special bacteria-killing viruses are sprayed on ready-to-eat meat and poultry products just before they are packaged. (The Associated Press) http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14410160/from/ET/

Agency Approves First Use of Viruses as a Food Additive (The New York Times) http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/19/us/19viruses.html
Will | December 23, 2009 at 6:28 am |

@MotherEarth – War with China

It already is a war! From the Chinese book Unrestricted Warfare, two quotes:

Today, when nuclear weapons have already become frightening mantlepiece decorations that are losing their real operational value with each passing day, financial war has become a “hyperstrategic” weapon that is attracting the attention of the world. This is because financial war is easily manipulated and allows for concealed actions, and is also highly destructive. By analyzing the chaos in Albania not long ago, we can clearly see the role played by various types of foundations that were set up by transnational groups and millionaires with riches rivaling the wealth of nation states. These foundations control the media, control subsidies to political organizations, and limit any resistance from the authorities, resulting in a collapse of national order and the downfall of the legally authorized government. Perhaps we could dub this type of war “foundation-style” financial war. The greater and greater frequency and intensity of this type of war, and the fact that more and more countries and non-state organizations are deliberately using it, are causes for concern and are facts that we must face squarely.

…if the attacking side secretly musters large amounts of capital without the enemy nation being aware of this at all and launches a sneak attack against its financial markets, then after causing a financial crisis, buries a computer virus and hacker detachment in the opponent’s computer system in advance, while at the same time carrying out a network attack against the enemy so that the civilian electricity network, traffic dispatching network, financial transaction network, telephone communications network, and mass media network are completely paralyzed, this will cause the enemy nation to fall into social panic, street riots, and a political crisis. There is finally the forceful bearing down by the army, and military means are utilized in gradual stages until the enemy is forced to sign a dishonorable peace treaty.

…it’s just not being touted as a war on TV, so it’s not a war! It will be a war at some point, perhaps when we need to be distracted again.
Joe | December 23, 2009 at 6:42 am |

@Bonn
Nice link thanks!

the Recession is over but the depression has just began —
http://www.ritholtz.com/blog/2009/12/the-recession-is-over-but-the-depression-has-just-begun/#more-46719
Joe | December 23, 2009 at 6:44 am |

@MArc A
Thanks I agree — yeah I understand that – Its just more bubbleconomics and market propaganda from the MSM outlets…. its amazing
Youri Carma | December 23, 2009 at 6:46 am |

Fox News Covers Mass Drugging of Society with Lithium http://tinyurl.com/ycvdzzl

Final Copenhagen Text Includes Global Transaction Tax http://tinyurl.com/ybqmwbb
Mother Earth | December 23, 2009 at 6:47 am |

@Will

Interesting…Of course financial warfare only works as long as coutnries play along, so behind all that is real threats, like that against China’s energy supply f.i. The sooner the paper game breaks down the better, the smoother the better.

@Youri

Well, I now simply view AJ as a misguided/wellpaid shill that does his audience a disservice. He basically identifies a demographic group for homeland security. They know who to arrest thanks to AJ. Also a great recruiting tool for fals flag operations (if Obama ever gets assasinated it will most likely be a crazed AJ listener made utterly paranoid by Obama’s enemies). It is no good if you are right 30% of the time like AJ, frankly that seriously sucks. You need to be right 95% of the time like Max, Marc faber, Jim Rogers, Peter Schiff, and the earlier you are the more interesting it is to me.
Joe | December 23, 2009 at 6:47 am |

@Marc A
also great link thanks! very useful info – I was wondering how such a thing was possible and just dismissed it as faulty reporting… the merry go round of housing goes on…
Youri Carma | December 23, 2009 at 6:50 am |

That Tap Water Is Legal but May Be Unhealthy Dec 16th, 2009 (The New York Times) http://tinyurl.com/yc8tq42
Jim ODonnell | December 23, 2009 at 6:51 am |

Mike/Liverpool
Dec 23, 2009 at 4:02 am

“My poor Gold
Sob
;( ”

Cheer up Mike, according to a chart on Zero-Hedge gold was the #1 investment class from 1999-2099 [chart in link]. I was amazed that even Bloomberg TV Europe had a similar story, but that was at about 3:45 AM EST. Bet they don’t show it to an American audiance as not only was gold #1 but stock in general were down about 10% over the entire period.

So much for “investing” in stocks:

http://groups.google.com/group/aaa-jod-economics/browse_thread/thread/c9fc154300c48510#
Mother Earth | December 23, 2009 at 6:53 am |

I guess Obama is off to Hawaii so the Chinese don’t sieze it
Bonn | December 23, 2009 at 6:55 am |

@ Joe
Bonn
Nice link thanks

I get most of me info from Infowars dot come
I guess lotta peeps Visit that site too
But sometimes I just Arbitarily type in Google
Like when the bail outs were being Dished out
I just Typed “Why the bailouts won’t work”
in Google Bam Peter Schiff Mark Faber and lot more Economists/Financial Advisers poped up
Google is very handy that way.
If ya have a arbitary doubt just Type it in the Google search Engine LOL works really smooth
LOL ROFL Hic
Bonn | December 23, 2009 at 6:58 am |

Thinking of typing “Peak Water does’nt exists ”
Lol but too Lazy, me 6th sense (a.ka. Common sense)says its nonsense
Hic
Danny | December 23, 2009 at 6:58 am |

Platts Report: China’s Oil Demand Surges 18.7% in November
http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/platts-report-chinas-oil-demand-surges-187-in-november-79822702.html

Banks with political ties got bailouts, study shows
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE5BK3WF20091221

Seven Banks Fail, 140 YTD total, Sheila Bair “prepared to handle an ever-larger number of bank failures next year”
http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com/2009/12/seven-banks-fail-140-ytd-total-sheila.html

“The Gulf monetary union pact has come into effect”
http://forums.wallstreetexaminer.com/index.php?showtopic=851781

Goldman Sachs threatens Spanish move
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/goldman-sachs-threatens-spanish-move-1845582.html
frances snoot | December 23, 2009 at 7:04 am |

Heh, Phil:
If gold is “real money” why would Mike be so glum about the decline of the price of gold in dollars? That should be a jubilee, right, cause he can use his real money now.

Right?

” I see gold and gold-related items as fabulous buys here. USD? Not so fabulous to put it mildly. Does that mean this is “the gold bottom?” No. It means that when gold turns and has a huge rally, and it will, YOU start ringing your cash register”

Every goldbug’s Christmas wish list is dependent on a pricing system with the dollar inherent. Why doesn’t the man tell the people that that system is moribund?
Joe | December 23, 2009 at 7:05 am |

@Bonn
I get most my info from my RSS fead ‘newspaper’ so to speak. “FeedDemon” I just subscribe to most the blogs/sites I read and am interested in (like Zerohedge, Mish Global, Market Ticker ect…) and it updates regularly like an realtime newspaper. I might be behind the curve but I had just discovered this a few months ago and I love it.
frances snoot | December 23, 2009 at 7:07 am |

@ME:
Hawaii has been a corporate interest from the day that the Queen was jailed by sugar moguls. Nothing has changed: there are no nation/state interests. The system is supported by monied interest.

http://whatreallyhappened.com/WRHARTICLES/HAWAII/hawaii.html
Marc Authier | December 23, 2009 at 7:09 am |

@Bonn

You forgot a new concept of mine. We haven’t attained “Peak lies” Max and Stacy. When will we attain “Peak lies”. Growth revised downward int the US frome 2,8% to 2,2%. No problemo. The little Bloomberg prostitutes are cheerleading this morning on this horrible data. Wonder when we will arrive to “Peak lies” ?
Joe | December 23, 2009 at 7:11 am |

@Marc A
‘Peak Lies” — I think they will keep coming until another crash happens… then all credibility which should have been lost before will hopefully be lost then.
Youri Carma | December 23, 2009 at 7:14 am |

@ Mother Earth

The Alex Jones Show has a very good track record being accurate most of the times since they are following mainstream headlines for longer period of times thus seeing more of the “Complete Picture” pattern.

Some of these mainstream headlines maybe forgotten easily since they were not picked up by the rest of the mainstream media. But viewed in an historical perceptive they tell a disturbing tale.

World Government is “The Endgame” of these sinister characters. Drink-water Pollution is a big problem world wide. The GM manipulations going on today also influencing our food quality, which rats won’t eat, is a serious matter in my view. Radiating food doesn’t seem like a very good idea at all to me. It destroys your French cheeses and live “special designed” viruses on my meat really disturbs me knowing how bad GM food is and having no trust in their live experiments on public health. Bloody Monsanto!
Bonn | December 23, 2009 at 7:14 am |

@ Marc Authier
ROFL LOL I think MSM is in the state Pynk Floid’s (Pink Floyd’s) “Comfortably Numb” so is 90 % of the population so my guess is we have’nt reached “Peak Lies” as yet .
ROFL lol
Hic
frances snoot | December 23, 2009 at 7:16 am |

“Is this grand task a realistic plan or a golden dream? Chinese officials say the dragon country wants to overtake the United States in gold reserves.”

Why no names here, Will? Oh, we are to ‘trust’ David? Or are we to cross-reference rumours? He quotes one Chinese gold salesman.

“China’s move to step up gold reserves got a moral boost when last month India—a large consumer of gold in the world—bought 200 tonnes of gold from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a big amount that Chinese would have never thought of purchasing. According to Zhang of the China Gold Association (CGA), India’s decision to buy IMF gold has been the real boost for China’s recent spirited moves to step up gold reserves. ”

A moral boost from the IMF? Isn’t anyone interested in the sdr diversification or the substitution accounts or the manipulation of account deficits prior to the institution of a suprasovereign clearing union?

Guess not.
Will | December 23, 2009 at 7:22 am |

@Phil – log splitter too slow – When I woke up this AM, I remembered a couple of tricks for making a log splitter run faster. First, you can use a two-stage pump (which yours may already have, but it’s worth checking) which can speed things up under no-load conditions (both retract and forward). But also there is another little trick which really makes the cylinder move forward very rapidly – when fluid is pumped into the piston end, the rod end is initially vented not to the tank but also to the piston end, until the wedge starts to split the log. Then the rod end is vented to the tank for more power. You can make this change to the circuit by using a special valve:

http://www.princehyd.com/Portals/0/products/valves/catalog/ValvesLsRd25.pdf

or you can add a “Hi / Low Speed” 3-way valve:

http://www.forestryforum.com/board/index.php/topic,40845.msg588327.html#msg588327

This should decrease the cycle time substantially if you are spending a lot of time waiting for the cylinder to move under no load.
Marc Authier | December 23, 2009 at 7:22 am |

@Joe and Bonn all of ya.

PEAK LIES in UNITED SachSucks of Armageddon.

Residential Real Estate Losse Worsens. Don’t count on the TV prostitutes from CNBC, MNBC and Bloomberg to give you the facts. Peak lies. We are there.

http://boombustblog.com/Reggie-Middleton/1251-Residential-Lending-Credit-Losses-Worsen-as-Unstainable-Government-Support-Proves-Unsustainable.html

Here are the real number Joe. It’s getting worse. Reggie’s Middleton’s site is one the best and most serious site I know.
Dedo | December 23, 2009 at 7:25 am |

John Swinton, the former Chief of Staff of the New York Times, called by his peers, “The Dean of his profession,” was asked in 1953 to give a toast before the NY Press Club:

There is no such thing at this date of the world’s history, in America, as an independent press. You know it and I know it. There is not one of you who dares to write your honest opinions and if you did, you know beforehand that it would never appear in print. I am paid weekly for keeping my honest opinions out of the paper I am connected with. Others of you are paid similar salaries for similar things and any of you who would be so foolish as to write honest opinions would be out on the streets looking for another job. If I allowed my honest opinions to appear in one issue of my paper, before twenty-four hours my occupation would be gone. The business of a journalist is to destroy truth; to lie outright; to pervert; to vilify; to fawn at the feet of mammon and to sell his country and his race for his daily bread. You know it and I know it and what folly is this toasting an independent press? We are the tools and vassals for rich men behind the scenes. We are the jumping jacks, they pull the strings and we dance. Our talents, our possibilities and our lives are all the property of other men.

We are intellectual prostitutes.
I wouldn’t have thought things have changed a whole lot!! : ),..but that’s just my opinion
Marc Authier | December 23, 2009 at 7:27 am |

Hey Max and Stacy, You should invite Reggie Middleton. This guy is fantastic

Lazer ray analysis on american banking. He knows how to read a bank balance sheet. What a fantastic guest it would make on your show.

http://boombustblog.com/Reggie-Middleton/1251-Residential-Lending-Credit-Losses-Worsen-as-Unstainable-Government-Support-Proves-Unsustainable.html
JayDnis | December 23, 2009 at 7:27 am |

EUC (Emergency Unemployment Compensation) up 425% in one year

http://www.dol.gov/opa/media/press/eta/ui/current.htm

States reported 4,226,300 persons claiming EUC (Emergency Unemployment Compensation) benefits for the week ending Nov. 28, an increase of 45,922 from the prior week. There were 994,188 claimants in the comparable week in 2008. EUC

EUC is a program in in America for people who have timed out on regular employment insurance. I have been following it for the past few months.
frances snoot | December 23, 2009 at 7:29 am |

We are intellectual prostitutes.

Good Lord, Dedo! Does that make us intellectual sluts? I think that the press is legitimately MARRIED to the state. They just wear the ring through their nose.
Youri Carma | December 23, 2009 at 7:30 am |

@Mother Earth

One must not forget that people tend to have a short sided memory scope greatly influenced by a professional compartmentalized way of thinking. A by profession deformed one-sided view caused by only focusing on specialist compartmentalized issues and not on the wider, containing more specialists on a wide area of subjects, issues.
Dedo | December 23, 2009 at 7:32 am |

@Frances,….Only if one regurgitates that particular food with gusto,…yeah,.I would say so!
Joe | December 23, 2009 at 7:33 am |

The Real Reason Newspapers Are Losing Money, And Why Bailing Out Failing Newspapers Would Create Moral Hazard in the Media

http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2009/12/why-newspapers-are-losing-money-reason.html
frances snoot | December 23, 2009 at 7:34 am |

@Dedo:
The point to being a slut is to enjoy the act without tagging the action to money, position, or power.
Dedo | December 23, 2009 at 7:34 am |

@Youri,…I agree,.it was so evident while reading Cal’ Dox comments the other day!
I love it when folk real out their qualification for proof of intellect, quite amusing : )
Dedo | December 23, 2009 at 7:36 am |

@Frances,….An insidious slut?
Youri Carma | December 23, 2009 at 7:39 am |

@frances snoot

But if it’s even for free can you still call it prostitution. I always thought the money was the great driver behind it, correct me if I am wrong but prostitutes get paid otherwise, what is it?

So, it’s much much worse it’s more like forced “prostitution” without pay and free sex slaves is only one aspect of the enslavement of the population policies going on at the moment.
Mother Earth | December 23, 2009 at 7:39 am |

@Youri

AJ is unreliable and exploits the paranoid minds to the detrement of US coherence.

World goevrnement will not be the endgame. Decivilisation will be the endgame.
Youri Carma | December 23, 2009 at 7:41 am |

@@frances snoot

It’s Rape!
Marc Authier | December 23, 2009 at 7:44 am |

@Joe

See what I mean. Bloomberg and all the official media should be seen as organized crime. They do it systematically.

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-foreclosures22-2009dec22,0,7969044.story

More prime mortgages default in the 3rd quarter.

Like some one of those TV bastards working for corporate america once said: “If we don’t talk about it on TV, it doesn’t exist.”

Sickening indeed. One in ten mortgage is delinquent. How’s that for a “srong” Obanana economy. 10% !
Danny | December 23, 2009 at 7:45 am |

Platts Report: China’s Oil Demand Surges 18.7% in November
http://tinyurl.com/ykhkjwt

Banks with political ties got bailouts, study shows
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE5BK3WF20091221

“The Gulf monetary union pact has come into effect”
http://tinyurl.com/yky8qnr

Goldman Sachs threatens Spanish move
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/goldman-sachs-threatens-spanish-move-1845582.html
Danny | December 23, 2009 at 7:46 am |

Took me 5 attempts to get my post up so apologies for repeated posts after. Jeebus!!
frances snoot | December 23, 2009 at 7:47 am |

@Dedo:
There’s nothing insidious about enjoyment which is obvious and hard to conceal.

And the whole idea of prostitution relies on the cousin of marraige which I consider to have been a form of forced enslavement in prior times.

Men are sluts as well as women. There is nothing wrong with enjoying pleasure without manipulating someone’s pocketbook or agency.

I assume we must all retain some pleasure from posting here else we are sadomasochistic. (I am not referring to Youri at this juncture for he is off wielding his cave-club and grinding the word ‘rape’ for no apparent reason! Shouldn’t yell fire in a theatre!)
Dedo | December 23, 2009 at 7:48 am |

@Mother,..World goevrnement will not be the endgame. Decivilisation will be the endgame.

Ohh how myopic are those with molded vision
Will | December 23, 2009 at 7:48 am |

@Frances – China & gold – I post articles which I think are interesting, even if they are one-sided or (sometimes) even if they completely suck. The point is usually about perception, and although central bankers may be interested in SDRs, humans seem to be more interested in gold (at least in “Old Europe” & the Far and Middle East regions).

As you may also note from my postings, I tend to see the financial scenario as a developing conflict among sovereign states, not as just a bunch of people lining up in a bent-over position waiting to be done up in a new way by the Naked Emperor. I think eventually leaders of countries will figure out how badly they have been hosed by the BennyBux financial system, and they will be offp!ssed. Not that they didn’t ask for it. Only Canada’s banking system seems to have avoided the leveraged greed temptation.
Joe | December 23, 2009 at 7:48 am |

@Marc A
What really sums up what your saying is the videos of Mad Money Jim Cramer “Bear Stearns is fine” ect http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gUkbdjetlY8

Also Bernanke exclaiming the market is great and structurally fine! Bernanke: Why are we still listening to this guy? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQ79Pt2GNJo&feature=player_embedded “No housing bubble!”"
Youri Carma | December 23, 2009 at 7:53 am |

@Mother Earth

“Decivilization will be the endgame.”

Depopulation is already going on for some time. Dehumanization also to a certain degree since mass killings can be hidden in plain view as statistics sometimes and torturing is OK according to the government. Dieing puppies draw more attention on MSM than dead people cause we get used to that.

Civilization is a thin layer of enamel which can come off after some time but glazing is difficult to scratch off sometimes.
advocate001 | December 23, 2009 at 7:56 am |

Why did obama give 25 trillion to new york scum banksters? Why are they so special? Who gave obama the authority? the right? the power?
Marc Authier | December 23, 2009 at 7:57 am |

@Joe

Economist are trained to ignore the real world.

http://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2009/12/guest-post-economists-are-trained-to-ignore-the-real-world.html

Lazy bums that should get kick in the a–.
frances snoot | December 23, 2009 at 8:00 am |

I tend to see the financial scenario as a developing conflict among sovereign states.

That makes for a good Hollywood movie, but a far-fetched grasp of the real workings in the G20 system. I’m afraid the IMF bank as pivot includes a bought-and-paid-for financial secretary from each and every ‘sovereign’ nation on board the G20 train. Toot toot. Voluntary application of ‘sovereign’ decision has supported this bank and the criminal elements deriving profit from the BIS currency conglomerate as a general rule without exception for the last few decades (if we set the Iraq war aside as a joint-exception).

Whether the cohesion retains vector force is a question; but the Afghan conflict being run out of the UN security council through NATO auspices is a precursor to G20 power hegemony run out of Europe.
Joe | December 23, 2009 at 8:01 am |

@Marc A
yeah I reed that sight regularly – good stuff!

heres a good read – American Purgatory http://bit.ly/8fQ42i
Joe | December 23, 2009 at 8:02 am |

Both major political parties now offer weekend seminars where you can learn modern voodoo economics — where private sector and public sector debt doesnt matter…
Youri Carma | December 23, 2009 at 8:04 am |

@@Mother Earth

I forgot to say that one should certainly not forget most recent Mass population Chemical Biological Experiment.

The recent H1N1 Vaccines were all so-called “Experimental Vaccines ” not yet fully tested on all it’s dangers still giving it to the population en masse and hyping the H1N1 dangers for simple short minded profits.
Joe | December 23, 2009 at 8:04 am |

@Maxkeiser.com
Whats everyones thoughts on Keynesian stimulus – govt sector running a deficit to keep up w/ aggregate demand when private sector is deleveraging and saving….

I personally think its bogus in the case for the US where public debt is still reflected on private debt in the sense of paying it back at a future date through higher taxes ect…
Joe | December 23, 2009 at 8:07 am |

Countdown to 2010: Part 1: Spread of Sovereign Default by Rich Economies? — Seeking Alpha http://bit.ly/6eNKxx
Marc Authier | December 23, 2009 at 8:07 am |

@Joe

New Home Sale in United Liars of America.

Predicted by the whores :488,000

Real: 355,000

Maudits menteurs. Stinking crooks from the media.

“Pump and Dump”
Dedo | December 23, 2009 at 8:07 am |

talking of news,..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=19zyIG89piI&feature=related
Dedo | December 23, 2009 at 8:14 am |

@Max,…You should get this guy on, I’ve heard he’s got bags of charisma! : )
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_i7vpGNlLc&feature=related
Joe | December 23, 2009 at 8:16 am |

@Dedo
LOL!
Marc Authier | December 23, 2009 at 8:26 am |

@Dedo

Charles Manson = Bernanké with hair on his head. Makes a lot of sense when I compare what he see on Bloomberg and CNBC and MNBC. Liars liars pants on fire. In reality the media in the USA is like the media under Adolf Hitler. Naazi USA media. Hey ! Thinhgs are great great great in Stalingrad.
Mother Earth | December 23, 2009 at 8:27 am |

@Youri

That reminds me I got this nail stylist magazine lying around, you’d probably be interested in that (since its utter nonsense as well)
mark@berlin | December 23, 2009 at 8:29 am |

Firstly, Happy Holidays to Max & Stacy and to all on this web site…l do really enjoy all your comments and rants. Looking forward to seeing what l think may well be a pivotal year for western culture and there societies …Peace!

Alan Moore shares his take on Conspiracies.
“The World Is Rudderless”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VTTnn641gqw
Joe | December 23, 2009 at 8:35 am |

December Means Wall St. Big Fat Bonuses: 6 Largest Banks on Track to Dish Out Nearly $150 Billion http://bit.ly/6bV0aK
Youri Carma | December 23, 2009 at 8:37 am |

Very Arty and “pointly spoken” portrayal of Max Keiser indeed: http://artedetomas.blogspot.com/2009/10/max-keiser.html
frances snoot | December 23, 2009 at 8:50 am |

Alan Moore doesn’t see the deconstructive perspective for what it truly is: not an attempt to take things apart but a way of seeing structural assumptions which make the construct being advanced unstable. If one is blinded by a mote placed in the eye through voluntary adherence to a regulatory agenda on thought, then how is one to see to ‘reconstruct’ anything? Truth being an accepted construct derived through concensual agreement needs to stand apart from state control or agenda. Truth as agreement stands for corporate interest. We are seeing the results of Mr. Moore’s ‘reconstructive ideal’ in the Copenhagen flopped and botched environment salvation of the planet.

Rational thought is advanced as dogma through assertions enforced by state hegemony. If one tackles these assertions, is one hindering or advancing a true perspective?
Will | December 23, 2009 at 9:01 am |

The trend is changing…

http://rense.com/1.imagesH/sheeprevolt.jpg
mark@berlin | December 23, 2009 at 9:23 am |

FZ talks about classical music, nuclear war, how business will prevent wars, distribution deal with EMI, lawsuits against Warner and CBS, hatred in the rest of the world vs. non-hatred in the US(?).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXIi7lw_lIY&feature=player_embedded
rich | December 23, 2009 at 9:41 am |

@Max & Stacy

Happy Holiday wishes to you and yours. Thank you for all the hard work that you do, and thanks for having this website that feels like home…

rich
Dante | December 23, 2009 at 9:56 am |

OBAMA PROMISED A PUBLIC OPTION

Yesterday, President Obama claimed, “I didn’t campaign on the public option.” Seriously? Reporters quickly proved otherwise.
Now we have a rapid-response TV ad showing that Obama not only promised a public option, but said that mandates requiring people to buy private insurance are bad policy. (The Senate health care bill does the exact opposite of what he promised.)
Can you help make sure Congress knows the truth as they negotiate a final bill? Click here to see the ad and chip in $4 to help put it on TV in DC.

http://tinyurl.com/yanatt4
harry_w | December 23, 2009 at 10:02 am |

@ frances,

Yes, I’ve mentioned this ‘deliberate obscurantism‘ of deconstruction — it yields no useful answers, only more nonsensical questions.

There is no ‘G20 system’, it’s a gathering of sovereign states with the world’s largest economies to discuss their conflicting interests.

The structure of the IMF is defined, the only state with a controlling vote is the US, which can veto any measure.

There is no ‘BIS currency conglomerate’ [aka 'IMF/BIS currency conglomerate monopoly']. It’s a meaningless term you’ve thrown together, no-one else uses it so it has no meaning beyond whatever you choose to attach to it.

The Afghan conflict is being run out of the US, the UN security council merely endorsed the action the US wished to take. The US enlisted its allies in NATO to accompany it and they work with agencies of the UN.

The European powers in NATO act as subservient allies, their service being to help maintain to US power hegemony, and resist power spreading elsewhere amongst G20 states. That power doesn’t shift as a result of G20 decrees, the G20 can only negotiate agreement amongst the states involved. It’s just a shift away from the G7 playing the same role, because those states no longer have sufficient weight in the global economy to encompass and reconcile those conflicting interests.

There is no basis for any ‘G20 power hegemony’, they’re sovereign states with conflicting interests. The shifts in power — the political dimension — reflect the changing economic strength and weight of the states involved. i.e. the US and half the G7 being on the verge of bankruptcy, and major creditor nations being outside the G7.
Gordo | December 23, 2009 at 10:07 am |

@ mark@berlin

From what I see FZ is wrong. I think that the right wing here is perfectly capable of creating the same hate in the US. In fact that is their goal.
Dedo | December 23, 2009 at 10:09 am |

@harry w,….LOL,..very good,.haha ,..stop it!!
You seem like you’ve convinced yourself there harry me ole chum,..
Good boy!,..go to the top of the class.
You sure you didn’t go to the same “top” school as that other “fellow” ,..the ummm, Doc’?
Gordo | December 23, 2009 at 10:15 am |

@ Dedo

So in effect you are saying we all have to be of one mind at this site?

So put down the person that does not agree with you?
Dedo | December 23, 2009 at 10:28 am |

@Gordo,….No,.you just said that,..I’m just having a bit of fun! : )
Gordo | December 23, 2009 at 10:45 am |

@ Dedo

Fair enough.

Geithner: No ‘Second Wave’ To Crisis

http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com/2009/12/geithner-no-second-wave-to-crisis.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+MishsGlobalEconomicTrendAnalysis+%28Mish%27s+Global+Economic+Trend+Analysis%29
sg | December 23, 2009 at 11:01 am |

Read this artilcle..have you heard about this??? Insane ! Hard to beleive it is real, but am afraid it is !

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/uk-fails-to-halt-female-genital-mutilation-1845731.html
Dedo | December 23, 2009 at 11:16 am |

@Frances,..I thought this was interesting, you got any other perspectives?

The present Queen of England is not the “Crown,” as we have all been led to believe, though she is a member of the Middle and Inner Temples and crowned Head of the Anglican Church. Rather, it is the Bankers and Attornies (Attorneys) who are the actual Crown or Crown Temple. The Monarch aristocrats of England have not been ruling sovereigns since the reign of King John, circa 1215. All royal sovereignty of the old British Crown since that time has passed to the Crown Temple in Chancery.

The U.S.A. is not the free and sovereign nation that our federal government tells us it is. If this were true, we would not be dictated to by the Crown Temple through its bankers and attornies. The U.S.A. is controlled and manipulated by this private foreign power and our unlawful Federal U.S. Government is their pawn broker. The bankers and Bar Attorneys in the U.S.A. are a franchise in oath and allegiance to the Crown at Chancery – the Crown Temple Church and its Chancel located at Chancery Lane – a manipulative body of elite bankers and attorners from the independent City of London who violate the law in America by imposing fraudulent “legal” – but totally unlawful – contracts on the American people. The banks Rule the Temple Church and the Attorners carry out their Orders by controlling their victim’s judiciary.
Mep | December 23, 2009 at 11:16 am |

@ Dante – Re: health insurance “reform,” Obama also campaigned on “bending the cost curve” and turning out a “budget-neutral” bill, yet it looks like Enron-style accounting is making another comeback!:

Congress’ capitulation to insurers – along with concessions to the pharmaceutical industry – fatally undermines the economic viability of reform. The bill would inflate the already crushing burden of insurance-related paperwork that currently siphons $400 billion from care annually. According to CMS’ own projections, the bill will cause U.S. health costs to increase even more rapidly than presently, and budget neutrality is to be achieved by draining funds from Medicare and an accounting trick – front-loading the new revenues while delaying most new coverage until 2014. As homeowners seduced into balloon mortgages have learned, pushing costs off to the future is neither prudent nor sustainable.

http://pnhp.org/blog/
Dedo | December 23, 2009 at 11:20 am |

@Frances,..oops,.and this :

The legal system (judiciary) of the U.S.A. is controlled by the Crown Temple from the independent and sovereign City of London. The private Federal Reserve System, which issues fiat U.S. Federal Reserve Notes, is financially owned and controlled by the Crown from Switzerland, the home and legal origin for the charters of the United Nations, the International Monetary Fund, the World Trade Organization, and most importantly, the Bank of International Settlements. Even Hitler respected his Crown bankers by not bombing Switzerland. The Bank of International Settlements in Basel, Switzerland controls all the central banks of the G7 nations. He who controls the gold rules the world.
Mep | December 23, 2009 at 11:30 am |

He also campaigned on giving people the CHOICE to keep their insurance or opt for something else . . . that has morphed into only the employers of small businesses (year one of the new exchange defines small businesses as having 1-10 employees) having the option to enroll their employees into a new health insurance exchange–filled only with private insurance plans–as early as 2014. – So no individual choice.

And he campaigned against mandates–famously arguing that mandates were nonsensical, since the reason most people didn’t have insurance was because they couldn’t afford it. But now there are mandates. Mandates could actually work, but only if individuals and families actually had the CHOICE to purchase an affordable Medicare-like plan.

He also pummeled McCain’s health care platform, because it included taxing the health insurance benefits of middle class families for the first time in history. But now . . . we’re gonna tax these “Cadillac plans” at 40%!!

I’ll never regret voting for Obama, because the alternative was completely unpalatable, but I hope that he gets a primary challenge in 2012.
Will | December 23, 2009 at 11:32 am |

@Dedo – Nesara – Interesting

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NESARA
Phil /Germany | December 23, 2009 at 11:53 am |

@Will …. thanks for the Infos on log splitters.

On Nesara .. interesting idea

- get rid of income tax
- use only sales tax
- currency based on Gold/Silver – 0% interest

I have thought of the same idea as IMO it would be fair to all.

a) Those that do not have ample capital can save rather than spend .. without the burden of taxes

b) Those that eventually start buying luxury items will simply pay higher VAT , like France used to, or still does ?

c) The whole “earning incentive” would change and allow people to reach an equilibrium where they are no longer working purely to “exist” , and might even have more time to THINK about the purpose of their work, rather just treading on the mundane treadmill every day.

Of course our elected rules, I mean politicians, wouldn’t like that at all .. which is why they quickly dismissed it probably.
Dedo | December 23, 2009 at 12:07 pm |

@Will,…Re: NESARA
As you’re most probably aware, there are many systems available that would benefit the “whole”.
To ponder and debate their advocacy is futile,. another form of distraction, if you will!
Phil /Germany | December 23, 2009 at 12:18 pm |

Passport Capital’s gold experiment
Burbank sees contracts broken, prepares to buy physical gold
…
…
No contracts

Despite a recovery this year in the stock market and the economy, Burbank sees a risk that contracts will be broken. This could happen to contracts between counterparties on either side of investments or between heavily indebted sovereign nations with lots of unfunded future liabilities and individuals or investors in those countries, he explained.

Owning physical gold is an insurance policy against such financial catastrophe because it involves no contracts. In contrast, gold futures and ETFs are just types of paper contracts that could be broken in a crisis, according to Burbank.

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/passport-capitals-gold-experiment-2009-12-23
Mongo | December 23, 2009 at 12:18 pm |

Oh, am I glad I ordered some silver today!

Merry christmas folks and to you too Max & Stacy!
Dedo | December 23, 2009 at 12:18 pm |

Anyone ever done this?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TzCAz_uOVdc
: )
Tofu Charlie | December 23, 2009 at 12:20 pm |

US-Afghan counter-insurgency hampered by chronic hash-smoking retardation in ANA (Afghan National Army):

The US officer’s pep talk to a frustrated ANA officer at 3:10 is classic:
“You need to get that sense of nationalism, that, y’know, that afghanistan can be a good country, that, y’know, that will, will play on a global scale with all the other countries that can stand up to Pakistan, that can stand up to Iran, y’know, and be, y’know, the Afghanistan of History.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DWWWotuUwd0
Marc Authier | December 23, 2009 at 12:24 pm |

2010 The year is coming. The year of Gordon Brown’s beheading and the year of END for THE FED. Please Santa ! Please !
Marc Authier | December 23, 2009 at 12:27 pm |

Hey Bernanké nominated for another 10 years. About the beheading, I meant symbolically. Is it nor an election year in the UK and the United Sachs of Armageddon ? I think so. Next year will be real fun ! and funny !
Dante | December 23, 2009 at 12:47 pm |

@Mep I voted for him also but I can’t say I’m happy with my decision…it was a complete farce, as usual!

I don’t care if your a right wing or a left wing….the one thing anyone in this country should have basics of are food and health care, especially when you factor in all the graft the system permits to flow to certain groups.
Tomas Estradapalma | December 23, 2009 at 12:48 pm |

Thanks Karma!
James | December 23, 2009 at 12:55 pm |

Truth About Markets New Zealand

Ok so no broadcast due to Christmas? but here is something from NZ news today.

Banks to pay taxman billions

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10617313
Gordo | December 23, 2009 at 1:13 pm |

AIG Bonuses: Arsonist/Fireman Biz Model

Dylan R. and B. Ritholz discuss.

http://www.ritholtz.com/blog/2009/12/aig-bonuses-arsonistfireman-biz-model/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheBigPicture+%28The+Big+Picture%29
kitty | December 23, 2009 at 1:28 pm |

Bonn, you hicster…

I’ve gone all rock and roll and bought The Glenlivet; usually I stick to the Glenmorangie. Look out, it’s gonna be a bumpy night.

I think you once asked for some choice whiskeys.

I remember the ‘holes in the wall’ in India sold something, possibly called McDowells, 90% antifreeze, 10% colourants and flavouring (sans the colourants when it was called Vodka).

As for some ‘Coals to Newcastle’ here’s one of my favourites…choli ke peeche

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_X4_YZJWWO4&feature=related

As for Max and Stacy, something to remind you of the ‘old’ country.

America.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1QS7wWzwak4&feature=related
frances snoot | December 23, 2009 at 1:46 pm |

@HarryW:

Your opinion neglects to question the wisdom of the financial secretaries of each G20 nation sitting on the governing board on the IMF bank: whom do these men work for? Certainly not sovereign agency.

Your opinion concerning Derrida, one of the most brilliant minds in literary theory, is based on a disregard for literary criticism as being superflous and unnecessary. That you can fling an entire section of professional thought aside on a whim describes your arrogant stance.

You seem omnipresent to disagree with my perspective, yet let ride the nonsensical arguments upon which gold sales seem to be reliant. Quite odd really.

I’m sure you can post a disagreement with me; but your rakish attitude towards Derrida illustrates your narrow-minded path of understanding.

“The Afghan conflict is being run out of the US, the UN security council merely endorsed the action the US wished to take. The US enlisted its allies in NATO to accompany it and they work with agencies of the UN.”

This is a blatant lie. I’ve posted the links to the jurisdiction of power in the Afghan conflict, and you choose to ignore them. France at present is the country with a beef about Iranian uranium: this is a coalition force. Your perspective is not reliant on evidence in reality. Your readiness to foist blame upon the US as instigating force is not reliant upon any point-source evidence, and I am sure I’m done reposting links for you that you choose to ignore previously.

Just because you said it previously, Harry, doesn’t mean you need to relink your arguments. You proceed from a base of perculiar rectitude, ignoring IMF and BIS influence coming out of the FSB and the Basel mandates. You may ignore these power vectors, but I can assure you the banks may not.

“so it has no meaning beyond whatever you choose to attach to it”

If I want to coin a phrase to describe an evident phenomena, I don’t need your permission to do so.
frances snoot | December 23, 2009 at 1:49 pm |

“There is no basis for any ‘G20 power hegemony’, they’re sovereign states with conflicting interests. The shifts in power — the political dimension — reflect the changing economic strength and weight of the states involved. i.e. the US and half the G7 being on the verge of bankruptcy, and major creditor nations being outside the G7.”

Dismantle the UN and NATO, the IMF, and the BIS and I’ll agree with this statement.
FreeMarkets? | December 23, 2009 at 1:49 pm |

Happy holidays!

2010 will be the start of the greatest depression!!
Gordo | December 23, 2009 at 1:50 pm |

Will not find in MSM today

“No You Can’t!” Rally at White House

http://www.gp.org/campaigns/peace/permanent-war/
frances snoot | December 23, 2009 at 1:52 pm |

So put down the person that does not agree with you?

Gordo:
I put down the words in the argument: I think you are correct in the declaration that opposing views are good. I apologized for my rudeness, but no one has yet to apologize to me in part or full. It seems there is a consensus of which I am not a participating member.

Whatever.
Jacob | December 23, 2009 at 1:53 pm |

http://www.sacbee.com/walters/story/2355706.html
“Conservatively, then, California is probably more than $600 billion in debt”

Oops, the California State Treasurer’s office say it’s $68 billion in public debt…
Ptah | December 23, 2009 at 1:53 pm |

Gordo: FZ was talking about these issues in 1984. What was on your mind in 1984?
Dedo | December 23, 2009 at 2:00 pm |

@jacob,….money is debt,.if the debt was payed off,..the economy would come to a stand still,..go figure
(it’s a scam!) : )
The reason money is “currency” ,.it needs to flow,.halt the flow,..and you’ll be damned,.(excuse the pun)
BTW: I thought the farming perspective was a good analogy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P772Eb63qIY
Tofu Charlie | December 23, 2009 at 2:01 pm |

@Frances – “I’ve posted the links to the jurisdiction of power in the Afghan conflict” (i.e. relating to deeper financial/political players beyond US/NATO)….sorry to have missed them, can you plz re-post a few to get me started in this direction?
Phil /Germany | December 23, 2009 at 2:04 pm |

Excellent Opportunity To Buy Gold
by Eric deCarbonnel

With gold prices having dropped from $1220 to $1080 in the last few weeks, it is time to examine what is driving gold prices down. However, before looking at recent charts of gold price movement, I want to point to an entry I made on July 5 on the manipulation of gold.

http://www.marketskeptics.com/2009/12/excellent-opportunity-to-buy-gold.html

Explains how London and NY manipulate the Gold prices .
Gold always climbs on the rest-if-world markets only to be slammed down by teh NY & LON Fiat cronies !
Good analysis IMO.
Phil /Germany | December 23, 2009 at 2:05 pm |

PS@Excellent Opportunity To Buy Gold

Thanks to “nochicasgordas ” @ IV
http://www.investorvillage.com/iv2/smbd.asp?mb=144&mn=36324&pt=msg&mid=8348338
kitty | December 23, 2009 at 2:07 pm |

Frances, I’ve got your back.

I have laid down some nice little musical numbers (see above) to get everyone in the spirit but I think you might enjoy the Advanced Class.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mTg5V2oA_hY

My humble advice is, ‘you ain’t dancing if it make you tired!’
Dedo | December 23, 2009 at 2:10 pm |

@Phil,…just read your post, and thought of Bonn espousing the value of owning land!
Does he realize, under the present system ownership is transfered as soon as the property is “registered”.
and ,and ,..if the agenda is to abolish “all” private property,.I would say he’s F U K,.d
Butt,..as always, it’s good to look back,..sometimes,..it’s all about timeing huh? : )
Dedo | December 23, 2009 at 2:13 pm |

@kitty,…..wow!,.now that’s what I call fun,..I remember as a child, wanting the release all that energy,..what a feeling!
Dedo | December 23, 2009 at 2:13 pm |

not the,….to,…gee
Phil /Germany | December 23, 2009 at 2:15 pm |

@Dedo … Gold … & Hype !

As long as the FIrATes keep their ponzi scheme going, the printed Gold price is actually meaningless.
If the system crashes ( T.Geithner just said there will not be a #2 crash (CRE) .. LOL ), then Gold will have a real price.

i.e. those holding Gold expecting to cash it in for “current” Fiat paper, may be making a mistake IMO !
We’ll see.

Anyway, with this effective “no-bank-crashes” for another 1 year, we may have to wait for a long time ?
Dedo | December 23, 2009 at 2:21 pm |

@Phil,.Re: Geitner,..I may have sped read it wrong,..but my gist is,..he was saying there will not be another economy,…where it will be possible for a crash!
Correct me if I’m wrong,..I do tend to skim a lot : )
Mike/Liverpool | December 23, 2009 at 2:25 pm |

Phil
New York & London got their ass handed to them at the “Con-fence”……….Brown just jumped up and screem ” Never again will we be held hostage by a hand full…”

Or, the rest of the World saw it coming & ambushed us!

The same thing will happen with Gold/silver…………..the dealing will move to Asia…….when ready the “Bric’s” will call London’s bluff & demand phyical delivery……….which they can’t do.

Mike
frances snoot | December 23, 2009 at 2:30 pm |

@Tofu:
Sorry you missed them as well. Why not look into the mandate set by the UN security council in 2001 as a starter. I’m really busy with getting in the holiday spirit: you know, holly and ivy time. Not poison ivy mind you. And not holly stakes. Just jolly frollicks.
frances snoot | December 23, 2009 at 2:34 pm |

Really, I have to laugh at Harry W. He takes the most brilliant mind in the 21 century and calls his work ‘dangerous’, ‘trite’, and ‘silly’. Un-befucking-leavable. Some people prefer swill to champagne.
Dedo | December 23, 2009 at 2:34 pm |

@Frances,..yeah,..it’s all right for you!
I’m locked in a cellar with a couple of rats,..and some stale cheese and mouldy bread,…anyway,.merry Christmas!
(They’ve got their eyes on my cheese)
frances snoot | December 23, 2009 at 2:37 pm |

Dedo:
I thought you were long hotdogs?
Dedo | December 23, 2009 at 2:39 pm |

@Frances,….I’m not long,.I’ve taken de’livery
Mother Earth | December 23, 2009 at 2:44 pm |

@Phil

I think if they have any humor at the Comex the kitco graph will show a reindeer one of these days..
frances snoot | December 23, 2009 at 2:46 pm |

@Dedo:
Good Lord!

Are you SWIMMING in hotdogs?

See if you can shimmy out the side window and sell some streetside. I’m sure Sharon is sitting on the key: say something sprightly so she springs up!
sklein | December 23, 2009 at 2:47 pm |

Jane Hamsher, Grover Norquist Call for Rahm Emanuel’s Resignation
By: Jane Hamsher

Today, Grover Norquist and I are calling for an investigation into Rahm Emanuel’s activities at Freddie Mac, and the White House’s blocking of an Inspector General who would look into it. The letter follows:

December 23, 2009

Attorney General of the United States of America
U.S. Department of Justice
950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20530-0001

Dear Attorney General Holder:

We write to demand an immediate investigation into the activities of White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel. We believe there is an abundant public record which establishes that the actions of the White House have blocked any investigation into his activities while on the board of Freddie Mac from 2000-2001, and facilitated the cover up of potentially malfeasance until the 10-year statute of limitations has run out.

The purpose of this letter is to connect the dots to establish both the conduct of Mr. Emanuel and those working with him to thwart inquiry, and to support your acting speedily so that the statute of limitations does not run out before the Justice Department is able to empanel a grand jury.

The New York Times reports that the administration is negotiating to double the commitments to Fannie and Freddie for a total of $800 billion by December 31, in order to avoid the congressional approval that would be needed after that date. But there currently is no Inspector General exercising independent oversight of these entities. Acting Inspector General Ed Kelly was stripped of his authority earlier this year by the Justice Department, relying on a loophole in a bill Mr. Emanuel cosponsored and pushed through Congress shortly before he left for the White House. This effectively ended Mr. Kelly’s investigation into what happened at Fannie and Freddie.

Since that time, despite multiple warnings by Congress that having no independent Inspector General for a federal agency that oversees $6 trillion in mortgages is a serious oversight, the White House has not appointed one.

We recognize that these are extremely serious accusations, but the stonewalling by Mr. Emanuel and the White House has left us with no other redress. A 2003 report by Freddie Mac’s regulator indicated that Freddie Mac executives had informed the board of their intention to misstate the earnings to insure their own bonuses during the time Mr. Emanuel was a director. But the White House refused to comply with a Freedom of Information Act request from the Chicago Tribune for those board minutes on the grounds that Freddie Mac was a “commercial” entity, even though it was wholly owned by the government at the time the request was made.

If the Treasury approves the $800 billion commitment to Fannie and Freddie by the end of the year, it will mean that under the influence of Rahm Emanuel, the White House is moving a trillion-dollar slush fund into corruption-riddled companies with no oversight in place. This will allow Fannie and Freddie to continue to purchase more toxic assets from banks, acting as a back-door increase of the TARP without congressional approval.

Before the White House commits any more money to Fannie and Freddie, we call on the Public Integrity Section in the Justice Department to begin an investigation into the cause of Fannie and Freddie’s conservatorship, into Rahm Emanuel’s activities on the board of Freddie Mac (including any violations of his fiduciary duties to shareholders), into the decision-making behind the continued vacancy of Fannie and Freddie’s Inspector General post, and into potential public corruption by Rahm Emanuel in connection with his time in Congress, in the White House, and on the board of Freddie Mac.

We also call for the immediate appointment of an Inspector General with a complete remit to go after this information.

We both come from differing political ideologies. One of us is the conservative head of a transparency foundation, and the other is the publisher of a liberal political blog. But we make common cause today out of grave concern for the future of our country in the wake of corruption-riddled bailouts. These bailouts continue to rob Main Street to benefit Wall Street, and, because of that, we together demand the resignation of Mr. Emanuel, a man who has steadfastly worked to obstruct both oversight and inquiry into the matter. Rahm Emanuel’s conflicts of interest render him far too compromised to serve as gatekeeper to the President of the United States.

We will lay out the details further below, and are available at your earliest convenience to meet with you directly.

Sincerely,

Jane Hamsher Grover Norquist
Firedoglake.com Americans for Tax Reform

http://action.firedoglake.com/page/s/investigaterahm

Merry Xmas Rahm
dan valley | December 23, 2009 at 2:47 pm |

http://home.tiscali.nl/annejan/swf/timeline.swf
dan valley | December 23, 2009 at 2:52 pm |

Subject:Gujju bhai and sex therapist
A Chicago area (city or suburb) Guju couple, Rohit bhai and Mani bhen, both well into their 30′s, go to a sex therapist’s office.

The doctor asks, ‘What can I do for you?’ Gujubhai says, ‘Will you watch us have sexual intercourse? Need your feedback!’

The doctor raises both eyebrows, but he is also amazed that the couple is asking for sexual advice that he agrees. When the couple finishes, the doctor says, ‘There’s absolutely nothing wrong with the way you have intercourse.’
He thanks them for coming, wishes them good luck, charges them $50 and says goodbye..

The next week, however, the Guju couple returns and asks the sex therapist to watch again.. The sex therapist is a bit puzzled, but agrees.

This happens several weeks in a row. The couple makes an appointment, has intercourse with no problems, and pays the doctor, then leaves.

Finally, after five or six weeks of this routine, the doctor says, ‘I’m sorry, but I have to ask. Just what are you trying to find out?’

Gujjubhai says, ‘We’re not trying to find out anything. She’s married, and we can’t go to her house. I’m married, so we can’t go to my house. The Holiday Inn charges $98. The Hilton charges $139. We do it here for $50, … AND … I get $43 back from Medicare !!!
Mother Earth | December 23, 2009 at 2:59 pm |

Goldman Sachs sends a message..

http://www.climatebabes.com/images/gsmanipulation.jpg
Fibon11235 | December 23, 2009 at 3:04 pm |

@ Mother Earth

CLASSIC
Phil /Germany | December 23, 2009 at 3:20 pm |

Voyager Makes an Interstellar Discovery

http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2009/23dec_voyager.htm

Pretty interesting … our Solar System is surrounded by 6000°C Magnetic Fluff that was created 10 mio. years ago by a supernova.
kitty | December 23, 2009 at 3:30 pm |

Dances with Horses

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9oq_IskRIg

If Plato’s a potatoe, Derrida or didn’t he?

HIC (Bonn’s mum says he can’t come out to play, so I’m providing the light relief).
zmoore | December 23, 2009 at 3:46 pm |

oh oh I forgot to tell you-all, too busy, or maybe I did tell, oops another thought. Change topic: Nice article in Discover Mag says that white hair caused by radiation. This could explain the excess whities from the 1950s.
Back on track. I looked into physical G a couple of weeks ago at the worlds largest retailer (their claim), but they were out of stock. Didn’t know when they were getting some, they ordered two weeks before nothing yet. I went to buy some physical silver today, all out only kg bars left.

The price maybe down but the stocks are out.
Buy Buy Buy
frances snoot | December 23, 2009 at 3:48 pm |

@Kitty:
Are you tippling in the Scotch cabinet?
ronron | December 23, 2009 at 3:55 pm |

just watched ron paul and elmer fudd with lalary king. fuck was elmer humiliated at the end. LOL
kitty | December 23, 2009 at 3:57 pm |

Yes but I would never dare called it ‘Scotch’ in case a Scotsman takes offence.

Anyhow the tide is going out on the bottle I planned to take to my mum’s.
frances snoot | December 23, 2009 at 3:58 pm |

Yes, I drank all the booze I had gifted. sigh.
ronron | December 23, 2009 at 4:04 pm |

@Snoot. you drank all the booze. better get some more. booze will get you through times without money better than money will get you through times without booze.
ronron | December 23, 2009 at 4:07 pm |

insert dope and your reading the fabulous freak brothers comic from 70
ronron | December 23, 2009 at 4:08 pm |

1970
frances snoot | December 23, 2009 at 4:08 pm |

@ronron:
Thanks for the advice. I drank the good stuff I had gifted. I have lots of standard on hand for the rough toss ahead.
kitty | December 23, 2009 at 4:09 pm |

I’m in training for a string of parties…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0G-TmzsFPNQ
Dedo | December 23, 2009 at 4:11 pm |

@kitty and Frances,…….tell me you aren’t a couple of drunkies?
: 0
ES | December 23, 2009 at 4:12 pm |

Up beat Argentinian NON XXX-mas MUSIC dedicated to Bonn (or anyone interested)…HIC hee hee:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vOqUPly_hOQ

@ Phil/Germany – Great article on Intergalatic…I mean Interstellar Discovery..Thanx for sharing!
ronron | December 23, 2009 at 4:13 pm |

@Snoot. i should have known.
Dedo | December 23, 2009 at 4:16 pm |

This is way above my pay grade,..but it’s a goody!
or is that, a baddy,….anyway,..it’s entertainment
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oI6A-tgzbFg
ronron | December 23, 2009 at 4:18 pm |

2 sets of good boots, socks, bicycle, this chair and an ashtray. thats all i want. oh and a pony.
Dedo | December 23, 2009 at 4:18 pm |

I do love culture,..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DYusPRre07k
kitty | December 23, 2009 at 4:19 pm |

Dedo

Dare I say, it’s Christmas!
frances snoot | December 23, 2009 at 4:22 pm |

Okay, Dedo. It’s get even time:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FiU2bcU7VFo

Merry Christmasy! I remember how much you said you liked this before!!!
Dedo | December 23, 2009 at 4:26 pm |

Hang on,…I’m in the middle of a presentation,! : )
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DkHjnA6myl4&feature=related
ES | December 23, 2009 at 4:30 pm |

@ frances snoot

Great funeral music! It’s soulful and sweet.
kitty | December 23, 2009 at 4:35 pm |

ES…That music kind of makes me want to vomit, but in a rythmic way. It’s exciting and at the same time horribly dull.
Dedo | December 23, 2009 at 4:37 pm |

The funnies are some what,..slutty though,..don’t ya thunk?
frances snoot | December 23, 2009 at 4:37 pm |

@Kitty:
I would say the cadence is eyrie.
ES | December 23, 2009 at 4:41 pm |

@ Kitty

Really? Come to think of it…that is how I feel when I listen supermarket christmas muzak…but without any excitement.
Dedo | December 23, 2009 at 4:42 pm |

Fancy a foursome,……?
Mep | December 23, 2009 at 4:55 pm |

@ Gordo- Thank you so much for sharing the “No You Can’t” rally video.
kitty | December 23, 2009 at 5:12 pm |

I’m a Londoner and Snobby Price and I have a few things in common…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QX5ydrIlMgs&feature=PlayList&p=A3834F2AA2FB4378&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=32

if you only knew how many!
Mike/Liverpool | December 23, 2009 at 5:20 pm |

Anyone here got conections to India?

Mike
kitty | December 23, 2009 at 5:28 pm |

Getting into the realm of drunkedness where sticking to the point is getting impossible.

Here’s some cheery songs…

Carpenters: Calling occupants of interplanetary craft

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_BrSVOOK610

Melanie Safka: Brand New Key

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ml1696pN-yE&feature=related

ELO: Mr Blue Sky

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H2Ncxw1xfck

Steve Harley and Cockney Rebel: Come up and see me…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahra7Tn1I_M

Mike, I went India for a ten weeks between Feb to April, what sort of connection you looking for?
SG | December 23, 2009 at 5:32 pm |

@Y’all
Bob Seger And The Last Heard – Sock It To Me Santa.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1kERIzRBoUU
Mike/Liverpool | December 23, 2009 at 5:35 pm |

Bloody Hell
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/financetopics/recession/6874992/Gilts-sell-off-as-Britain-joins-Italy-in-debt-house.html

Mike
SG | December 23, 2009 at 5:36 pm |

@Y’all
King Stitt – Merry Christmas.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0cG1L7MRBQ
Mep | December 23, 2009 at 6:16 pm |

@ Mike/Liverpool – Sure, we all have a connection. @ bonn lives in India.
OP | December 23, 2009 at 6:34 pm |

Just finished nine hole, too bloody hot for 18…

Seeings we are all being festive, lets start an uprising:

http://www.youtube.com/user/muse?blend=1&ob=4#p/a/u/1/w8KQmps-Sog
dan valley | December 23, 2009 at 6:39 pm |

Aimee Allen, Ron Paul Anthem Music Video MUST SEE!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QiKh9Ko3mw4
whitemale08 | December 23, 2009 at 7:13 pm |

This is what happens when you bail out Goldman Sucks and JP Morgan and thinks it’s cute-n-funny.
dan valley | December 23, 2009 at 7:55 pm |

Rockwell Automation Jargon-Speak

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i3RqDp7i308&feature=PlayList&p=5551067CC8388C05&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=44
dan valley | December 23, 2009 at 8:03 pm |

forgot to preface that with …… understanding banking.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i3RqDp7i308&feature=PlayList&p=5551067CC8388C05&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=44
Fred's Family | December 23, 2009 at 8:35 pm |

Madoff might be getting ready to join Ken in Paraguay.
I’m putting money on the ticker in 2010

http://news.mobile.msn.com/en-us/articles.aspx?afid=1&aid=34575739
The Underfundedmentalist | December 23, 2009 at 8:43 pm |

@ Ffredsfam

Yeah the bush village must be getting pretty crowded
wonder if it’s like this place
http://www.amctv.com/videos/the-prisoner-1960s-video/?bcpid=2517767001&bclid=6012619001&bctid=6069547001
The Underfundedmentalist | December 23, 2009 at 9:06 pm |

anybody else celebrating ‘festivus’, you know, for the rest of us?
California Doctor | December 23, 2009 at 9:52 pm |

http://tinyurl.com/yepqcj9

What the hell has gotten into the district attorney and attorney general office’s lately?

These prosecutors would rather prosecute balloon boy’s family than go after the white collar banksters who are the kleptomanics who are destroying our society?

The DA involved says that the Balloon Boy family has cost them time and effort.

What about the time, effort, and theft of our property by the banksters who foreclose on the homes of our clients, then call loans on our small businesses, and essentially nuke the small businesses of entire communities?

What about the state agency bureaucrats who run over these exact same citizens with their “red light traffic cameras”, “special fees”, and raising our taxes to boot?

What about the higher taxes being stolen by government to pay for these DA’s to prosecute balloon boy and the judges to sentence to jail time and the jail itself?

Meanwhile, NOTHING IS DONE ABOUT THE REAL CROOKS who get paid BIG BONUSES INSTEAD???
Mep | December 23, 2009 at 9:57 pm |

Did y’all know that the FBI considered Frank Capra’s “It’s a Wonderful Life” tp be communist propaganda in 1947? Yep:

http://www.wisebread.com/fbi-considered-its-a-wonderful-life-communist-propaganda
California Doctor | December 23, 2009 at 10:02 pm |

Listen to this crap…
Summing up the balloon boy saga, he said, “What this case is about is deception and exploitation — exploitation of their children, exploitation of the media, exploitation of the emotions of people. And it was about money.”

What does this judge think that these mortgage bankers did to this generation of kids?

Goldman Sachs exploited the naive public.

They exploit the media every fricking day.

What the heck was all that ALT-A, Option ARM, and liars mortgage loan game playing about?
It was playing with people’s emotions that’s what.

AND WHERE IS THE JAIL TIME FOR GS?
Mep | December 23, 2009 at 10:17 pm |

@ California Doctor – On manipulating and exploiting people’s emotions . . . did you happen to read the Atlantic piece about Christianity? If not, check it out:

http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200912/rosin-prosperity-gospel

Some pastors were going so far as to exploit their parishioners’ faith in God while doubling as loan officers @ mortgage companies to sell them on shitty loans.
dan valley | December 23, 2009 at 10:41 pm |

@ California Doctor – On manipulating and exploiting people’s emotions ……can you say BAILOUT!!!! How about Healthcare..

Top 5 reasons to kill the senate healthcare bill:

1. Forces you to pay up to 8% of your income for health insurance — whether you want it or not (source)

2. Many of the taxes that will pay for the bill will start now, but the benefits won’t start until 2014. How is that helpful? (source)

3. Grants monopolies to drug companies to prevent generic versions of high tech drugs from coming to market. Not sure how that’s going to lower costs… (source)

4. Under this bill, the cost of medical care will continue to RISE an average of 1000 a year for a family of four. (source)

5. The minor detail that it’s not constitutional! Congress does not have the authority to enact this legislation, yet they don’t seem to care. The people we have elected in both parties recognize no limitation on their power, and it’s up to us – all of us – to stop this. (source)
dan valley | December 23, 2009 at 10:42 pm |

The war propagandists are hoping for an “incident” that would justify attack on Iran
The Underfundedmentalist | December 23, 2009 at 10:49 pm |

The regulators have become surrogates.
The Underfundedmentalist | December 23, 2009 at 10:57 pm |

@ dan
you mean,
“—something on the order of an
Iranian-backed 9/11, in which the planes bore
Iranian markings and Tehran boasted about its
sponsorship?
Most European, Asian, and Middle Eastern publics are
dead set against any American military action
against Iran derived from the current differences
between Iran and the international community—
let alone Iran and the United States. Other than a
Tehran-sponsored 9/11, it is hard to imagine what
would change their minds.”
pg 63
http://www.brookings.edu/~/media/Files/rc/papers/2009/06_iran_strategy/06_iran_strategy.pdf
FreeMarkets? | December 24, 2009 at 12:12 am |

2009 – The year of the Elitists scams!!

The year that people started to wake up and begin the revolution!!
Mep | December 24, 2009 at 12:21 am |

Taking a break from wrapping gifts, and drinking some wine (that I am supposed to take to my parents’ house tomorrow) . . . just wanted to wish everyone who celebrates the holiday a merry christmas. A nice stress-free, conflict-free christmas.
Alister | December 24, 2009 at 12:22 am |

Greek parliament adopts 2010 crisis budget
http://news.theage.com.au/breaking-news-world/greek-parliament-adopts-2010-crisis-budget-20091224-lehc.html
Michael Le Couteur MSCD, ret'd | December 24, 2009 at 12:28 am |

@ The Underfundedmentalist

Yes, it is going to be a modified festivus and Fonzi style X-mas. This year the food banks and local family assistance programs need alot. Food and toys for the kids. Socks maybe? Enough to break your heart this wonderous season.

I am almost to the point of giddy mad at these criminal elitest.
Mep | December 24, 2009 at 12:52 am |

@ Michael Le Couteur MSCD, ret’d – Indeed. The few times I went out for holiday shopping, I was surprised to find that at least in my area, there seems to be a sharp decline in people collecting money, food, and gifts for the needy. I only saw one salvation army bell ringer in total this year. Normally, there would be one or two at every store entrance and at every mall entrance. The most collection I’ve seen is at my grocery store, where the bin to drop off new toys for kids was full again tonight, and where they sell donation tickets at $1-$5 increments at the checkout for the local food bank.
The Underfundedmentalist | December 24, 2009 at 1:07 am |

@ Mr. Le Coteur,
Yes, I reckon ‘they’ know we are pipin’ hot. They laugh at our compassion until it runs out, then throw us a ragdoll to chew on, like madeoff. Sometimes I feel the only thing between mankind and his extinction is the malfeasance of the corporate mind, they have been paid for the ‘big job’ many times over, but have mastered the art of not delivering. That said, the short term thinking of state sponsored corporate welfare is no match for the long term thinking of humanity. It may take years, but the pendulum will swing back as sure as the guillotine shall fall! Xmas will be tough on the working, but April 15th will be even harder on the banksters.
Bonn | December 24, 2009 at 1:16 am |

@ Dan
Rockwell Automation Jargon-Speak
Too Funny did’nt understand a word LOoooooooooooooooL
Hic
“Hmm errr it generates power I think”
Bonn | December 24, 2009 at 1:18 am |

Or Automates somethin Loooolll
Mep | December 24, 2009 at 1:22 am |

@ The Underfundedmentalist – I think Xmas will be hard on the bankers and corporate America, too. At least in the US, the available data was suggesting that a record percentage of people were using only cash and/or their plastic from their actual checking accounts for their holiday shopping. Up until now, retail sales have been severely massaged, too. Last month, it was gasoline sales that drove retail sales; the month before, it was the cash-for-clunkers program as well as other government spending. I’m sure that everyone has lowered their profit projections so that the news seems to favor them, but all of the manipulation of data won’t last long after the holidays.
Mep | December 24, 2009 at 1:24 am |

There you are @ Bonn. Mike/Liverpool was looking for a connection to India earlier.

Hic
Bonn | December 24, 2009 at 1:36 am |

http://www.infowars.com/stunning-statistics-about-the-war-that-everyone-should-know/

In Afghanistan, the Obama administration blows the Bush administration out of the privatized water. According to a memo[PDF] released by McCaskill’s staff,

From June 2009 to September 2009, there was a 40% increase in Defense Department contractors in Afghanistan. During the same period, the number of armed private security contractors working for the Defense Department in Afghanistan doubled, increasing from approximately 5,000 to more than 10,000.”

Hic Man I have done nothing from June 2009 till now
But play Poker on Face book
Looks Like lotta Voluanteers are there too save the World. Hope they head home in a 6 by 4
Bonn | December 24, 2009 at 1:46 am |

@ Max & Stacey SOS SOS emm err I live in India Save thier souls STS STS Clarify Plz

http://www.infowars.com/obamacare-to-cost-middle-class-families-15000-a-year/

Families struggling in the midst of a deep recession who earn a combined total greater than $88,200 and don’t have their health care covered by their employer will be hit with a mandatory annual fee of about $15,000 according to the Congressional Budget Office’s analysis of the final Senate Obamacare bill.

15,000 $ are they crazy
Peeps is this True
@ Max & Stacey
Man I can Buy a Camry with that money every year
Hic
Bonn | December 24, 2009 at 1:53 am |

@ Stacey
Ya took me advice in startin the Vid at another frame
??? Huh
Hic
Zach OBrien | December 24, 2009 at 1:56 am |

Hi y’all,

Zach Here in Cali

Our Governator, in all his wisdom, is going begging to the Federal Government for “aid.” Which can really only give him nothing but paper, hot off the presses.

Articles abound of state workers crying the blues, saying Sacramento “just has to do something.” How are they going to keep their two cars, their pot bellies, their harleys…..

I feel like the general belief among Americans, particularly those who work in state jobs, is that government pulls wealth out of a hat. That the state is somehow the source. What they fail to realize is that government actually re-allocates wealth from those actually producing in the private sector into state workers pockets. And the private sector. The producing sector, can only take so much shaking down.

I find it sad that the only reason Arnold is pan-handling to the Fed is because California doesn’t have a printing press of it’s own. All the Fed can really do is supply paper to California.

Why would the Fed not? when that paper can’t be paid back……….. Receivership time!! This is basically the same tactic that put all those three bedroom houses into ownership by the state sponsored banks. Confiscation through inflation.

And the state workers will continue to kick and scream for their liberal leaders to loot more from the private sector. Property taxes, parking fees, tickets, utility taxes, etc……. like a bunch of squeaky wheels getting greased. A bunch of chicks with their mouths open waiting for state-regurgitated paper to fall down their throats.

I can hear Obama whispering “Onward Liberal Soldiers……”
Bonn | December 24, 2009 at 2:05 am |

LOL Me Bro & his wife just got thier US citezeship last year Bro’ been thier since ’91
LOL I wonder when he heads back to Motherland/Homeland ????
Man Screwf#$%K I hafta take care of tat idiot then Life is no fair
Buyer always be aware Hic
Mother Earth | December 24, 2009 at 2:21 am |

Ehm…

FT’s Person of the Year: Lloyd Blankfein
Master of risk who did God’s work for Goldman Sachs but won it little love
Mep | December 24, 2009 at 2:27 am |

@ Bonn – I wouldn’t take Infowars’ or PrisonPlanet’s word for it on anything health care-related. They mention a “$15,000 fee” but the entire article is about a hypothetical uninsured family of four earning over $88,200 a year having to pay this “fee” because of the legislation, AND the entire article centers around the assumption that employers will end their employees’ health insurance and force employees onto the individual market. The fact is that an employer-sponsored plan for a family of four topped $12,000 in the US in 2008, so if a family is uninsured and earning a combined $88,200/year, they’re already either paying out-of-pocket for health care or are paying MORE THAN $12,000/year on the private health insurance market. And this:

When that happens, the liberals will not say: We made a mistake. We never should have forced families out of their employer-based health insurance and required them to purchase a $15,000 policy,” he writes. “They will say: We told you so. We cannot trust these greedy insurance companies. We need a single-payer system so the government can provide everyone with health care. Just like they did in the Soviet Union.” is complete bullshit. A) Nobody is going to be forced out of their employer-based insurance because of this bill, and B) single payer is actually what we need. Equating single payer to the Soviet Union is ignorant on so many levels that Alex Jones and his entire crew ought to be fucking embarrassed.

The bill is a pieceofshit as it is and will do more harm than good, but Prison Planet and Infowars is the last place you want to go to figure out what it is that the bill will actually do and what NEEDS to be done to make it, the health care system, the middle class, the economy, and the country as whole better off.
The Underfundedmentalist | December 24, 2009 at 2:33 am |

Berfore we lump teachers, firefighters and cops into ‘screaming state workers’ we should remember that the 25+ TRILLION Dollars that went to the banks could have righted a few budgets. ‘Our’ govt. is merely the bill collector for stateless multi-nationals. We will lose the security of our state, long before we lose state security. If we can float the ‘so-big-they-failed’ outfits with money we don’t have, why can’t we pay our mortages and keep the schools and hospitals open with the same illusionary cash?
Mep | December 24, 2009 at 2:40 am |

@ Underfundamentalist – I ignored that b/c it’s Christmas and I’m not looking for any “family feuds.” Just like tomorrow I’ll do my best not to get my head bashed in.

Re: schools, our local news reported the other day that at least 5 high schools might be closed and 2 (charter schools) opened. 40% of city kids here are poor, and only 50% of them graduate high school. There are many structural factors at play and it’s difficult to tackle them, but the answer is not in closing down schools, firing experienced unionized teachers, and handing it all over to a corporatized school where teachers make nothing, have even less experience, and the head honchos can take home 6 figure salaries while the kids and the community suffers even more.
OP | December 24, 2009 at 2:56 am |

Mep, have a safe & happy xmas, we will be one of the first countries to see santa, I may be on the naughty list though.

Hey Bonn welcome back missed you this morning.

Phil, Frances, Dedo, Dan, Mike, SG, Ronron et al lets get pissed…
Mep | December 24, 2009 at 3:18 am |

@ OP – Same to you. For some reason, I doubt you’ve made the naughty list . . . unless, of course, you’re a closeted Goldman Sachs banker. And if that’s the case, be sure to double-check your stocking for the million dollar bonus check that Tiny Tim slipped in there when Santa had his back turned.
betterthannosn | December 24, 2009 at 7:23 am |

I can hear CNBCs’ Dennis Neale already……Yes folks, we have begun the shoppingless recovery….
Zach OBrien | December 24, 2009 at 10:40 am |

@ Cali Doctor and balloon boy

Ever hear of the paper pig that was made in China under Mao? It was made before the great famine, when he wanted all the propaganda he could get that China, under his rule, had never seen such the great abundance and prosperity.

Of course, he was actually causing the largest food shortage by his meddling, but anyone warning of this was executed, or blasted by his control media.

Anyhow, a villager made a paper mache pig, larger than any real pig can ever grow, and the entire village celebrated; took pictures, reported their prosperity to Mao. A woman remembers it as a little girl, that she was scared and a little embarrassed at the whole fiasco.

Ballon boy is not an exact parallel, but close.
Zach OBrien | December 24, 2009 at 11:21 am |

@ Mep

Are our only two options for education, public schools with a bloated administration, or corporatized schools with a bloated administration?

Let’s get some anti-trust legislation in there; bust up the state monopoly AND corporate monopoly! Get back to the old whoever the hell wants to teach, may do so, tax free. Let the parents decide which neighborhood teacher/mentor their children will work very closely with. ………………Or can the peasants not be trusted with their own children? Does big brother and little union brother have to be there as a shepherd?

I see small neighborhood schoolhouses. No administration at all. No state meddling. All the union communists can shove it if they aren’t good enough to attract a local community following. They can haul trash instead of dumping it into little brains.

That’s some liberty on the brain. Unadulterated.
California Doctor | December 25, 2009 at 12:15 am |

@Zach –
Thank you for your comments. I generally agree with your comments about California citizens and gov’t worker delusional thoughts on gov’t funding.

I also thank you for the intriguiing story about the paper mache pork in China.

I’d like ot hear what people on this board think of Martin Armstrong’s writings. I’ve followed Jim Sinclair’s http://www.jsmineset.com blog for sometime. Mr. Sinclair began posting some comments on Martin Armstrong and I found Armstrong’s story very interesting.

Although he is not a trained historian, Armstrong certainly has done his homework. His work on the debasement of Roman coinage is very interesting.
Zach OBrien | December 25, 2009 at 11:36 pm |

@ Cali Doctor

Have you, or anyone here, read Kevin Phillips’ “American Theocracy?”

The only reading on coin-clipping I’ve done is from Ron Paul, and Peter Schiff. They only brush on it, but I’m sure that history is vital for any of us speculating on what the upcoming years will be like for us here in the US.

Kevin Phillips compares the over-expansion of the empires of Rome, Spain, Holland, and Britan, to make very interesting speculations about the US empire decline. He wrote that book around 04. He is as prescient as Peter Schiff. He’s one of the unsung heroes in the info-war in my opinion. A must read for Max-&-Stacarians. (Also known as smart and sane people.)