Haditha

So Mai Lai has come to the desert. Marines of all people. Very sad in all respects.

But let's look at the similarities: the insurgents are indistinguishable from the "normal" people. That is, in the neighborhoods where IEDs are used against the military, the people, the inhabitants KNOW who did it -- but do not cough up the insurgents because: (a) they are afraid; or (b) are insurgents or sympathizers. So either way, Iraqi and US military personnel die. The Viet Cong were the same: they hid amongst the civilians with the threat that entire families would die if they were given up. But according to the liberal press, that is OK: the press does not report on the brutality of the insurgents (VC), only our brutal and inhuman responses. It is OK for the enemy to kill out of hand any locals who defy them, but we, the civilized, must behave ourselves. That is tying one hand behind our back and hopping on one foot trying to combat a fully capable and ruthless enemy.

Not to say that a massacre of locals is permissible. No. Never. But what can someone do to force the locals to give up the cretins that did it? To fail to address this is to conceed victory to the enemy by virtue of their excessive brutality. Saddam managed to keep a lid on this because whole neighborhoods knew that EVERYONE would die unless the culprit was given up. Not that we should do this, but our failure to put enough pressure on the insurgents in Vietnam caused our loss. Sure if the insurgents came out in the open, they'd get their ass kicked: they are not soldiers, they are not even brave: they are guerilla terrorists.

Let us not forget 1945-1947 in Germany. If a French soldier got killed by a sniper in a German village, the French engaged in "pacification" of that village. That meant that peopled died. Same in the Russian, US and English sectors. You can bet the Russians were even more brutal about it than the others. But eventually the Germans became tired of dying for a defeated regime and started taking matters in their own hands - preventing attacks, killing their own discontents.

Enter 2006 ... the same still holds, but now the press is leading the attack to prevent pacification -- perhaps rightly so. Pacification was OK in 1945 because we hated the Germans (and Japanese). But we don't hate the insurgents -- and this is a fatal flaw. You see, they hate us. With a passion. They attacked us -- don't be confused about our invasion of Iraq, the people doing the killing are motivated by religion, not mere turf (though we are told that we are soiling holy Islamic land by being there). This insurgency IS about 9/11. It is about Afghanistan. It is about Syria stirring up trouble. It is about Iran wishing to establish another theocracy.

The Marines that snapped should be punished -- they broke rules of engagement and we cannot comment to the extent that "murder" was committed, yet. Nor do we know how they may have been provoked, or led into the situation whereby they committed this attack. The IED was set off by someone. Someone saw it being placed: it was between houses. Nobody warned the Marines that it was there: they wanted the Marines to die. In this case, the Marines took revenge: a very Middle Eastern concept, no?

But you will not hear any liberal press coverage pointing these things out.

Just a few quick thoughts

After yesterday's long rant on the Peoples Republic, once again I am chuckling about Iran ... and Germany. You see, if Ahmadinejad decides to accompany the Iranian national team to Germany for the World Cup, Germany is more or less forced to accept and honor him as a visiting head of state -- at least they cannot deny him entry.

So what, you say.... Well, Germany has lots of interesting laws similar to the Austrian ones about Holocaust denial and refuting official German history. As we know, A-jad completely denies the Holocaust and wants to inflict a new one on Israel, if he can possibly arrange it. And he has told the world so repeatedly. Hmmm, so the visiting Head of State is a criminal in German eyes and at German law. But untouchable.

What makes this more delicious, is that the Germans will be forced into publically chiding or rebuking A-jad, upsetting that delicate balance of diplomacy that the Germans have so carefully built with the Arab world -- and in particular Iran, where they sell $5 billion a year in advanced techonology goods. You can bet your butt that there are precision German parts in any Iranian nuclear facility. And those facilities are being used to enrich uranium -- for peaceful purposes. But say they build a bomb? And the Germans enabled it ... to kill a whole bunch of Jews in Israel. Rather touchy position to be placed in, don't you think? And given the obstruction of Germany in getting the Iranians to the bargaining table, and the German failure to support the War on Terrorism (I don't care what you think about Boosh and Iraq -- the Germans are VERY quiet about Islamic terrorism), it is just wonderful to see them in this pickle. Of course, it would be better to see the French in it, but the French have no Holocaust denial laws like the German's, and frankly see Israel as a pain in the butt, not a democracy struggling to survive. The French only care if you can pay for their weapons and techonolgy, there would be no "soul searching" in Paris!!

But, lots of soul-searching going on in Germany -- the newspapers are full of it. But you can hardly see a ripple in the US press or elsewhere. Why? Because of the need to brainwash the public as to the evil that Boosh does: they hate him so much, they are unwilling to really detail and expose the vile pool of hatred that is the Iranian government. They want to maintain the fiction that negotiation is possible and Boosh is not doing it, because he is a stupid man and war mongerer.

Folks, A-jad is the real deal sicko: right up there with Hitler, Stalin, the Taliban and Pol Pot. Did Hitler let us know about his long range plans for the "Endloesung" in 1933? Did anyone really know that the resistance to the Soviets in Afghanistan would result in the most repressive society seen on Earth for many a year? But if one really listened to Hitler or Mullah Omar and thought about what they stood for, it would have been no huge leap of logic to foresee the future. A-jad is TELLING us what he plans to do and what his wishes are right up front. Why should we disbelieve him?

The People's Republic ... of Cambridge

Let me count the ways I hate that place....

Every single school day I have to drive through Cambridge and many other days besides to get from one place in the Greater Boston area to the other. And as anyone who knows Boston will tell you, there is nor good way to get from one community to the other. IT was not "constructed" as certain newer cities and towns, rather, it grew organically -- rather like shit.

So this morning I decided to try and remember all that happened in one lousy 20 minute session in the People's Republic.

First off, the denizens of the Republic are complete Bolshies ... when it suits them. So for the less well off or more socially committed, you must ride a bicycle. As a cyclist, you must loudly yell at any car that you feel infringed on your "right" to use the roadway as you see fit. But you also have to be a complete frikkin hypocrite to be a proper Bolshie cyclist: cars are evil and don't treat you with the respect you deserve according to the laws of the Commonwealth as a vehicle on the road. But when the light turns red, all of a sudden, you are no longer bound by the same rules that you would have "everyone" obey: you can cut across traffic, jump the light, squeeze through the middle of cars, turn left on red ... in short whatever you feel like because you are an eco-friendly Bolshie cyclist. Try that shit in Mexico, why don't you? Or any other friendly leftist country with no concept of the laws. Heck, why Mexico? Try Italy, France, Spain or Greece -- they'd be taking a squeegee to your remains to send back to the People's Republic. Egalite and Fraternite -- my ass. And in Russia, if you yelled and banged on the wrong car because of a perceived slight, you might wind up a grease spot from your unkempt hair after Oleg the driver finished on your sorry ass with a tire iron.

I saw lots of Deval Partick bumper stickers ... here's a list of his endorsers:

1. Dan Kuhs, Business Manager, and David Woodman, Financial Secretary, Pile Drivers Local Union 56
2. Michael Byrnes, Business Agent, Service Employees International Union Local 3
3. William Campbell, District Representative, Marine Engineers Beneficial Association
4. Richard Charette, President, United Food and Commercial Workers Union Local 1445
5. Willie Desnoyers, President, United Auto Workers State CAP Council
6. Gerard Dhooge, Boston Port Agent, Seafarers International Union
7. John Flattery, President/Art MacNeil, Legislative Director American Postal Workers Union, AFL-CIO Central MA Area Local 4553
8. Michael Grunko, President, Service Employees International Union Local 509
'Nuff said about them.

And you seem to see his bumper sticker on cars in the Republic where you also see Kerry/Edwards stickers. Stickers from two years ago, nestling side by side with "Diversity for America", or rainbows, or "Impeach Bush" or stickers from any number of human rights groups, gay advocacy groups, etc. IF you see your bumper sticker on one of these cars, you might want to consider if you might not be out of touch with mainstream humanity. Mr. Patrick, where do you propose to find the money to fund some of your more ambitious programs? How will giving illegal aliens driving licenses help us ... you can't seriously believe that getting paper work on that will improve their assimilation into society: they still cannot legally work beause of FEDERAL laws. Moron.

I saw about 10 padestrians in near misses with traffic. What is it with the people living in Cambridge that makes them think that they are immortal? The People's Republic has crosswalks everywhere. Even where common sense would tell you that thrusting people across the street at that point would put them in grave peril. But, inhabitants prefer to cross between cars, jump out from behind buses and vans -- or better yet, thrust their baby carriages ahead of them so that the first thing you see as a driver is a small set of wheels poking out from between some cars on the side of the road ahead of you. I mean, why walk an extra 20 yards to a crossing? And when the driver sqeals to a stop just in time, he is regarded with venom only otherwise reserved for Dubbya. Hey, Granola-Mama/Dude, I've got news for you: you are an idiot. Given a choice between being uninjured, alive and obeying the law and being morally superior to drivers and dead ... well call me morally inferior. But to risk your baby for your morally superior but illegal point of view is insane. "Here lies Hairy Hannah, politically correct but dead as a doornail."

And people of Cambridge, when you apply for and receive this year's parking permit, scrape the old one off and apply the new one in its place. Believe me, no one who matters gives a shit how long you have lived in the Republic. So clean off the 10 stickers in your back window so you can see out of your Honda Civic/Accord, Volvo, Camry, Saab etc., and decrease the side of your blind spot ... but that is the point of living in Cambridge, isn't it? You can live with a huge blind spot -- that of common sense, fiscal responsibility and reason -- and be just like everyone else. Comfort in mass psychosis and ignorance.

But note that the Prius owner does not have a sticker ladder: this owner is far too fastidious. The car is immaculate, clean, shiny -- presumably bio-degradable products used to get it that way ... right? Oh, come on! Don't tell me you used Turtle Wax!! That's a Johnson & Johnson sub!! We are meant to be boycotting them!!

Of course, as a Cambridge Prius owner you are secretly pissed off that they never park your car in front at those nice charity affairs, like they do when someone is driving a Bentley, Ferrari or a Porsche. "They should park me in front to support the statement of the Prius owner as a societal paragon!! (sort of like Leo and George -- but Leo also has a BMW 750iL and George gets other people to drive him)."

But Juan and Jose who are parking the cars dig the German engineering and Italian flash -- oh, I'm sorry, let's pretend that they are white high schoolers earning some etra cash, it would pretty un-PC to be seen letting our esteemed guests from below the Southern Border doing the scut-work. IF bitter about status ranking, the Prius owner might remember to tip the dude a Jackson to keep his car handy -- and that is the code of the car park employee whose rights you are fighting for. Tipping may not be PC, but people work for them. And no, male or female, your fair trade rags and streaky grey hair are not "hot," nor are your earth-enviro friendly natural dyed silks, likewise. He is not going to park ou in front because you are hot. Your social statement of solidarity means zero to him. Ask the attendant what is hot in his world: silk, leather, heels, bling, makeup, and a certain artificiality which screams "yeah, Baby, check this out." "Unfair!" I hear you cry. Duh! But since when is life fair? And that is another reason people live in the Republic: a mistaken notion that life should be fair. Sorry, life just "is." And it is what you make of it, not what you demand from others to fit your particular political viewpoint.

And fix your banana republic roads!! Potholes are not good for anyone, car drivers, buses, Bolshie cyclists, or moms pushing carriages while "jay walking."

I have also noticed that the socially concerned and politically correct have as many cell phones as the right wing fascists. That can't be PC, giving money to the "Man?" Supporting the pollution of the airwaves with microwave energy, the erection of unsightly towers in nice urban neighborhoods? And you morons drive with them clamped to your heads just as frequently as the greedy capitalists in Wellesley. What up wit dat? Hunched behind the wheel of your rusted out Camry, which you can't see out of because of stickers, political statements and bird poop, you have one hand on the wheel (the right hand, generally) and one hand holding a phone to the left side of your head -- to make sure that you don't use the turning indicator.

And you denizens of the Republic: why don't you buy American? Hondas, Toyotas, Volvos, Saab (old pre-GM ones), Hyundais, Kias and all manner of foreign sourced shit is all one sees with the coveted Cambridge sticker ladder. I mean, this does not represent a consistent view of support for the working person. Rather, you are supporting sweatshops that make cars, while sipping your free trade Starbucks in your dirty car. "But these are made in America" I hear you cry. Correction: SOME are assembled in America -- out of 70% or more foreign parts, but many more are fresh off of the boat.

What about the American working person by buying American? Or would you rather support the fat-cat bosses of people working in horrible conditions in Asian sweatshops to the detriment of honest hard-working Americans, union members and Democrats? ARE YOU READY TO PUT YOUR MONEY WHERE YOUR MOUTH IS ... OR ARE YOU A HUGE BUNCH OF FRIKKING HYPOCRITES?

Well, of course the answer is "yes," but I doubt we shall actually get that out of their mouths: there starts the greasy slope whereby all of their idiotic beliefs can be systematically debunked. Then where would you be? Huh? Of course, voting for Deval might help your guilt about not voting for the unions in the US with your pocket book. Might as well light another doober and ponder that one.

Just another reminder about American workers -- buy American and support the unions!! You are pro-union, aren't you? You will vote for Deval, won't you? But, if you don't buy GM, then they will surely go tits-up and then what? Hundreds of thousands of union members walking the streets, without health coverage, pensions etc. -- but you'll blame that on Republicans. But, even so you don't want a GM car, you wouldn't be caught dead in one ... well I understand where you are coming from, 'coz I don't want one either, but then I don't give a shit about the unions, either. Or GM. See, people of the Republic, you need to live by your words in deed as well as thought.

Peace and Love!!

Gitmo on the UN firing line again

As described in an earlier post, the UN team making the recommendations is SO far from a neutral unbiased team that it boggles the imagination. Yet, because the "UN" name is on the recommendation, it appears to carry weight with the Liberal US press.

People need to remember that the UN is populated with career US haters, apparatchiks of a far left ideology dedicated to the preservation of anti-democratic regimes. Sound too extreme? If so, clear the ear-wax out. Consider that Russia continues to retreat from democracy. China has no intention of letting it start. The entire Middle East is anti-democratic, with the exception of Israel which may have a little too much. Apart from South Africa (democratic -- or sort of) there is not a single functioning democracy on the continent of Africa. And each of those countries has a UN vote. Kofi Annan is from where, that hotbed of democratic thought, Ghana? South America ... has some psuedo-democracies (Chile and Argentina), interlaced with outright lunatics on the left (Bolivia, Venezuela, Peru), and some downright scary places (Brazil -- where felons in jail order hits on cops, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay) and places like Guyana, Surinam etc., just too ridiculous to consider as sovereign nations. And they all have votes in the UN. Southeast Asia ... sort of speaks for itself (Indonesia, Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam, etc.)

The ruling groups in all of these countries have a vested interest in preventing the spread of democracy - or the ideals on which the US was founded and developed. Hamilton would be arrested in virtually all of these places on charges of sedition, treason, or heresy. Most of these countries have rulers who like being in charge and have no intention of letting go of the strings of power. And these vermin control the UN -- and have every intention of preventing the US from putting them in their sights next. Release a couple of hundred die-hard jihadists into the international population? A great idea to keep the Great Satan busy!!

Close Gitmo and put these suckers in a Supermax in Alaska. I bet they would pine for the good-old days at Gitmo.

Da Code

So the Movie is about to come out. The Catholic Church is in full-swing damage control mode. http://www.christendom-awake.org/pages/reflect-lit/davincicode.htm Sandra Miesel's thoughful article is heralded as a complete refutation of the nonsense of the novel -- pointing out glaring historical inaccuracies, falsehoods, etc.

What is remarkable to me is what she/they FAIL to refute: (1) that Christ may have been married; (2) that the Catholic Church may have voted Christ divine at the Council of Nicea in 325; (3) that the Gnostic gospels may be true, valid and insightful; (4) that the Knights Templar may have in fact had a Holy Grail to protect: and many other facts, (5) the Nature of the Opus Dei.

1. Mary Mag: This is what Miesel has to say ... "[w]hat these books neglect to mention (referring to various Gnostic analyses) is the infamous final verse of the Gospel of Thomas. When Peter sneers that "women are not worthy of Life," Jesus responds, "I myself shall lead her in order to make her male.... For every woman who will make herself male will enter the Kingdom of Heaven." That's certainly an odd way to honor one's spouse or exalt the status of women." Uh, so because it was written in the Gospel of Thomas, its true? Is that a "my truth is better than your truth" argument because my truth is an orthodox Catholic truth and yours isn't? That's the killer blow? Come on, you can do better than that ... or can you?

2. Christ became divine in 325: Miesel states that Brown's reasoning that the Church (and Emperor)ordered all Gnostic text destroyed because they conflicted with divinity is flawed because the reliable historical analysis (who did it?) dates the orthodix gospels to the First Century AD. Huh? So he was divine because of First Century stated he was? She also debunks Brown's views of the Old Testament being false, because the Hebrew texts agree closely with the Dead Sea Scrolls? Who cares about them? Those are NOT the basis of Christianity -- Judaism maybe. So it comes back to the old argument: our belief is supported by our science and yours isn't ... supported by our science. So let's go back to 325 AD ... the Church says, "OK these gospels (which may or may not date to whenever) which show divinity are true and correct. Those ones are not."

"Analysis of textual families, comparison with fragments and quotations, plus historical correlations securely date the orthodox Gospels to the first century and indicate that they're earlier than the Gnostic forgeries. (The Epistles of St. Paul are, of course, even earlier than the Gospels." When you are trying to prove a case, and also place yourself in the position of power over a burgeoning religion, why would you even consider that which would refute your power base? Of course the Gnostic gospels HAD to be rejected, without the mystery of the resurrection, you have no Easter and no Christianity! And you are out of a job, Pope.

3. The validity of the Gnostic Gospels: really not even addressed, "[p]rimitive Church documents and the testimony of the ante-Nicean Fathers confirm that Christians have always believed Jesus to be Lord, God, and Savior — even when that faith meant death. The earliest partial canon of Scripture dates from the late second century and already rejected Gnostic writings." So you capitalize your "Scripture" and because it agrees with your orthodoxy, it is correct? Isn't it possible that even the earliest orthodox Church adherents understood the necessity of uniformity of belief to make the whole thing make sense? Note that the statement that the earliest partial canon from the late second century "already rejected Gnostic writings" ... well excuse me for noticing that this OF NECESSITY implies that the Gnostic writings PRE-DATE the accepted Church orthodoxy that can be dated. Note that in point (2) above, Miesel states that the orthodox Gospels pre-date the Gnostic Gospels -- not exactly stunning proof thereof, huh?

4. The Knights Templar: Miesel relates how the facts of the Templars in Brown's book a re all wrong ... and because it was the King of France and not Pope Clement who suppressed them , Brown must be wrong. A final stab is that Clement "a weak and sickly" Pope could not have scattered ashes on the Tiber, because he ruled from Avignon. GOOD POINT!!! Glad you brought that up. Because for a not inconsiderable length of time there was TWO POPES!!! Yup, how about that for orthodox? One in Rome (which Brown seems always to call the Vatican no matter what the year, but we get his point, it is a novel after all and not intended as historically accurate in all minutia -- that would get a little boring), and one in Avignon. The Church seems a little hesistant to delve into the question of how Christ could have two sole representatives on Earth. Both dispensing favors, both excommunicating souls, both presiding over trials of heresy, each in opposition to the other. Don't like the Avignon decision, appeal it to Rome! Better historians than Miesel draw a blank when it comes to the Knights Templar.

5. The Opus Dei!!! Lots of documentaries have come out recently about the Opus ... just Google and you will get your fill. Even Time had a big spread on Opus. And you know, the celice thing? Its true. So is corporal mortification. Yup, whipping when you pray -- although this is sloughed off as only applying to the hard core numeraries. http://www.odan.org/corporal_mortification.htm Check it out. But Miesel doesn't really excuse or refute the nature of Opus, all she does is to point out how a albino might have vision problems so the rest of Brown's facts must be bullshit. Well, Miesel, they are not. Sorry. In many instances Brown HAS got his facts straight.

We look at the Shiites in Iraq and Iran, cutting themselves, beating themselves senseless in religious fervor, we get squeamish. Who are these luntics? How can they do this to themselves? But our very own brand of religious zealots live right here amongst us and are "normal" in most ways, but adhere to a strict code that they live by: the strictures of Opus Dei.

Anecdotally, one reads of vast conspiracies in which Western European business is in fact controlled by Opus Members -- and that Membership provides closeness to the Church, Pope and God for the rich, an accusation often levelled at the Jesuits. But read the Time article -- how approaches are made to join, how selection is accomplished. You may start to wonder a little. Those schools, Universities, Business Schools, Law Schools reportedly run by Opus ... all true by their own admission. They are not answerable in the Church to anyone but the Pope -- sort of resembles a private army, doesn't it? So, in fact, an easy group to signal out as the "baddies" for the book by virtue of their secrecy and exclusivity. Given their fervor of belief and daily exercise of (what would seem to us outlandish) practices, would they hesistate to snuff a heresy that might actually prove that the whole Church gig is a falsehood? That's the crucial element in the book -- your call.

So Dan Brown plumbs history and the present, loosely, for baddies (Opus and the French), for the Goddess (is he some Goddess-freak?), for mystery (the Templars), for excitement (the chase), and bucks. Good old-fashioned fun then ... although I cannot see how the movie will do justice to the book.

Pre-nup anyone?

So, say you are Sir Paul ... and worth some $1.6 Billion US dollars (about 800 million quid) ... you decide to hook up with some bird ... IF YOU ARE SANE YOU GET A PRENUP. Since Sir Paul is obviously out of his frikkin mind, he does not. So Heather Mills Mc Cartney is in line to get a hefty payout. Something unreal like $2 million for every week that she was married to him.

To be fair, a prenup in the UK does not exactly bind the court, it is more in the vein of a "letter of instruction" to a trustee. But still, for someone almost 30 years your junior, you would have been better off getting that right.

And Sir Paul's children did not like her from the get-go. Stella certainly disliked her and wanted nothing to do with her. Only at her father's bidding did she put up with her step-mom -- only a few years her senior.

So what we have here is an ambitious catalogue model who had a bad accident, had some courage ... and ambition ... who "fell in love" with an ex-Beatle. Who knows what is the real cause for a break-up? The cynical could say that at a certain point she knew that she would be set for life, so why keep up the charade? Or, Sir Paul, who likes his downtime and doobers, finally tired of making the social scene with Missus -- who by all reports loves the socially active life, "look at me!" The UK Daily Mail reported that she disliked the lack of style on the part of Sir Paul and was constantly nagging him to update himself and be more proactively modern. But Sir Paul likes a bit of shabby chic, and loves to kick back and get wasted, not things that appeal to Heather. Did she think that she could change him once married (boy, is that an old mistake)?

Heather now has her publicists working overtime to portray her as devastated, back in her wheelchair (as a result of an amputation revision -- yikes! -- and stress), having hardly slept in the past weeks due to pain and woe from the break-up. For his part, Sir Paul has not been to visit her, although is reported to have called her frequently. Not exactly the epitome of caring, but that cuts two ways: he could be heartbroken and unable to see her, or pissed off and not wanting to see her. Actually a third way of looking at it could be that he simply doesn't care at this point. Enough is enough. Given his record of marriage to Linda, I am inclined to give the nod to his caring.

If you don't do what I say, I will kill you....

At least that is the message for those working to keep Turkey from lapsing into a turgid backwater Islamic theocracy.

From AP: "A gunman opened fire in Turkey's highest administrative court Wednesday, wounding five judges in an attack he called retaliation for a recent decision against a teacher who wore an Islamic-style head scarf, officials said. At least one of the judges was in critical condition, they said.

The attacker, who was detained and being interrogated by anti-terrorism police, chanted "Allahu akbar!" or "God is Great," as he fired, private NTV television reported, citing witnesses."

Yup, God is Great and He wants me to kill you because you do not agree with the diktat from my particular interpretation of Islam. And these are Muslims killing Muslims. What do you suppose the response would be towards a Jew or Christian? In practice, not much different: you die.

The point is, negotiations with these folks is similar to talking to a rock, and about as effective. Ahmadinejad? A crazy rock trying to get a nuke.

And for the EU with Turkey knocking on its door requesting admission (and hence free movement of its citizens through the area), this poses an even more difficult question: do we let Turkey in at all? To me the answer is simple: not in a zillion years or the demise of radical Islam, which ever comes sooner. Picture the scene in a Paris court room where Ahmad has just slaughtered his daughter in an "honor killing" because that is what his Imam told him must happen. How would that play out? Of course, the defendant would want to be tried under Islamic law as being the only law that is applicable to the situation, and some crazy leftists would support that choice on a fundamental civil rights basis. The creation of a bifurcated system, then any Muslim/non-Muslim case gets shunted to that system to ensure the rights of minorities.... Eventually the tyranny of the minority and wholesale defeat to the radical lunatics. Think that I am taking this too far? Think again and see what is happening in the Netherlands.

Anyway, it really resembles the power of the Mafia in Sicily -- terror rules, until extraordinary steps are taken to see that order is restored.

The dollar stinks ... what's new?

From the London Times:

"LEADING fund managers are gloomier over prospects for the dollar than at any time for five years, according to a survey that will fuel fears of a further slump in the American currency.

Three quarters of the 204 fund managers polled globally — who control a total of £320 billion of assets — believe that the dollar is now the leading currency most likely to suffer a decline over the next 12 months, according to the survey by Merrill Lynch, the investment bank."

No shit, Sherman.

Apart from the obvious, the trade deficit that is, the real impetus for the impending decline is the perception that US interest rates are near a peak. Notwithstanding my assertion the dollar stinks, I tend to look at the low savings rate and low debt/growth quotient as well as the deficit as the reason to short it. Rates are not going down anytime soon. They can't. Flooding the economy with more money will not cause more growth -- the industrial/business sector is BOOMING. The consumer is tapped out and leveraged to the hilt. To get things back in order, savings has to climb, debt has to shrink (if you are paying more monthly for your debt, you want to shrink it quickly), property has to re-balance, and we have to quit our oil habit. Not anytime soon, eh? High rates also reflect the reality of impending inflation: yes, folks, I can smell this sucker headed our way with our consumer economy on its knees to face it.

What else is new? My daughter "won" a goldfish at a school fair. Net result: $120 for aquarium, filter, air pump, fake greens, piece o' coral, some friends, etc. "Goldfish" should be outlawed. Probably Petco gives them away for precisely the same reason pushers hand out samples of smack: "here, it won't get you hooked!" Next thing you know, you have a habit.

It has been raining in Boston for seemingly weeks. Heavy rain. Seattle rain. Friggin' Outer Hebrides rain. But knowing the talent for Massachusetts public officers and officials for mismanagement, we will have a water shortage by September ... "wahl, you know, ah resivwahs wasn't built for the watah needs of today, so we cahn't be held responsible for naturahs little swings." Sort of like that fat pustibule Seniah Senatah from the Commonwealth proclaiming the need for less dependence on imported oil, but can't quite seeing his way to supporting the windfarm in Vineyahd Sahnd.

And Boosh is determined to send troops to the border. What a waste. Make the employer responsible for his employees -- and put teeth into it, with good auditing, and you do not have the problem. But since he is determined to do so, let's get another thing straight: Mr. Vampire Fox, El Presidente de Mexico has NO RIGHT to dictate what our immigration policy should be. Mr. Fox, if your country was not the corrupt cesspit that it is, perhaps people would not be seeking to head north in droves. And you are not doing us any favour by letting your great unwashed migrate to become illegal aliens: you are dumping your chronic problems on us. If we determine to say "no mas", then it is our right. You have nothing to say about. If you insist, and certainly you appear to in that you publically have set up your embassy and consulates as funding centers to influence our laws in the US, perhaps you might consider the usual repayment for those who would mess with our democracy: a maverick up your presidential limo tailpipe. But for the farce of someone so out of touch with any level of decency trying to dictate terms to the US, it would be intolerable. Certainly Russia and China have invaded their neighbors for less.

Did you notice how they have retreated from the "drugs for all" policy recently suggested as a means to control their drug gangs? How can a government just reisgn like that? Brazil is now feeling the pinch of over 100 police murdered in the last week in "hits" ordered on their mobile phones by gang leaders serving time in the slammer. When you let weird shit happen, more of it comes your way. And when you entire society is so corrupt and inefficient that it cannot support its populace, DO NOT THINK TO EXPORT THE SAME TO US. We do not want your system. We do not want your culture: it has failed and is corrupt. Illegal immigration is just that: illegal. Condoning the illegal is corrupt. Planning it and supporting it against another soverign nation is an act of war.

And the far left can't see it. And the conservative business leeches that use slave labor don't want to see it. I was born in the US as an English speaking citizen, one of whose parents legally immigrated. They have always paid taxes. We pull our share. I have no argument with others who wish to pull their share, but you have to do it in the framework of our laws and systems. That framework succeeded in the creation of the longest standing republic and democracy in the world: I have no wish to corrupt it and change it to something less as "inevitable."

Name just one country with latin-american culture that has been successful on a long term basis (over 50 years). Just one. Don't import that "success" to the US. Let the latino culture assimilate into ours: ours works. And don't be coy about the meaning of success: it is about standards of living, a working and just legal system, personal integrity and security ... and opportunity. That last bit ... that is why the world wishes to come to the US ... opportunity. Without a fair democracy, based on the laws, (more or less) free of corruption, there is no opportunity. No, Mr. Fox, if it comes to it, we have to close the door to preserve the Golden Goose. And that is YOUR FAULT, and fault of people like you, not the hard working migrant who wishes only to put food on his table for his family.

Whither the economy?

Gold is at 20 year highs. Copper, platinum, zinc and nickel are at all-time highs. US growth is strong. US debt is sky-high. US personal savings simply not present. The effectiveness of debt in adding to US growth is negligible (interesting in that by cutting rates to encourage capital or other spending, you in fact do not succeed -- a worn out monetary tool where there has been too much capital available for too long). Inflation is increasing, but only really in response to oil/energy price increases, so far.

So where now? we have the perception that the dollar sucks and we should buy Euros or yen or yuan or whatever. But is Europe better off? The ECB HAS to raise rates this year and be more aggressive than the Fed ... so you go long Euros, right? But raising rates there will also choke off growth, which has been shaky all along. Higher rates could stab the property markets there in the whazoo, and encourage chronic unemployment.

Currencywise, the net is that Euros will likely be the hold for the next 18 months, thereafter as Europe begins to sputter, switch back to dollars.

But, oil, oil, oil..... There is really no need for the prices to be where they are. There is plenty of it to go around, but there seems to be a well-orchestrated scheme to boost prices that works. Saudi and the Gulf States are simply awash in capital. More money than ever. More than they know what to do with. You have a project, however crazy, you can get it funded. The US and European energy companies are all showing staggering profits (they claim it is just their margin as the prices go up getting relatively larger -- and that is true, but ignores what is a "fair" profit). So how will this impact the EU and US?

The US is going to have to start to wean itself from oil dependence ... starting with driving habits, heating habits and entertainment habits. No more driving 50 miles to see a certain movie, or play golf. Or 200 miles each way to ski. It starts to mean real money. Companies dependent on large V8 powered cars will have to move quickly to avoid catastrophe (good-bye GM). Gas will hit $4.00 (still cheap by world standards, but our mileage is less than half of world standards, too). We will see higher ticket prices at the airport. Politically motivated attempts to kill off wind farms (like those of the hyper-liberal Ted Kennedy to nuke the Vinyard Sound Farm) will be exposed as being AGAINST the public interest. Sooner or later, we will drill for oil in protected areas, and hitherto unfeasible projects like oil shale and oil sands will gain momentum (the US has the world's largest reserves of these things), bio fuel will feature front and center -- and the US can grow more agricultural goods than ANY other country on earth -- and green will change its color to something more practical ... that is, what had previously been seen as an environmental loony's ideas will be seen as prudent for the US.

All this is obvious ... but in terms of dollars and cents, what to do with money now? I have got to think that there is overshoot to commodity prices, but with China sucking up everything and anything they can get their hands on ... I can't be too sure. Gold should be somewhere in the 550 range, given broad historical ratios ... but seeing that in the gold/oil case, never has so few barrels of oil bought so much gold (or this was true at the 550 area, now at the door of 800, we are closer to being in line). So go long gold at this level? I don't think so. But sell what you already have? Nah, can't quite do that either.

Housing? Well any rudimentary analysis will show that virtually ALL and ANY of the increase in personal wealth since 2001 has been in property. Direct and 1:1 -- no doubts there, even though there is a real rebound in the stock markets. And that is also directly linked to the increase in personal debt and debt overall to fund it. Put another way, the Fed made money cheap, so we went out and "invested" in real estate, or refinanced. Then we took our new-found wealth represented by our now fabulously expensive houses, and bought stuff made in China (or large new SUVs that lined the oil sheik's pockets). Just look at the increase in value of Wal-Mart -- built on cheap-assed goods made elsewhere in the world.

From the Federal point of view, they cut rates to give money to develop China and borrowed from the Chinese to do so (they own the treasuries issued). Pretty clever from the Chinese point of view: "here buy my cheap goods, and I'll lend you the money so you can buy more." Kills off US competition and everyone else's too. Not so clever from the US point of view. In its eagerness to avoid recession, they have encouraged the US citizens to write checks they emphatically cannot cover -- if someone decides to "call" the debt. So the Chinese may have a load of worthless paper on their hands. A real cynical bastard might suspect the Fed of wishing to reflate to pay the Chinese back with cheaper dollars. Dunno.

And we have a political system incapable of making tough decisions in tough times. Going into Iraq was not tough. Deciding to get out when the threat was proven to be false would have been. But once in, we couldn't let Baathists regain control, could we? A bigger bunch of murdering creeps has not been seen since Pol Pot, Mao or Stalin (notice a connection there?), or we could let Iran just march on in.... Of course, that is our problem now ... not any stupid "insurgency," we are threatened with a Shiite government hostile to us and everyone else controlling the whole shooting match in the Gulf. Saudi Arabia? Puhleez!! When faced with a Shiite bomb and Iranian troops unbuffered by Iraq (the US and allies), they'd cave like a house of cards in a 9.6 Richter event.

So for us, the little man investor ... how do we get our capital to grow, take care of retirement, school fees, orthodontist bills, mortgages ... what to do?

What to do?

Hedge. You gotta own some China. You have to have Euro exposure. You need some property mortgaged with 20-30 horizon at cheap rates. You need some gold. You need some munis and some treasuries (just in case stocks shit the bed and rates go to zero). Assuming that you are like me and look longingly at obtuse and exotic marekts, hedge funds are also a good idea -- allowing you access to markets you could not otherwise hope to tap. Of course, there is the little problem of investor qualification, but.... Another good idea is to avoid the large mutual funds. Show me where they have even met benchmarks -- most do not. Far simpler to set up an account with a broker and simply buy the benchmarks. You might be able to get Canadian brokers to sell short for you if that is what tickles your fancy.

And sell the SUV now.

Illegals

Let's get some things straight:

If, according to the Pew Hispanic Center, there are 12 million illegal immigrants in this country, of which only 7 million are working, then there are 5 million that need to get their asses back to wherever they came from.

If, there are in fact 25 million illegals in this country, then it matters not at all if they are working or not -- there are too many.

If we consider how health care is unreasonably expensive -- and point to Canada where it is cheaper and universal -- we might wish to consider who has to pay for the health care given to the illegals.... That would be us, the taxpayers.

If we consider how expensive insurance has become, we may wish to consider why ... a large number of uninsured or underinsured onthe streets.

If we wonder why federal and state housing, welfare and social services are overwhelmed given the absurd funding levels ... we might look to the recipients of the largess.

If we look at the people who want to give and amnesty ... well Dubbya is looking to keep his constituency of businessmen happy with their cheap labor (and keep inflation down). The Dems are clearly happy to create a whole new class of people that will eventually become Democrats: social parasites sucking on the government teat and keeping them in power.

If we want to know why education is being burdened by large numbers of children without the requisite tax support base, we can look to who these children are: either straight illegals themselves, or "legal" children of illegals, citizens by virtue of the fact that their parents are criminals under US Federal Law.

The list could go on for ever. There is no credible accounting that has been made to show that the NET balance of contributions by illegal immigrants to the US economy outweighs the drains. None. That is because nobody wants to get nasty and count the costs, the real costs. Costs such as the absurd bi-lingual (or multi-lingual) printing and services provided by municipalities, local, state and the Federal Governments to those who do not speak English. Apart from a few ill-conceived freaks, (like Canada and Quebec in particular), no country prints official materials or offers official services in languages other than those of the majority. DO you think for and instant that you could walk into a French government office, declare that you are an English speaker and demand to receive translation services (or any services of any kind) as an illegal? You get a stony look and be told to learn French.

The English language is the glue that has held America together since it was first established. That it is not enshrined in the Constitution as the official language of the US is more a reflection of the Framers that the situation as it exists now was to absurd to contemplate back then (though there was some movement to make it German, but mercifully, that did not happen). Throughout US history, immigrants learned the language: parents did not speak the languages of their homelands in an effort to Americanize their children, to give them a chance to prosper here, and not stigmatize them as "fresh off of the boat."

But instead, we have people singing translations of the Star Spangled Banner, claiming their right to be in the US is superior to that of its citizens. Have we totally lost our minds? IN ANY OTHER COUNTRY ON EARTH THE BUSES WOULD HAVE LINED UP TO DEPORT THESE IDIOTS. In Mexico, it is a crime to alter or abuse the Mexican national anthem. Yet, it is OK to do it to ours.

And what the **** is El Presidente Fox doing with drugs????? What right does he have to declare that our borders should be open: so he can export the poverty and corrpution of Mexico to the US? NO, it is not our fault ... not now. Not by any twisted stretch of belief: Mexico is a basket case because of corruption, waste, and possibly the legacy of a culture based on the Spanish paradigm of its colonial policies. This is NOT an American problem except in that it is being exported into this sovereign nation.

Cambridge, Acton and Wayland (each a center of pin-headed liberalism) have passed laws that will allow illegals to vote. The thought is that if the illegal's kids are in school in those towns, and they are paying taxes (even indirectly through landlord's payment of property taxes), they should be entitled to vote. On its face, that seems reasonable ... until you wake up from that bad dream and realize that an American citizen whose official residence might be elsewhere, but whose kids are in Cambridge, and who may even pay direct taxes there CANNOT VOTE. Huh? By why feat of stupidity can these morons allow non-citizens, CRIMINALS, to vote where legal, tax paying citizens cannot? The only thought here is a naked attempt to affect the voting to ensure that far left lunatics keep their posts in a bloated and morally corrupt bureaucracy. The illegals are not crazy: keep the benefits coming, housing, schooling, money ... better than working the farm back home, or working in a sweatshop in some city like (fill in the blank ... Ho Chi Minh, Juarez, Sao Paulo).

So what to do?

Look, if a given "illegal" has been here three years, has been paying taxes (and can prove it) then she/he can stay. Give her a work permit, and sign her up. She must then lear English within 2 years or go home. She CANNOT bring anyone else here along with her. If she already has children, then they can stay. Other dependents cannot. Any adult has to be considered separately.

Any crime -- as defined by misdemeanor or worse, you go home, unless you have become a US citizen first. A work permit is good for 10 years, one renewal possible. If by then not a US citizen, you have to go home.

AND FOR ALL PERSONS OUTSIDE OF THIS RUBRIC: GO HOME AND REAPPLY TO ENTER. WE NEED YOU AND YOU NEED TO HAVE A WORK PERMIT FOR SECURITY OF THE US AND TO PAY TAXES.

But do not attempt to influence our politics. Do not take from our social services without paying by means of taxes. So what if our inflation goes up, and we have to pay more for our goods: we should. We have no right to benefit from the underpaid slave labor that exists openly in the country, and the workers should have a right to medical care and social services as tax payers.

And let's create a new national border service to which ALL teenagers must apply and serve before college. One year. No ifs, buts, ands or others. And enforce the border with force of military might. And if you are an employer and you get caught with illegals: that would be a "A" misd, for first offense, "D" felony for the second, and prison time for the third -- and a special accelerated court system solely to prosecute these security crimes. That should put a stop to it. And quickly. No point smuggling yourself in if nobody will hire you.

A day without "illegals" ... too bad it could not be longer.

I have been careful not to point any fingers at any nations apart from Mexico (where I have a beef with the government), and this is because sane people want to be able to feed their children and make new lives. I want this to happen too. But only in the framework of an organized and honest manner -- fair to intended immigrants from all countries on Earth, not only those who can walk over the border. Should they get special privileges in the lottery of immigration because they were born close the a border over which they might sneak? Is a Mexican or Honduran more worthy than an Ethiopian? Clearly, the answer is "no." To provide an efficient and fair system should be our goal, the wholesale creation of 25 million new citizens (many or most of which have no idea of what is means to be an American, US history, or the English language) is folly, pure and simple. It might suit Senators Kerry and Kennedy, in that it would counter the threat of the Red State people out-breeding the Blue Staters, thereby creating a new Democrat dynasty, but it does not make sense for America. Interestingly, the Pew Hispanic Center polled hispanics across the board for their views: some 60% of Hispanics are against an amnesty of any sort!!! Hmmm.

Many illegals work exceedingly hard and only want to get ahead, to make a better life for themselves, no different really from the boatloads of Russians, Italians, Irish, Germans and Swedes that came to Ellis Island. There was some structure even then, but America was essentially empty (ohhh, yes, there were native Americans, but ...).

America is not empty. It is full. It is close to being bankrupt -- no savings, nothing but deficit spending (and Kerry would not be better in this regard, quit smoking whatever it is), so how can we just write checks without the goodies in the bank? Mortgaging our country to save a few bucks at Wal Mart is not wise. Nor is it to write checks to charity that we cannot honor. We have a duty to absorb all we can, it is the American thing to do. Notwithstanding the hopes and wishes of the earnest hard working would be Americans that have smuggled themselves here, we have a greater duty to the American CITIZENS that are already here, sons and daughters of people that have fought and died to create this country and preserve freedom. And we should tend to this duty and legacy first, no matter how much someone should threaten us, demonstrate or scream.

If you do not like this, ... LEAVE.