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.
International

Corporate Incompetence: Japanese train company raided by police after train fire

The Hokkaido Railway Company has been raided by police, after one of their passenger trains jumped the tracks in a tunnel and caught fire.  The police took all the company maintenance and operations records.

Investigators say they found a part that fell off before the train jumped the tracks.  Also, the train conductor called HRC headquarters asking for evacuation of the passengers, but company officials denied the evacuation because they were still waiting for “confirmation” of the fire.  39 passengers were injured.

International

Global Food Crisis: China hit with long drought & big wheat harvest

China is a land of extremes, literally.

In Central China the drought has become so bad that people are being told not to expect any water for another year.  It has drastically cut rice production.  The area is normally flooded at this time of year: “Usually it’s the season to fight floods, local villagers would ride on these boats to reinforce dams along the way. However, the drought has reduced water levels significantly, and as you can see, all the boats are stranded.”-local farmer

At the other end of the extreme, in Anhui, Henan and Shandong provinces, wheat farmers think they will have their best harvest for the first time in five years.  If they do, China hopes it will reduce their need for foreign wheat: “This year is supposed to be a bumper year for wheat harvest. That is of great importance to the whole macroeconomic situation, and stabilization of the price level for commodity prices. It could also enhance China’s capability to minimize the impact of wheat price fluctuations brought by international grain prices.”-Li Guoxiang, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences

International

Global Food Crisis: Europe hit by drought & e-coli

French Agriculture Minister Bruno Le Maire reporting that rain fall is only half what it was at the same time last year.  French wheat harvests will be down by at least 11%, and exports will be cut in half.

Russia is banning fresh produce from Germany and Spain. At least 14 Germans died from e-coli.  Initially the e-coli was traced to cucumbers, but is now showing up in other produce.

International, U.S.

African Union pushes NATO to accept their peace deal with Gaddafi

“I can say that the Libyan leader is ready to implement what is in the roadmap by the AU.”-South African President Jacob Zuma

For the second time, Gaddafi has accepted an AU cease fire and peace plan.  The first time U.S. led NATO, and the rebels, rejected the offer.  The South African president said: “…the importance of the ceasefire proposed by the AU on condition that NATO and (others) stop bombing and give the Libyan people a chance to solve their problems by themselves.”

The African Union is upset because Libya is a member of the AU, and the AU sees NATO’s actions against Libya as an attack against the African continent.

 

U.S.

Texas tries to criminalize TSA grope fest, gets slammed by Department of Justice, Utah says will criminalize TSA

“The absolute overbearing audacity of the federal government in threatening Texas while Texas is trying to protect their citizens should really offend any red-blooded American.”-Carl Wimmer, Utah State Representative

Texas tried to make it a crime if Transportation Security Administration screeners touched your fiddly bits during a pat downs.  The U.S. Department of Justice stopped it by threatening to shut down flights in and out of Texas.

Now Utah says they want to criminalize TSA pat down grope fests as well: “Texas needs us to stand with them.”-Carl Wimmer

The Utah Legislature will vote on their bill next year.

Technology, U.S.

The U.S. IS a Police State: FAST system completes first field test, will determine if you “intend” to commit a crime

According to nature.com, Homeland Security field tested the new Future Attribute Screening Technology system, at an undisclosed location in March 2011.  Up ’till now testing was done in a laboratory setting, officials claim 70% success rate.

FAST is a system that is supposed to tell if you are going to commit a crime (they call it “malintent”).  It measures things like heart rate, and eye movement.  U.S. Department of Homeland Security wants to use it at airports, sporting events, shopping malls, etc.

Many scientists question the rational of the FAST system: “Even having an iris scan or fingerprint read at immigration is enough to raise the heart rate of most legitimate travelers.”-Tom Ormerod, Investigative Expertise Unit at Lancaster University, U.K.

“I believe that the premise of this approach — that there is an identifiable physiological signature uniquely associated with malicious intent — is mistaken.”-Steven Aftergood, Federation of American Scientists

 

International, Opinion

Queen Elizabeth II says U.K. could break up, Scots overjoyed call royal family “parasites”. Royals are Ultimate Welfare recipients

“Regardless of Her Majesty’s personal views, it is the job of her private secretary to take these issues seriously and to investigate them and that’s precisely what is going on.”-unnamed Buckingham Palace source

In the Sunday Times Queen Elizabeth II expressed concerns she may be the last monarch of the U.K.

In a meeting with Prime Minister David Cameron she discussed the possible break up of the United Kingdom.  So far this year, Scotland has been leading the charge for independence, with word that people in Wales are about to join in.  The Queen’s recent visit to the Republic of Ireland was seen as an attempt to bring that independent country back under the control of the House of Windsor.

Elizabeth II (aka Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor) is especially concerned that Scotland might win its independence through the Parliament.  Scotland and England formed a union in 1707, called the Act of Union.  The Union came about as a result of economic sanctions by the English against Scotland, and bribery of Scottish officials.  It is notable that many Scottish “commoners”, and even the lower clergy of the Church of Scotland, were openly opposed to such a union.

Scottish independence activist Charlie Veitch, called monarchies “…a parasite upon natural order and upon natural law because we are all created equal under the eyes of God, the universe, or whatever you believe in.”

Veitch went on to say: “The Queen, in a way, she is a ridiculous figure head of an old world order…we want to make sure that the new world does not have these old, elitist establishment controls that we saw in the past.”

The Commonwealth consists of United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent/Grenadines, Belize, Antigua/Barbuda and Saint Kitts/Nevis.  (in the 1990s I met a few Canadian Army Sergeants who insisted the United States had been secretly brought back into the Commonwealth)

The United Kingdom consists of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Is the Queen just a figure head?  Only when it comes to the Commonwealth as a whole, but, in the United Kingdom the Queen has real power:  She is the Governor of the Church of England and Scotland.  She is the Head of the Armed Forces with ultimate say in how the military is used; if she didn’t like British troops being sent on this War on Terror she can just wave her magic hand, and the Parliament would be forced to bring the troops home.  She opens every yearly session of Parliament by dictating what should be discussed, in other words she sets the agenda.  She is the one who signs new laws, not the Prime Minister.

And who pays for the expenses of the Royal Family?  The taxpayers.  Things like staffing, state visits, public engagements, and official entertainment are paid for with public money from funds called Grants in Aid, and Civil List (by making the Royal Wedding a public event they can legally charge the taxpayers for it).

You see, the rich don’t stay rich by spending their money, they spend your money!

Normally British taxpayers pay for Royal Weddings, but with the marriage of Kate and William the Royal Family recognized the financial sufferings of the people, and decided to pay for part of the wedding.  The Middletons also paid for part of the wedding (they are “commoners” by title only, or lack of title).  The British taxpayers still had to pay for security and clean up.

The fact that the taxpayers must legally pay for official expenses of the Royal Family (not the Royal’s personal expenses of course) is the reason rebels like Charlie Veitch call royals “parasites”.  Basically the Royal Family is the ultimate welfare recipient.

 

 

 

U.S.

The U.S. IS a Police State: Videos posted on the Internet prove it!

If you’re wondering if the United States could become a Police State, stop, you’re too late, it already is!

For proof go to YouTube and type in “police brutality” and get ready for hundreds of videos.  You can even get specific by typing in city names, or something like “nypd brutality” or “lapd brutality”, etc.

Here’s some of the titles: “police turn off camera then beat woman sensless”, “Grandpa, Pregnant Mom get Tasered at Baptism Party!”, “Deaf Wood Carver gets Murdered by Cop in Cold Blood!”, “Iraq Veteran gets Tasered and Beaten Down @ Airport”, “NYPD Officer Smith beat a girl in the street…”, “LAPD May Day brutality”.

Enjoy. Maybe your city’s police are on YouTube?

 

International, Opinion, U.S.

Karzai gives U.S. final warning, orders Afghan troops to stop “arbitrary” U.S. military action

“The president called this incident a great mistake, the murdering of Afghanistan’s children and women, and on behalf of the Afghan people gives his last warning to the U.S. troops and U.S. officials in this regard.”-Press statement from the office of President Hamid Karzai

On May 28, yet another U.S. led NATO attack killed more civilians than militants. That’s several air strikes killing civilians for the month of May, as well as U.S. led attacks that killed Afghan police.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai says he’s had enough, and has ordered Afghan government forces to take night combat operations away from U.S. led coalition forces, and, to stop any U.S. led military action viewed as “arbitrary” by Afghan forces.  Karzai said the U.S. led coalition was “…murdering Afghanistan’s children and women.”

As usual coalition leaders apologized for killing civilians: “I want to offer my sincere apologies for the nine civilians who were killed during the incident in Now Zad District, Helmand province, that occurred on 28 May.”-Major General John Toolan, ISAF commander southwest Afghanistan

As usual President Obama said they would take the matter seriously: “President Karzai has expressed on a number of occasions his concerns about civilian casualties. Those are concerns that we share and take very seriously.”-Jay Carney, spokesman for President Barack Obama

You know what president Obama? Actions speak louder than words, and I think the Afghan government is tired of smelling the bullshit!