Ten Things

Juan Cole: Top Ten things Bush won't Tell you About the State of the Nation. See also Here and Here.

The Theory of Counterinsurgency in Six Easy Paragraphs. “In counterinsurgency you can win all the battles and still lose the war.” Its very true.

Fox News Fans the Hysteria. At least, F(ascist) OX(ymoronic) News doesn't pretend to be anything it isn't.

Blind Ignorance: It's the American Way

Blind Ignorance is the American way. As Paul Craig Roberts illustrates Polls Show Many Americans are Simply Dumber Than Bush. Here's an excerpt:

A number of US commanders in Iraq and many Middle East experts have told the American public that the three year-old war in Iraq is serving both to recruit and to train terrorists for al Qaeda, which has grown many times its former size. Moreover, the US military has concluded that al Qaeda has succeeded in having its members elected to the new Iraqi government.

We have seen similar developments both in Egypt and in Pakistan. In the recent Egyptian elections, the radical Muslim Brotherhood, despite being suppressed by the Egyptian government, won a large number of seats. In Pakistan elements friendly or neutral toward al Qaeda control about half of the government. In Iraq, Bush's invasion has replaced secular Sunnis with Islamist Shia allied with Iran.

And now with the triumph of Hamas in the Palestinian election, we see the total failure of Bush's Middle Eastern policy. Bush has succeeded in displacing secular moderates from Middle Eastern governments and replacing them with Islamic extremists. It boggles the mind that this disastrous result makes Americans feel safer!

Yet Bush is still supported. Now that is dumb! It seems democracy breeds bad taste.

What Are We Getting?

Seeing the The Debt To the Penny I ask, what are we getting? See Size does matter.

Churches targeted in Iraq blasts. More religious war.

US news anchor hurt in Iraq blast. My ass bleeds.

A Psycho in Every Pot

President Charles Manson. A psycho in every pot.

Argentinia: Autonomous Workers Under Attack. If you abandon your property, don't expect to get it back.

US sets its sights on asymmetric warfare. But it isn't a very good shot.

Public Animal No. 1

Be careful what you wish for. You might just get it.

GG Allin is the true king of Rock'n'Roll. Public Animal No. 1. He was known by his smell.

Iraq: The End Is Not Near.

Smallest Earth-like planet found

Smallest Earth-like planet found. It has five times the Earth's mass, and is very cold. It was found through using a method called microlensing.

Pornocracy

The word of the day is pornocracy, which is defined as government by prostitutes and harlots. I'd be tempted to call the US government a pornocracy, but it would be an insult to street walkers. There are simply some things they will not do for money.

War and Gold

A few notes:

1. It is doubtful the US will attack Iran. It would only make things worse as shown by Muqtada Pledges Defense of Iran from US attack. Although the Administration is really that dumb.

2. Check Out The Indians' Perception Of Gold. If you don't trust banks or the government, gold is the way to go. See also the M3.

Power is Energy

It appears resource wars are being waged between States as well as Guerrillas and States. Energy supply trumps ideology.
See:

Georgia's president has accused Moscow of serious acts of "sabotage" after gas blasts on Russian pipelines cut off supplies to Georgia and Armenia.

And:

Also recent posts on the blog Global Guerrillas.

Power is energy.

Stake a Claim?

So gold's going up on price? Live in the Western US? Why not Stake a Claim? At the very least, you'll have your own private camping spot.

3 from the BBC

Here's 3 from the BBC:

Big falls for Wall Street shares.

Nigerian rebels vow new oil raids.

Iran 'moves assets out of Europe.'

Crank It Up

Here's 4 Links:

The nasty violence inherent in children. Kicking ass with the kiddies.

Of debt, deflation and rotten apples. Deflating.

The Money Printing Excess. Crank it up.

Fighting the Theft of New Orleans. It's a new kind of gentrification.

Chilling

If you ever wanted to go to India and work, here's your chance to be 'Chilling out' for a pittance.

How Chickenshit

Leave it to the Democrats to seek out the lowest common denominator by Targeting Republican Graft. How easy. How chickenshit. The Democrats can once again avoid systemic issues by focusing on an issue that few voters would not support. "We're different" has sunk to the lowest level when the best you can say for yourself is that you don't take illegal bribes (legal ones are OK). I really wish the Democratic Party would just hurry up and die. At least the Republicans stand for something (even if its just mediocre fascism). At least you know where they stand. They may be stupid, but at least they have balls (and entertainment vaule as a result).

They are all losers.

Way To Go!

Pakistan warns US over air strike. So let's say one was concerned over the possibility of Iran acquiring nuclear weapons. So what do you do? Bomb a neighboring country with nuclear weapon crawling with religious fanatics, and people who just like to fight(with an unstable government to boot)! Way to go! The incompetence is breath taking. Just when I thought things could not get any dumber...

Here's who such actions enables, as Juan Cole put it:

The Frontier Mail said that a member of the Pakistani parliament, Shabir Ahmed, addressed a crowd in Peshawar saying that the jihad against the United States must continue, and that just as the Soviet Union had been broken up into 12 countries as a result of its defeat in Afghanistan at the hands of jihadis, so the United States would be broken up into "52" separate countries. This is a member of the Pakistani parliament?

Impeachment by Republicans?

Here's an excerpt from Specter: Bush could face impeachment:

The powerful Republican chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee admitted Sunday President Bush could face impeachment over his authorization for spying on Americans by the National Security Agency.

The Republicans would certainly improve their chances of maintaining their majority. If done quickly, they might be able to mitigate the economic collateral damage brought upon by Bush fiscal policies. Unfortunately, congress are the whores (not to denigrate street-walkers) who allowed it to happen.

Saving Money

The Prudent Investor has more to say regarding the discontinuance of the M3 money supply data set. The Fed says it will save them $1.5 million. It's an easy way to justify Lying with Statistics through omission.

Showing

Sharon 'showing brain activity' but Bush never will.

Pissed Off (About Fascism)

Here's an article that actually managed to piss me off.

Drunk And Armed Is Here

Drunk And Armed is Here.

Small Towns

Here's a little Short concerning the death of small town America. I grew up in a small town that was also a major ski resort. I hated the place and will never go back. It had all the worse aspects of a city and a small town. Those regions that have managed to survive by prostituting themselves deserve to die. They become nothing but plastic. I could go on, but I don't care enough. No wonder Hunter S. Thompson killed himself. I once said that I'd rather live in the inner city and did. Soon I'll have to leave the core to get away somewhat from high gas prices and traffic. But I won't miss much. Gentrification is doing the same thing to the core. Like Europe, the slums are in the Suburbs.

Dollar Tanking?

Is the Dollar Tanking? (via to herd or not to herd) Of course, it is (or will). I believe the panic might begin this year with the opening of the Iranian Oil Bourse.

DRUNK AND ARMED: Coming Soon

The DRUNK AND ARMED Blog will be officially launching soon, but Here's a bonus MP3 from before.

Politicans: The Lowest Form of Life

The only thing dumber than (most) economists are politicians. To Wit:

While economists would dismiss Bush's "stay the course" logic as logically absurd, because it is based on sunk costs not future costs, the sunk cost argument exerts a powerful psychological appeal for those invested in a decision and those incurring losses. It is reflected, for example, in the addicted gambler's belief that a recurring decision to stay the course in a losing game of chance because of an irrational faith that future winnings must exceed the losses already incurred. And like the the mind of the addicted gambler, the mind of a practitioner of war (which is struggling to achieve a goal in the presence of resistance, menace, and uncertainty) is far more dependent on psychology and moral values than the clinical rationalism of theoretical economics. In fact, the "logic" of redeeming failure by spilling more blood to justify that already spilt is one of the oldest themes in war. And its use is most revealing of the moral quality of leadership, particularly if that leadership is not partaking in those losses.

In politics, failure is its own reward.

Happy Monday

Happy Monday



Turkey bird flu cases jump to 14. I can't eat beef, now I can't eat chicken.

When even the pope has to whisper. The Pope ain't buying it.

The Guerrillas who Came in from the Cold. Not one big happy family.

Iraq War Will Cost $1 Trillion

Experts Say Iraq War Will Cost $1 Trillion and that isn't Chump change. It also doesn't include economic collaretal damage. Most of this money will come from China (or maybe Not).

U.S. Troops Draw Up Own Exit Strategy

U.S. Troops Draw Up Own Exit Strategy?
About damn time.

Back From Vacation

Here's 3 More:

Poverty, fear dominate life for Iraq's Gypsies. A people little seen in the media.

Heavy Bloodshed Wracks Iraq Again. Back from vacation.

ECONOMIC FORECAST, 2006: Upswings and downfalls. $100 a barrel oil.

Zapper

Here's 3:

1. The Radio Frequency I.D. Zapper disrupt tracking chips. Just what everyone needs.

2. In The fight against urban apartheid not every Frenchman is clueless.

3. Paul Craig Roberts: A Gestapo Administration. Fascism can be resisted. It certainly brings people together against it.

Bush is a Drunk

Bush is a Drunk whether he's drinking or not.

The Long Emergency

I just finished reading The Long Emergency by James Howard Kunstler. This book, despite its flaws, was interesting reading. The main point is that life will change radically as the oil runs dry. Although I might not agree with some of the details, I see no reason to disagree with its basic premise. What we consider civilization is essentially doomed, but life will go on. I would recommend reading it.

Propaganda for the Holidays

While reading Pentagon propaganda program orders soldiers to promote Iraq war while home on leave, It occurred that the US government doesn't even bother to pretend its propaganda is anything but. It also seemed to recall that only totalitarian states are generally so honest. Happy New Year!