Tag Archives: banks

Business/Economics, U.S.

Black Horse & Government Crime: Officials for Governor Scott Walker steal $21,000 from war veterans, enticing children

I looked, and there before me was a black horse! Its rider was holding a pair of scales in his hand. Then I heard what sounded like a voice among the four living creatures, saying, “A quart of wheat for a day’s wages, and three quarts of barley for a day’s wages, and do not damage the oil and the wine!”

Tim Russell, former aide to Wisconsin Christian Elitist Governor Scott Walker, was arrested for embezzlement, after a secret investigation.

Also arrested, Brian Pierick and Kevin Kavanaugh, both have ties to Scott Walker.

Brian Pierick, an aid to Russell, was charged with enticing a child!  Kevin Kavanaugh, Walker’s appointee to the Milwaukee County Veterans Service Commission, was charged with theft and fraud.

Tim Russell served as Walker’s deputy chief of staff and housing director of Milwaukee County’s department of health and human services.  He’s accused of stealing at least $21,000 meant to go to Iraq and Afghan war veterans.  The complaint says he spent the money on vacations!

In the past year Wisconsin Christian Elitist Scott Walker has ended collective bargaining rights for government workers, among other things.  He’s facing a recall, and raised more than $5 million to fight the recall, but at least half of that money came from outside Wisconsin.

 

 

 

 

 

International, U.S.

White Horse, Red Horse, Black Horse: The United States reveals its plans for conquest, war and slavery. Creation of new U.S. Joint Force of 2020. U.S. Congress could be military’s greatest enemy!

I looked, and there before me was a white horse! Its rider held a bow, and he was given a crown, and he rode out as a conqueror bent on conquest.

Then another horse came out, a fiery red one. Its rider was given power to take peace from the earth and to make men slay each other.

I looked, and there before me was a black horse! Its rider was holding a pair of scales in his hand. Then I heard what sounded like a voice among the four living creatures, saying, “A quart of wheat for a day’s wages, and three quarts of barley for a day’s wages, and do not damage the oil and the wine!”

            “I’d like to begin by thanking President Obama for coming here this morning, and for his vision, guidance and leadership as this Department went through the intensive review we undertook to develop the new strategic guidance we are releasing today.

“This guidance recognizes that this country is at a strategic turning point after a decade of war and large increases in defense spending. As the President mentioned, the U.S. military’s mission in Iraq has now ended, continued progress in Afghanistan is enabling a transition to Afghan security responsibility, the NATO effort in Libya has concluded with the fall of Qaddafi, targeted counterterrorism efforts have significantly weakened al Qaeda and decimated its leadership, and now as these events are occurring, the Congress has mandated that we achieve significant defense savings.

“But even as our large-scale military campaigns recede, the United States still faces a complex and growing array of security challenges across the globe, challenges that call for a reshaping of America’s defense priorities, focusing on the continuing threat of violent extremism, proliferation of lethal weapons and materials, the destabilizing behavior of Iran and North Korea, the rise of new powers across Asia, and the dramatic changes in the Middle East.

“All of this comes at a time when America confronts a serious deficit and debt problem which is itself a national security risk that is squeezing both the defense and domestic budgets. Even facing these considerable pressures, including the requirement of the Budget Control Act to reduce defense spending by $487 billion over 10 years, I do not believe that we must choose between national security and fiscal responsibility. The Department of Defense will play its part in helping the nation put its fiscal house in order.

“But the President has made clear, and I have made clear, that the savings we have been mandated to achieve must be driven by strategy and rigorous analysis, not by the numbers alone.

“Consequently, over the past few months, we have conducted an intensive review to guide defense priorities and spending over the coming decade, in light of strategic guidance from the President and the recommendations of this Department’s senior military and civilian leadership. This process has enabled us to assess risk, set priorities, and make hard choices. Let me be clear, this Department would need to make a strategic shift regardless of the nation’s fiscal situation. That is the reality of the world we live in.

“As difficult as it may be to achieve the mandated defense savings, this has also given us in the Department of Defense the opportunity to reshape our defense strategy and force structure to more effectively meet the challenges of the future, deter aggression, shape the security environment and decisively prevail in any conflict.

“From the beginning, I set out to ensure that this strategy review was inclusive. Chairman Dempsey and I met frequently with Departmental leaders, including my Under Secretaries, the Service Chiefs, Service Secretaries, Combatant Commanders and senior enlisted advisors. We’ve discussed this strategy and its implications with the President, with members of Congress, and with outside experts.

“Four overarching principles have guided our deliberations:

  • First, we must maintain the world’s finest military, one that supports and sustains the unique global leadership role of the United States;
  • Second, we must avoid hollowing out the force– a smaller, ready, and well-equipped military is preferable to a larger, ill-prepared force that has been arbitrarily cut across-the- board;
  • Third, savings must be achieved in a balanced manner with everything on the table, including politically sensitive areas that will likely provoke opposition from parts of Congress, industry, and advocacy groups;
  • Fourth, we must preserve the quality of our All-Volunteer Force and not break faith with our men and women in uniform or their families.

“With these principles in mind, I will focus on some of the significant strategic choices and shifts that are being made. But first, let me be clear that the U.S. military will remain capable across the spectrum. We will continue to conduct a complex set of missions ranging from countering terrorism and weapons of mass destruction to maintaining a safe, secure and effective nuclear deterrent. We will be fully prepared to protect our interests, defend our homeland and support civil authorities.

“Our goal is to achieve this U.S. force for the future with the following significant changes:

“First, the U.S. joint force [notice no explanation of what the “joint” U.S. force is] will be smaller and leaner, but its great strength will be that it is more agile, flexible, ready to deploy, innovative and technologically advanced.

“Second, as we move towards this new joint force, we are also rebalancing our global posture and presence, emphasizing the Pacific and the Middle East — these are the areas where we see the greatest challenges for the future. The U.S. military will increase its institutional weight and focus on enhanced presence, power projection, and deterrence in Asia-Pacific. This region is growing in importance to the future of the United States economy and our national security. This means, for instance, improving capabilities that maintain our military’s technological edge and freedom of action.

“At the same time, the United States will place a premium on maintaining our military presence and capabilities in the broader Middle East. The United States and our partners must remain capable of deterring and defeating aggression while supporting political progress and reform.

“Third, the United States will continue to strengthen its key alliances, build partnerships and develop innovative ways to sustain U.S. presence elsewhere in the world.

“The long history of close political and military cooperation with our European allies and partners will be critical to addressing the challenges of the 21st century. We will invest in the shared capabilities and responsibilities of NATO, our most effective military alliance. The U.S. military’s force posture in Europe will of necessity continue to adapt and evolve to meet new challenges and opportunities, particularly in light of the security needs of the continent relative to emerging strategic priorities elsewhere. We are committed to sustaining a presence that will meet Article 5 commitments, deter aggression, and the U.S. military will work closely with our allies to allow for the kinds of coalition operations NATO has undertaken in Libya and Afghanistan.

“In Latin America, Africa and elsewhere in the world, we will use innovative methods to sustain U.S. presence, maintaining key military-to-military relations and pursuing new security partnerships as needed. Whenever possible, we will develop low-cost and small-footprint approaches to achieve our security objectives, emphasizing rotational deployments and exercises, and other innovative approaches that maintain presence.

“Fourth, as we shift the size and composition of our ground, air, and naval forces, we must be capable of successfully confronting and defeating any aggressor and respond to the changing nature of warfare.

“Our strategy review concluded that the United States must have the capability to fight in several conflicts at the same time. We are not confronting the threats of the past. We are confronting the threats of the 21st century and that demands greater flexibility to shift and deploy forces to fight and defeat any enemy anywhere. How we defeat that enemy may vary across conflicts. But make no mistake — we will have the capability to confront and defeat more than one adversary at a time.

“As a global force, our military will never be doing only one thing — it will be responsible for a range of missions and activities across the globe of varying scope, duration, and strategic priority. This will place a premium on flexible and adaptable forces that can respond quickly and effectively to a variety of contingencies and potential adversaries.

“In addition to these forces, the United States will emphasize building the capacity of partners and allies to more effectively defend their own territory and interests through better use of diplomacy, development and security force assistance.

“In accordance with this construct and with the end of U.S. military commitments in Iraq, and the drawdown already underway in Afghanistan, the Army and Marine Corps will no longer need to be sized to support the large scale, long-term stability operations that dominated military priorities and force generation over the past decade.

“Lastly, as we reduce the overall defense budget, we will protect our investments in special operations forces, new technologies like ISR and unmanned systems, space and cyberspace capabilities and our capacity to quickly mobilize. These investments will help the military retain and continue to refine and institutionalize the expertise and capabilities that have been gained at such great cost over the last decade.

“Most importantly, we will structure and pace the reductions in the nation’s ground forces in such a way that they can surge, regenerate, and mobilize capabilities needed for any contingency. Building in reversibility and the ability to quickly mobilize will be key. That means reexamining the mix of elements in the active and reserve components, maintaining a strong National Guard and Reserve, retaining a healthy cadre of experienced NCOs and midgrade officers, and preserving the health and viability of the nation’s defense industrial base.

“This strategic guidance is a first step in this Department’s goal to build the Joint Force of 2020, a force sized and shaped differently than the military of the Cold War, the post-Cold War force of the 1990s, or the force built over the past decade to engage in large-scale ground wars.

“This strategy and vision will guide the more specific budget decisions that will be finalized and announced in the coming weeks as part of the President’s budget. In some cases we will be reducing capabilities no longer of top priority. In other cases we will invest in new capabilities to maintain a decisive military edge against a growing array of threats.

“There is no question that we have to make some tradeoffs, and that we will be taking on some level of additional but acceptable risk in the budget plan we release next month. These were not easy choices.

“We will continue aggressive efforts to weed out waste and reduce overhead, reform business practices, and consolidate duplicative operations. But budget reductions of this magnitude will inevitably impact the size and capabilities of our military. And as I’ve said before, true national security cannot be achieved through a strong military alone — it requires strong diplomatic, development, and intelligence efforts and, above all, it requires a strong economy, fiscal discipline and effective government.

“The capability, readiness and agility of the force will not be sustained if Congress fails to do its duty and the military is forced to accept far deeper cuts, in particular the arbitrary, across-the-board cuts currently scheduled to take effect in January of 2013 through the mechanism of sequester. That would force us to shed missions, commitments, and capabilities necessary to protect core U.S. national security interests, resulting in a demoralized and hollow force.

“And finally, I’d also like to address our men and women in uniform, and the civilian employees who support them, whom I know have been watching the budget debates here in Washington with concern about what it means for them and their families. You have done everything the country has asked you to do, and more.

“You have put your lives on the line, and fought to make our country safer and stronger. I believe this strategic guidance honors your sacrifices and strengthens the country by building a force equipped for the future. I have no higher responsibility than fighting to protect you and your families, just as you have fought and bled to protect our country.

“There is no doubt that the fiscal situation this country faces is difficult, and in many ways we are at a crisis point. But I believe that in every crisis, there is opportunity. Out of this crisis, we have the opportunity to end the old ways of doing business and build a modern force for the 21st century that can win today’s wars and successfully confront any enemy, and respond to any challenge of the future. Our responsibility is to protect the nation’s security and keep America safe. With this joint force [again, no clear explanation of “joint force”], I am confident we can effectively defend the United States of America.

“Thank you.”-Leon Panetta, Secretary of Defense for the United States

Business/Economics, Idaho, U.S.

What Economic Recovery? Idaho’s Coldwater Creek still struggling, $124 million in losses, former employee leaves to start her own company. Forget Coldwater Creek keep your eye on Meesh & Mia

According to some reports, Idaho based Coldwater Creek finished 2011 with a net loss of at least $124 million!  They also saw a 20% drop in sales in their last quarter of 2011, after a 28% drop in sales the quarter before that!

The problem seems to be that Coldwater Creek’s prices, and quality of goods, are targeted to mid range consumers.

One big factor with this bad economy is that the middle class is shrinking, with some lucky to make it to the upper classes, but most ended up in the lower classes.  As a result consumer spending is matching that trend.  Only low end and high end retailers seem to be doing better.  Those retailers still catering to mid level consumers are suffering.

On January 3, the Coeur d’Alene Press wrote about Elizabeth Turley, a former Coldwater Creek and Chico’s employee, who started her own clothing business in Sandpoint, Idaho.

The company is called Meesh & Mia, and is targeting consumers that Coldwater Creek probably should have; young college women.  Meesh & Mia focuses on providing fashionable women’s clothing with university logos, and with the bad economy pushing a lot of women into college, business is booming.

Up ’till Meesh & Mia, most college clothing was targeted towards men and athletes.  But Turley also credits exposure in the national media with her company’s success, and blames the national media for troubles at Chico’s and Coldwater Creek: “It was kind of funny, because I had tried without any success when I was at Chico’s and again at Coldwater Creek to get placement on the Today Show.  And then here we were, little Meesh & Mia, making a debut. Kathy Lee and Hoda touched our product and the guest, a Southern Living editor, ever so briefly said, “great companies like Meesh & Mia.'”

Some stock analysts tried to end 2011 by sounding upbeat about Coldwater Creek, but it looks like Meesh & Mia is where to invest your money.  Turley expects to double her employees in 2012, as well as expand her customer base by adding 135 colleges and universities to her client list.

“It’s remarkable that no one has done this before! We’re certain that others will follow our lead, but it’s a $10 billion market, so there’s room for competition.”-Elizabeth Turley, Meesh & Mia founder

 

 

 

Business/Economics, Technology, U.S.

Government & Corporate Incompetence: Ohio suffering mass earthquakes, officials blame Fracking. Not the first time; Arkansas blamed Fracking on increased quakes back in July

“The earthquakes will trickle on as a kind of a cascading process once you’ve caused them to occur. This one year of pumping is a pulse that has been pushed into the ground, and it’s going to be spreading out for at least a year.”-John Armbruster, Columbia University’s Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory

On New Year’s Eve, Ohio had a 4.0 quake.  It’s part of many quakes the state has suffered since March 2011.  Now state lawmakers are banning the energy industry’s practice of Fracking.

Energy companies inject chemically heavy water, under extreme pressures, deep into the ground.  It releases natural gas from shale. The gas is used mainly for the oil industry’s hydrogen cracking process, which makes fuels cleaner burning.

For a long time it’s been claimed that fracking pollutes underground water sources, but the industry has successfully fought off such claims.  Another claim is that it could cause earthquakes.

Now, seismologists with the U.S. Geological Survey have testified to Ohio officials that the state’s unusual quake activity is directly related to fracking wastewater injection.

In July, the Arkansas Oil and Gas Commission banned  fracking wastewater injection, because of increased earthquake activity.

Energy companies doing the fracking are taking their wastewater and injecting it deep into underground sand deposits, to get rid of it.  Scientists say the problem is that the companies have overshot the underground sand beds, and are basically pressurizing fault lines.

Business/Economics, International, U.S.

Global Economic War: China’s strong economy can not exist without outside supplies, like oil from Iran

Chinese officials reporting that their country is the biggest consumer of natural resources in the world, and most of those resources come from outside China.

Zhang Ping, director of the National Development and Reform Commission, said China uses double the world average in energy (based on GDP).  Also, more than 50% of China’s petroleum and iron ore comes from other countries (like Libya and Iran in the case of oil).

Still, the amount of energy usage is far behind China’s incredible economic growth: Domestic economic growth averaging an annual rate of 11.2%, while energy consumption remains at 6.6%.

 

International, U.S.

Global Economic War: Puerto Rico pushes for Independence from U.S. Empire, wants to join the anti-U.S./Canada CELAC

The United Nations Decolonization Committee (UNDC) will be considering pleas for help from Puerto Ricans, who’re seeking freedom from the control of the United States.

A group called United Partners for the Decolonization of Puerto Rico have petitioned the UN.  The UNDC  will be holding hearings during the summer of 2012 (usually in the month New York City holds its Puerto Rican Day Parade).

Puerto Ricans have expressed a desire to join the newly formed CELAC: “CELAC is a great idea! But it will never be complete until Puerto Rico (PR) is included.”-José M. López Sierra, United Partners for the Decolonization of Puerto Rico

 

International, U.S.

World War 3: Arab League monitors in Syria fail, Arab League says Syrian officials made fools out of them. Excuse for war with Syria? Syrian’s say Saudi observer caught urging people to rebel. U.S. forces advising new rebel army

”For this to happen in the presence of Arab monitors has roused the anger of Arab people and negates the purpose of sending a fact-finding mission. This is giving the Syrian regime an Arab cover for continuing its inhumane actions under the eyes and ears of the Arab League.”-Ali al-Salem al-Dekbas, Arab League

After only six days in Syria, some Arab League officials have called for the withdrawal of their observer mission.  It seems hasty, but it makes sense since the Arab League is controlled by the pro-U.S. Qatari government: “[Monitors] are being affected by some regional powers, such as Qatar or major Egyptian officials, and international powers even at the level of the European community and the U.S.  This international pressure will prevent them from independent reporting.”-Maher Salloum, Universal Peace Federation

More evidence that the Arab League observer mission is a sham; on December 30, a Saudi member of the team made a speech at a mosque in Harasta, Syria.  He actually implored Syrians to rise up against the government.

Independent Arab media sources say a 6,000 strong army has formed in northern Syria.  It’s being called The Free Syrian Army.  Independent journalists say the army is armed with anti-tank missiles, mortars and rocket launchers, and, it is being advised by U.S./NATO military forces.

International, Opinion, U.S.

World War 3 & One World Government: 12 Warning signs from Argentine Political Analyst

The following warning signs came from Adrian Salbuchi, a political analyst in Argentina.

1) Financial Meltdown. Since 2008, the Global Financial System continues on life-support. Ben Bernanke, Timothy Geithner and the US economic hit team – Robert Rubin, Larry Summers and Goldman Sachs, CitiGroup, JPMorganChase mega-bankers working with the Bank of England and the European Central Bank – have not and will not take any measures to help the populace and ailing economies.  They just funnel trillions to the banking elite, imposing the media myth that certain banks are “too big to fail” (Orwellian Newspeak for “too damn powerful to fail”). Why? Because it’s not governments overseeing, supervising and controlling Goldman Sachs, CitiCorp, HSBC, Deutsche Bank, JPMorganChase, but exactly the other way around…

2) Economic Crises.  Today, “Destructive Extreme Capitalism” [like Mitt Romney’s Bain Capital] is collapsing national and regional economies, reformatting them into international slave-labour Gulag-like entities that Joseph Stalin would envy.   Our woes lie not with the world’s real economy (mostly intact), but with the fake world of finance, banks, and speculation;

3) Social Upheavals.  Meltdowns in Greece, Ireland, Portugal, Iceland and – soon to come – Italy, Spain and others, trigger violent social uprisings, even in the US and UK;

4) Pandemics.  Get ready for more “flu surprises” leading to mandatory vaccinations: a discreet opportunity to slip RFID chips into our bodies and test “intelligent viruses” targeting specific DNA strains.  Racially and ethnically selective viruses as part of mass depopulation campaigns?

5) Global Warming. As the global economy sinks into zero growth mode, economic drivers shift from growth expansion to consumption contraction. Will coming “carbon credits” open the path to full societal control?

6) Terrorist “False Flag” Mega-Attacks. The Elite have this wildcard up their sleeve to jump-start new “crises” as short-cuts towards world government.  Will new “attacks” dwarfing 9/11 justify further global wars, invasions and genocide?  A nuclear weapon over a major city to be blamed on the Elite’s “enemies”?

7) Generalized War in the Middle East. As we speak, naval forces, bombers, entire armies are poised to attack and invade Syria, Iran…

8) Ecological/Environmental “Accidents”. The 1986 Chernobyl nuclear accident sparked the beginning of the end of the former USSR by showing the world and the Soviets themselves that their State could no longer manage their own nuclear facilities.  April 2010 saw the BP “Deepwater Horizon” oil rig eco-catastrophe in the Gulf of Mexico; since March 2011, Japan and the world have been grappling with a much larger nuclear accident in the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear complex.  Was foul play involved?

9) Assassination of a major political or religious figure to be blamed on an Elite enemy.  Mossad, CIA, MI6 are really good at playing this type of dirty trick;

10) Attacks on “Rogue States” – Iraq, Libya… Who’s next? Iran? Syria?  Venezuela?  North Korea?

11) Staged “Religious” Event. The growing need of the masses for meaning in their lives makes them easy victims of a Hollywood-staged, 3D virtual reality hologram show, orchestrating a “second coming”.  An electronically engineered “messianic figure” acting in sync with Elite global objectives?   Who would dare go against God himself?

12) Staged “Alien Contact.” This too may be in the works.  For decades, large sectors of world population have been programmed to believe in aliens.  Here too, hologram technology could stage a “space vehicle landing” – on the White House lawn, of course – highlighting the “need” for Mankind to have “unified representation” in the face of extraterrestrials.  Further justification for world government?

U.S.

NAZI-land & the United Police States of America: Obama signs National Defense Act, now U.S. military can be used as police forces within the U.S., you could go to prison for life just for being suspected of being a terrorist, all in the name of National Security

“If you’re an American citizen and you want to help…destroy your own country, here is what’s coming your way.”- Lindsey Graham, U.S. Senator from South Carolina

January 1, 2012, welcome to the new NAZI-land: The United Police States of America!  On December 31, President Barack Obama (the BS Peace Prize winner) quietly signed into law the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012.

“This is a giant step, this should be the biggest news going right now, literally legalizing martial law…This is big. This step where they can literally arrest American citizens and put them away without trial….is arrogant and bold and dangerous.”–Ron Paul, U.S. Representative for Texas

The 2012 Defense Act gives the President of the U.S. (regardless of who is President) the authority to use active duty military forces to police the United States, in the name of fulfilling the September 18, 2001, Authorization for Use of Military Force law.  That law, signed by former President Bush Jr, was essentially a Congressional order given to the office of the President to conduct a War on Terror, after the September 11, 2001 attacks.

So, this new Defense Act not only provides the Defense Department with more than $600 billion in taxpayer dollars, but it expands the 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force law to inside the United States.

It would “…permit the federal government to indefinitely detain American citizens on American soil, without  charge or trial, at the discretion of the President.”-Justin Amash, U.S. Representative from Michigan, one of five House Republicans who voted against the bill

It allows the government to imprison anyone that is suspected of being a terrorist, indefinitely, without being charged or tried in a court of law!  The clause in the new law is the old fail safe for control freak elitists who run this country: “National Security”.

President Obama (a graduate of Harvard Law School) claims he will not use the new law in an arbitrary way: “…I want to clarify that my Administration will not authorize the indefinite military detention without trial of American citizens. Indeed, I believe that doing so would break with our most important traditions and values as a Nation. My Administration will interpret section 1021 in a manner that ensures that any detention it authorizes complies with the Constitution, the laws of war, and all other applicable law.”

Happy New Year!

 

Business/Economics, International, U.S.

What Economic Recovery? Foreign banks dumping U.S. Treasury Bonds

Late on December 30, the U.S. Treasury announced that the dumping of U.S. bonds, by foreign banks, continues and is accelerating.

Back in September the Treasury revealed a $56 billion drop in U.S. Treasury holdings by foreign banks, resulting in a 10 year yield of only 1.67%, the lowest yield since 1945!

Now, for December, an even bigger drop, by $69 billion!!! The result is that the 10 year yield on U.S. Treasuries ended 2011 below 1.9%.

Treasury Department officials also admitted that if it wasn’t for Japan buying up U.S. dollars and other Treasury securities (in August and October), the drop in 2011 foreign holdings would be even bigger!

And this despite the Treasury’s attempt to increase sales through their Operation Twist.  Operation Twist basically exchanges long term bonds for shorter term bonds.