Year: 2013

QUOTES OF THE DAY

“History offers no guarantees. If America plunges into an era of depression or violence which by then has not lifted, we will likely look back on the 1990s as the decade when we valued all the wrong things and made all the wrong choices.” – Strauss & Howe – The Fourth Turning

“The seasons of time offer no guarantees. For modern societies, no less than for all forms of life, transformative change is discontinuous. For what seems an eternity, history goes nowhere – and then it suddenly flings us forward across some vast chaos that defies any mortal effort to plan our way there. The Fourth Turning will try our souls – and the saecular rhythm tells us that much will depend on how we face up to that trial. The saeculum does not reveal whether the story will have a happy ending, but it does tell us how and when our choices will make a difference.”  – Strauss & Howe – The Fourth Turning

“Don’t think you can escape the Fourth Turning the way you might today distance yourself from news, national politics, or even taxes you don’t feel like paying. History warns that a Crisis will reshape the basic social and economic environment that you now take for granted. The Fourth Turning necessitates the death and rebirth of the social order. It is the ultimate rite of passage for an entire people, requiring a luminal state of sheer chaos whose nature and duration no one can predict in advance.” – Strauss & Howe – The Fourth Turning

“The risk of catastrophe will be very high. The nation could erupt into insurrection or civil violence, crack up geographically, or succumb to authoritarian rule. If there is a war, it is likely to be one of maximum risk and effort – in other words, a total war. Every Fourth Turning has registered an upward ratchet in the technology of destruction, and in mankind’s willingness to use it.” – Strauss & Howe – The Fourth Turning

WAR CRIMINALS & LIARS

The truth will set you free.

 

The US Government Stands Revealed to the World as a Collection of War Criminals and Liars

Paul Craig Roberts

Does the American public have the strength of character to face the fact that the US government stands before the entire world revealed as a collection of war criminals who lie every time that they open their mouth?  Will  Congress and the American public buy the White House lie that they must support war criminals and liars or “America will lose face”?

The obama regime’s lies are so transparent and blatant that the cautious, diplomatic President Putin of Russia lost his patience and stated the fact that we all already know: John Kerry is a liar.  Putin said:  “This was very unpleasant and surprising for me. We talk to them [the Americans], and we assume they are decent people, but he [Kerry] is lying and he knows that he is lying. This is sad.” http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article36117.htm [1]

When Secretary of State Colin Powell was sent by the criminal bush regime to lie to the UN, Powell and his chief of staff claim that Powell did not know he was lying. It did not occur to the Secretary of State that the White House would send him to the UN to start a war that killed, maimed, and dispossessed millions of Iraqis on the basis of total lies.

The despicable John Kerry knows that he is lying.  Here is the American Secretary of State, and obama, the puppet president, knowingly lying to the world. There is not a shred of integrity in the US government. No respect for truth, justice, morality or human life.  Here are two people so evil that they want to repeat in Syria what the bush war criminals did in Iraq.

How can the American people and their representatives in Congress tolerate these extraordinary criminals?  Why are not obama and John Kerry impeached? The obama regime has every quality of Nazi Germany and Stasi Communist Germany, only that the obama regime is worse. The obama regime spies on the entire world and lies about it. The obama regime is fully engaged in killing people in seven countries, a murderous rampage that not even Hitler attempted.

Whether the criminal obama regime can purchase the collaboration of Congress and the European puppet states in a transparent war crime will soon be decided. The decision will determine the fate of the world.

As for facts, the report released to the UN by the Russian government concludes that the weapons used in chemical attacks in Syria are similar to the weapons in the hands of al-Nusra and are different from the weapons known to be possessed by Syria. http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article36116.htm [2]

The obama regime has released no evidence to the UN. This is because the criminal regime has no evidence, only made up fairy tales.

If the obama regime had any evidence, the evidence would have been released to British Prime Minister david cameron to enable him to carry the vote of Parliament. In the absence of evidence, cameron had to admit to Parliament that he had no evidence, only a belief that the Syrian government had used chemical weapons. Parliament told Washington’s puppet that the British people were not going to war on the basis of the Prime Minister’s unsubstantiated belief.

Are the American people and the rest of the world just going to stand there, sucking their thumbs, while a new Nazi State rises in Washington?

Congress must vote down the war and make it clear to obama that if he defies the constitutional power of Congress he will be impeached.

If the US Congress is too corrupt or incompetent to do its duty, the rest of the world must join the UN General Secretary and the President of Russia and declare that unilateral military aggression by the US government is a war crime, and that the war criminal US government will be isolated in the international community. Any of its members caught traveling abroad will be arrested and turned over to the Hague for trial.

NEW POLL

Poll: Majority Of Americans Approve Of Sending Congress To Syria

News•        Syria• News•    ISSUE 49•36•    Sep 5, 2013

WASHINGTON—As President Obama continues to push for a plan of limited military intervention in Syria, a new poll of Americans has found that though the nation remains wary over the prospect of becoming involved in another Middle Eastern war, the vast majority of U.S. citizens strongly approve of sending Congress to Syria.

The New York Times/CBS News poll showed that though just 1 in 4 Americans believe that the United States has a responsibility to intervene in the Syrian conflict, more than 90 percent of the public is convinced that putting all 535 representatives of the United States Congress on the ground in Syria—including Senate pro tempore Patrick Leahy, House Speaker John Boehner, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, and, in fact, all current members of the House and Senate—is the best course of action at this time.

“I believe it is in the best interest of the United States, and the global community as a whole, to move forward with the deployment of all U.S. congressional leaders to Syria immediately,” respondent Carol Abare, 50, said in the nationwide telephone survey, echoing the thoughts of an estimated 9 in 10 Americans who said they “strongly support” any plan of action that involves putting the U.S. House and Senate on the ground in the war-torn Middle Eastern state. “With violence intensifying every day, now is absolutely the right moment—the perfect moment, really—for the United States to send our legislators to the region.”

“In fact, my preference would have been for Congress to be deployed months ago,” she added.

Citing overwhelming support from the international community—including that of the Arab League, Turkey, and France, as well as Great Britain, Iraq, Iran, Russia, Japan, Mexico, China, and Canada, all of whom are reported to be unilaterally in favor of sending the U.S. Congress to Syria—the majority of survey respondents said they believe the United States should refocus its entire approach to Syria’s civil war on the ground deployment of U.S. senators and representatives, regardless of whether the Assad regime used chemical weapons or not.

In fact, 91 percent of those surveyed agreed that the active use of sarin gas attacks by the Syrian government would, if anything, only increase poll respondents’ desire to send Congress to Syria.

Public opinion was essentially unchanged when survey respondents were asked about a broader range of attacks, with more than 79 percent of Americans saying they would strongly support sending Congress to Syria in cases of bomb and missile attacks, 78 percent supporting intervention in cases of kidnappings and executions, and 75 percent saying representatives should be deployed in cases where government forces were found to have used torture.

When asked if they believe that Sen. Rand Paul should be deployed to Syria, 100 percent of respondents said yes.

“There’s no doubt in my mind that sending Congress to Syria—or, at the very least, sending the major congressional leaders in both parties—is the correct course of action,” survey respondent and Iraq war veteran Maj. Gen. John Mill said, noting that his opinion was informed by four tours of duty in which he saw dozens of close friends sustain physical as well as emotional injury and post-traumatic stress. “There is a clear solution to our problems staring us right in the face here, and we need to take action.”

“Sooner rather than later, too,” Mill added. “This war isn’t going to last forever.” 

The Mirage of Choice

One of the amazing things I have witnessed over the last few weeks is the thunderous silence from the NeoDems who were supposedly anti-war. 

They spoke out vehemently when the war criminal GW was in office but who has been trotted out by both parties since Iraq/Afghan? 

2004: Bush II and Kerry

bush and kerry

2008: McCain and Obama

mccain obama

2012: Romney and Obama

romney and obama

Every single R & D presidential candidate (except Romney) is actively and vocally supporting the US(S)A committing an Act of War in Syria.  Only Romney isn’t vocally supporting it but that’s because he has all but disappeared from the face of the Earth (which is a good thing) but I have no doubts if he was prezzy he would be in favor of committing further US war crimes.  The truth is there is no such thing as a successful government official against war.

It has been said “War is the health of the State” and at the moment the State is not well, the people are not happy because of the bombardment of scandals, spying, lying, taxes and economic despair. The State needs medicine and that comes in the form of dropping bombs on innocent brown people and supporting terrorists.

Can anyone with a brain capable of critical thinking look at the list above and not come to the conclusion that our government that is run by the likes of Obama, McCain and Kerry (and formerly Bush II) is not a terrorist organization?

who thinks america has freedom

We all had a chance to elect a game changer but the majority failed to recognize the golden opportunity when it was staring them down. 

ron paul told you so

The system is not designed for people like RP who embrace liberty and peace, it is designed for the owners and those who relish the use of aggressive violence.

I am still holding out a sliver of hope that CONgress votes down the Act of War against Syria and B. Hussein adheres.  But I consider that very unlikely so I am left with the perspective that at this point, anyone who thinks the US government works for you, represents you and that voting matters is either insane, has a single digit IQ or is a criminal themselves.

illusion of choice

http://thestrangestbrew.com/

CULTURAL DECAY

Fred should see the roll down gates and barred windows in West Philly to confirm his description of a culture in decay.

 

Surrender in the Culture Wars

It All Over, Don´t it?

September, 5, 2013

 By Fred Reed

http://www.fredoneverything.net/

How the hell did it happen?

I lived, 1951 to 1956, aged six to eleven, in the  Arlington suburbs of Washington and, ´56 to´57, in smalltown Athens, Alabama,  and eighth grade through high school in rural King George County, Virginia, graduating in 1964. Another  country. Another world. What happened?

The  Arlington of then was entirely white, peopled largely by men several years back  from World War Two, enjoying the fantastic surge in prosperity following the  war. The dominant culture, the only culture, was that of Reader´s Digest, clean  cut, honest, and confident. We watched the Mousketeers, all soap and good manners.  We joined the Boy Scouts, and were told to be trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly,  courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean, and reverent. We  were, at least sorta, most of those. Pornography meant monitoring the advance  of Annette Funicello´s bustline.

At age eight  I walked every morning the perhaps six blocks to Robert E. Lee Elementary  School, alone. Why not? There was nothing to be afraid of. My friends and I  rode to Westover, the shopping center on Washington Boulevard, and left our  bikes on the sidewalk for hours while we read comic books in the drug store.  Why not? Nobody stole bikes.  My family  never locked the doors of the house. Why should we? There weren´t any burglars.

And in  summer evenings thirty kids, girls and boys, played hide-and-seek across  several blocks, and parents didn´t give it a thought. Why should they? It was  safe. We were the dominant culture, the only culture, and we didn´t do  pederasty, engage in gang attacks, or muggings, or drive fast on kid-littered  streets. It wasn´t our way. If we had suffered a natural disaster, no one would  have looted. It wasn´t what we did.

I´m not sure  what would have happened if a gang of high-schoolers had robbed a candy store.  It was impossible, because we didn´t do such things. A child molester? I don´t  know. It would have one way or another been a case of God help him and he never  would have been seen again. The culture didn´t tolerate child molesters.

And now, and  now….

And now I  read daily of armed police patrolling the halls of schools, of parents walking  their kids to school because children aren´t safe by themselves, of metal  detectors at the doors, of flash mobs of, er, teens robbing stores. Instead of  homogeneity we have diversity, which means you have to buy a new bicycle twice  a year. Leave on unattended for ten minutes, and it disappears.

How did we  get here? Why do we put up with it? Bastardy in this white, once civilized  society is now said to be at thirty percent: A middle class with a slum morality.  You have to be crazy to leave your keys in an open car, which we once regularly  did. There was no reason not to.

The answer  of course is that the post-war culture is no longer dominant. When all of a population  agree that certain things are not acceptable, such as assaults, looting, mob  robberies, and thievery, they don´t happen. After those horrendous tidal waves  hit Japan, there was no looting. It isn´t part of Japanese culture. After riots  in America, after Katrina, there was and is massive looting. The culture no  longer enforces it standards of behavior.

A virtue of  a dominant culture is that it doesn’t have to be imposed. It polices itself.  During my five years in rural Virginia, we all had guns. The substantial number  of blacks in the county had guns. Nobody ever shot anybody else, either on  purpose or accidentally. It wasn´t something we did. It wasn´t in the culture. White  or black.

When the  dominant culture doesn´t condone crime, there will be very little crime. This  is why the European-American constitution of Tom Jefferson could specify trial  by jury. A jury trial takes a lot of time and effort, which a society can  afford only when there is little crime. Today we have trial by plea bargain  because jury trials for our rate of crime would have the entire country  empanelled constantly.

In Arlington,  and Athens, and King George, we had close to no policemen. That´s how many  policemen we needed. We behaved well because it never occurred to us that we  might do otherwise. As kids we drank beer illegally, ignored speed limits, and  some of us shot an occasional deer out of season—but that was it. We didn´t  rape, kill, rob, or assault teachers because it wasn´t in the culture. The  dominant whites did not beat the blacks into comas, nor vice versa.

Fear of  punishment had little to do with it. We might get into a fist fight, but we  didn´t pick up a brick or a length of rebar. There were things we just didn´t  do. Had one of us said “Fuck you” to a teacher, the entire moral weight of the  county would have fallen on him.

This is why  as cultures break down, or mix with less civilized cultures, more and more  police become necessary. So do locks, bars, alarms, cameras and, for the  remaining virile, carry permits. Hello.

Here is one  reason why multiculturalism seldom works. Suppose that one culture has a strong  work ethic, fairly strict sexual morality, low illegitimacy, low crime, respect  for study and proper use of the national language. Suppose that another culture  is precisely opposite, or approximately opposite, as for example the Moslems in  France. If the first group is truly dominant, and imposes its standards—you will  do your homework, kid—the second group may successfully assimilate.

But suppose  that the dominant group isn´t really that dominant and can´t, or won´t, impose  its values. How—in a school, say—do you mix the toilet-mouthed with the  well-spoken, girls who expect to marry before giving birth with fifteen year  old single mothers pushing strollers into class? Or if the courts have decided  that “motherfucker· is an entire language to itself, and that eradication of  the word would constitute imperial culture-abuse? The effect will always be to  lower the civilized group to the uncivilized.

Here we are,  and there is no turning back. All that made the old culture what it was is now  held to be elitism, sin most dreadful, and all that we held to be wrong is now  said to be “authentic,” whatever that means, or else the consequence of  ineluctable social forces.

Buy the  ticket, take the ride.

Why the Real Founders of Democracy Would Be Pissed if They Saw What We Did…

Why the Real Founders of Democracy Would Be Pissed if They Saw What We Did…

By Paul Rosenberg, FreemansPerspective.com

Freeman's Perspective

The word democracy is held in awe these days. Mention it almost anywhere and you’ll get instant nods of approval.

People actually believe that democracy gives us harmony and peace, not to mention wealth. They are sure that it is the ultimate and inevitable end of human development, created by the wise and noble Greeks and given to us, the enlightened society that took it to the ends of the Earth!

But if the ancient Greeks could see what we call ‘democracy,’ they would spit at it. They’d probably want to burn it down.

As many problems as they had (and they had plenty), they were not fools, and it wouldn’t take them a day to condemn what the West now worships.

Why would the old Greeks be so upset? Let’s take a look at their (Athenian) system and see how our modern form stacks up:

#1: Greek citizen assemblies met 40 times per year in an open, public forum. Any citizen could speak and any citizen could vote. A vote of those present was final.

Contrast that with what passes for (American) democracy now: Only special people are allowed to attend the assemblies. On top of that, there are far, far more meetings than anyone could hope to follow: General sessions, meetings for dozens of committees, party caucuses and more, running at all hours. No one person can come remotely close to keeping up with it all.

The citizen is clearly unable to participate or even to understand what’s going on. Just this fact would cause the “fathers of civilization” to pronounce our system a fraud, and rightly so. The citizens are non-participants.

#2: Laws were inscribed on stone pillars (stelae) and posted in prominent locations so that everyone would see them.

Greek laws were accessible to every Greek. Not only were they required to be posted, but this requirement also guaranteed that there couldn’t be too many of them.

If you were to take an ancient Greek to see “our laws,” they’d be looking at more than 80,000 pages of almost indecipherable language. (And those would be only the Federal laws.)

Because of this, the Greeks would be insulted when you assured them that we have “the rule of law.” They would say that when people can’t know the law, they are living in a tyranny, and no amount of fancy argumentation would convince them otherwise.

And, again, they would be right. If you are ignorant of the law (80,000 pages of government-speak) but are still subject to punishment under the law, you are living in a tyranny. The founders would have no confusion about that.

#3: A Council oversaw the daily affairs of the democracy. Each of ten tribes provided 50 men. But, only one tribe’s men (50 of them) served at any one time, and only for one month. (The Greeks had ten months in their year.) And once any person served as a Councilor, they were forbidden from serving again for ten years.

Under this arrangement, playing tricks became almost impossible: as soon as the first of the month came along, the next tribe could turn your tricks around and do worse to you.

Contrast this with senators and congressmen who stay in office for decades on end, selling all sorts of favors, amassing multi-million dollar campaign funds, and making themselves rich in the process. Most of them never really go away.

At this point, our philosophical forefathers would be looking for places to buy torches… and they would be ready to beat anyone who called a system that supports such shenanigans a democracy.

#4: Citizens chosen for positions like overseer of the marketplace were chosen completely at random.

Imagine choosing the boss of the IRS at random. We all know what would happen: You’d get a housewife from Portland one year and a plumber from Topeka the next. And they’d act like humans, rather than unfeeling automatons. The sanctimonious abuser state would crumble.

#5: At the beginning of their democracy, the citizens of Athens were divided into ten tribes (and NOT along regional or family lines). This was done specifically to break the power of the aristocratic families.

Have you paid attention to the DC crowd lately? Have you noticed that they never leave? Instead, they slide back and forth between congress, commissions, agencies, lobbying firms, mega-corps and media. Have you noticed how often their children marry each other?

Look at the Presidential lineup: Bush – Clinton – Bush – Obama – Clinton? – Bush?

That’s called “aristocracy.” However, people who are emotionally bound to the system can’t see it. The Greeks certainly wouldn’t be fooled.

Losing Our Religion

Do you remember a haunting song from the 90s called Losing My Religion? If so, cue that up in the back of your mind, because that’s what stands in front of the people of the West.

The majestic “Democracy” that was supposed to be our savior is actually an abusive fraud. It’s time to let it go. That’s not easy, I know, but it needs to be done.

Will you take the first step?

[Editor’s Note: Paul Rosenberg is the outside-the-Matrix author of FreemansPerspective.com, a site dedicated to economic freedom, personal independence and privacy. He is also the author of The Great Calendar, a report that breaks down our complex world into an easy-to-understand model. Click here to get your free copy.]

RON PAUL SCHOOLS A LIBERAL MSNBC SHREW

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

 

Must Watch: Ron Paul Squares Off Against MSNBC’s Alex Wagner in Explosive Interview

by Noah Rothman | 1:43 pm, September 5th, 2013

Former Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX) joined MSNBC’s Alex Wagner on Thursday for a wide-ranging and contentious interview focused on President Barack Obama’s push for American intervention in the Syrian civil war. What followed was a tense and heated exchange between the two ideologically unaligned figures about the need for intervention in Syria, American foreign policy in general, and Paul’s speaking before “anti-Semitic” groups.

Wagner opened by asking about a recent interview Paul conducted with Wikileaks founder Julian Assange on his web-based interview program, but the conversation quickly turned to the push for intervention in Syria.

Paul questioned the “so-called gas deaths” in Syria supposedly ordered by President Bashar al-Assad and suggested that pro-intervention advocates have absolved the rebel factions fighting against Assad of any malfeasance.

“Do you really think President Obama is looking for a reason to go to war in Syria,” Wagner asked She noted that the president has been reluctant to go to war.

“I think the pressure comes from the people around him,” Paul said. “It might be contradicting some of his self-instincts.”

Paul said that the leadership of both the Democratic and Republican Parties in Congress are behind Syrian intervention in opposition to rank-and-file opinion.

“I think there’s a historic event going on here and if this vote is won, that is defeat the request to have a more military approach to Syria, I think it’ll be historic,” Paul said. He noted that such a defeat would be an unusual alignment of the “libertarian Republicans” and the “progressive Democrats.”

Wagner appeared to agree with Paul but countered his assertion by saying that it was the president’s push for an unpopular war in Congress which united Democrats and Republicans against him. “Do you not applaud the president for making that decision?” Wagner asked.

Paul did not. He said that the president came under pressure and did not seek Congressional authority out of deference to the Constitution.

“In terms of surveillance, how confident are you that we are seeing the end of what has been termed the American empire in terms of a broad overreach and surveillance of Americans citizens” Wagner asked.

“We haven’t’ seen the end of it,” Paul replied. “Tyrants and empires cling desperately, and their best weapon is lying.”

Paul said the “people are waking up” and he was encouraged by a close vote in the House in which the Amash/Conyers Amendment to scale back the powers of the National Security Agency was narrowly defeated.

Paul added that this problem would also be solved if the “conspiracy” of the American government to “run all these wars” was ended and American troops came home.

“We haven’t proven any lies yet from this administration,” Paul said. “But believe me, there’s going to be found many, many deceptions.”

Wagner took issue with this statement. “Don’t you think this is sort of irresponsible?” she asked.

Paul went on to say that there is little proof to suggest that Assad is behind the use of chemical weapons in Syria. “Quite frankly, if they were honest with us – some are, some of the neo-cons are more honest, Tehran is – this is all to do with getting Iran and taking that country over, and we’ve been doing that since 1953,” Paul asserted.

Wagner asked Paul about his speech coming up at the Fatima Center, which she said has been accused of being an anti-Semitic organization. Asked if he would reconsider this speech, Paul said “no.”

Wagner cited some of the items in that group’s charter that led some to believe the organization is anti-Semitic. “I have nothing to do with that,” Paul said. “Sounds to me like you have me on here to bash Catholics.”

“There have been a lot of folks that have been involved with your campaign, supporters, newsletters that have been accredited to you that have strong anti-Semitic, racist undertones,” Wagner said.

Paul said that he has been dealing with accusations like these his whole political career. “When people disagree with your ideas they have to destroy your character,” Paul insisted.”

Syria and Second Passports

Syria and Second Passports

By Nick Giambruno, Editor, International Man

All of us by now have seen the latest sales pitch from the Obama administration for yet another so-called “humanitarian intervention” in the Middle East. It is not hard to see that the case for war is a bunch of rubbish and will likely end in disaster for both Syria and the US.

I am not diminishing the tragedy that is going on in Syria. The events there touch me on a personal level. I have good friends who live in Damascus and have been there myself several times when the situation wasn’t so hot.

As some of you may know, I used to live in neighboring Beirut while I was cutting my teeth in finance at a regional investment bank. Due to its rich history and importance today, I have long been interested in the Middle East and sought ways to combine it with my professional background in finance.

I know it may be hard to fathom given what is put forth 24/7 on the mainstream media and if you have never been there, but Damascus is actually an amazing city on many levels—that is when it is not an active warzone of course. It is arguably the oldest continuously inhabited city in the world. The Christian quarter of the old city is one of the most enchanting places I have ever visited. And it’s tough to beat the pistachio encrusted sweets from the legendary 100+ year old Bakdash ice cream parlor in the souk el Hamidiyeh.

Anyway, my purpose today is not give travel tips or to debunk the case for US intervention in Syria as hokum—David Galland did an excellent job of doing that in his latest piece here.

Instead I want to talk about Syria in terms of the lessons it provides us in internationalization.

It is human nature for people all around the world to have the “that can’t happen here” mentality. And prior to the deterioration of the situation, many Syrians believed the same.

As Doug Casey has eloquently stated “The problem—your problem—is that any country can turn into a 1970s Rhodesia. Or a Russia in the ’20s, Germany in the ’30s, China in the ’40s, Cuba in the ’50s, the Congo in the ’60s, Vietnam in the ’70s, Afghanistan in the ’80s, Bosnia in the ’90s. These are just examples off the top of my head. Only a fool tries to survive by acting like a vegetable, staying rooted to one place, when the political and economic climate changes for the worse.”

The uncomfortable truth is that, as history shows, no country is immune—especially one that has a deteriorating fiscal health—and internationalization is the ultimate insurance policy.

You won’t be any worse off by moving some of your savings into multiple friendly jurisdictions and into things that are hard to confiscate, such as physical precious metals and foreign real estate. Obtaining a second passport is also an important ingredient in the mix.

Once you have taken these steps you will have insulated yourself and your family to a high degree from the uncertainty and sovereign risk emanating from your home country.

Developing your internationalization game plan takes time, and you must take action before it is too late. For Syrians, it would obviously have been optimal to have developed internationalization options many years ago.

Having a second passport and a financial account abroad denominated in a currency other than the Syrian pound, which has suffered from hyperinflation, would have gone a long way for the average Syrian today. The Syrian passport is not a great travel document; it requires a visa for most countries outside of the Middle East.

Having a second passport ensures that you will always have another place to potentially call home, another place where you will always have the legal right to live and work. In worst case scenarios, a second passport guarantees that once you get out of dodge, you won’t have to live like a refugee.

A second passport can also come in handy when a government decides to starting treating its own citizens as beef cows instead of milking cows (i.e. when they need more soldiers for war) or if passport restrictions and other types of people controls are implemented.

The Syrian government, for example, previously refused to renew the passports of Syrians abroad it suspected of being associated with the opposition. This is not surprising and should have been completely predictable—any government could and would behave in a similar manner. Any government has the ability to revoke the citizenship and/or passport of its citizens at a moment’s notice under any pretext that it finds convenient. Look at how the US cancelled Edward Snowden’s passport by fiat.

It is not inconceivable that the US government would, for example, make it more difficult for Ron Paul supporters to travel internationally one day in the future. Heck, they have already taken the first step and labeled them potential domestic terrorists.

The bottom line is that if you hold political views that the establishment of your home government does not like, don’t be surprised when they decide to restrict your travel options. In this case, having the political diversification that comes from having a second passport is even more important.

Unfortunately, getting a second passport, while necessary, is not easy. There are no solutions that are at the same time cheap, easy, fast, and legitimate. There is a lot of misinformation and bad advice out there regarding black and grey market passports that could likely end up causing you significant problems. It is essential to have a trusted resource to guide you through the process. There are definitely some options that are better than others. You can find our top picks for the best countries to obtain a second passport in and how to do it in Going Global 2013, a comprehensive guide to internationalization from Casey Research.

QUOTES OF THE DAY

“Of all the enemies to public liberty war is, perhaps, the most to be dreaded, because it comprises and develops the germ of every other. War is the parent of armies; from these proceed debts and taxes; and armies, and debts, and taxes are the known instruments for bringing the many under the domination of the few.”

James Madison

 

“It is no coincidence that the century of total war coincided with the century of central banking.”
―     Ron Paul,     End the Fed    

ED MARKEY – BIGGEST PUSSY IN THE SENATE

What kind of a pussy votes PRESENT when deciding whether we should go to war? How about some spineless liberal Massachusetts douchebag. See how your multi-millionaire Senators voted. They really care what you think.

Senator Paul lived up to the standards of his Patriot father – DOCTOR NO.

Rand proposed an amendment that said Obama could not unilaterally decide to attack, since the Constitution puts that power in the hands of Congress. It was defeated 14 to 4.

These Are The 7 Democratic And 3 Republican Senators Who Want To Start The Syrian War

Tyler Durden's picture

Submitted by Tyler Durden on 09/04/2013 15:40 -0400

Starting a widely unpopular war which will inevitably escalate and will likely involve Russia and China, not to mention all the countries that neighbor Syria, and at best, result in a regime dominated by Al-Qaeda? No problem. Here are the Senators who voted to push America into the latest middle eastern war:

Voting Yes:

Voting No:

  • Tom Udall, D-N.M.,
  • Chris Murphy, D-Conn.,
  • James Risch, R-Idaho,
  • Marco Rubio, R-Fla.,
  • Rand Paul, R-Ky.,
  • Ron Johnson, R-Wis.,
  • John Barrasso, R-Wyo.

Present:

  • Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass

6 Groups that Will Win Big From a War with Syria

6 Groups that Will Win Big From a War with Syria

By Paul Rosenberg, FreemansPerspective.com

Freeman's Perspective

It has to be obvious to almost everyone that the US war machine is trying desperately to get another war going… and – at least for the moment – failing miserably.

Now, it’s entirely possible that they’ll get their war going before this article even reaches you, but still, it’s quite another question whether they can sustain it.

War is a wild beast, of course, and you can never tell what it’ll do once it’s released into the world. But the beast of 2013 seems a bit emaciated and weak.

This situation reminds me of the old set of posters and buttons from the 1970s that asked the question:

What if they gave a war and no one came?

That looks to be the case right now. But that doesn’t mean powerful interests aren’t pushing for it.

Who Benefits?

The Romans had a phrase that they used for legal analysis: qui bono, which translates to “who benefits?” Clearly, powerful individuals are pushing hard for the US to go to war. Let’s take a look at who these people are.

Politicians

Early 20th century writer Randolph Bourne was ever-so right when he taught us that “war is the health of the state.” In times of peace, the state is commonly resented. After all, they forcibly remove money from the people in their control, and that engenders bad feelings. When terrified by war, however, people are willing to forget about such matters: It is better to be a serf than to be a corpse.

Consider the “great Presidents” – nearly all of them were associated with a war, and probably a big one.

Bankers

I’m talking here about central bankers, not the operator of your local savings and loan.

War requires money, and lots of it. And money comes from central bankers, not from governments or even from simple printing presses. Dollars, yen, euros and the others come from central bankers, and those bankers get a cut of everything they create.

And then, of course, they get interest on those dollars from every business that needs loans for machines to manufacture bullets, uniforms, bombs, portable food, and everything else that goes into “giving a war.”

The Mega-corps

State-connected corporations thrive in time of war. These outfits are addicted to over-sized profits, and the very best tool for obtaining them is war. Nothing else comes close. So, for the sake of their stock prices, they need war and will push in dozens of ways to get it.

The Intelligence Complex

What’s not to like about war for these guys?

More money, worship on the nightly television shows, unlimited power, and no questions asked about your misdeeds… not to mention the segment of womankind that will reward the impressively violent with prompt mating privileges.

The Military Contracting Complex

There are literally thousands of military contracting firms these days, and all of the successful ones are allied with one government agency or another – a military service, a foreign affairs department, a retired general, a politician… someone with pull. It’s the only way to get work in those fields, and it’s also the best way for bureaucrats of the middle and upper levels to get kickbacks.

War funnels immense amounts of money to all levels of the state-corporate complex through this new conduit.

People Who Play On Emotions

Nothing stirs up “rah-rah” emotions better than images of dead people wearing your home team’s uniform. And that’s really good for the many people who cash in on your emotions. That list begins with politicians and continues with Hollywood (TV, movies and games) advertisers, all the people mentioned above, and even religious leaders. The churches of America fill with military rhetoric (and people) in time of war, and ambitious ministers play it up big. (With a few exceptions.)

So, that’s just a general list of people who benefit from war. The interesting thing about this moment is that the Western world – and America in particular – seems weary of the bloody exercise. They’ve had it for more than a decade, and the emotional surge has worn off.

And, it may just be that the terrified Americans who ran to politicians for safety in 2001 have grown up a bit.

Let’s hope so.

[Editor’s Note: Paul Rosenberg is the outside-the-Matrix author of FreemansPerspective.com, a site dedicated to economic freedom, personal independence and privacy. He is also the author of The Great Calendar, a report that breaks down our complex world into an easy-to-understand model. Click here to get your free copy.]

Where Have the Jobs Gone?

This is Don Stott’s weekly collum from  http://www.coloradogold.com
The last two paragraphs are political lambasting Obama.

Where have all the jobs gone? There are a couple of answers, but let’s tae the most obvious one first. Everything, no matter which field of work, has lost jobs over the last few decades. with no exceptions.

When I was young, (many decades ago!), the only self service elevators were in small apartment buildings. All the rest had elevator operators, which were low skilled jobs. but employed many tens of thousands of people. Now, all elevators are automatic, computer controlled, and have no operators. Those jobs are gone. Telephone operators, the same, and now with cell phones, there are no more telephone booths to maintain and empty. Those jobs are gone. Railroads have shed probably 75% of their employees over the last few decades. Trains used to have 5 man crews, and now one or two. Steam locomotives, which I love, were terribly inefficient, required water every hundred miles, boiler washing, coal, 2 men in the cab, and it was impossible to “MU” them. MU means ‘multiple unit,’ and today, if you watch a mile long train, and four or more locomotives, there is only one engineer, who controls all by radio. With steam, there had to be two men in each locomotive. Diesels can go hundreds of miles and even many thousands with no maintenance, water, or fuel. Track maintenance now, is done with multi-million dollar machines which do all the work of the former maintenance of way teams. Those jobs are gone.

The auto industry, has lost hundreds of thousands of jobs, thanks to robots and automation. I have in my garage, a large, metal sign with two fingers pointing up. It advertised Kendall Motor Oil. The two fingers meant that you only had to change your oil every 2,000 miles with Kendall, rather than the customary thousand miles. With synthetics, it’s at least 5,000 miles. Cars required a tune-up every 10,000 miles, but no more. Solid state ignition, and fuel injection, has eliminated tune ups, and engines can go a hundred thousand miles easily, with no maintenance. Cars always start now, whereas with carburetors and ignition points, millions of cars wouldn’t start on cold or wet mornings before those improvements. Auto mechanics by the millions have lost their jobs, and the shade tree mechanic is almost extinct, since it requires a computer to diagnose car troubles now. New automatic transmissions don’t even have drain plugs with which to change the oil. They’re permanently sealed. Auto factories have robots doing the welding, painting, and other jobs. Gas station attendants are long gone, and everyone pumps their own gas, and washes their own windows. Tubeless tires last three times as long as the old belted tires, and tire men by the thousands have lost their jobs. Power steering and brakes, plus old style brakes with shoes, used to have lots of problems. No more. Those jobs are gone. Alternators have replaced generators, so a dead battery is a rare thing now. Cars used to overheat regularly, but no more. No more grease jobs either. Most cars and trucks have no grease nipples now.. More jobs gone. That’s just in the auto industry.

Farmers now have air conditioned cabs, and computer controlled tractors. Farming has become so efficient, that millions of farmers have found their hired hands unnecessary. Tractors are now diesel, and no longer gasoline, which makes them last twice as long. Automatic milking, feeding, watering, and fertilizing have made hired hands out of work.

The computer and internet, have cost millions of jobs. I now wonder what would happen if there were no computers to direct trucks and trains, land airplanes, do accounting, figuring, analysis, selling, and banking. Want to order from a TV ad? No one is there to take your order. It’s all done by computer. Those jobs are gone. Ticketing for shows and travel are done now with computers. Those jobs are gone. The bar code has made cashiering simple, and self service check-out stands in supermarkets and big box stores, have cost potential jobs of probably a million low talented workers.

And now for the jobs lost due to low wage Chinese and Mexican labor. That is now changing, because all the fifty cent an hour jobs created in China, have raised their life styles, and made them get higher wages. The higher wages have destroyed their jobs, and now jobs are now coming back to America. Slowly, but the trend is there. Apple has just built a new factory in America for their products, and Ford has called back 1400 employees for a Detroit factory. There is a clothing company that brags that their clothing is made with all American labor as well as fabrics. Go to allamericanclothing.com. Walmart is now beginning to buy American made merchandise. Mercedes and Toyota, among others, now make many of their cars in America. A recent survey found that a huge majority of Americans won’t mind paying a bit more for merchandise made in America.

Every thing seems to have its peaks and valleys. When something gets outrageous, it self corrects, which is merely basic economics. Housing got so high, thanks as usual to government, it had to go down, and when it got to the obvious bottom, it has started to rise. Gold and silver got to the point where there were so many sellers taking profits, that it corrected, and now is going back up. All tangible things will have to go up, because the presses are running night and day, and as Stott’s Law says, “The more of anything there is, the less they will be worth,” and there are no exceptions to that rule. Gold and silver got so low, that the mines were shutting down, which was an obvious indication that the bottom had been reached. Housing got so low, that prices were far below replacement cost, so that was the bottom. The Obama regime, with all its corruption and excesses, surely have made the Democrats tremble at the next elections. The Presidency and Obamacare has reached an all time low in public opinion, and the situation has to elevate itself with elections next year. We hope so, anyway!

As far as the Presidency going to new, all time lows, check out this fact. The British Monarchy, with the vast land holdings, and pomp and circumstance, costs $57.8 million a year. The Obama White House cost taxpayers $1.4 billion last year. This included $102,000 for a ‘dog handler,’ a $100 million trip to Africa, plus may other vacations costing hundreds of thousands each, many dozens of golf outings, shopping sprees, Michele having 142 staff to keep her ‘well groomed,’ and Obama having the biggest staff (469) under him, of any President in history. Air Force One is running like it a a commercial liner, so often is it used. More government rules, regulations, and spending. The debt has increased $5 trillion in the last 3 1/2 years, under Obama and his Democrats.

I rally do believe, that the liberal Democrats, Obamacare, and Obama and his gang, have so outraged America, that like a pendulum, the peak of stupidity has been reached, and America will vote to take the Senate back and keep the House next year. Even unions hate Obamacare, which was passed without even a single Republican vote. If a war is started in Syria, that will cook the goose of all who voted for it. John Boehner and McCain are idiots. Rand Paul is correct. MYOB. Mind our own business. Ron Paul says the whole gas thing is a false flag, and it may be true. The U.N. inspectors could not determine who did it,. Asser says he wouldn’t kill his own people, and had nothing to do with it. Yesterday, the rebels were found with sarin gas in their possession. In previous columns I urged America not to go into Iraq and Afghanistan. Write or call our Senator or Representative and tell them to vote NO on anything Obama wants.

SUSTAINABLE?

Our beloved leaders and their insistence on democratizing the world at the point of a few hundred tomahawk missiles has had predictable consequences. West Texas crude oil hit $109 a barrel today, the highest level since February 2012 when we were saber rattling over the imminent threat of Iran. Gas prices breached $3.90 per gallon then and again in September of 2012 when West Texas crude hit only $99 per barrel. The price at the station near my house has jumped by 8 cents in the last few days to $3.71 per gallon. The national price of $3.62 is headed higher. If and when the missiles start flying, the sky is the limit depending on what Syria, Russia and Iran do. There already appears to be a disconnect, as WTI has surged by 23% since April, but national gas prices are only up 4%. Some of this is due to demand destruction as the high prices and declining economy have led to a collapse in vehicle miles driven and fuel usage.

 

Some of the disconnect may be explained by the price of Brent crude. It is pretty much flat versus last year, while WTI has gone up 12%. The West and Midwest are most influenced by the price of WTI, while the East is impacted by Brent. The price of Brent hit $116 today, up 16% since April. That is close to the one year high reached in February, when U.S. gas prices hit their high for the year of $3.70 per gallon. Last year ended up with the highest average price for a gallon of gas in U.S. history and that was with falling prices from September through December. The average price in 2013 is only slightly lower than 2012 and we are about to experience much higher prices from September through December. Throw in a hurricane or two and we’ll really be partying. Prices in Chicago and Los Angeles are already above $3.90 per gallon.

There is nothing like high energy prices to kick the ass of this economy. We are already in recession, as the consumer is up to their eyeballs in debt and getting gouged by higher taxes, healthcare costs, tuition costs, and food costs. These soaring oil prices will make everything more expensive, as our economy is dependent upon shipping shit by truck. One of the storylines peddled by the MSM has been the fantastic auto recovery. Thank God Obama saved GM!!!

Again we have a disconnect. The number of vehicle miles driven continues to decline. Why would auto sales be soaring if people are driving less and young people can’t afford cars? The chart below makes the point. We’ve got record high energy prices and a decade long decline in miles driven, but somehow we have a booming auto industry. It couldn’t possibly be driven by cheap credit doled out to subprime auto buyers? Obama and his minions at Ally Financial, along with Bennie and his Wall Street cohorts wouldn’t be using those free Bennie bucks to create the illusion of an auto recovery? Would they?

Do you think the auto recovery is sustainable with rising interest rates, rising gas prices, falling stock prices, increasing bad debt on auto loans, and a recession? If you do, I have some prime real estate in Damascus I’d like to sell you.     

“HE WHO SERVES ME BEST”

They will hang whomever suits their purposes in order to preserve and increase their power, control and wealth. First it was Iraq. Then it was Afghanistan. Then Libya. Then Egypt. Now Syria. Next Iran.

First it was Bradley Manning. Then it was Julian Assange. Now it is Edward Snowden. Next it will be you.

 

http://youtu.be/_ZSS3yxpnFU

THE HANGMAN

By Maurice Ogden

Into our town the hangman came,
smelling of gold and blood and flame.
He paced our bricks with a different air,
and built his frame on the courthouse square.

The scaffold stood by the courthouse side,
only as wide as the door was wide
with a frame as tall, or a little more,
than the capping sill of the courthouse door.

And we wondered whenever we had the time,
Who the criminal? What the crime?
The hangman judged with the yellow twist
of knotted hemp in his busy fist.

And innocent though we were with dread,
we passed those eyes of buckshot lead.
Till one cried, “Hangman, who is he,
for whom you raised the gallows-tree?”

Then a twinkle grew in his buckshot eye
and he gave a riddle instead of reply.
“He who serves me best,” said he
“Shall earn the rope on the gallows-tree.”

And he stepped down and laid his hand
on a man who came from another land.
And we breathed again, for anothers grief
at the hangmans hand, was our relief.

And the gallows frame on the courthouse lawn
by tomorrow’s sun would be struck and gone.
So we gave him way and no one spoke
out of respect for his hangmans cloak.

The next day’s sun looked mildly down
on roof and street in our quiet town;
and stark and black in the morning air
the gallows-tree on the courthouse square.

And the hangman stood at his usual stand
with the yellow hemp in his busy hand.
With his buckshot eye and his jaw like a pike,
and his air so knowing and business-like.

And we cried, “Hangman, have you not done,
yesterday with the alien one?”
Then we fell silent and stood amazed.
“Oh, not for him was the gallows raised.”

He laughed a laugh as he looked at us,
“Do you think I’ve gone to all this fuss,
To hang one man? That’s the thing I do.
To stretch the rope when the rope is new.”

Above our silence a voice cried “Shame!”
and into our midst the hangman came;
to that mans place, “Do you hold,” said he,
“With him that was meat for the gallows-tree?”

He laid his hand on that one’s arm
and we shrank back in quick alarm.
We gave him way, and no one spoke,
out of fear of the hangmans cloak.

That night we saw with dread surprise
the hangmans scaffold had grown in size.
Fed by the blood beneath the chute,
the gallows-tree had taken root.

Now as wide, or a little more
than the steps that led to the courthouse door.
As tall as the writing, or nearly as tall,
half way up on the courthouse wall.

The third he took, we had all heard tell,
was a usurer…, an infidel.
And “What” said the hangman, “Have you to do
with the gallows-bound…, and he a Jew?”

And we cried out, “Is this one he
who has served you well and faithfully?”
The hangman smiled, “It’s a clever scheme
to try the strength of the gallows beam.”

The fourth man’s dark accusing song
had scratched our comfort hard and long.
“And what concern,” he gave us back,
“Have you … for the doomed and black?”

The fifth, the sixth, and we cried again,
“Hangman, hangman, is this the man?”
“It’s a trick”, said he, “that we hangman know
for easing the trap when the trap springs slow.”

And so we ceased and asked now more
as the hangman tallied his bloody score.
And sun by sun, and night by night
the gallows grew to monstrous height.

The wings of the scaffold opened wide
until they covered the square from side to side.
And the monster cross beam looking down,
cast its shadow across the town.

Then through the town the hangman came
and called through the empy streets…my name.
I looked at the gallows soaring tall
and thought … there’s no one left at all

for hanging … and so he called to me
to help take down the gallows-tree.
And I went out with right good hope
to the hangmans tree and the hangmans rope.

He smiled at me as I came down
to the courthouse square…through the silent town.
Supple and stretched in his busy hand,
was the yellow twist of hempen strand.

He whistled his tune as he tried the trap
and it sprang down with a ready snap.
Then with a smile of awful command,
He laid his hand upon my hand.

“You tricked me Hangman.” I shouted then,
“That your scaffold was built for other men,
and I’m no henchman of yours.” I cried.
“You lied to me Hangman, foully lied.”

Then a twinkle grew in his buckshot eye,
“Lied to you…tricked you?” He said “Not I…
for I answered straight and told you true.
The scaffold was raised for none but you.”

“For who has served more faithfully?
With your coward’s hope.” said He,
“And where are the others that might have stood
side by your side, in the common good?”

“Dead!” I answered, and amiably
“Murdered,” the Hangman corrected me.
“First the alien … then the Jew.
I did no more than you let me do.”

Beneath the beam that blocked the sky
none before stood so alone as I.
The Hangman then strapped me…with no voice there
to cry “Stay!” … for me in the empty square.

THE BOTTOM LINE: “…I did no more than you let me do.”

HELL NO, WE WON’T GO

Thank God for the internet. The truth is getting out, despite the bought and paid for MSM bullshit lies.

The truth about Syria is ugly. Saudi Arabia gave the Al Qaeda rebels poisonous gas which they used on civilians. Meanwhile, the Al Qaeda rebels we are arming and giving training to are beheading Christians. These are the people war criminal Obama is backing.

Well, the military doesn’t want anything to do with it. Maybe we’ll see Obama removed from power, and anyone else in Washington that goes along with this criminal fraud and treason. Don’t believe the lies you hear on T.V. We need to stay the hell out of Syria.

null

null
The U.S. Military Does Not Want To Fight For Al-Qaeda Christian Killers In Syria
By Michael Snyder, on September 1st, 2013

Why is the Obama administration so determined to have the U.S. military help al-Qaeda win the civil war in Syria? Why are we being told that the U.S. has “no choice” but to help rabid jihadist terrorists that are slaughtering entire Christian villages, brutally raping Christian women and joyfully beheading Christian prisoners? If you are a Christian, you should not want anything to do with these genocidal lunatics. J

abhat al-Nusra is a radical Sunni terror organization affiliated with al-Qaeda that is leading the fight against the Assad regime. If they win, life will be absolute hell for the approximately two million Christians in Syria and other religious minorities. According to Wikipedia, Jabhat al-Nusra intends “to create a Pan-Islamic state under sharia law and aims to reinstate the Islamic Caliphate.” As you will see below, many members of the U.S. military understand this, and they absolutely do not want to fight on the side of al-Qaeda.

Not that we should be supporting Assad either. Assad is horrible. He should be rotting in prison somewhere. But just because a country has a bad leader does not mean that we have justification to attack them.

The U.S. military should only be put into action when there is a compelling national interest at stake. And getting involved in a bloody civil war between Assad and al-Qaeda does not qualify.

For the moment, we have a little bit of time to educate the American people about this because the Obama administration has decided to try to get the approval of Congress before striking Syria. Hopefully cooler heads will prevail.

Unfortunately, some members of the U.S. Congress are actually trying to push Obama into even stronger action. In fact, some Senators are now saying that they will not support military intervention in Syria unless it is a part of an “overall strategy” to remove Assad from power.

If the U.S. does try to remove Assad, it will unleash hell in the Middle East. Syria has already threatened to attack Israel if the U.S. tries to remove Assad and so has Hezbollah.

As I mentioned the other day, right now there are 70,000 Hezbollah rockets aimed at Israel.

When Hezbollah and Syria start sending rockets into the heart of Tel Aviv, Israel will respond with even greater force.

And if a single one of those rockets that land in Tel Aviv have an unconventional warhead, Israel will respond by absolutely flattening Damascus.

When I say that, what I mean is that a city of 1.7 million people will be gone permanently.

Do our politicians have any idea of the hell that they are about to unleash?

Do our leaders actually want Israel to be attacked?

Do our leaders actually want major cities in the Middle East to be completely wiped out?

Do our leaders actually want millions of precious people to die?

As I mentioned above, those serving in the U.S. military understand these things better than most people, and right now many of them are expressing a very strong desire to stay out of this conflict.

According to a tweet from U.S. Representative Justin Amash, he has heard from numerous members of the U.S. military that are urging him to vote against an attack on Syria…

“I’ve been hearing a lot from members of our Armed Forces. The message I consistently hear: Please vote no on military action against #Syria.”

Journalist Paul Szoldra says that he has also heard from a lot of service members that want nothing to do with this conflict…

I’ve reached out to my own sources who are either veterans or currently on active duty in the military, and asked them to share their thoughts on whether we should, or should not, intervene in the two-year-old Syrian civil war. Most have responded with a resounding no.

The following is what a Marine Corps infantry veteran with three deployments to Iraq named Jack Mandaville wrote to Szoldra…

The worst part about this Syria debacle, among many things, is how closely it resembles Iraq. Those Vietnam veterans who warned us about disastrous results in Iraq were doing so based off their experience in a war that, contrary to popular belief, was vastly different from our war and was separated by at least two decades. Many veterans of Iraq are still in their twenties and have a firsthand understanding of Arab political issues. The complicated things we faced with Syria’s next door neighbors is freshly ingrained in our memories. How quickly the American people and our political leaders forget.

Our involvement in Syria is so dangerous on so many levels, and the 21st century American vet is more keen to this than anybody. It boggles my mind that we are being ignored. My anger over this issue has actually made me seriously comment on our foreign policy for the first time since 2006 when I was honorably discharged after three stints in Iraq and subsequently watched it continue for nearly another six years. I’m sickened that we’re putting ourselves in a position for another prolonged war where the American people will quickly forget about the people fighting it.

And even an establishment mouthpiece like the Washington Post is admitting that top U.S. military officials are expressing “serious reservations” about a war with Syria…

The Obama administration’s plan to launch a military strike against Syria is being received with serious reservations by many in the U.S. military, which is coping with the scars of two lengthy wars and a rapidly contracting budget, according to current and former officers.

Having assumed for months that the United States was unlikely to intervene militarily in Syria, the Defense Department has been thrust onto a war footing that has made many in the armed services uneasy, according to interviews with more than a dozen military officers ranging from captains to a four-star general.

One officer even told the Post that he “can’t believe” that Obama is even considering a conflict with Syria…

“I can’t believe the president is even considering it,” said [one] officer, who like most officers interviewed for this story agreed to speak only on the condition of anonymity because military personnel are reluctant to criticize policymakers while military campaigns are being planned.

What Obama wants to do is utter insanity.

Why would we want to enter a war on the side of Christian killers?

In areas of Syria that are controlled by the rebels, Christians are being treated brutally. The following is from eyewitness testimony from a Christian missionary who recently visited the region…

“The Christian residents were offered four choices: 1. renounce the ‘idolatry’ of Christianity and convert to Islam; 2. pay a heavy tribute to the Muslims for the privilege of keeping their heads and their Christian faith (this tribute is known as jizya); 3. be killed; 4. flee for their lives, leaving all their belongings behind.”

How would you like to be faced with those choices?

In other instances, Christians are not even given any choices. Instead, they are being summarily executed for their faith.

For example, the following is one incident that made news back in December…

Syrian rebels beheaded a Christian man and fed his body to dogs, according to a nun who says the West is ignoring atrocities committed by Islamic extremists.

The nun said taxi driver Andrei Arbashe, 38, was kidnapped after his brother was heard complaining that fighters against the ruling regime behaved like bandits.

She said his headless corpse was found by the side of the road, surrounded by hungry dogs. He had recently married and was soon to be a father.

How would you feel if a member of your family was beheaded and fed to the dogs?

And the rebels have continued to slaughter Christians even though they know the world is watching. The following is from an NBC News report on August 18th…

Syrian rebels killed at least 11 people, including civilians, in an attack on a checkpoint west of the city of Homs on Saturday that official state media described as a massacre.

Most of those killed were Christians, activists and residents said.

Sometimes these psychotic Syrian rebels actually round up Christian women and children and gun them down. The following is from a report about what the rebels did to the Christian village of al-Duvair when they took control…

Images obtained exclusively by Infowars show the aftermath of an alleged massacre of a Christian village in Syria during which men, women and children were slaughtered and churches desecrated by Obama-backed FSA rebels.

The photos, which were provided by a source inside the village of al-Duvair in Syria’s Western province of Homs, show ruined homes, ransacked churches as well as the burned remains of what looks like an infant.

According to the Assyrian International News Agency (AINA) on May 29, “The armed rebels affiliated to the Free Syrian Army (FSA) raided the Christian-populated al-Duvair village in Reef (outskirts of) Homs near the border with Lebanon….and massacred all its civilian residents, including women and children.”

But sometimes women are not killed by the rebels. If they are young and lovely, they are often systematically raped. What happened to one 15-year-old Christian girl from Qusair named Mariam is a total abomination…

The commander of the battalion “Jabhat al-Nusra” in Qusair took Mariam, married and raped her. Then he repudiated her. The next day the young woman was forced to marry another Islamic militant. He also raped her and then repudiated her. The same trend was repeated for 15 days, and Mariam was raped by 15 different men. This psychologically destabilized her and made her insane. Mariam, became mentally unstable and was eventually killed.

This is who Obama wants to help?

We are going to shed American blood to help those monsters take over Syria?

Are we insane?

Of course one of the most prominent examples of rebel brutality was even reported on by CNN…

The ghastly video shows how barbaric the Syrian civil war can be.

A man, said to be a well-known rebel fighter, carves into the body of a government soldier and cuts out his heart and liver.

“I swear to God we will eat your hearts out, you soldiers of Bashar. You dogs. God is greater!” the man says. “Heroes of Baba Amr … we will take out their hearts to eat them.”

He then puts the heart in his mouth and takes a bite.

After reading that, can anyone out there possibly justify helping the Syrian rebels?

But the Obama administration insists that we “must” attack Syria because Assad supposedly used chemical weapons against his own people.

Secretary of State John Kerry says that samples taken by UN inspectors have tested positive for the nerve agent sarin, and therefore what we must do is clear.

But is it really?

According to Reuters, the UN has had evidence that Syrian rebels have been using sarin gas against Assad forces since May…

U.N. human rights investigators have gathered testimony from casualties of Syria’s civil war and medical staff indicating that rebel forces have used the nerve agent sarin, one of the lead investigators said on Sunday.

And as I discussed the other day, Syrian rebels have admitted to an Associated Press reporter that they were the ones that used sarin gas during the incident that the Obama administration is so concerned about.

The chemical weapons were supplied to the rebels by Saudi Arabia, but the Obama administration will never, ever admit this. If the U.S. called the Saudis out on this, it would potentially endanger the status of the petrodollar.

Instead, the U.S. government is going to end up doing exactly what the Saudis want, which is to attack Syria.

But people all around the world are seeing through this charade. For example, the following is a statement that Pat Buchanan made during a recent interview with Newsmax…

“I would not understand or comprehend that Bashar al-Assad, no matter how bad a man he may be, would be so stupid as to order a chemical weapons attack on civilians in his own country when the immediate consequence of which might be that he would be at war with the United States. So this reeks of a false flag operation.”

Sadly, it doesn’t really seem to matter what any of us think. According to James Rosen of Fox News, the Obama administration has apparently made the decision to go ahead with an attack on Syria no matter what Congress decides…

A senior State Department official tells Fox News the president’s decision to take military action in Syria still stands, and will indeed be carried out, regardless of whether Congress votes next week to approve the use of such force.

The official said that every major player on the National Security Council – including the commander-in-chief – was in accord last night on the need for military action, and that the president’s decision to seek a congressional debate and vote was a surprise to most if not all of them. However, the aide insisted the request for Congress to vote did not supplant the president’s earlier decision to use force in Syria, only delayed its implementation.

“That’s going to happen, anyway,” the source told me, adding that that was why the president, in his rose Garden remarks, was careful to establish that he believes he has the authority to launch such strikes even without congressional authorization.

Very soon, the U.S. military will be embroiled in a vicious civil war between a brutal dictator and absolutely psychotic Christian-killing jihadists.

Should American blood be spilled in such a conflict?

Of course not.

Is it worth potentially starting World War III just to teach Assad a “lesson”?

Of course not.

Hopefully this war will not happen, because if it does I fear that it is going to be very, very bloody.

http://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/archives/the-u-s-military-does-not-want-to-fight-for-al-qaeda-christian-killers-in-syria

null

null

THE PROBLEMS OF RUNNING AN EMPIRE

Kunstler never fails to amaze. First he turns into a goldbug. Now he is quoting Jim Willie regarding the toppling of our USD hegemony by the Russians, Chinese and other opponents. Next he’ll be quoting Ron Paul and going to NASCAR races.

It seems he doesn’t have as well behaved commenters as TBP.

 

Between a Rock and a Laugh Track


By Jim Kunstler

      After the British parliament put the kibosh on following the American punishment brigade to Syria, and then NATO, and the UN wrinkled their noses at the project, well, that pretty much left President Obama to twist slowly, slowly in the wind — washed, rinsed, and hung out to dry. It looks like a watershed moment in the USA’s increasingly klutzy career as the world’s hall monitor. International power relations are suddenly in flux. A phase change has occurred causing all that was solid a few days ago to melt into liquid.

The Iranians are having a good laugh, for now. Mr. Assad of Syria responded with a beaming smirk. However, any sentient observer can see this region of the world for what it is, a political demolition derby which, left to its own blundering devices, would blow up the whole arena when the last player sputters to a standstill.

First of all, it seems to me that extremists in the Republican-dominated US House of Representatives have been quietly searching for a pretext to impeach President Obama. Committing an overt act of war without congressional approval would have been a good case, legally, despite the fact that executive branch war-making has been absolutely the rule for decades in Washington. The British parliamentary move against the avid David Cameron pretty much begged the question for American legislators. The foggy part is whether they would actually come back to Washington from the fried dough alleys of their state fairs and mount a “debate” about whether it would be a good or bad thing to whack Syria for gassing more than a thousand of its own citizens.

Lately when America mounts a high moral horse about how other nations behave, we have gone into these places and smashed things up, bringing much more death and destruction than we anticipated. The hope is always that some surgical military operation can correct a political illness, but a cruise missile is not exactly a scalpel and once the patient is blown to pieces it is rather hard to patch up the body politic again. You’re just left, as in Iraq and Afghanistan, with a lot of bloody fragments fought over by political rats and cockroaches.

Syria is a real crossroads both for America’s policy in the region and for its position on the world stage. The region is in a state of destructive turmoil that is likely to lead to the further fall of regimes and the breakup of states. Many of these states are figment nations anyway, with boundaries drawn in the 20th century by the winners of the two world wars. The discovery of oil from North Africa to Iran and beyond has been catastrophic for everybody in the world, but most vividly for the exploding populations of these mostly desert states, which could not have supported so many people without the artificial support of petro-money. Now, faced with the specter of peak oil production, the whole region is flying apart from the stress of population overshoot, including countries like Syria which never produced much oil itself.

But the drama over the trade in the oil remaining only becomes more intense. For instance, the position of Saudi Arabia, pretending to sit quietly on the sidelines through all this, is curious. There are rumors, unverified, that the gas incident in Syria happened because Saudi Arabia sent canisters of Sarin to the Syrian rebels, who then mishandled them and gassed their own neighborhood. The world’s recent experience with so-called “intel reports” about weapons has made everybody skeptical of claims made by politicians that a particular country poses a danger to others.

Otherwise, there is a whole other strategic realm of concerns around the petro trade and its financing that is totally off the radar screen of the mainstream media. For instance, the sometimes erratic but brilliant blogger Jim Willie describes the larger struggle of Russia, Iran, China, and other interested parties to displace the US dollar dominance in oil trade — in particular a dollar based on increasingly sketchy US Treasury bonds, which has deformed global banking, roiled currencies, and made the settling of international accounts problematical for everybody else in the world. The opposition to the US, and its client / partner Saudi Arabia, the story goes, would replace the dollar with gold-backed oil trade and a logistical work-around based on a growing pipeline system from Iran and beyond, in Asia, to desperate customers in Europe. The implications are a collapse of the dollar (and the US bond market), a wedge between European and American interests, and a dominant partnership of oil-and-gas rich Russia with China — that is, a major power shift from west-to-east.

Who knows how much of this has informed President Obama’s decision process. The stall in the American whack-attack against Syria may itself be a symptom of the swirling new conditions in world finance and power relations. In any case, a great empire — which we have been — can’t afford to make idle threats. The outcome of the Syria melodrama may be that the US has been knocked down a big step in its ability to project power without terrible consequences to itself.

To posters in the comments section: Do not post YouTube videos. Do not engage in quarrels. Do not make stupid political puns. We are making an effort to combat the trolldom that has reigned here for a while. If you misbehave, you will be kicked off.