Rod Stewart

Facebook Lynching

In today’s America, every idea openly expressed that does not strictly conform to a government-approved template opens a cut that bleeds. I guess we still have it better than the people in some countries where they come after you in the dead of night with handcuffs, knives and guns.

In America, they de-friend you on Facebook. Make no mistake, this is our version of jihadists slitting throats – and, in some ways, even more hurtful. (Drew, Steven, Dawn, Tom, Jim, Linda - you know who you are.) You might say that those who would do this were never real friends in the first place. And you might be right. I still see any number of people from my high school and college days who never managed to shed their ‘hippy’ mindset, though most have since washed and upgraded their wardrobes. Most are competent in their professions, conservative in the management of their assets, and responsible toward their children and/or clients. When it comes to politics, however, we are apt to disagree.

I know I’ve changed my stance. And I’m not ashamed to admit it. I feel I’ve grown. At the same time, I do not hold it against anyone who might still be wed to the Leary trope. I’ve even been known to play along should anyone launch into his/her obligatory anti-Bush rant. It would never occur to me to leave feeling insulted, much less with the burden of murderous intent.

Since Obama’s election, we’ve become more divided than ever. This is a fact. I see it in my own life. As the popularity of my blog increases and the news of it reaches into various corners of the web, the defriending has begun. Some have even gone so far as to change their e-mail addresses. This points – not so much to what I am saying, but – to a growing insecurity on the part of the offended. I won’t go so far as proclaiming them ‘revolutionaries’. I know of no one who is. Most live respectable lives. They mean well. It’s just that they can’t seem to let go of something they obviously hold as sacred; that, at one time, may have defined their youth. It’s precious to them as an old, faded image on a photograph might be.

The realization that the world has changed, threatens the sacred nostalgia of the sixties and seventies. Even more ominous is the suspicion that it hasn’t exactly worked out. They might even be finding themselves without a job with no good prospects in sight. But they are likely to blame themselves – or Republicans. I find it telling that Charles Manson has finally broken his silence after 20 years, just to speak in support of our president’s 'global warming' initiatives. By doing so, he closes ranks with the likes of bin Laden, Castro, Ahmadinejad, Chavez and Mugabe - all of whom say essentially the same thing. One might have though all these silent years had produced a rarified wisdom beyond contrition; which just goes to show that a common monastic discipline is no guarantee of acumen. It’s illuminating to see just who all belongs to the active sponsorship of this baseless farce.

It’s never easy to fess up and say we’ve been wrong. It feels much more heroic to double down, even if it means going down with the ship. Many of the people I’ve known are quite willing – now, in the autumn of life – to take it all down with them. It fits in well with the label that’s come to be attached to us: the ‘me generation’. Narcissism is a tough nut to crack and I don’t really blame anyone who is unable to do it. (By the way, did you happen to hear that the author of “Three Cups of Tea” neglected to label his bestselling book as ‘fiction’? These people have become so desperate, even to the point of being dangerous – especially to themselves, I tell you.)

The other day, I saw something new at our local Whole Foods Market. They were selling emu eggs. These are large, dark-green spheres, each one said to be capable of making a six or seven egg omelet. They cost about $30 a piece. I was warned that it is quite difficult to crack them. I immediately thought of the baby emus whose first task in life is to manage their escape. I’m quite sure not all of them make it.

http://pkoelliker.blogspot.com/

Early Endorsement

I've said months ago that someone will come along to save us (from ourselves). Someone always does. That's why we've been blessed to live here in America. At the time it was not yet apparent (perhaps it still isn’t) who it would be. I counseled patience; saying that if and when he (or she) announces, it will not be someone from the political world - and that we would instantly recognize it as the real deal.

I’m going to go out on a limb. I believe The Donald may be our next president. It basically depends on him and him alone. I believe he’s serious about running. And if he runs, he will win. It should be easy to defeat Obama. Anyone running should be able to do it. If The Donald should run on a third party line, he’ll still win because both people he’ll be running against will most likely be insiders. We can never be sure that any given politician has not been tainted by Soros’ money. Trump has money of his own and he appears to be a patriot. Soros is not (and who knows where he came from).

The difficulty in 2012 will not be getting elected. What comes after will be key. Will our new president understand economics? Will he understand that we’re letting ourselves be screwed by practically everybody in the world? Will he embrace the concept of “American exceptionalism”? Will he restore our sovereignty? Will he move to protect our borders, our language, and our culture?

I don’t see a willingness by any Republican aspirant (so far) to do any of these things save for giving them lip service. Any pol has a closet full of skeletons. Any pol can be bought, bribed, and what have you. It is fair to say that Mr. Soros did not try any funny stuff with Trump.

Sure, you can drag out a lot of old bones out of Trump’s closet. So, he criticized Republicans in the past. So, he gave money to Democrats. So what? This just goes to prove that he does not play the Democrat/ Republican game. Are Republicans above criticism? Are Democrats? I would venture that there are more Republicans who have betrayed - and thus hurt - the nation than Democrats have.

The 2012 election will be a watershed. Obama must lose. The Washington establishment must lose. No more “it’s this one or that one’s turn now at the trough". We’ve been brought to the brink by political high jinks. We must turn it around.

At first we were looking at state governors - for someone who had successfully managed a state house, and was not yet tainted by Washington’s siren song. Sarah Palin fit the bill nicely. But she became too easy a target. The Soros-sponsored media tore her apart. The Donald would not let that happen. He’s a strong and vigorous man and, from the look of it, well capable of handling himself.

Trump fits the template of the ‘can do’ outsider. Washington is paralyzed, spewing toxic waste across our nation. It must be entombed in concrete.

I hope Trump runs.

http://pkoelliker.blogspot.com/

SOMALI PIRATES SAY THEY ARE AT WAR WITH INDIA

by B.RAMAN

According to the Wikipedia,Information Dissemination is a weblog covering international and United States naval affairs. It was founded in 2007 by Raymond Pritchett, who edits it under the pseudonym "Galrahn", and has been called "one of the most-read Navy blogs".

2. Under the title, "Somali pirates Target India", this web log has disseminated the following report on April 16,2011:

Somalia Pirates Target India

Somali pirates have raised the ante for operating ships operating with crews that have nationalized citizens of India.

India has been cleaning up territorial waters and piracy operating in their EEZ with a great deal of success lately, and after several successful actions going back to February, India has apparently pissed off some of the pirates a great deal.

This is the latest incident:

Somalia pirates said on Saturday they would keep any Indian nationals from freed ships as hostages until fellow pirates held by India are set free.

Somali pirates, who make millions of dollars ransoming ships hijacked as far south as the Seychelles and eastwards towards India, on Friday released MT Asphalt Venture, but held some of its Indian crew.

"We are holding eight of Asphalt Venture crew. It was a joint understanding among us not to release any Indian citizens," a pirate who gave his name as Abdi told Reuters from pirate stronghold Harardhere.

"India hasn't only declared war against us, but also it has risked the lives of many hostages," he said.

Basically a multimillion dollar ransom was paid for the release of MT Asphalt Venture, and the ship was released, but the pirates kept 8 Indian nationals and are claiming they will keep all Indian nationals hostage until pirates that the Indian Navy and Coast Guard have captured are released. Pirates are no longer operating under normal rules, the spokesman in Harardhere is specifically using the word WAR, meaning they now feel they are in a state of war with India.

In the language of war, the pirates appear to be offering some sort of prisoner exchange.

Harardhere is the pirate stronghold in the south that many news sources have claimed direct financial agreements exist between pirates and Al Shabaab. ( a pro-Al Qaeda organisation )

India has over 35,000 nationals who are employed globally as seamen on commercial ships flagged from a number of countries, and there are some very powerful maritime unions that work to protect the rights of those workers. We might also see some issues raised with insurance payments, because if a ransom payment is not valid for an Indian seaman, that could create a pretty big problem for piracy insurance premiums for ships with Indian nationals as crew members.

It will be interesting to see how this unfolds over the next few days."

3. "The Hindu" of Chennai has reported as follows on this incident on April 19:" The Navy has sent a warship towards the Somali coast to keep a vigil on the hijacked merchant vessel on which seven Indian sailors are being held as hostages, despite payment of ransom by the owners of the ship. INS Talwar, currently deployed on an anti-piracy patrol mission off the Gulf of Aden, was diverted towards the coast. The move is being seen as an aggressive posture by the Navy. During an informal interaction, Defence Minister A.K.Antony refused to comment on whether the warship would launch action to free the hostages. Sources in the Navy and the Government maintained that the move was to ensure that the merchant vessel was not rendered further vulnerable and that the warship would not leave the area unless the hostages were released."

4. "The Hindu" has further reported as follows: "According to latest figures, 53 Indian sailors are being held hostage on five different ships. Of them, 17 have been held for the longest on MT Savina Caylyn, an Italian ship which was seized on February 8,2010."

5. The tricky incident has two dimensions ---tactical and strategic. The tactical dimension relates to securing the release of the Indian sailors who are still held hostages in order to apparently force the Government of India and our Navy to agree to a swap deal for the release of the Indian hostages in return for the release by India of some of the Somali pirates arrested by the Navy in the past, The Indian naval ship sent to the area would most probably have the following objectives: Firstly, to collect reliable intelligence. Secondly, to persuade/pressure the pirates to release the Indian sailors without harming them. Thirdly, to prevent the hostages from being transferred to land in Somalia from the ship, which could come in the way of rescue operations. Fourthly, to launch rescue operations involving minimal risks to the hostages if all other options fail. Since the Somali authorities have very little control over these pirates, the question of the Government of India using intermediaries may not arise.

6. The strategic dimension relates to how we are going to prevent similar incidents in future and to examine what kind of scenarios we might face in future and what kind of proactive and reactive options are available to our Navy. In view of the activist role of the Indian Navy in dealing with Somali piracy, the targeting of Indian nationals, interests and Indian naval and other onshore establishments by the pirates---with a steadily lengthening reach towards the Indian coast--- could become more frequent, more virulent and more aggressive.This would call for a re-look at our counter-piracy strategy. ( 19-4-11)

(Bahukutumbi Raman is Additional Secretary (retd), Cabinet Secretariat, Govt. of India, New Delhi, and, presently, Director, Institute For Topical Studies, Chennai, and Associate of the Chennai Centre For China Studies. E-mail: seventyone2@gmail.com )

Wish You Were Here

The lines that caught my eye were: "year after year - running over the same old ground - what have we found? - the same old fears".

The same old political argument. I've said months ago that someone will come along to restore America. Someone always does. That's why we are blessed to live here.

At the time it was not yet obvious who it would be. I counseled patience; saying, if and when he (or she) announces, it will not be someone from the political world - and that we would recognize it instantly as the real deal.

Peter Koelliker replied to comment from John Batchelor

I take it you have watched Trump’s show. I have not. Therefore, your references to his show escape me. I base my assumptions on what I do see: Trump Towers in New York and Trump Casino in Atlantic City.

Given our current economic conditions, his claim that he still has enough money to manage a presidential campaign also speaks volumes. In addition, I hear what he says. I have heard nothing, since embarking on his quest for the presidency, with which I disagree. What he said previously, is of no importance to me since it was not said as one who would hoodwink the public in a political sense. From now on, I will pay attention.
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It is now generally accepted (mostly by conservatives) that raising taxes does not necessarily translate into more revenue for the government; that, in fact, what the government collects is likely to stay the same as a percentage of GDP no matter what the tax rate is. This is not fantasy. It can be documented by historical example. Therefore, the emphasis should be on growth.

If our problem is that government does not have enough money to pay its bills – as we are told – then lowering taxes across the board would seem to be a significant part of the solution. Yet current policy makers insist that we go in the opposite direction.

There should not even be an argument about this. The same percentage taken out of a smaller pie will result in reduced intake by the treasury and vice versa. The fact that we cannot agree means that something else is at stake: social engineering in the form of the redistribution of American’s wealth as to achieve total equality (both domestic and globally).

Our politicians are loath to tell us of their true intent; our universities fail to educate. So we are sent out into the street to protest the mere possibility that our neighbor makes a dollar more a week than we do. This is considered ‘unfair’. Everyone should have the same after all. The next step is for all of us to start wearing matching uniforms.

It bugs me no end when politicians use this canard to bat around. Why don’t they just tell us outright that they want to make us all the same, discard all pretense of actually balancing the budget and raise the debt limit to infinity? This way, all of us would be cured of the compulsion to compete and concentrate on simply staying alive.
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“How I wish, how I wish you were here
We're just two lost souls swimming in a fish bowl,
Year after year
Running over the same old ground
What have we found?
The same old fears
Wish you were here”

--Pink Floyd

Soros' Shades of Utopia

How did POTUS get here? Many people are asking. Did anybody even know his name before he started campaigning for the U.S. presidency? What can explain his meteoric rise to power? Surely, somebody must have known something about him. If we had wanted a black man in the Oval Office, why not Sharpton? Why not Jackson? Why not Farrakhan? These people have been around for a while - quite long enough to have name recognition. We could have made an intelligent decision - just on the basis of what we already knew of their public record. But Obama? A blank slate? Nothing known about him except that he could walk upright and speak in semi-coherent sentences.

Now, we find, there’s not a dime’s worth of difference between all the afore mentioned. Why not them? Even the Republicans have some attractive black candidates. But they - considered Uncle Tom’s all around - never had a chance. Only Obama - the unknown quantity - snuck through the campaign gauntlet, in part because we wanted a Democrat and we wanted him to be black. How did it happen? Answer: the media.

The media hyped this man no end. Even the lovely and gracious Hillary had to step aside and make her exit stumble. She had all the right credentials to be sure, except she was white (and almost a man). Couldn’t have that. We were singularly determined to go all the way. (Could the Bamster possibly be gay? We were hoping.) Yet, without the Bamster leading the parade, she would have made it to the top.

Somebody knew about Barack Obama. Somebody knew just how to orchestrate the coup. Somebody had to have backed him; groomed him; told him what to say and how to say it. Somebody must have had his boot on the throats of the media, issuing directives. Somebody with a lot of money, who could spread plenty of it around for favors.

Surely, McCain was told how to play his part. Maybe even Hillary. It’s obvious the press was schooled in the intricate steps of the fan dance. Money, not ideology, was the culprit. Who had all that money to spread around, and even some left over to spark a fiscal crisis with?

Who made ‘conspiracy theory’ a naughty word? Who is so sensitive as to orchestrate the removal of talk show hosts that come too close to uttering his secret name? Who declares the wizard’s moneyed curtain ‘do not touch’? It takes no less than Dorothy’s precocious dog, Trump, to pull it aside? Trump too has money.

Does Trump have enough to unmask Soros’ wrinkled face? Maybe not. But he may just be dumb enough to try. The Donald is sick of it. He’s has a business to run and sees his business hitting the skids. He blames Obama. Clearly, he can blame Obama all he wants. That’s what Obama is there for. He’s part of the curtain - a relatively small part, I might add. The very fact that Obama remains vulnerable tells you exactly what Soros thinks of him. Toilet paper. But attack Soros directly - like Glen Beck did - and it’s curtains.

Soros will slough off Obama when the time comes. He’ll slough off anyone; he has no sense of loyalty. Soros is in machine mode; producing revenge against God for a horribly disfigured life, cloaked in shades of Utopia.

http://pkoelliker.blogspot.com/