Dialectical Maneuvers

White House denies claims of collusion with the Taliban

"The White House on Monday strongly rejected allegations from Afghan President Hamid Karzai that the United States was colluding with the Taliban to justify the presence of US troops in the country. 'That’s categorically false, and nobody believes it,' White House spokesman Jay Carney said when asked about Karzai’s remarks. Karzai had charged that Taliban bombings helped the United States argue for a long-term military presence and that Washington was holding 'daily' talks with the insurgents behind the backs of his government." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingWhite House denies claims of collusion with the Taliban

LA Times: Only An Incipient “Terrorist” Denounces State Murder

"Citing the most recent missive from the self-appointed Stasi at the Southern Poverty Law Center, the Los Angeles Times claims that there are 1,360 proto-terrorist groups -- sneeringly denounced as 'patriots,' 'constitutionalists,' and 'sovereign citizens' -- scattered throughout the Soyuz. 'These groups should be closely monitored, with resources adequate to the task, even if it means shifting some homeland security money from the hunt for foreign terrorists,' concludes the paper." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingLA Times: Only An Incipient “Terrorist” Denounces State Murder

Riot Alert: Look Out Argentina, South Africa, Turkey and India

"If history teaches us anything, it is that inflation usually ends in violence. The Johannesburg-based economic research house ETM Analytics (www.etmstrategy.com), which has a strong Austrian bias, puts out a monthly 'riot alert' based on the speed with which countries are debasing their currencies. It has been scarily accurate in predicting where trouble is most likely to erupt. For all the press acreage given to the political causes of violence in countries like Syria and Egypt, it is difficult to side-step the obvious common denominator: inflation. A 10% rise in food prices can transform a hungry man into an angry man." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingRiot Alert: Look Out Argentina, South Africa, Turkey and India

Austerity’s End Could Bring Additional German Turmoil

"Is Brussels backing away from austerity? If the top Eurocrats that have pushed so hard for it are now finding it impossible to implement, then we begin to ask underlying questions once more: Who pays for European insolvency? The obvious answer is the Germans. And this confirms what we have been arguing for the past several years. The Germans are not so much the 'leaders' of Europe as they are the victims of it. Ms. Merkel may not want a Euro-crisis before German elections but she may get another one after them." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingAusterity’s End Could Bring Additional German Turmoil

Michigan Governor Declares Emergency in Detroit; Grabs Power from Locals

"Michigan Governor Rick Snyder plans to name an emergency manager to handle Detroit’s fiscal crisis, stripping power from local officials. Detroit has a budget deficit of about $327 million and more than $14 billion in long-term obligations, reports Bloomberg. Starting later this month, a manager will have the power to cancel labor contracts, cut spending and sell assets. This all is, of course, an attempt to prevent what could be the largest U.S. municipal bankruptcy. Snyder will act to protect Detroit's debt holders. However, the best thing that could happen to Detroit is for the city to declare bankruptcy and start fresh, rather than a Motown version of eurozone-type austerity." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingMichigan Governor Declares Emergency in Detroit; Grabs Power from Locals

US Congress: ‘Fight Terrorism, Arm The Terrorists!’

"What, one might ask, is a US House member, who strongly and passionately supports the State of Israel doing introducing legislation that would result in a gusher of arms flowing to 'the fastest-growing al Qaeda front in the world, attracting fighters from across the Islamic world.'? Does it make sense? What will Mr. Engel then propose when the bearded radicals finally overthrow the secular Assad and install Sharia rule in Syria? Does Mr. Engel support Sharia? Or will such a worse turn of events help ignite passions in the US for yet more military action in the Middle East?" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingUS Congress: ‘Fight Terrorism, Arm The Terrorists!’

Obama’s Drone War Could Legally Kill Americans But Not Anywhere

"Obama is stretching the terms 'imminent threat' beyond recognition to justify dubious unilateral presidential action, now targeting regional al Qaeda affiliates in Pakistan, Yemen, and Somalia—all of which had no role in the 9/11 strikes and which focus their attacks mainly against local governments. This expanded war is congressionally unauthorized, and so it is illegal and unconstitutional to kill anyone in these countries—Americans or foreign peoples. There is now talk about setting up a secret court to approve adding Americans to the terrorist kill list, much like the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) court does for spying on Americans." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingObama’s Drone War Could Legally Kill Americans But Not Anywhere

Chinese-Made Globes Anger The Philippines With A Territorial Claim

"A tiny, barely-noticeable line on some Chinese-made globes has created insult in Manilla where they are being sold in bookshops. The problem is that these globes appear to use China's 'nine-dash' map of the sea, first published in 1947, which shows Chinese territory extending hundreds of miles south from China's Hainan Island to the equatorial waters off the coast of Borneo. That little line indicates that the Spratly Islands are within Chinese territory, ignoring that they are currently the subject of overlapping territorial claims by China, Taiwan, Vietnam, Brunei, Malaysia and the Philippines." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingChinese-Made Globes Anger The Philippines With A Territorial Claim

The New York Times Calls (again) for Higher Taxes on Middle-Class Americans

"The New York Times seems really fixated on screwing Joe Lunchbucket. What’s particularly interesting about this editorial is that the New York Times is very explicit about political strategy. They support more class-warfare taxes in order to set the stage for higher taxes on the middle class. We can’t say we haven’t been warned." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingThe New York Times Calls (again) for Higher Taxes on Middle-Class Americans

Furloughed FAA employee goes on Miami shooting rampage

"A depressed Florida man shot his wife and two children before killing himself after closing his hot air balloon business and facing losing his job as a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector because of automatic budget cuts known as 'sequestration.' A source told CBS News that 45-year-old Carlos Zuniga was depressed in the weeks before he shot his wife 43-year-old wife, Michelle, his 14-year-old daughter, Lauren, and his 11-year-old son, Stefan. Carlos Zuniga then killed himself. Stefan Zuniga died at Jackson Memorial Hospital’s Ryder Trauma Center on Thursday morning. Both the wife and the daughter were in critical condition." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFurloughed FAA employee goes on Miami shooting rampage