Category Archives: U.S.

Business/Economics, U.S.

Exxon Mobil lies about paying taxes, includes taxes YOU pay

“We are one of the largest taxpayers in the United States.”- Alan Jeffers, Exxon Mobil spokesman

Exxon announced they paid $3.1 billion in taxes in the United States, but that’s more than the $2.6 billion in profit they made.  How can they pay more in taxes than what they make?  They lie.  Exxon includes the taxes paid at the pump by YOU, and the taxes paid by their own employees.

The Exxon announcement came after criticism about how little taxes they actually pay.  So to pump up their claim of paying taxes they included the taxes that consumers pay when they fill up their vehicles at Exxon/Mobil gas stations.  Does the oil industry think people are that dumb?

On top of that Exxon Mobil used their own employee’s payroll taxes!

So Exxon claims to be one of the largest taxpayers in the country, but Bob McIntyre, at Citizens for Tax Justice, points out “They are counting taxes they don’t pay. Payroll taxes are on the workers, sales taxes are on the consumers.”

Technology, U.S.

Facebook denies acting as government spy, but, at the same time confirms it

“We don’t respond to pressure, we respond to compulsory legal process. There has never been a time we have been pressured to turn over data — we fight every time we believe the legal process is insufficient. The legal standards for compelling a company to turn over data are determined by the laws of the country, and we respect that standard.”-Facebook spokesman

That’s the response from Facebook, who says they do not ‘automatically’ process info for governments.  Julian Assange, of WikiLeaks, says he has evidence that social media sites have had to deal with so many requests by governments, for user’s account info, that they simply hand it over automatically.

However, Facebook does not deny that they hand the government info on users, in fact Facebook has a specific department for that, called “CIPP-certified professionals”.  The CIPP is supervised by two former federal cyber crime prosecutors.

Facebook also admitted that they would like to deal with less of these cases, and, are looking for a legal way not to comply with government demands for info.

Business/Economics, Opinion, U.S.

Occupy America: Why are Diesel fuel prices so high? Diesel commodity futures trading less than Gas, even with low sulfur refining

Read my November 20, and November 5, 2011, postings about current diesel prices.  It’s bad news, it explains why prices are only going up, and how fracking of natural gas is really for fuel production.

May 3, Diesel fuel prices are higher than gas, at the pump.

In Idaho, as of May 3, most gas stations are selling Diesel for about $4.15 per gallon.  The highest is $4.50 near Mountain Home.  That’s way higher than gas.  Most gas stations are selling gasoline around $3.65 per gallon, with the highest at $4.00 near Hailey, Idaho.

Yet Diesel futures are selling for less than gas futures on the commodities market.   As of May 2, gas futures, for June delivery, were at $3.34 per gallon.  Compare that to Diesel NY at $3.29, and Diesel Gulf at $3.31 per gallon.

So why is Diesel so much higher at the pump?

Many websites say it’s because Diesel must be refined to low sulfur standards.  That doesn’t explain the higher price at the pump!  The commodity prices paid are for already refined Diesel, so the claim that low sulfur refining is the cause doesn’t work.

Some people say it’s because Diesel is actually in higher demand than gasoline, due to industry (like trucking & airlines, “jet” fuel is actually a form of Diesel/Kerosene) and the military (possibly the biggest user of Diesel, thank the War on Terror).  That might be, but normally the commodity price reflects anticipated demand.

Some journalists have asked oil executives about fuel costs, but oil executives can only talk about the price of refined fuels sold on the commodities market, not at the pump.

What about taxes?  It turns out that taxes for Diesel are more than taxes for gasoline.  In Idaho the average (January 2011) pump tax (combined state/federal) for Diesel is 49.4 cents per gallon.  For gas, in Idaho, it’s 43.4 cents.  That’s only a 6 cents per gallon difference, so that doesn’t explain the 50 cent per gallon difference in the pump price of Diesel vs gasoline ($4.15 for Diesel minus $3.65 for gas).

By the way, California has the highest tax rates in the country for Diesel at 76 cents per gallon, and gas at 66.1 cents.  That’s because California has higher local and state taxes on top of the federal taxes.

So, the only conclusion I can come up with is that Diesel fuel prices, at the pump, are higher than gasoline due to higher taxes for Diesel, and maybe  higher demand for Diesel (again that’s usually what drives commodity prices, before it gets to the pump).  Maybe gas stations are trying to make up for their extremely slim profit margins on gas prices by jacking up the more stable Diesel prices?



Business/Economics, U.S.

U.S. Gas prices will be about $4.50 average by end of May

The price of May reformulated unleaded blendstock gasoline futures prices hit $3.37 per gallon, on April 29.  That means the average price of gas at the pump could be $4.50 by the end of May.

For some parts of the country, like California, prices could hit $5.50 or more, per gallon.  For a little explainer on gasoline futures see my post “Think gas is high now…”

International, Opinion, U.S.

Don’t blame Pakistan. U.S. knew for years where Osama bin Laden was, because “he was your operator”

“Look everybody knew that Osama bin Laden was hiding out in Pakistan. Al-Qaeda and Taliban have officers with practically, publicly known addresses and that was no secret that the ISI and other factions of the Pakistani military were backing this and this was not secret. That enormous amount of Saudi money was supporting these operations including al-Qaeda.”-Jeff Steinberg, Executive Intelligence Review

There’s growing calls for action against Pakistan for “hiding” Osama bin Laden. But the truth is that the U.S. government knew bin Laden was in Pakistan, or at least being protected by Pakistan, for years, if not decades.

In October 2010, The Guardian published an article in which an unnamed NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) officer said bin Laden was in Pakistan and that “Nobody in al-Qaida is living in a cave.”

An NBC interview of current Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari (husband of assassinated Benazir Bhutto), aired in May, 2009, in which President Zardari said the U.S. government always knew where bin Laden was in the past, saying “…he was your operator.” He believed bin Laden was now dead because: “I’ve asked my counterparts in the American intelligence agencies and they haven’t heard of him in seven years.”

David Frost interviewed Benazir Bhutto in November 2007, and she said bin Laden was dead.  She was explaining that a failed October 2007 assassination attempt on her life could have been carried out by “…Omar Sheikh, the man who murdered Osama bin Laden.”

ABC news aired a story in February 2007, in which they say the CIA (Central Intelligence Agency) said bin Laden was in Pakistan: “…to the best of our knowledge that the senior leadership, No. 1 and No. 2, are there, and they are attempting to re-establish and rebuild and to establish training camps.”-Mike McConnell, Director of National Intelligence

CBS news, in a January 2002 report, not only said bin Laden was in Pakistan, but was near death because of failing kidneys.  According to the reporter, even the President of Pakistan knew: “But it was Pakistan`s President Musharraf who said in public what many suspected, that bin Laden suffers from kidney disease, saying he thinks bin Laden may be near death. His evidence, watching this most recent video, showing a pale and haggard bin Laden, his left hand never moving.”-Barry Petersen, CBS correspondent

On August 22, 2001 (weeks before September 11, 2001) The Asia Times published an article that said the United States, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan were in negotiations for the capture of bin Laden, in order to avoid “…the secret deployment of US special forces in northern areas, for an operation inside Afghanistan to apprehend bin Laden ‘dead or alive any time soon’.”

You can go back all the way to the 1980s, when the United States, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan worked together to bring Osama bin Laden to Afghanistan to create what would become the Taliban, and al-Qaeda.  Ahmed Rashid, respected expert on Afghan issues, quotes bin Laden in his book “Taliban” (first published in 2000): “I settled in Pakistan in the Afghan border region. There I received volunteers who came from the Saudi Kingdom and from all over the Arab and Muslim countries.  I set up my first camp where these volunteers were trained by Pakistani and American officers.”-Osama bin Laden

So from the beginning, all the way back to 1980, Osama bin Laden was in Pakistan, by his own words.  The fact that he was supported by not only the Saudis and Pakistanis, but the United States, should cause concern, and doubt about what any of the governments of those countries now say about bin Laden.  There are many more statements by public officials from the U.S. and Pakistan that show, if anything, the public has been lied to from day one. 





 

International, Opinion, U.S.

U.S. officials admit they “dumped” Osama bin Laden’s body, more bullsh*t!

“You wouldn’t want to leave him so that his body could become a shrine.”-unnamed official

According to a Reuters report, bin Laden’s dead body was dumped so it would not become a symbol, or inspiration for would-be militants.  This is more bullsh*t!  Muslims do not keep bodies on display!  ALL Muslims are to be buried in the ground, if possible.   Somebody give me an example where a Muslim was dug up and used as symbol of inspiration, or a “shrine”!  That is another violation of Islam!

It’s starting to sound like Obama officials, who are obviously ignorant of the ways of Islam, are scrambling to come up with explanations as to what happened to the body.   This also proves that Barack Obama is NOT a Muslim!

International, U.S.

Iraqis say Israeli warplanes seen on U.S. base in Iraq

A source close to prominent Iraqi cleric Muqtada al-Sader, say they have seen Israeli aircraft on the al-Asad air base in Iraq.

The aircraft have been taking part in night time training exercises.  The unnamed source says the exercises are part of preparations to attack Iran.

This is not the first time that Israeli aircraft have operated in Iraq.  In 2008 Iraqi government officials reported that the U.S. was allowing Israeli planes to land and take off form bases in Iraq.

International, U.S.

From the grave: Benazir Bhutto says Osama bin Laden assassinated years ago

“Yes but one of them is a very key figure in security, he is a former military officer … and had dealings with Omar Sheikh, the man who murdered Osama Bin Laden.“-Pakistani Premier Benazir Bhutto, 2007 interview by David Frost

More questions about President Obama’s claims that Osama bin Laden was killed on May 1, 2011.

In an old 2007 interview, former U.S. ally, and former Pakistani Premier Benazir Bhutto, said Osama bin Laden was assassinated by a man named Omar Sheikh.  She was explaining that a failed October 2007 assassination attempt on her life could have been carried out by “…Omar Sheikh, the man who murdered Osama bin Laden.”

She also mentioned that bin Laden’s son could have been behind the attempt on her life.  Bhutto was assassinated in December 2007.

International, U.S.

Osama bin Laden buried at sea, why? Official says following Islamic Law. Bullsh*t NO SUCH LAW

John Brennan, homeland security and counter terrorism adviser to President Obama, says Osama bin Laden’s body was hastily buried at sea, after the Sunday special military operation that supposedly killed him.

Why?  Does the United States have a new policy of burying at sea any enemy of the state?  Anyone watching the Sunday night U.S. media frenzy about the supposed killing, should remember how journalists were sure bin Laden’s body would be shown, as other bodies had been shown.

The U.S. government says they were trying to follow Islamic Law, which says a body should be buried at sea within 24 hours of death.  Since when did the U.S. government start following Islamic Law!?  Not only that, but ask any Muslim and there is no such law, someone is full of sh*t!

I checked, and it is against Islamic Law to bury a Muslim at sea!  Muslims must be buried in the ground!

Also, more lies, U.S. media reported that the Pakistani government was involved, but there are reports coming out of Pakistan that say otherwise.  President Obama said in his Sunday night announcement that Pakistan was informed, but a U.S. official counters that saying: “We shared this intelligence on the compound with no other country, including Pakistan.”

 

Technology, U.S.

WikiLeaks founder says Facebook & Twitter are secret spy tools for governments

“Do not use Facebook and Twitter”-Egyptian revolution manual

WikiLeaks founder has told Russian media that he’s discovered that popular social networking tools are really tools for many governments to collect data on the users.

Julian Assange is talking about Facebook, Twitter, even Yahoo and Google.  He says an Egyptian revolution manual warns people not to use the social networking sites, because in past demonstrations, the demonstrators that used Facebook, or Twitter, were immediately targeted and arrested by government forces.  Assange says social networking sites provide governments with a cheap, almost free way to gather information.

“So Facebook in particular, is the most appalling spying machine that has ever been ever invented.”- Julian Assange, Russia Today interview

Assange points out that governments are not directly involved, but are taking advantage of the fact that people love to post even the most detrimental information about themselves, and others, on the internet.

He also says that the social media sites have “…built in interfaces…” with intelligence agencies.  This came as a result of legal pressure from the U.S. government.  Rather than deal with individual court orders for individual databases, media sites decided it would be easier to give government agencies blanket access.

“Everyone should understand that when they add their friends to Facebook they’re doing free work for United States intelligence agencies in building these databases for them.”-Julian Assange, Russia Today interview

Assange’s interview is on RT web site. It is in two parts, totaling 41 minutes.  His comments about social media sites are at the end of the second part.