All posts by Hutchins AAron

Born in Deutschland 1965, hometown was Bütthart, parents were not U.S. government employees. However, when father was tricked into joining the U.S. Air Force Civil Service, in 1969, with the promise that we could remain in Germany, we were promptly shipped off to Iran. Due to one of my Iranian educators being disappeared, along with her husband, by the U.S. ally Shah of Iran's Israeli & U.S. created Savak (for the then official terrorist act of promoting the idea that women can vote), and due to my U.S. citizen mother being placed on Savak's Terrorist Arrest List (for supporting the idea that women should vote, at that time the U.S. ally Shah of Iran did not allow women to vote, now they can) we left Iran for the United States in 1973, literally in the middle of the night. At the U.S. Embassy airbase the CIA operated Gooney Bird (C-47) was so packed with other U.S. citizens fleeing our ally Iran (because the Shah gave the OK to arrest any U.S. citizen for such terrorist acts as promoting the concept of voting) that we were turned away by the Loadmaster and had to take a chance on a civilian flight out of Tehran's airport. My father told me he and my mother had three culture shocks; first when they arrived in Germany as civilians, then after being shipped off to Iran as U.S. government employees, then again returning to the United States as unemployed civilians (because so much had changed in the U.S. while they were gone, their only news source was the U.S. Armed Forces Radio & Television Service which heavily censored information about the home front). Since I graduated high school in 1982 I've worked for U.S. government contractors and state & local government agencies (in California), convenience store manager in California, retail/property management in Georgia, California and Idaho. Spent the 1990s in the TV news business producing number one rated local news programs in California, Arizona and Idaho. 14+ years with California and Idaho Army National Guard and the U.S. Air Force. Obtained a BA degree in International Studies from Idaho State University at the age of 42. Unemployed since 2015, so don't tell me the economy has recovered.
U.S.

United Police States of America: Witness to police crime being sued for recording video of the crime, does your state have laws that could make you a criminal for recording police crimes?

In 2009 a man was beaten unconscious by Springfield, Massachusetts, police.  A witness recorded video of the crime.  Now that witness is being threatened with a lawsuit, and even criminal charges.

Officials are citing a Massachusetts law that prohibits “…the secret use of such devices [recorders] by private individuals…”. However, attorney’s for the woman who recorded the police crime, say the law was meant to be applied to organized crime, not individual citizens: “Even a cursory review of the law would show that the Legislature took the time to insert a preamble into the statute showing that it is specifically aimed at organized crime prosecutions.”-Daniel D. Kelly, attorney

The woman posted the video on the internet, you can see it in a report posted by masslive.com.  The victim tries to run from police, but is caught.  One police officer then proceeds to beat him, sometimes the blows are so loud you can hear them in the video.  You can also hear people in the background begging police not to hurt him.  The beating continues until the man is unconscious.  For more than 15 minutes police stand around, as if they’re trying to figure out what to do, some are laughing.  After eleven or twelve minutes some of the residents of the neighborhood come out, asking for an explaination.

Massachusetts is one of several states that use a law that requires “consent” before you can record a conversation.  Other states include California, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania and Washington.  Massachusetts is claiming the woman who video recorded the police crime, violated the two-party consent law because she recorded audio.  Apparently if she had recorded silent video she would have been within the law.

 


Business/Economics, International

Iran encourages local neighborhood Farmer’s Markets, attemps to keep food prices down in Iran

During Ramadan the Iranian government is officially encouraging local Farmer’s Markets, called Direct Markets in Tehran.  This is in response to consumers demand for lower food prices.

However, comments from shoppers have been mixed.  Some Direct Market shoppers claim the prices are cheaper and they can find what they need, while an almost even number of people said the opposite.  One man said the price difference was only slight.  It just proves the saying that you need to “shop around” for the best price.

During Ramadan Muslims fast during the day, and eat after the sun goes down.

U.S.

U.S. Supreme Court bans, yet supports the Health Care Reform Law, chances of it ever being implemented slim to none

Friday August 12, the 11th Circuit Court of appeals, in Atlanta, Georgia, ruled that forcing people to buy insurance is unconstitutional.  The health care reform law would have forced every U.S. citizen to buy health insurance, or be punished with fines.

The ruling said forcing people to buy anything is beyond the power of the U.S. government!

However, the three Federal Court judges said all other aspects of the health care reform law can remain in effect.

The ruling adds to the chances that the health care reform law won’t even be implemented.  Many politicians say they’re going to block funding of the law, and it appears U.S. Congress is set for massive arguments over how to put the law into effect.

International

United Police Kingdom: Right Wing Controlled Media lied about official inquiry, Independent Police Complaints Commission forced to restate that Police did the only shooting, video of police beating 16 year old girl

Because of incorrect reporting, by the mainstream right wing controlled media, of the Independent Police Complaints Commission’s initial conclusions about the shooting, that led to the English riots, the commission has restated that the police were the only ones who fired their weapons.

There was no exchange of gunfire, as the right wing media continues to report: “Any reference to an exchange of shots was not correct and did not feature in any of our formal statements, although an officer was taken to hospital after the incident.”-latest IPCC statement

The commission also stated that any shots that hit police, came from police.  They pointed out that the police radio that was hit, was hit by a jacketed police issue bullet.

The right wing media has also been reporting that police claim the shooting victim had a pistol that was illegally converted to fire live ammo.  As I reported earlier, the Independent Police Complaints Commission said there is no evidence the victim shot at police, and that he was not armed!

The commission stated in its latest press conference, that the pistol police claim to have belonged to the shooting victim, was no where near the scene of the shooting.

The riots started after a a crowd of about 200 people gathered to protest he shooting.  A 16 year old girl approached the line of police officers and was beaten by them (right wing reports say she attacked police).  That’s when the peaceful protesters went violent.

There’s video on YouTube, it’s a little dark, but you can hear someone yelling at the British Bobbies that they’re beating a “F**cking girl!”.  Of interest is that YouTube has been blocking some earlier posts of the video, as “potentially offensive” even though it’s hard to see what’s happening in the video.

Business/Economics, International, U.S.

What Economic Recovery? Israel to stock up on used U.S. military equipment, U.S. can’t afford to ship it all home from Iraq

Israeli media reporting that the Israeli government plans to expand their military equipment inventories by buying used U.S. equipment now in Iraq.

The report says the Israel purchase of U.S. military gear will help out the U.S. Department of Defense, because apparently the U.S. can’t afford to ship all that equipment back home from Iraq.

The equipment includes everything from vehicles to ammo.

It’s not just Israel that the U.S. will sell to, Egypt and Saudi Arabia are customers as well.  This is just another sign the United States is hurting for cash.

 

International

Iran, Libya & Zimbabwe slam United Kingdom, demand human rights investigation, says Cameron is no longer a legitimate ruler

“Cameron and his government have lost all legitimacy. These demonstrations show that the British people reject this government which is trying to impose itself through force.”-Khaled Kaaim, Libyan Deputy Foreign Minister

In a tit-for-tat statement Libyan officials are calling for British Prime Minister to step down, because the anti-government protests, which have recently turned into all out riots after a police shooting (and the little mentioned police beating of a 16 year old girl), prove that the current British government is oppressive.  Libya is even demanding that the United Nations take action against the U.K.

Zimbabwe’s President Robert Mugabe said, in a round about way, that Britain needs to shut up and get off his back, when it comes to human rights violations: “Britain I understand is on fire, London especially and we hope they can extinguish their fire, pay attention to their internal problem and to that fire which is now blazing all over and leave us alone.”

Iran has already offered to send peacekeeping troops to the U.K., and human rights investigators as well.  One Iranian cleric said Britain is simply reaping what it’s sowed over the centuries: “The colonialists schemed and spent money to create chaos in countries and today the result of their plotting is the events they have been stricken with.”-Hojjatoleslam Kazem Seddiqi

A senior Iranian politician warned the United Nations that if it didn’t take action against Britain, as it has against Libya and Syria, then it would loose all legitimacy: “If the Security Council does not put David Cameron’s trial as a war criminal on its agenda and does not meet this demand of the British nation, [other] nations’ view of this council will definitely change more than ever before.”-Mohammad-Karim Abedi, Deputy Chairman of Iran’s Majlis (parliament) National Security and Foreign Policy Committee

Business/Economics, U.S.

The Golden State lacks the Golden Rule: California finally admits high student drop out rate, as early as 8th Grade, all those decades of increased taxpayer funding wasted

California is now the first state in the Union, that admits that grade school students drop out of school as early as 8th grade.  In the latest survey it was revealed that more than 17,000 8th graders quit school in 2010.

Also, more than 94,000 California High School students dropped out in 2010.

Prior to this survey most drop out rate surveys were considered unreliable.  They varied greatly from 11% to 22%.  In 2009 California legislators actually passed a law dictating how the drop out rate survey would be conducted.

To many employment analysts the latest California drop out numbers prove what many employers have been complaining about; not enough high school graduates to fill open positions in California.  And to make it worse, the high drop out rates continued even though more and more taxpayer money was being spent on education year after year.

In fact, in the past the California Department of Education actually worked to keep drop out rates from being made public.

One result of the waste of taxpayer money, and degrading public education in California, was the creation of the Parent Empowerment Law, in 2010.  The law gives parents the right to convert a public school into a charter school, if 51% of the parents of children in that school sign a petition.  An elementary school in Compton will become the first school converted to a charter school under the Parent Empowerment Law.

One commentator in California said it’s ’bout time the Golden State learned the Golden Rule: “What America desperately needs is an educational system that cherishes each child as an individual, that recognizes each child has needs that must be met and gifts that deserve to be nurtured. When families have freely chosen the best school for their children, there is a sense of community, of belonging, even of family, that keeps our kids in school and gets them safely to graduation.”-Alan Bonsteel, San Francisco Chronical

 

Business/Economics, International, U.S.

What Economic Recovery? Global Hyperinflation, incouraged by the U.S. and Europe, China is the only one doing the right thing

“While the markets can operate on false scenarios for a significant period of time, reality always wins in the end. When it does, the situation can get quite ugly and all the profits gained from a belief in an unsupportable viewpoint can evaporate over night. At the moment, there is a lot of denial about inflation and investors should be paying attention to this.”-Daryl Montgomery, Independent Trader

People need to start studying up on basic economics.  What the G7 and the U.S. Federal Reserve are doing will lead to catastrophe, for the little guy.

After an emergency meeting on August 7, the Group of 7 most industrialized countries decided to deal with the growing debt crisis, of Europe and the United States, by flooding the markets with cash (liquidity).  One way to do that is to buy massive amounts of bonds, which is what the European Central Bank (ECB) did.

Following the G7 meeting the ECB began buying up Italian and Spanish bonds, even though the week before Germany was advising against such a move, because Italy and Spain were too bad off to be trusted to pay them back.

Injecting cash into markets, like buying up bond issues, can have the same result as overprinting money; hyperinflation.  The most recent case of hyperinflation took place in Zimbabwe.  It lasted from 2004-2009, and is considered the second worst case of hyperinflation in the world.  It happened after their economy crashed, and the government responded by overprinting money  (by the way the U.S. has been overprinting money for years now).

In a statement, the G7 (which includes the United States) tried to say their move to flood markets with cash will work as long as government fiscal policy remains “disciplined”.  There was no clarification what they meant by “disciplined”, but surely they mean that as long as governments, mainly European, continue to cut spending and increase taxes to pay their government debts, then hyperinflation should not be a concern.

Why would that be? Possibly because so many people are out of work, which reduces the flow of money in the consumer markets, and, increased taxes reduces the amount of spending money a consumer, who still has a job, has.  Also, cutting government spending is another way to reduce liquidity in the consumer markets.

But flooding markets with cash isn’t the only way to create hyperinflation, keeping interest rates low can do the same thing.  And keeping them artificially low for long periods of time will only make things worse.  That’s exactly what the U.S. Federal Reserve (a privately run central bank) is doing.

On August 9, the Federal Reserve (incorrectly referred to as The Fed, incorrect because it’s not a government agency. The Fed, or Feds, usually refers to a government agency, in fact it used to refer to the FBI), announced it would keep interest rates low, again.  Not only that but they would so so until 2013, with the possibility of lowering it even more.

The interest rate, that the mainstream media is always talking about but surely doesn’t understand, is the Federal Funds Rate.  This rate does NOT affect us little guys.  It is the interest that banks pay each other for borrowing money from each other.  Only in theory does it “trickle down” to us little people in the form of lower credit card and loan rates, and even supposedly on the interest rates the banks give us for putting our money into their so called “savings” accounts.

The past decade has proven that keeping the Federal Funds rate low does NOT “trickle down” to the little guy, working class, consumer level.

And that’s the point.  There is nothing being done to help the average John Q Public.  Everything is being done to help the big guys, the Man, the elites and their global corporations/governments.  Keeping interest rates low for the big guys, and flooding the markets with cash (only for the benefit of the big guys) are short term actions that will result in long term pain for the little guy (as if the little guy isn’t in pain now).

Even investment advisers are warning people of the dangers: “…governments that engage in this behavior frequently go to great lengths to ensure the public doesn’t make the connection and realize that inflation is caused by government actions.”–Daryl Montgomery, Independent Trader

Now, there are some officials with the Federal Reserve that are also sounding a warning.  Narayana Kocherlakota, the president of the Federal Reserve’s Minneapolis bank, has been arguing for an increase in interest rates: “Central bankers alone cannot solve the world’s economic problems.”

Kocherlakota wants to raise the Federal Funds Rate by at least a half a percent.  He says most of the economic problems in the U.S. are a result of mismatches between the labor market, and employers, and that is something the Federal Reserve can not influence.  It’s proof that what Central Banks are doing have nothing to do with solving the bad employment situation.

China seems to be the only country that’s following traditional economic policies regarding the prevention of inflation.  So far this year the inflation rate in China has hit 6.5%.  China is blaming the slow down in their economy partly on domestic inflation.

China is experiencing inflation because more people are making more money, which means more money available on the consumer market.  It’s being exacerbated by foreign banks loaning money to Chinese consumers.

China has instituted policies to restrict the money flow, by making it almost impossible for people to qualify for home loans, and even auto loans.  They’ve recently banned certain loans being issued by foreign banks.  The Bank of China is also raising their interest rates.

It hurts consumers, only in that it’s much harder to get a loan, but it restricts the amount of money in the consumer market, which is supposed to keep inflation down, which benefits consumers in the long run.  Also, if you’re a saver then you benefit by getting higher interest on your traditional savings account.

Bottom line: Low interest rates and flooding markets with cash only benefits the big guys, and only for the short run.  In the long run it will hurt everyone.

 

 

 

International

Britain Burning: Scottish Cops to take on English riots, Scotland criticizes BBC for its coverage of the riots

“The officers, equipment and vehicles will come from all eight Scottish forces. The situation is being constantly monitored between the Association of Chief Police Officers Scotland and colleagues in England, and any further assistance required will be given careful consideration.”-ACPOS statement

The Scottish Parliament has agreed to send forces to England, to deal with the on going riots.  Scottish officials also criticized the British Broadcasting Corporation for stating that the riots were taking place all across the U.K.: “We know we have a different society in Scotland, and one of my frustrations yesterday was to see this being described on BBC television and Sky as ‘riots in the U.K.'”-Alex Salmond, First Minister

So far the riots have only affected England, although Scottish police say they arrested two Scottish teens for trying to start similar riots in Scotland.