Swine Flu

What's up with the Swine Flu, and What's really going on? To quote one of the Flu's victims in Texas, " it's the flu". He was sick and is recovering. Like you do with the flu. Obviously this isn't the Bubonic plague, so why is the media treating this strain of flu as a world threatening pandemic? I don't know yet, we all have to wait for the next episode, but without doubt, there is something fueling this story other than Swine Flu.
36000 people a year die of the flu in the United States. That's an average of 100 flu related deaths a day. Less than 150 have died in Mexico since the outbreak of swine flu there, No one has died in the US yet. Not exactly crushing numbers, BUT,...
Watching the news today one would have thought people were dropping in the street at the first sign of the bug. The mayor of New York held a news conference on swine flu. CNN was dedicated to the story. CDC officials are reporting "bold " steps to track the virus. Workers in Alabama were asked to wear face masks to obstruct germs, and there haven't even been any infections there yet .
The amount of attention, and the efforts made to control this outbreak of infectious disease that hasn't killed anyone in the US, yet, just seems way over the top. Reports of cases are being tracked all over the world So why is the media preparing the general public for an "epidemic'' of infectious disease? That's the scary part, because "Swine Flu" is not a Bubonic plague, it is just being treated like one.
That is what is perplexing ; Is it true medical concern driving the story ? or , Could Swine Flu be a red flag operation for future germ warfare on the world's population?
Remember the Georgia Guidestones ? The first line is ," Maintain Humanity under 500,000,000 in perpetual balance with nature". That's about 5% of the current world population.
Remember the Bush family is developing a compound in Paraguay. A sweet spot with fresh water , natural gas reserves, and a tropical growing season.
Do you think that the elite of the world are actually planning the demise of the common man?
Maybe I'm getting a little far-fetched now, but obviously, the Swine Flu frenzy is not about the Swine Flu, so what's your guess?

Smile At The Camera

The question of the day is: Why is the captured Somali Pirate smiling on his way in to court?

Stardom.

Obviously, he was wondering how many FBI, NYPD, and hidden in the woodwork agents it took to safely escort him .
As the flash of the cameras lit his face, the Pirate was experiencing his moment; the thrill of more attention than he could imagine; He is half way around the world, in another hemisphere, in New York, and he's a celebrity. How could anybody suppress a smile under those circumstances? Didn't Bernie smile a little as he was paraded through the cameras? Maybe the pirate could stay in Bernie's penthouse while things are worked out?
Or maybe the Pirate's thinking, "Wow, if I only had a tenth ot the money these people are going to spend on me, I wouldn't a been jacking ships". Smiling at the fools that will spend millions on him. Millions.
Consider the cost of sending three naval warships over to the Pirate's neighborhood to play. Then fly a Navy SEAL team in because three naval warships don't have three qualified snipers on them.? ( I guess an in emergency the ships use the big guns.) ( Those SEALS flew in on the first night, that's when the pirates fate was sealed.) Hang around for a few days. Get the minor off the boat, don't want to kill children. Three shots . Done deal except the aforementioned Pirate.
COST: Millions
And if todays media coverage is any indicator, it will be millions more by the time the boy pirate is set free. Thats right, set free !
Attorneys are lining up to plead the pirates case in a dream team fantasy of publicity and making names for themselves. The Pirate will at least get defence representation on a par with Mother's that lose their children. His story is that big. Where's Nancy Grace on this one?
The reason the poor child was there in the first place was he was Shang Hai'd , naive, under duress. His family has already stepped up to plead the boy is really a victim of the pirates, and not one of them. The father claims the pirate is only fifteen. Court costs. Defence fees. Incarceration until he's freed. In the end, it will all be a big mistake , the US will have committed an error by acting without authority. The Pirate will go home to his mother. He'll probably parlay his celebrity into a seat in the Somali government and later write a book denouncing America .
Millions of dollars spent on a damn pirate when the answer was there for all to read.
Pirates Walk the Plank

Letters Between A Father and Son

a Son's letter -

Pa,
It's an acquired taste, but read his lasted blog post. Jon is a fundamental libertarian with a really good knowledge of history. He understands the context of what he's writing in both a modern and a historical sense.

Sometimes social values merge. Sometimes they clash. Historically, when there is tolerance in both societies, cultures tend to merge. Would you mind if everyone became Muslim if it meant that everyone also adopted democracy?

Culture, commerce, etc. It's all an exchange. When it's not an even exchange, then it's called imperialism. Most of the topics that you seem to be writing on your blog are observations of American imperialism. I'm not saying that you agree or disagree with that imperialism; just that you seem to recognize that it exists, where most Americans don't.

So I guess the question that you have to ask yourself is, "Are you an imperialist?"

a Father's response-

Son,
I am an American. I am a Patriot. I am a veteran of the US army.

Patriotism can be blinding. That's why the Patriotism card is played, "My country right or wrong", "Love it or Leave it." etc. Allow a Pearl harbor, create a 9\11, and you have the power of the moment, and obviously, those whom play political emotions understand this. The will of a nation can be formed in a moment, in a Zeitgeist.

I never condemn the Country. I condemn political action for profit, and without conscience, at the expense of mankind, or the common man. Empire should advance with mutual benefit, not exploitation. Imperialism is exploitative. Americans don't believe in Emperors, Royalty, Dictators, or Imperialism, therefore we should not be guilty of these transgressions on the common man. Americans believe we're fair and wear the white hat. Undoubtedly an illusion of reality, but still whom we want to be.

America has marched in the streets to stop wars for profit or empire. As a people, we are not, or are no longer, Imperialists at heart. That is the shame of the Bush years; America was hijacked to the will of greed and profit without conscience, under manipulated circumstance. A very telling statement about the moral fiber of the Bush clan and their associations, but America was hijacked nonetheless and, truth be known, would have acted differently except for the Bush Zeitgeist of fear. American Imperialism during this era did not represent the will of the people, and has been achieved without their blessing, occurring under false pretense and Illusion to the common man, while profit was the underlying motive.

America is the greatest experiment in freedom in world history. Inherent in that Freedom is Fairness. Equality. Honesty. Shamefully, in recent history, the purity of that freedom has been polluted by greed, lies, corruption, and various forms of calculated manipulation to create a path derived of avarice and the imperialistic goals of a few, at the expense of the many. America is not a nation of Imperialists at heart, despite what the reality is.

On that note: there is no such thing as inherent good or evil. Good and evil are taught. Man is, what man is taught. He is empty at birth, excepting the knowledge already learned in the womb, and is programmed from that point on. Which brings us to the Islamic revolution, and merging cultures; Islam and the west. How can America merge with a culture that has taught three generations of students "America is the Great Satan"? How do you merge Freedom with a culture that doesn't allow women to move freely in society? That marries eight year olds to old men? That blinds young women so they can't educate themselves, and as a deterrent to other women to go to school ? How do you merge modern progressive thinking with stone age Theocracy rooted in the power of the sugar plum fairy?

How do you merge with a culture that, "....declare their hostility to any social order and ideologies which does not subscribe to the existence of a supernatural being having the attributes of Allah, the God"? Sounds like their way or No Way to me. And there is the underlying truth... there is no reconciliation between Islam and the non-Muslim world.

Where Empires grind, people die, and so it is with the Islamic Revolution. When Barack Obama goes to the middle east and declares America is not at war with Islam, I must ask the flip side of that question, " Is Islam at war with America?

a Son's response-

Pa,
At the root of Islamic belief is peace and charity. The Islamic faith has five pillars upon which it is based; adherence to the will of God and the acknowledgment of God's prophets, ritual prayer, alms giving, fasting during Ramadan, and the Hajj (the journey to Mecca). It is difficult to see how these tenets (in themselves) would promote the aggression that you allude to when you write to me about the pan 'Islamic Revolution' that threatens secular security (or its values).

Not since the Turks invaded Hungary in the 16th century has Islam actually been a direct military threat to the 'Christian' world. Most of the Muslims that I've met are largely as ignorant as Christians seem to be when it comes to the history of conflict between the two faiths. They certainly have not been 'educated' that it is their duty to convert or destroy as many Christians or secularists in their lifetime as possible. It is my understanding that the active practice of Islam among Muslims has diminished widely across the Islamic world, in the same way that most Christians do not read the Bible regularly or even attend church with any regularity. And, like 'Christendom', I believe that the extent to which most Muslims enjoy Islam's influence in their societies is predominantly for its rich socio-cultural contribution.

I think another point worth addressing is that Islam, like Christianity, has many denominations and (if and where Islam is actively practiced) its practice differs widely between each of these groups; Sunni, Shi'ite, Sufi, Wahadi, Khajites, etc are but a few. I also think that it's important to recognize that the laws and cultural values of each 'Muslim' country differ greatly depending on the strain of Islam practiced, that country's history, etc. You made some points about the extremity of what you considered 'Islamic' law across 'Islamic counties'. However, I can tell you (at the very least) that the overwhelming majority of 'Muslim' countries in the world practice religious tolerance and operate on principles of equality.

It is lazy to promote a view of Islam by citing the extreme practices of a few countries that adhere to a stricter version of Sharia (Islamic law). There is social injustice all over the globe. For example, the US has the highest number of people incarcerated per capita in the world. There are more people incarcerated in the United States than incarcerated in Central and South America and Europe combined. In view of this one might consider the United States one of the most repressive, violent and socially unjust countries in the world.

In my opinion, it is the religion of 'consumer empire', rather than Islamic expansion, that is the greatest threat to western stability. It is the western culture of disproportionate consumption that has put a large strain on the relations between the (largely) secular 'West' and its Islamic neighbours. Western governments have supported repressive, dictatorial monarchies and despots and undermined legitimate grass root democracies across the Islamic world for almost a century in the interest of maintaining control over North African and Middle Eastern oil and gas. Both to fuel our economies and to thwart the economic expansion of our adversaries.

The anger and the frustration that this has created in some 'Islamic' countries has given birth to increasingly less moderate responses with each successive generation. And, as it is my belief that the resources of a country belong to its people, I have little to say in the way of condemning what I see as a legitimate response to American imperialism. It is (sometimes) an unfortunate bi product of this 'stand against imperialism' that recruitment has come under the banner of pan-Islam. However, it is one of the few shared attributes among a vast diversity of people that have found themselves exploited by the interests of western consumerism. But in their ability to unify their interests, they empower themselves and add strength and awareness to their campaign. And it is fortunate to western society that the intention of the overwhelmingly majority of these people seems to be to raise global awareness by peaceful means.

Furthermore, ironically, it is in our apathy that we endanger ourselves, for it greatly increases the frustrations of those exploited. As practicing democracies it is the responsibility of all of us to ensure that our governments, and the corporations that operate in our markets, adhere to international law. We alone have this unique privilege. The extent of the corruption that our government and these conglomerates create abroad is a direct result of our negligence to hold them accountable. This in turn, as you acknowledged, leads to greater corruption and social manipulation within our own societies, by our governments and businesses.

So, in short, I do not spend my days worried by the threat of Islam and its (as you say) increasingly expansionist ambitions. I am, however, greatly concerned by the Patriot Act.

The Bush Six

Watching the O'Reilly factor tonight, I got the distinct impression that this O'Reilly guy was trying extremely hard to convince me that Spain is wrong in indicting "The Bush Six". O'reilly was over the top, going as far as threatening Spain about "the American response" to such action. O'Reilly was indignant about Spain pursuing violations of international law forbidding torture against the Bush Six. I applaud the Spaniards. IF the Bush Six did not break international law they have nothing to fear. Justice is Justice.
On the other hand, Law is Law, and if others in the world cry foul and point the finger at America, they cannot be wrong simply because we are America, it is International Law that must be the deciding factor, and we must avoid that arrogance of which Americans are so often accused. Thus, it is a shame that the Spaniards are doing America's dirtywork.
Here's the Bradline though, and here is the real danger to those whom are pulling O'reillys strings, for he obviously is somebody's puppet ; If a real investigation of the Bush administration were to be made, it could reveal far reaching criminal action back to, and before, 9\11. ( Of course , I am of the belief that it takes so much preparation to implode a 105 story building that flying a plane into the side of the structure could not possibly drop it perfectly in it' s own footprint,........ Turning all it's concrete to dust......Twice on the same day. )
Remember Watergate, one thing led to another , someone got a sniff of the true story, and the rest is History. That is the danger to Bush and Cheney and the Empire of this indictment. And that is why we're being told to reject Spain's accusations of crimes against high level Bush administration officials. It might lead to something bigger. Like the guillotine. I encourage Spain to help US keep our government accountable. America should be doing everything she can to prevent another hijacking of the peoples money and will , like that suffered during the Bush years.
Which brings us to The Obama Administration increasing the number of troops in Afghanistan. Time to stop the witch hunt and bring the troops home. Heroin is cheaper than a six pack of beer in the Northeast US. Capiscete ?
Ain't no Afghani ever done nothing to me, and if American oil companies need a pipeline to India, let India secure the route. American borders need to be secured first and foremost, and there are pirates in Africa, but chasing ghosts in the mountains bordering Pakistan and Afghanistan ?
C'mon . it is absolute bullshit these wars have drug on for years at the expense of the common man, and for the profit of the elite. Do they not fit into the definition of Privatizing profits and Scializing losses.? And One way to stop the bullshit is for America to be held accountable for her actions .
Again, I applaud Spain, and challenge the Obama administration to drop the " let's look forward " bullshit, and prosecute the criminals of the Bush era, whomever they may be, torturers or bankers.
Unfortunately....the criminals of the Bush era just work for another frontman now. Can We Believe things have changed? Hell no, they just change the label on the can of bullshit.

Sympathy For The Pirates

To quote a friend, responding to my declaration that Pirates walk the Plank, ..... "...or get splashed by SEALS...poor folks just trying to get by..."
According to a Somalian official interviewed on CNN, these pirates are thugs. Armed robbers and kidnappers. However the idea that the Somali people are " just poor folks trying to get by..." , victims of nucler waste dumped in their waters, and foreigners overfishing their coastline, stealing their livelihood which has led to these desperate times, is a contention that I only recently became aware. (I don't study this stuff)
In all of the news coverage about Somalia, or rather Somali Pirates, not once was the topic broached that Profit, foreign profit, was responsible for this desperate state. Not once. Only this Somali official brought it up, and he was quickly cut off.
Thugs are thugs, Pirates are thugs, Pirates walk the plank. But what of the rest of the country? The American experience in Somalia, at least as portrayed in "Blackhawk Down" was not a pleasant one. But Knowing how the American public is fed and led by the media , in effort to be fair, I have to ask if these pirates are fighting for survival, poor folks just trying to get by, and it is necessity that makes them so bold.
And they are Bold. That is the story that captures the imagination. In the small world we live in, it is astounding the success these Pirates have enjoyed. Until recently, when a few had their heads blown off their shoulders, they have acted with impunity and great profit. Almost a romantic adventure , their defiance of the Empire. Even after the three shots , the pirates boldly declared French and American hostages would be killed when captured. A high seas declaration of war. Bold.
Wouldn't this be a great story if there was something more involved than greed and thievery? A little Captain Jack Sparrow , or Robin Hood , or maybe saving a nation?
A little pirate background from an article by Johann Hari:

If you became a merchant or navy sailor then – plucked from the docks of London's East End, young and hungry – you ended up in a floating wooden Hell. You worked all hours on a cramped, half-starved ship, and if you slacked off, the all-powerful captain would whip you with the Cat O' Nine Tails. If you slacked often, you could be thrown overboard. And at the end of months or years of this, you were often cheated of your wages.

Pirates were the first people to rebel against this world. They mutinied – and created a different way of working on the seas. Once they had a ship, the pirates elected their captains, and made all their decisions collectively, without torture. They shared their bounty out in what Rediker calls "one of the most egalitarian plans for the disposition of resources to be found anywhere in the eighteenth century".

They even took in escaped African slaves and lived with them as equals. The pirates showed "quite clearly – and subversively – that ships did not have to be run in the brutal and oppressive ways of the merchant service and the Royal Navy." This is why they were romantic heroes, despite being unproductive thieves.

The words of one pirate from that lost age, a young British man called William Scott, should echo into this new age of piracy. Just before he was hanged in Charleston, South Carolina, he said: "What I did was to keep me from perishing. I was forced to go a-pirateing to live."

Is this these pirate's story?

Abdmedou Ould-Abdallah, the UN envoy to Somalia, tells me: "Somebody is dumping nuclear material here. There is also lead, and heavy metals such as cadmium and mercury – you name it." Much of it can be traced back to European hospitals and factories, who seem to be passing it on to the Italian mafia to "dispose" of cheaply. When I asked Mr Ould-Abdallah what European governments were doing about it, he said with a sigh: "Nothing. There has been no clean-up, no compensation, and no prevention."

At the same time, other European ships have been looting Somalia's seas of their greatest resource: seafood. We have destroyed our own fish stocks by overexploitation – and now we have moved on to theirs. More than $300m-worth of tuna, shrimp, and lobster are being stolen every year by illegal trawlers. The local fishermen are now starving. Mohammed Hussein, a fisherman in the town of Marka 100km south of Mogadishu, told Reuters: "If nothing is done, there soon won't be much fish left in our coastal waters."

This is the context in which the "pirates" have emerged. Somalian fishermen took speedboats to try to dissuade the dumpers and trawlers, or at least levy a "tax" on them. They call themselves the Volunteer Coastguard of Somalia – and ordinary Somalis agree. The independent Somalian news site WardheerNews found 70 per cent "strongly supported the piracy as a form of national defence". -j.hari@independent.co.uk Johann Hari

So, Both sides have now had a say , huh mate ? But let's not forget the CODE................Pirates walk the Plank!

Pirates

PBS Moyer's Journal w/ William Black

Artman sent me this today. I watched it. I'll watch it again. It is hand and glove with the Obama administration and the bankers, according to this interview. Interesting. Our boy McCain is mentioned too. If you are interviewing for a job and were asked to watch Zeitgeist Addendum, this interview might help too. I must admit I still haven't watched the addendum.
In Zeitgeist , it was religion's astrological roots, and the treachery of 9\11 that interested me most. Money , Avarice, and the deceit inherent in those that are addicted to the dollar, from my perspective, is no different than any other addiction. Individually, we all have different appetites for wealth, but at some reasonable point we should be satiated. Money is the drug to some, and they will do much worse harm for dollars, than an addict does for their fix. Take the time to watch the interview. We can believe it's the same old bullshit , same old Rock and Roll.

True Masters

On the Occasion I toured Buckingham Palace, and was first introduced to a True Master's work, I was impressed. I remember there was a long hall of Portraits. Life-size family portraits of the royal families . Each successive King throughout the centuries portrayed on canvas in oil, and all done by the best painters of the time . All of the paintings were works of fine art . All were worth a fortune . Only the best painters were chosen to paint the King, so looking at the portraits , I not only began to understand Britain's Love of her Royalty, and how they are interwoven in England's history, but additionally it was a walk among centuries of the best work on Canvas in oil, in the world.
Pretty heady stuff for the uncultured descendant of one of the bastard sons of King Richard the Lion Hearted. oops. The Lionheart. Don't want to screw this thing up with the royal side of the family
Buckingham Palace is full of Antiques, Fine Art, the best of the best. Which brings me to the True Master, and back to the hall of royal portraits, and when I was impressed. It was because of this impression that I now must admit I was wrong. But first the True Master... In the middle of the Hall there hung a painting by Rembrandt, " The Shipbuilder and his Wife". If the other paintings were worth a fortune, then this defined priceless. Centuries of artwork, the best the King could buy, and that Rembrandt stood out like it was alone. In that hall, on that day, "The Shipbuilder and his Wife" was the only Masterpiece, and the other paintings paled in it's presence .
Now, I was wrong when I told that other idiot, " a man can do anything in five years if he's capable and smart" (Nihilism 3/2/09 ). Unfortunately, "capable and smart" doesn't cover everything.
The hall of portraits is an example of centuries of talent, and only one True Master. This is not to say the others weren't Good, Accomplished, Dedicated, but a lifetime of work could not elevate them to Rembrandt's level.
I was thinking of the Movie 'Amadeus' and the jealousy of the other composer whom knew, despite his hard work and talent , he would never be Mozart. In all things there is no substitution for hard work, but in some, talent to go with hard work cannot be substituted. Really, " talent" might be hard work at a young age, evolved into adult capability, and a lifetime of work . However, some "Talent" can only be defined as a gift.
If every Goose can lay a golden egg, I'm eating the wrong grain.
I have come to the conclusion that there are some things a man can do for a lifetime and never be very good at . I was thinking about this today while playing harmonica.. If one has no background in music, no talent, and no gift, It is not easy to sound good to others playing music, and I'm not sure five years of hard work would make the difference.
Searching for that Golden egg-

Empire

First,
On the edges of Empire there is always turmoil, a life and death struggle for profit and gain. As an Empire expands or contracts there is friction. People die where Empire's grind.. One side wants progress, the other tradition, or, maybe a religion. Profit wants natural resources, so do the natives. Profit wants a route through the neighborhood, Profit versus the Natives. One competitor versus another competitor, profit versus profit, Church versus church, has it not been this way since the beginning of time?
Isn't that what's happening in Mexico right now? Life and Death to snuggle up and feed the Empire? Drug Empires grinding at the border?
I bring this up because I don't like what I see in the rest of the world. ( Careful, I'm informed primarily through the sound-bites that I'm fed.) Valenzuela and Russia holding joint military exercises, North Korea launching a ballistic missile, China challenging US ships in international waters, Iran pursuing The Bomb, Brazil's president blaming the "blue eyed" leaders of the world for current economic woes, and protests in Europe denouncing American greed.
That's aside from two Imperialistic wars in the Middle East . Wars where oil profits and pipelines, and lies, have overshadowed any illusion of righteousness. Damning to our image, burying the country in debt, enpowering our enemies Bad, bad, bad. Fuel for anti-American sentiment world-wide. . Watching the news, it would seem the new cold war is the World vs the US, and it's preparing to heat up.
Now,
Say I'm crazy, but you know how you are about Your money. You want it. When people owe you money you want to be paid, with juice. Normally, you don't want to loan more money until you're paid what you're owed. And loaning money so you can be paid interest on money already owed, probably a bad investment. Insolvency can lead to unpleasantness. People want their money. It is the same in all languages, in all countries, in all cultures. Isn't money money?
We owe a lot of money world-wide. Worse yet for the people we owe, the Government keeps printing more money which makes the money worth less. We ran out of money to use because all the money left the country. It really is a great scam. We import everything we need for dollars, then print more dollars when we run out.. Something for nothing. Of course, someday, when the world realizes dollars are worthless, there will have to be a war to settle the debt because, People want their money.
The only way we'll be able to repay them is to have a war, and bill our opponents for reparations.
All war is for profit, this one will be no different; Everybody will expect to be paid, Nobody will have the money, Somebody will get angry, Anybody whom can make a profit will get involved. We'll call this next war "the honest war". No bullshit about the axis of evil, or Liberation , or God, just the plain old truth, " we owe you money and we can't pay it, oh, and we'll print more money so we can have some too, despite that making your money worth less. " .............. That's why I don't like what I see, the deal isn't fair, and you know how you are about Your money, The rest of the world is the same way.