Author: AWD

Secession may not work, but you can protest with where you spend money. You are still allowed to decide where you spend your money. Enjoy your freedom while you still can.

Americans still free to use money as weapon against Progress

We can’t achieve the Glorious Progressive World as long as Americans are free to choose how to spend their money.

Below is an email circulated by conservatives, who are hoping that, while money is still allowed, they can use it as a political weapon to reward friends and punish enemies.

This is yet another reason for the Progs in power to eliminate money and switch to government-approved rationing.

Money gives people the freedom to choose. By getting rid of money we also get rid of choices.

The freedom to choose is a grave threat to progress and must be outlawed, just like the freedom to bear arms. And at the root of it all is, of course, money.

Don’t do business with anyone who supported Obama!

AMERICANS CAN NOW DETERMINE WHERE TO SHOP AND SPEND THEIR MONEY

Election Cycle political donations, as reported by the Center for Responsive Politics.

Shopping

Price Club/Costco donated $225K, 99% went to Democrats
Rite Aid donated $517K, 60% went to Democrats
Magla Products (Stanley tools, Mr. Clean) donated $22K, 100% went to Democrats
Warnaco (undergarments) donated $55K, 73% went to Democrats
Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia donated $153K, 99% went to Democrats
Estee Lauder donated $448K, 95% went to Democrats
Guess, Inc. Donated $145K, 98% went to Democrats
Calvin Klein donated $78K, 100% went to Democrats
Liz Claiborne, Inc. Donated $34K, 97% went to Democrats
Levi Straus donated $26K, 97% went to Democrats
Olan Mills donated $175K, 99% went to Democrats
WalMart donated $467K, 97% went to Republicans
K-Mart donated $524K, 86% went to Republicans
Home Depot donated $298K, 89% went to Republicans
Target donated $226K, 70% went to Republicans
Circuit City Stores donated $261K, 95% went to Republicans
3M Co. Donated $281K, 87% went to Republicans
Hallmark Cards donated $319K, 92% went to Republicans
Amway donated $391K, 100% Republicans
Kohler Co. (plumbing fixtures) donated $283K, 100% Republicans
B.F. Goodrich (tires) donated $215K, 97% went to Republicans
Proctor & Gamble donated $243K, 79% went to Republicans

Spirits

Southern Wine & Spirits donated $213K, 73% went to Democrats
Joseph E. Seagrams & Sons (incl. Beverage Business and considerable media interests) donated $2M+, 67% went to Democrats
Gallo Winery donated $337K, 95% went to Democrats
Coors & Budweiser donated $174K, 92% went to Republicans
Brown-Forman Corp. (Southern Comfort, Jack Daniels, Bushmills, Korbel Wines, Lenox China , Dansk and Gorham Silver) donated $644 K — 80% went to Republicans

Hungry?

Sonic Corporation donated $83K, 98% went to Democrats
Triarc Companies (Arby’s, T.J. Cinnamon’s, Pasta Connections) donated $112K, 96% went to Democrats
Pilgrim’s Pride Corp. (chicken) donated $366K, 100% went to Republicans
Outback Steakhouse donated $641K, 95% went to Republicans
Tricon Global Restaurants (KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell) donated $133K, 87% went to Republicans
Brinker International (Maggiano’s, Brinker Cafe, Chili’s, On the Border, Macaroni Grill, Crazymel’s, Corner Baker, EatZis) donated $242K, 83% went to Republicans
Waffle House donated $279K, 100% went to Republicans
McDonald’s Corp. Donated $197K, 86% went to Republicans
Darden Restaurants (Red Lobster, Olive Garden, Smokey Bones, Bahama Breeze) donated $121K, 89% went to Republicans
Heinz Republicans $64,000 Democrats $21,300! John Kerry’s wife’s company!!!

Traveling and/or dining

Hyatt Corporation donated $187K of which 80% went to Democrats
Marriott International $323K, 81% went to Republicans
Holiday Inns donated $38K, 71% went to Republicans

This email once again proves that money is the root of all evil.

Fortunately for us, the businesses marked in blue prove Comrade Lenin’s words, “The Capitalists will sell us the rope with which we will hang them.”

They will be hung last.

A round-up of recent information on the Chinese saber-rattling. Just a reminder, the U.S. has forceably sided with Japan, and we have 53,000 troops in S. Korea and Japan. Chinese president Hu Jintao has repeatedly stated any attack on Iran would cause China to act, but hasn’t yet given specifics. China holds more than $2 trillion of our IOU’s (treasury bills). Dumping them would sink our economy no matter how much money Ben Bernake can print. Interest rates would rise rather quickly, and the U.S. wouldn’t be able to borrow much, considering our T-bills would become devalued significantly. China would cut off their nose despite their face if they dumped $2 trillion of dollar-based assets, but QEternity is inflating away their value faster than the Chinese can cash them in (China has been a net seller of treasuries for more than a year). China is actively trying to replace the dollar as reserve currency:

China And Russia Are Ruthlessly Cutting The Legs Out From Under The U.S. Dollar
http://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/archives/china-and-russia-are-ruthlessly-cutting-the-legs-out-from-under-the-u-s-dollar

We are supporting rebels in Syria. Syria is supported by Iran, Iran is supported by China, so, in a round-about way, we are already engaged in this battle. The U.S. could not fight a two-front war (with Iran and China). China (and Russia) are the biggest nuclear threats to the U.S., Iran is not. This has all the makings of a disaster of biblical proportions, the perfect way to wind up a fourth turning. Keep your eyes on Asia. It’s a big deal.

China Versus Japan: Shooting War, Economic War or War of Words?
Submitted by George Washington on 09/20/2012

Are China and Japan Going to War?

The conflict between China and Japan over a small chain of disputed islands – called “Senkaku” by Japan and “Diaoyu” by China – is fluid.

Here are some of the key recent events in this dispute:

Japan’s Ambassador to China died mysteriously, and Chinese police used tear gas and water cannons on anti-Japan protesters

A senior advisor to the Chinese government has called for an attack on the Japanese bond market to precipitate a funding crisis and bring the country to its knees

Chinese hackers have launched a cyber-attack against Japan, taking down at least 19 Japanese websites – including those of a government ministry, courts and a hospital – and adding messages proclaiming Chinese sovereignty over the islands

U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta says that China and Japan may be heading towards war

China’s most powerful military leader, in an unusual public statement, ordered military forces to prepare for combat, as Chinese warships deployed to waters near disputed islands. China is stepping up military exercises, and drilling its air force in Tibet

After Japanese foreign minister Koichiro Gemba met with Panetta, Gemba told the press that the Islands are covered by the security treaty between Japan and the US. In other words, Japan is claiming that America is siding with Japan

Beijing protesters surrounded the U.S. ambassador to China’s car. They inflicted some damage to his vehicle and briefly prevented it from entering the U.S. Embassy compound in Beijing.

The protesters chanted slogans such as (1) “down with the U.S. imperialists”; (2) “The U.S. government is the mastermind”, an apparent reference to the dispute over the island and the United States’ security treaty with Japan; and (3) “return the money!”, probably referring to the Chinese government’s purchase of U.S. government debt

What’s Going On?

The islands are small and uninhabited … so what’s really going on?

True, they are in important sea lanes. And the seabed nearby is thought to contain valuable mineral resources. But there are much bigger issues at play.

As Tyler Durden notes, Chinese anger over World War II is part of the equation:

All day long we read how today, on the 81st anniversary of Japan’s invasion of Manchuria, anti-Japan protests flared up in 125 Chinese cities, for the most part peaceful, protesting what China believes is an illegal Japanese attempt at annexation of the Senkaku Islands as a proximal catalyst, but likely also an outlet for years of pent up anti-Japanese sentiment (of which there is plenty on both sides).

Some say that the incident is really about China testing (1) Japan’s weaknesses and (2) America’s alliance with Japan:

Steven Clemons, editor-at-large of The Atlantic, says the two nations are probing the other’s weaknesses.

“It is really about China testing the United States and its alliance with Japan,” he told RT, adding that he expects the skirmishes to continue for a long time.

“What we are seeing today is a snapshot of what we are going to see for the next decade – or more.”

Indeed, while U.S. SecDef Panetta says that American military focus in Asia are not aimed at containing China, Panetta and other American leaders have previously hinted that any credible economic challenge to the U.S.(from China or elsewhere) will be considered an act of war.

Anyone who has 2 brain cells to rub together knows that the “long-game” of U.S. military shenanigans is to contain and weaken China. The U.S. wants to topple Syria’s Assad because he is a close ally with Iran, and the U.S. wants to topple Iran because it is a close ally with China.

But what does that have to do with Japan?

I spoke with a very smart friend who grew up in China, has lived in the United States for a number of years, and has a very sophisticated view of geopolitics. (He is a professional and an entrepreneur, and isn’t directly affiliated with the Chinese government).

He told me that the Chinese and Japanese have periodically argued over these islands, and reminded me that the Chinese people are still furious at Japanese imperial invasion and brutality during WWII, especially Nanking and Manchuria.

Most interestingly, he said that the Chinese and Japanese both have upcoming elections, and that they are simply posturing to look tough for domestic consumption.

He said that the Chinese and Japanese leadership both know where the “line” is, and that neither will cross the line and actually start a war.

Willy Lam, Adjunct Professor, China Studies, Chinese University Of Hong Kong agrees:

From the Beijing’s perspective there will be a major change of leadership coming up at the 18th Party Congress. At this stage the government also doesn’t want to appear as weak. Particularly given the rise of Chinese nationalism.

Likewise, Linus Hagström – associate professor of political science and a senior research fellow at the Swedish Institute of International Affairs – says that Japan’s actions are largely driven by political considerations of “not appearing weak”.

Currently, China is Japan’s largest trade partner, while Japan is only China’s fourth-largest trade partner. However, the United States is obviously a huge trade partner for China, even if America does end up backing Japan in conflict over the islands.

So the one certainty is that there are competing factors and motives involved in the dispute.

Yes, folks, it’s official. The deficit went over $15 trillion today ($15,033,607,255,920 trillion to be exact)

Lest you forget, the reworked debt ceiling is $15.194 trillion. At $4 billion deficit spending per day, it won’t be long till the democrats are demanding we increase it again.

Too sad for commentary, but here is some math: total US debt has increased by 41.5%, or $4.4 trillion, from $10,626,877,048,913 on January 20, to $15,033,607,255,920, under Obama as president (from ZH).

When is this going to end? What is going to happen when it ends? Maybe Smokey has some extra room in his bunker. It’s going to get ugly much faster than people realize.

http://www.treasurydirect.gov/NP/BPDLogin?application=np
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/its-official-total-us-debt-passes-15-trillion

(Admin’s deficit counter is only off by $222 billion, close enough for government work)

Sorry, not even a schedule this time.

For newbies, you can make money from this post, and it couldn’t be simpler.

Just bet the opposite of Smokey’s mortal locks. Bet big.

More great college football on tap this weekend!
Smokey is knockin’ ’em dead. Another weekend means another chance for mortal locks and deadly precision forecasting. Get your bookie on the line NOW!
And please, as your way of saying thanks to AWD for taking the time and effort to run this fine post every week, please post at least one picture of a scantily clad college girl (Females are excused from doing so), the pictures were a little lite last week.

Schedule:

Northwestern (2-10) vs. (24) Illinois (4-0) 12:00pm ET
Minnesota (1-3) vs. (19) Michigan (4-0) 12:00pm ET
Kentucky (2-2) vs. (1) LSU (4-0) 12:20pm ET
Nevada (1-2) vs. (4) Boise St. (3-0) 2:30pm ET
(21) Georgia Tech (4-0) vs. N.C. State (2-2) 3:30pm ET
Bethune-Cookman (2-1) vs. Miami (FL) (1-2) 3:30pm ET
Washington St. (2-1) vs. Colorado (1-3) 3:30pm ET
SMU (3-1) vs. (20) TCU (3-1) 3:30pm ET
(17) Texas (3-0) vs. Iowa St. (3-0) 7:00pm ET
Oregon St. (0-3) vs. (25) Arizona St. (3-1) 10:30pm ET
Penn St. (3-1) vs. Indiana (1-3) 12:00pm ET
Air Force (2-1) vs. Navy (2-1)12:00pm ET
(14) Texas A&M (2-1) vs. (18) Arkansas (3-1) 12:00pm ET
Michigan St. (3-1) vs. Ohio St. (3-1) 3:30pm ET
(15) Baylor (3-0) vs. Kansas St. (3-0) 3:30pm ET
Bowling Green (3-1) vs. (22) West Virginia (3-1) 3:30pm ET
Arizona (1-3) vs. USC (3-1) 3:30pm ET
Auburn (3-1) vs. (10) South Carolina (4-0) 3:30pm ET
(13) Clemson (4-0) vs. (11) Virginia Tech (4-0) 6:00pm ET
Hawaii (2-2) vs. Louisiana Tech (1-3) 7:00pm ET
Ball St. (3-1) vs. (2) Oklahoma (3-0) 7:00pm ET
(8) Nebraska (4-0) vs. (7) Wisconsin (4-0) 8:00pm ET
(3) Alabama (4-0) vs. (12) Florida (4-0) 8:00pm ET
UCLA (2-2) vs. (6) Stanford (3-0) 10:30pm ET

Not much introduction needed on this one. Smokey knows how to pick ’em (from a link he provided). This was written in March, 2008, but is still relevant. I’m not trying to beat a dead horse here. I didn’t really want my first posts to be on this topic, nor did I expect to post on consecutive days, but it needs closure now. Racial issues are about as much fun as picking a scab off your ass year after year, but they are essential to the discourse of this country. If there is a final word on the subject, this essay would be it.

A Brief for Whitey

By Patrick J. Buchanan
March 21, 2008

How would he pull it off? I wondered.

How would Barack explain to his press groupies why he sat silent in a pew for 20 years as the Rev. Jeremiah Wright delivered racist rants against white America for our maligning of Fidel and Gadhafi, and inventing AIDS to infect and kill black people?

How would he justify not walking out as Wright spewed his venom about “the U.S. of K.K.K. America,” and howled, “God damn America!”

My hunch was right. Barack would turn the tables.

Yes, Barack agreed, Wright’s statements were “controversial,” and “divisive,” and “racially charged,” reflecting a “distorted view of America.”

But we must understand the man in full and the black experience out of which the Rev. Wright came: 350 years of slavery and segregation.

Barack then listed black grievances and informed us what white America must do to close the racial divide and heal the country.

The “white community,” said Barack, must start “acknowledging that what ails the African-American community does not just exist in the minds of black people; that the legacy of discrimination — and current incidents of discrimination, while less overt than in the past — are real and must be addressed. Not just with words, but with deeds … .”

And what deeds must we perform to heal ourselves and our country?

The “white community” must invest more money in black schools and communities, enforce civil rights laws, ensure fairness in the criminal justice system and provide this generation of blacks with “ladders of opportunity” that were “unavailable” to Barack’s and the Rev. Wright’s generations.

What is wrong with Barack’s prognosis and Barack’s cure?

Only this. It is the same old con, the same old shakedown that black hustlers have been running since the Kerner Commission blamed the riots in Harlem, Watts, Newark, Detroit and a hundred other cities on, as Nixon put it, “everybody but the rioters themselves.”

Was “white racism” really responsible for those black men looting auto dealerships and liquor stories, and burning down their own communities, as Otto Kerner said — that liberal icon until the feds put him away for bribery.

Barack says we need to have a conversation about race in America.

Fair enough. But this time, it has to be a two-way conversation. White America needs to be heard from, not just lectured to.

This time, the Silent Majority needs to have its convictions, grievances and demands heard. And among them are these:

First, America has been the best country on earth for black folks. It was here that 600,000 black people, brought from Africa in slave ships, grew into a community of 40 million, were introduced to Christian salvation, and reached the greatest levels of freedom and prosperity blacks have ever known.

Wright ought to go down on his knees and thank God he is an American.

Second, no people anywhere has done more to lift up blacks than white Americans. Untold trillions have been spent since the ’60s on welfare, food stamps, rent supplements, Section 8 housing, Pell grants, student loans, legal services, Medicaid, Earned Income Tax Credits and poverty programs designed to bring the African-American community into the mainstream.

Governments, businesses and colleges have engaged in discrimination against white folks — with affirmative action, contract set-asides and quotas — to advance black applicants over white applicants.

Churches, foundations, civic groups, schools and individuals all over America have donated time and money to support soup kitchens, adult education, day care, retirement and nursing homes for blacks.

We hear the grievances. Where is the gratitude?

Barack talks about new “ladders of opportunity” for blacks.

Let him go to Altoona and Johnstown, and ask the white kids in Catholic schools how many were visited lately by Ivy League recruiters handing out scholarships for “deserving” white kids.

Is white America really responsible for the fact that the crime and incarceration rates for African-Americans are seven times those of white America? Is it really white America’s fault that illegitimacy in the African-American community has hit 70 percent and the black dropout rate from high schools in some cities has reached 50 percent?

Is that the fault of white America or, first and foremost, a failure of the black community itself?

As for racism, its ugliest manifestation is in interracial crime, and especially interracial crimes of violence. Is Barack Obama aware that while white criminals choose black victims 3 percent of the time, black criminals choose white victims 45 percent of the time?

Is Barack aware that black-on-white rapes are 100 times more common than the reverse, that black-on-white robberies were 139 times as common in the first three years of this decade as the reverse?

We have all heard ad nauseam from the Rev. Al about Tawana Brawley, the Duke rape case and Jena. And all turned out to be hoaxes. But about the epidemic of black assaults on whites that are real, we hear nothing.

Sorry, Barack, some of us have heard it all before, about 40 years and 40 trillion tax dollars ago.