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.
Business/Economics, International

What Economic Recovery? Greece secretly defaults on bailout loans, on the verge of class war

“The measures that have been adopted are not to avoid the default, the default already took place, but it was not declared.”-Paolo Raffone, Secretary General of CIPI Foundation

Greece has cut even more social services and programs, and has jacked up taxes, in an effort to get more bailout loans approved.   The problem is that at least 16% of the Greek people are unemployed.

Analysts say most of the loans that Greece has gotten, have been going to pay previous loans.  Nothing is being used to try and build the Greek economy, like creating jobs.  The result is that the Greek government is just digging a deeper and deeper debt hole.

One analysts says what the Greek government is doing is called “virtual economics”, meaning the economy is based on loans, there is no true economy in Greece: “Economic specialists are trying to prop up an inherently unsustainable project, which is based on sometimes virtual economics.”-Sahara Ali, Green Party

Ali warns that continuing bailout loans will only make things worse for Greece, it’s really being done to save the European Union, and the Greek people know it: “That is what the general population has realized, that it’s increasing its indebtedness in order to prop up the Euro Zone.”

Ali suggested that part of the bailout loans require Greece to buy more products from other European countries, which actually works against building a Greek economy.

Paulo Raffone says the situation in Greece is heading towards a civil war based on class, rich vs poor: “The leadership in the country is always the same now for more than 40 years, and they’ve been profiteering on the People. There’re a few families that are sharing large shares of take in the national wealth.”

Raffone also says the control of Greece by the elites extends to the rest of Europe: “You have external European profiteers, which are the banks from Germany, France, Belgium and others, that have been profiteering on the Greek situation no matter what currency is there.” He says the elites don’t really want to change the current situation, because they’re making money off it.

Sahara Ali says the elites have revealed the “stupidity” of their economic reasoning: “Nobody’s actually able to eat the number of zeros, the negative zeros, in their bank balance.  What they actually are faced with, on a daily bases, is making ends meet.  Are we really thinking it’s reasonable to demand extra taxes from people in Greece who are on the minimum wage?”

Regarding the recent vote in the Greek Parliament, supporting their president’s latest efforts to get more loans,  analysts point out there is a huge gap growing between the People and their government officials.  The People do not want any more bailout loans.

More and more analysts are thinking that default, by many countries including the United States, is inevitable.  The problem is that the ruling elites of most countries are not being realistic, and are trying to pass the buck of responsibility of their bad choices onto the People/taxpayers.  This could result in class/civil wars on a global scale.

 

International, Opinion, U.S.

The U.S. IS a Police State: Obama refocuses U.S. War on Terror, the targets: Iran, Syria and…the people of the United States

“This is the first counter-terrorism strategy that designates the homeland as a primary area of emphasis in our counter-terrorism efforts.”-John Brennan, White House counter terrorism adviser

The Obama administration announced its new anti-terror policy.  Some confusing statements were made by Brennan, such as saying that the new policy will principally focus on “…al Qaeda, its affiliates and its adherents…”, but then went on to say that Iran and Syria “…remain leading state sponsors of terrorism.”, and that they will be targeted by the U.S.: “We will therefore continue to use the full range of our foreign policy tools to prevent these regimes and terrorist organizations from endangering our national security.”

The problem is that Iran and Syria are not partners with al Qaeda, in fact they are being targeted by al Qaeda.  Al Qaeda declared jihad against Syria because the government is secular.  And they declared jihad against Iran because most of the Iranians are Shia Muslims.  Al Qaeda members are mostly Wahhabi (aka Salafi) Muslims.

Brennan went on to say that the main focus of the new anti-terror policy will actually be…the people of the United States: “…the first counter-terrorism strategy that focuses on the ability of al Qaeda and its network to inspire people in the United States to attack us from within.”

Brennan believes al Qaeda is weakened, and that the greatest threat to the U.S. is domestic “lone wolf” terrorists.

Several countries worry that this means the U.S. will abandon them in the global War on Terror.  India considers its main threat a group called Lashkar-e-Tayyeba (aka Jamaat ud-dawa), not al Qaeda.

Is this new policy what Obama meant when he said he was going to refocus military/police action in the War on Terror?

 

 

Business/Economics, International, Technology

Mazda claims new Mazda 2 blows away hybrids in fuel economy

Mazda announced that their latest generation Demio (aka Mazda 2) gets much better fuel economy than hybrids.  That mean no more expensive batteries to replace.

The Demio’s engine has uniquely shaped pistons to increase combustion efficiency, and, it has a computer that will shut off the engine when it’s idling beyond a certain time limit.

The Idling Stop System will automatically start the engine when you’re ready to go.

Mazda’s Chief Executive, Takashi Yamanouchi, says how well the car sells will determine the future of car design for Mazda.  He hopes that all Mazda cars will be produced with similar technology within five years.  No word on if the new gas saving Demio (Mazda 2) will be sold in the United States.

Fukushima

Japanese children contaminated with Cesium 134!

A group of concerned parents, not happy with government response, formed an organization called The Fukushima Network for Saving Children from Radiation.  They took urine samples from 10 kids, from elementary to high school age, and had a French company test them.

The result showed that all the kids are internally contaminated with cesium 134.  An eight year old girl has 1.13 becquerels of cesium-134 per liter.  The children live in Fukushima City, which is 60 kilometers (37 miles) from the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.

The Fukushima Network for Saving Children from Radiation says this is proof that radiation is continuing to be emitted by the damaged nuke plant, and it is spreading.

 

International

Hezbollah preparing for downfall of Syrian government

“As far as we know, Hezbollah has now accumulated around 45,000 missiles of various ranges. There is one of them with a range which goes beyond 350 kilometers, which, according to them at least, can reach all of Israel till Eilat in the south of the country.”-Dr. Yoram Kahati, Israel’s International Institute for Counter-Terrorism

Intelligence analyst say Lebanon’s Hezbollah, are preparing for the possible fall of the Syrian government.  There is evidence that Hezbollah is moving advanced weapons stored in Syria, back into Lebanon.

Syria is an ally of Hezbollah, and has allowed Hezbollah to store its advanced weapons in Syria, out of reach of the Israeli military.

There is a fear that if the Syrian government falls, Hezbollah might go to war with Israel.

International

Israel threatens to assasinate Syrian president

A Kuwaiti newspaper reports that Israel has threatened to kill Syrian President Bashar Assad.  The threat was delivered via Turkish officials to Syria.

Israelis are concerned over the mass movements of Syrian military forces, including ballistic missiles aimed at Israel.  Israeli officials fear President Assad might attack Israel as a diversion for the internal fighting going on in Syria.  Israel said if Syria attacks them they will assassinate Assad.

International

France admits to violating UN resolutions, arming rebels in Libya

French military spokesman, Colonel Thierry Burkhard, admits France is violating the UN resolutions by arming Libyan rebels.  He says they’ve been airdropping weapons to the rebels.

In 2009 Nicolas Sarkozy made France a member of the U.S. led North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).  Four decades ago Charles de Gaulle pulled France out of NATO, citing sovereignty issues.

UN resolution 1973 allows NATO “to take all necessary measures, notwithstanding paragraph 9 of resolution 1970 (2011), to protect civilians and civilian-populated areas under threat of attack in the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya.” Paragraph 9 of UN resolution 1970 imposed an arms embargo on the Libya.  Therefore France has violated both UN resolutions.

There are also reports that France supplied rebels with tanks.

Business/Economics, International, U.S.

Iraq caves to U.S. pressure, might allow U.S. troops to stay beyond current withdraw date

June 30, Japan:  In an exclusive interview, NHK discovered that the Iraqi government might let U.S. troops stay.  For months U.S. officials have been pushing Iraq to ‘request’ that U.S. troops be kept past the current withdraw date.

Under the terms of the last agreement, the only way that U.S. forces would stay, is if the Iraqi government requested them to stay.  Officially Iraqi officials have stated that they want the U.S. out.

Iraqi government spokesperson, Ali al-Dabbagh, told NHK that some Iraqi officials now believe their troops need more U.S. training.  This is exactly the reasoning U.S. officials have been telling Iraqi officials to use.

The Iraqi Parliament is set to vote on the issue, it’ll take a majority of support for the request to become official.

Several militia groups, some very powerful, stated they will go on the war path if U.S. troops do not leave by the end of 2011.  Already attacks against U.S. troops have increased since Defense Secretary Robert Gates began pressuring the Iraqi government to let U.S. troops stay.  June, 2011, has become the deadliest month for U.S. forces since 2009.  Some economist say the U.S. wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have cost the U.S. economy $3 trillion.

International, U.S.

Pakistan orders U.S. out, tired of drone attacks and claims the U.S. is not helping to pay for War on Terror

“We have told them (US officials) to leave the air base.”-Chaudhary Ahmed Mukhtar, Pakistan Defense Minister

June 29, Mukhtar orders the CIA to vacate the once secret Shamsi air base.  That’s where the Central Intelligence Agency has been launching drone attacks against supposed terrorists in Pakistan.  The reality is that many hundreds of civilians have been killed instead.

Another reason the Pakistan government wants the U.S. to get out; they claim the United States has not been forthcoming with promised payments from a War on Terror coalition fund.  Pakistani officials are now re-thinking their relationship with the U.S., in regards to the War on Terror.

In 2009, The times of London revealed that the CIA was using Shamis air base to launch drone attacks.  The Times used Google Earth to spot drones parked on the runway.

 

Fukushima

Government Incompetence: Nuclear agency spokesman fired for creating a sex scandal during Japan’s nuclear crisis

Nishiyama Hidehiko, spokesman for Japan’s Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency, has been removed from his job.  It turns out that while the Japanese people were looking to the government for information on the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster, Nishiyama was having an affair with a young woman.

A Japanese magazine broke the story.  The woman said Nishiyama was worried about loosing his hair and thought “vigorous sex” would prevent it.  He apologized for the media finding out about his affar, and said: “I am sorry if this gave any misperceptions or concerns that I have been laying down on the job.”

I think he should have said something other than “…laying down on the job”.  Talk about ‘fiddling’ while Rome burns!