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, U.S.

What Economic Recovery? United Nations says government cut backs making things worse

“Austerity measures in response to high government debt in some advanced economies, such as Greece and Spain, are not only threatening public sector employment and social expenditure, but also making the recovery more uncertain and fragile.”-UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs

The UN is warning that cuts in government spending will only make the global economy worse.  This comes a week after the International Monetary Fund said the economic crisis was now in the political phase, meaning the private sector had failed.

Interestingly the UN is also blaming the bad economy on global lenders like the IMF.

 

Fukushima

Government & Corporate Incompetence: 6 out of 10 towns got no Nuclear evacuation order after 11 March!

10 cities around the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant were supposed to get evacuation orders immediately after the nuclear disaster, following the 11 March 2011 natural disasters.  Only four of those cities got the evacuation order.

The national government of Japan, and the prefectural government of Fukushima have apologized for the break down in communication.

Also, Tokyo Electric Power Company was responsible for notifying five nearby cities/towns of the nuclear disaster, but evidence shows that was a major ‘F’ up.  One town got 80 faxes of the notification, while another town got zero notification!

This major breakdown in communication, by TEPCo and government,  resulted in massive confusion about what people were supposed to do.

 

Fukushima

Corporate Incompetence: Radiation decontamination fails for the third time, reactor temperatures rising!

For the third time Tokyo Electric Power Company stopped decontamination of radioactive water at Fukushima Daiichi.  This time radiation levels on the outflow side of the massive water filter skyrocketed, instead of going down.

The idea is that water coming out of the decontamination unit would have less radiation.  The opposite is happening.  When TEPCo re-started the operation on Tuesday radiation levels were at 3 millisieverts per hour, by Wednesday, 22 June 2011, the levels hit 15 millisieverts per hour.

The result is that not only has decontamination efforts stopped, but TEPCo says it can not inject anymore water to cool reactors, for fear of massive flooding of contaminated water out of the reactors (even more than what is leaking out now).  Already the temperatures in Reactor 3 are rising.

Japanese media says the water decontamination unit was designed in the United States.  Could it be possible that the decontamination chambers are backwards?  Don’t laugh, here in Idaho in the late 1990s, on the Shoshone-Bannock Reservation boil order after boil order were being issued.  Finally, after tribal officials investigated their new water treatment system, it was discovered that all the filters were in backwards.

Business/Economics, International, Opinion

What Economic Recovery? Britain wants the European Union to collapse

Discussions within the U.K. Parliament reveal that British leaders are hoping for a quick end to the European Union via a Greek collapse.

Former Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said, concerning the Euro: “…is going to collapse…” and “Is it not better that this happens quickly rather than a slow death?”

Current Financial Secretary to the Treasury, Mark Hoban said: “I am not going to comment on whether the eurozone will remain intact or not. Clearly, this crisis demonstrates the huge strain the eurozone in under. That is why it was right for us to stay out of the eurozone.”

Current Prime Minister, David Cameron said: “We were not involved in the first bailout of Greece; we don’t believe the European financial mechanism should be used in any way.”

Conservative Member of Parliament, Anne Main said Greece “…should be allowed to depart peacefully from the eurozone.”

Current Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Danny Alexander, said the U.K. would not help Greece:  “The package for Greece that is already in place is a eurozone package with the IMF.  It’s the eurozone that is taking forward discussions now about the next stage of dealing with Greece’s substantial problems.  There’s simply no proposition on the table for the U.K. to contribute beyond that IMF involvement and I don’t expect there to be one.”

When you take what the British leaders are saying, along with the International Monetary Fund’s warnings that the default of Greece will lead to a collapse of European Union, then it definitely looks like the British want Greece to default.  Historically the British never really liked the concept of the European Union.

 

 

Opinion, U.S.

The U.S. IS a Police State: TSA VIPR Teams could be visiting your home, new war on immigrants

Think the Transportation Security Administration is on the look out for terrorists?  Going by their track record, the TSA is actually working for Immigration, and your home town could be next.

Recently, TSA Administrator John Pistole testified in front of a U.S. Senate committee.  His testimony revealed that the TSA is not conducting searches for terrorists, but instead is helping the Border Patrol, and Immigration & Customs agencies looks for illegal immigrants, under the guise of fighting terrorism.

Not only that, but the searches, carried out by VIPR teams (Visible Intermodal Prevention and Response), are seemingly random and take place anywhere in the country.  As many as 8,000 VIPR searches were conducted last year, and included train stations and public transportation systems that are not involved in international travel.

In one case, at a Georgia train station, the VIPR team set up a false luggage claim area and told Hispanic passengers they had to go through the security screening area to get their luggage.  The VIPR team then had the people pull up their shirts, including the females, and frisked them, including the breasts of the females, right in front of other passengers getting off the train.  VIPR team officials said passengers were told they did not have to be screened, but witnesses said VIPR set up the baggage claim so you had no choice.  On top of that it turns out the baggage was actually in another location.

In San Diego, California, VIPR teams went on a rampage of supposedly random searches of public transportation vehicles, looking for Hispanic teenagers.  Local media reports as many as 20 teenagers, on their way to school, were deported.  Many of those teens’ family live in San Diego, not Mexico.  Several teens immediately came back to San Diego because they have visas.

Sounds like a lot of money is being spent on something with little return for the investment.  But that’s one more issue: TSA boss John Pistole (is that last name fitting for a Police State boss, or what?) was before the Senate because he’s asking for more of your taxpayer money, for more VIPR teams.

Currently there are 25 VIPR teams conducting random searches within the United States.  The TSA wants 12 more teams.  What happened to the TSA’s job of making sure transportation was safe, as in properly maintain vehicles and trained operators?

There are reports that semi-trucks are now being pulled over by VIPR teams, and that you, in your personal car could be pulled over in the future.

Fukushima, U.S.

Government & Corporate Incompetence: Radioactive Tritium leaking from U.S. nuclear reactors

A year long study of U.S. government documents, by the Associated Press, has revealed that radioactive tritium is leaking into groundwater.

Documents show that at least 48 nuclear plants in the U.S. have, or are, leaking tritium.  Tritium is a radioactive form of hydrogen.  The report comes from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

At least 37 of those leaks exceeded government safe levels for drinking water.

It’s not just tritium that’s leaking from U.S. nuclear reactors; cesium and strontium are also leaking.

Strontium 90 was found leaking at Indian Point nuke plant north of New york City.

Cesium 137 leaked from Fort Calhoun nuke plant in Nebraska.  By the way, that reactor was just shut down because the Missouri River is flooding it.

There’s much more about the leaks from U.S. nuke plants in the AP report.  Maybe this explains the increase in cancer rates over the past decades?

Like I said before: Everyone living near nuclear reactors in the United States should make plans to get away.

Business/Economics, International, U.S.

Global Great Depression: IMF warns of global collaspe if Europe goes down the economic toilet

“Given the euro area’s role in the global economy, success in addressing the sovereign debt crisis and raising growth has a significant impact elsewhere.”-IMF report

June 21, a new report by the International Monetary Fund says European economic collapse could bring on a Global Great Depression.

All international finance eyes are focused on what happens with Greece.  There could be a domino effect if Greece defaults.  A check of history will show that a similar situation happened prior to the U.S. Stock Market Crash of 1929, which eventually led to the Great Depression in the U.S.

Here’s a little reminder: Germany was forced to pay the United Kingdom and France (and some other countries) huge reperations after losing the First World War.  The U.K. and France owed the United States big time money for saving their butts during the war.  U.S. corporations were banking on that money from U.K. and France, and actually ran their businesses on debt thinking ‘no problem the French and British will pay up’  (it was called “The Roaring Twenties”).  Well, the victors of the First World War made things so bad for Germany there was no way they could make the reparations payments, so they defaulted.  As a result, the U.K. and France defaulted on their payments to the United States.  As a result, U.S. corporations defaulted leading to the Crash of ’29.

Basically the IMF is saying we are in a similar situation with the current debt crisis in Europe.

Fukushima

Corporate Incompetence: Once again, TEPCo stops radiation decontamination

For the second time Tokyo Electric Power Company has stopped decontamination of water at it’s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, this time they broke a water pump.

The first time was because the radiation levels were much higher than first thought, and the water decontamination system wasn’t set up to handle it.  This time TEPCo officials think it’s because they tried to force too much water through, and broke a water pump.

International

Pacific Ring of Fire: Chile hit by 6.6 Earthquake

June 21, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center says a 6.6 quake hit Chile, near it’s border with Bolivia.

No emergencies reported, the quake was deep in the ground, at 111.3 kilometers (69.2 miles).

It seems the number of 6 plus quakes, and volcanic activity, around the Pacific Ring of Fire have increased this year.  Earlier this month a volcano in Chile erupted, for several days, spewing ash that shut down airports as far away as New Zealand and Australia.