Surviving Collapse: February 2012

29 February 2012

Fannie asks gov't for almost $4.6B after 4Q loss - Yahoo! Finance

Mortgage giant Fannie Mae said Wednesday that it lost money in its fourth quarter and is asking the federal governmentfor $4.57 billion in aid to cover its deficit.

They lost more money? Big surprise...

Washington-based Fannie said it lost $2.41 billion in the October-December quarter, stung by declining home prices. Revenue was $4.53 billion.
The government rescued Fannie and sibling companyFreddie Mac in September 2008 to cover their losses on soured mortgage loans. Since then, a federal regulator — the Federal Housing Finance Agency — has controlled their financial decisions.
Taxpayers have spent more than $150 billion to prop up Fannie and Freddie, the most expensive bailout of the 2008 financial crisis. The government estimates that figure could top $259 billion to support the companies through 2014 after subtracting dividend payments.
Fannie has received more than $116 billion so far from the Treasury Department, the most expensive bailout of a single company.

And the bailouts just keep coming, but at the expense of taxpayers who have no choice or voice in the matter.

Fannie officials say losses have increased in recent quarters for two reasons: Some homeowners are paying less interest after refinancing at historically low mortgage rates; others are defaulting on their mortgages.
When property values drop, homeowners default, either because they are unable to afford the payments or because they owe more than the property is worth. Because of the guarantees, Fannie and Freddie must pay for the losses.
Fannie's October-December loss takes into account $2.6 billion in dividend payments to the government. That compares with a loss of $2.1 billion in the fourth quarter of 2010.
In November, Freddie requested $6 billion in extra aid — the largest request since April 2010 — after it reported losing $6 billion in the third quarter.
Fannie Mae and McLean, Va.-based Freddie Mac own or guarantee about half of all mortgages in the U.S., or nearly 31 million home loans. Along with other federal agencies, they backed nearly 90 percent of new mortgages over the past few years.
Fannie and Freddie buy home loans from banks and other lenders, package them with bonds with a guarantee against default and sell them to investors around the world. The companies nearly folded more than three years ago because of big losses on risky mortgages they purchased.

There is something seriously wrong with continuing an effort that so consistently results in failure.

The Obama administration unveiled a plan one year ago to slowly dissolve the two mortgage giants. The aim is to shrink the government's role in the mortgage system, remaking decades of federal policy aimed at getting Americans to buy homes. It would also probably make home loans more expensive.

Like that will ever happen...

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/fannie-asks-govt-almost-4-152028535.html

Afghanistan: Where Empires go to Die

"Remember, democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself. There never was a democracy yet that did not commit suicide." – John Adams (1814)

Libertarian and liberty-minded quotes always get my attention for their blunt analysis of the problems with big government. This one reminds me of something that Dmitry Orlov said Afghanistan, that it was where empires went to die. He was referring to the point at which Russia, then Britain, and now America have all attempted to invade and control the region, with the first two collapsing to a mere shadow of their former might and capacity...

28 February 2012

The Bill of Rights, or Privileges?

Despite the fact that the numerous arguments about whether the Second Amendment applies to We the People are invalid, since the other nine Amendments to the Bill of Rights are applied to the People, not the militia, the state, or any other organization or level of government. The Bill of Rights was intended to instill in the population a sense of the necessity for complete and outright freedom from government tyranny, the sort that America today criticizes of foreign nations, but hypocritically ignores at home. We overthrow foreign dictators at the cost of the lives of those we profess to liberate, unconcerned with the loss of foreign lives. We tout humanitarian aid, but promote a culture of oppression foreign and domestic.

right/rīt/

Adjective:

Morally good, justified, or acceptable.

Adverb:

To the furthest or most complete extent or degree: "the car spun right off the track".

Noun:

That which is morally correct, just, or honorable: "the difference between right and wrong".

Verb:

Restore to a normal or upright position.

Exclamation:

Used to indicate one's agreement with a suggestion or to acknowledge a statement or order.

Synonyms:

adjective. correct - proper - just - true - straight - fit - fair

adverb. straight - directly - just - rightly - exactly

noun. justice - law - title

verb. straighten - redress - rectify - correct

This brings me to another point of contention; whether the Second Amendment is a right or a privilege. Back to the core or the issue with rights entitled to all free men by the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, and the attacks on those rights, chipping away at them over time, I've begun to ponder on what those rights become if we allow them to be whittled away.

priv·i·lege/ˈpriv(ə)lij/

Noun:

A special right, advantage, or immunity granted or available only to one person or group of people.

Verb:

Grant a privilege or privileges to: "English inheritance law privileged the eldest son".

Synonyms:

noun. prerogative - privelege - charter - franchise - right

verb. privelege

When we become complacent and allow our rights to be restricted, infringed up, reduced, or otherwise compromised, they no longer are our rights, but privileges, subject to denial by an extremist, socialist, totalitarian state which no longer serves the will of the People, no longer is the means to the protection of our rights, but the method by which we become victimized, rights stripped away. The Second Amendment, and the Bill of Rights at a higher level, entitled all free men, all citizens of the United States, to the protection from persecution, the rights to live unencumbered by government intrusion and burden.

When a right becomes subject to licensing and regulation, it becomes a privilege, further subject to outright denial.

How is that liberty?

Will you remain silent?

Nuclear Failure at Illinois Plant

CHICAGO — A failed electrical insulator in a switchyard was to blame for the power failure that caused one of Exelon Energy's nuclear reactors in northern Illinois to shut down, company officials said Tuesday.

Officials hoped to replace the part by the end of the day. The company would then begin preparing to re-start the Unit 2 reactor at the Byron Generating Station about 95 miles northwest of Chicago, though it remained unclear how soon it could return to service, spokesman Paul Dempsey said.

The insulator, a piece of protective equipment that helps regulate the flow of electricity in the plant's switchyard, failed Monday morning and fell off of the metal structure to which it was attached. That interrupted power and caused the reactor to shut down automatically as a precaution.

It was not immediately clear what caused the insulator to fail, but the part will be sent to a lab for analysis, Dempsey said.

During the shut-down, steam was released to cool the reactor, but was being vented from the part of the plant where turbines produce electricity, not from within the nuclear reactor itself, officials said. The steam contains low levels of tritium, a radioactive form of hydrogen, but federal and plant officials insisted the levels were safe for workers and the public.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission declared the incident an "unusual event," the lowest of four levels of emergency. Commission officials also said the release of tritium was expected.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/industries/officials-trying-to-learn-what-happened-at-illinois-reactor-that-shut-down-amid-power-failure/2012/01/31/gIQAoMLIeQ_story.html

The Ultimate Zombie Litmus Test | CollapseNet

From the Post Carbon Institute, this is the single-best film I have ever seen describing the crisis now upon the Earth. My personal advice is that if there are members of your family still in denial, ask them to watch this thirty-minute video. Swear to them that it will be the last thing you ask them to look at... ever. And if -- after viewing it -- they are still in denial your choices become clear. If it is your spouse in denial, get a divorce immediately. If it is other family members, cut yourself off and create distance from them as fast as you can. Make a sacred vow to yourself that if the people you would like to awaken refuse to see, you will never waste a second of your own energy (which you will need to survive yourself) trying to persuade them further. You have done the best you could and to waste additional personal energy is suicidal behavior that will harm you. (Climb down off the Cross, we need the lumber!)

The Ultimate Zombie Litmus Test | CollapseNet

Afghanistan - Where Empires go to Die

Britain and Russia have both made efforts to take Afghanistan for their empire, but has also market the end of those empires. Now the United States feels it can succeed where those empires failed.

The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over expecting different results. The US has also failed, and will likely bleed out as it withdraws from the region just as its predecessors have.

The US military is doing nothing different than previous empires, but like a moth to the flame, empires have no ability to resist this region, to their own collapse.

Botanical Collapse

Paul Leads Obama in New Rasmussen Poll

While much of the "mainstream" media continues to either ignore Texas Congressman Ron Paul altogether or speak dismissively of his Republican presidential campaign, a Rasmussen poll released Monday shows Paul leading President Barack Obama in a hypothetical match-up of the two candidates. Paul would be the choice of 43 percent of the voters, with 41 percent choosing the incumbent. Paul's narrow lead marks the first time he has come out ahead of the President in the Rasmussen Report's daily tracking poll.
Mitt Romney also enjoys a slim lead over Obama in the daily polling for the first time since December of last year. Rasmussen's survey shows the former Massachusetts Governor with a 45-43 lead over the President. Rick Santorum, Romney's main rival in Tuesday's Michigan and Arizona contests, has the opposite result, with a 45-43 percent lead for Obama over the former Pennsylvania Senator. Results have fluctuated in recent months, with Santorum, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and former candidates Rick Perry and Herman Cain each having pulled ahead of Obama at various times. Only Romney has held the lead twice.
The Rasmussen report shows a virtual tie in Tuesday's Michigan primary, with Romney clinging to a 38-36 percent lead. The primary is considered a "must win" for Romney, a Michigan native and the son of the late George Romney, a former Michigan Governor who was himself a contender for the Republican presidential nomination in 1968. The February 26 polling of 750 Michigan voters likely to vote in the Republican primary showed candidates Gingrich and Paul far behind, with 11 percent choosing Gingrich and 10 percent for Paul. A Public Policy Polling report, released on the eve of Tuesday's Arizona primary, shows Romney pulling away from Santorum in the Grand Canyon State with a 43 to 26 percent lead. The same poll shows Gingrich at 18 percent, with 11 percent for Paul.
Despite some signs of economic recovery in February's Bureau of Labor Statistics report and a slim majority believing the nation is winning the War on Terror, Obama's approval rating dropped to its lowest point in more than a month, according to the Rasmussen survey, with 26 percent saying they "strongly approve" of the President's job performance and 42 percent saying they "strongly disapprove." Obama fares better among less certain voters, with the overall numbers showing 45 percent of voters at least "somewhat approve "of his performance, though a majority (53 percent) at least "somewhat" disapprove. The 51 percent who believe America is winning the War on Terror is the highest percentage since last May's killing of Osama bin Laden, Rasmussen reports.
Romney, frequently identified as the frontrunner in the GOP nominating contest, has shared top billing with Santorum since the former Pennsylvania Senator emerged triumphant in three states — Minnesota, Colorado and Missouri — on February 7. But Gingrich, winner of the South Carolina primary, and Paul remain in the race and in the debates. Despite his 10 percent showing in Rasmussen's Michigan poll, Paul drew large crowds and a rousing welcome in appearances in the Great Lakes State over the past weekend.
"Hundreds of people lined up for hours to hear the maverick U.S. representative from Texas, and some were turned away," the Detroit News said Monday in reporting on a rally at the Pinnacle Center in the Grand Rapids suburb of Hudsonville, where the candidate's nearly hour-long speech was punctuated with chants of "Ron Paul!" and "End the Fed!" Paul began his Michigan tour on Saturday before a packed house of cheering supporters at Central Michigan University in Mount Pleasant, where students lined the sidewalks long before the event as they waited to see the 76-year-old candidate who typically draws the largest, most enthusiastic crowds from among college students.
Yet much of the national media continues to regard Paul as the man who isn't there. On the Fox News "O'Reilly Factor" last Thursday, host Bill O'Reilly took exception when professor of politics Larry Saboto of the University of Virginia offered his observation that Romney had won the previous night's debate "by default."
"What does that mean, 'by default'?" O'Reilly asked. "All three of them were there." O'Reilly is presumably capable of counting past three, though not, apparently, when Ron Paul is part of a foursome.

http://www.thenewamerican.com/usnews/politics/11021-paul-leads-obama-in-new-rasmussen-poll

Libertarian Science Fiction

Is this still America?

"Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction," warned the late President Reagan. It's probably a good thing the Gipper hasn't been forced to witness what the current generation of authoritarian rulers has done to the land of the free and home of the brave.
Public schools in San Antonio have installed video cameras, not to monitor for foul play or intruders, but to spy on kids' eating habits. Federal food police in North Carolina have begun confiscating preschoolers' homemade lunches because they didn't meet U.S. Department of Agriculture guidelines. Aghast parents have noted that one 4-year-old's confiscated lunch of a turkey and cheese sandwich, banana, potato chips and apple juice sounds more nutritious than the state-provided chicken nuggets. But that entirely misses the point. In America, parents are free to give their kids pizza and pudding with Twinkies and Twizzlers, and the government has no right to intrude.
Under the sweeping powers of Obamacare, the state has forced Catholic institutions to choose between their God and their government by demanding that they violate their own beliefs and provide birth control to their employees. Their insulting rationalization? Most Catholic women are bad Catholics and don't follow the teachings of the church anyway. What's more, the government has deified itself to determine which organizations are Catholic enough to be exempt. What's next, mandated pork-chop night at the synagogues? Bacon should be a right.
Brace yourself; I'm just getting warmed up.
Armed federal agents of the Department of Education conducted a pre-dawn SWAT-style raid on the home of a Stockton, Calif., man. Read that again: The Department of Education has taken up arms against the citizenry. Meanwhile, federal Transportation Security Administration officials routinely grope our 6-year-olds and conveniently arrange that attractive women are subjected to their full-body porn cameras. Not even George Orwell's 1984 dystopian police state went that far.
[...]

If you're not outraged, you're not paying attention.

27 February 2012

More Greek Debt Sought by Germany

Germany's Parliament overwhelmingly endorses a second Greek bailout despite growing pressure from voters and the media, while Chancellor Angela Merkel admits there is no guarantee that it will work.

Any bailout of Greece at this point is an attempt to siphon off remaining resources and curtail any possibility o the Greek people rebuilding their nation and economy without foreign intervention an austerity.

The best thing for Greece (not the banks that hold Greek debt) would be to default and be cut off from foreign financial control. Cut them loose, set them free.

Original Page: http://telegraph.feedsportal.com/c/32726/f/579300/s/1cfba2d5/l/0L0Stelegraph0O0Cfinance0Cdebt0Ecrisis0Elive0C910A6990A0CDebt0Ecrisis0Eas0Eit0Ehappened0EFebruary0E270E20A120Bhtml/story01.htm

Wyoming Introduces ‘Doomsday Bill’ To Prepare For Collapse of Federal Government

Lawmakers in Wyoming have introduced a bill that would compel the state to prepare for a complete collapse of the federal government, laying plans for an alternate currency, a standing army raised via a military draft, and an aircraft carrier.

"House Bill 85 passed on first reading by a voice vote. It would create a state-run government continuity task force, which would study and prepare Wyoming for potential catastrophes, from disruptions in food and energy supplies to a complete meltdown of the federal government," reports the Wyoming Star-Tribune.
Compared to the rest of the country, Wyoming's public finances are in a relatively good condition, a fact that has spurred lawmakers to protect the state against contagion from other areas that could develop in the aftermath of a massive financial collapse.
The bill (PDF) lays the groundwork for how the state would respond in the event of a sudden devaluation of the dollar or "a situation in which the federal government has no effective power or authority over the people of the United States."
"I don't think there's anyone in this room today what would come up here and say that this country is in good shape, that the world is stable and in good shape — because that is clearly not the case," state Rep. Lorraine Quarberg, R-Thermopolis, said. "To put your head in the sand and think that nothing bad's going to happen, and that we have no obligation to the citizens of the state of Wyoming to at least have the discussion, is not healthy."
The bill has to pass two more House votes before it can be considered by the Senate. If passed, the task force would have until December 1, 2012 to submit a report to the governor detailing the continuity of government plan.
While authorities at both the state and federal level are making preparations for social dislocation, with FEMA recently ordering $1 billion dollars worth of dehydrated food, a total of 420 million meals, Americans who buy food supplies in bulk are being characterized as potential terrorists by the FBI.
Continuity of government plans implemented at the federal level are so sensitive that when the plan was last updated in 2007, Congressman Peter DeFazio was barred from seeing the details despite being a sitting member of the House Homeland Security Committee.
Peter DeFazio (D – OR) was asked by his constituents to see what was contained within the classified portion of the White House's plan for operating the government after a catastrophic terrorist attack, but was denied access, leading him to comment, "Maybe the people who think there's a conspiracy out there are right."
Five years later, the biggest threat posed to America's survival in its current form of government stems not from terrorists but from the country's huge unsustainable national debt and the possibility of another economic collapse.
A USA Today article published yesterday quoted three separate financial experts who all concur that the worst of the financial turmoil is yet to come, with trend forecaster Gerald Celente warning of an "economic 9/11″ that will provoke mass civil unrest fueled by anti-government sentiment.

http://www.infowars.com/wyoming-introduces-doomsday-bill-to-prepare-for-collapse-of-federal-government/

NBC Ignores Death Threats to Koch Brothers, Hyped Threats to Palin-Bashing Author

It's terrible that an author got death threats, even if he's a sleazy hack who invaded the privacy of a prominent conservative politician. It's equally terrible that prominent conservative donors received death threats for how they choose to use their money. But according to NBC, only one of those two stories is worth telling.

In the first case, the network was warning in 2010 of death threats against Sarah Palin-sliming author Joe McGinniss. As for the second, NBC ignored reports of death threats against the libertarian Koch brothers and members of their foundation.

On Feb. 20, the Huffington Post reported that businessman and philanthropist David Koch claims to have received 100 credible death threats. The Wichita Eagle previously reported that the Koch brothers released hundreds of threatening e-mails to the media, from liberals unhappy with the brothers' political donations.

None of the broadcast networks picked up on the threats against the Koch brothers. Considering that prominent individuals are often threatened by crazy people to no effect, this reluctance on the part of the networks to report on them is understandable.

However, NBC felt no constraints about hyping death threats against a controversial liberal in the public eye. NBC dutifully reported death threats made against Palin-bashing author Joe McGinniss on June 1, 2010; Matt Lauer said that "the reaction [against McGinniss] has gotten a little bit scary." The following day, NBC anchor Ann Curry repeated that McGinniss had complained about death threats.

Hypocritically, McGinniss complained in 2010 about "the power Palin has to incite hatred and her willingness and readiness to do it" – while at the same time writing a book that spread salacious and disgusting allegations about the former vice presidential candidate, including the lie that she slept with a basketball player.

It's unsurprising that the Koch brothers have been targeted with threats, since left-wing media outlets have made them cartoon villains for their audiences. Radio host Mike Papantonio stated MSNBC's "The Ed Show" that the Koch brothers wanted to "go ahead and kill more people with their toxins." The Daily Kos ranted that the "Koch brothers are evil people who run an empire without values or morals other then seeking the Almighty Dollar."

But to point out the vitriol leveled at conservatives contradicts the media narrative that political violence could only ever come from the right.

Original Page: http://newsbusters.org/blogs/paul-wilson/2012/02/27/nbc-ignores-death-threats-koch-brothers-hyped-threats-palin-bashing-aut

26 February 2012

Clarke and Dawe - Solvency in Our Time

Clarke and Dawe - Solvency in Our Time - YouTube

Clarke & Dawe on the US Economy

Clarke & Dawe on the US Economy - YouTube

Clarke & Dawe - World Collapse Explained in 3 Minutes

Humor from Clarke and Dawe on the collapse of the global economy...

World Collapse Explained in 3 Minutes - YouTube

24 February 2012

Obamateurism of the Day - Jobs

Manufacturing has always been the height of political fashion, and so it's never a surprise when politicians talk about their commitment to expanding the manufacturing sector. Usually, though, they manage to do it in an area where their actions haven't strangled it. Barack Obama tried out that strategy when he bragged about Boeing's ability to build 787 Dreamliners in places like Everett, Washington, and … South Carolina:

"So this company is a great example of what American manufacturing can do in a way that nobody else in the world can do it," Obama told the assembled workers this afternoon at the Everett, Wash., Boeing plant. "And the impact of your success, as I said, goes beyond the walls of this plant. Every Dreamliner that rolls off the assembly line here in Everett supports thousands of jobs in different industries all across the country. Parts of the fuselage are manufactured in South Carolina and Kansas," Obama also noted before mentioning factories in other states.

Boeing does build airplanes in South Carolina, but it's despite Obama and his NLRB, as Joel Gehrke reminds us:

The NLRB tried to close that South Carolina plant, though, after union workers in Washington argued that Boeing had built the new factory in South Carolina — which is a right to work state — in retaliation against the Machinist Union strikes that had slowed production in Washington state. The NLRB dropped the complaint in December after Boeing signed a new contract with the machinists.

Yeah, as soon as Obama forced Boeing to knuckle under to the union, they let the company operate its South Carolina plant. Obama offered this piece of advice at the event, which reads curiously like a warning:

"What's happening here in Everett can happen in other industries," Obama added today during his discussion of American manufacturing.

If we let Obama have another term, I'll bet that will be absolutely true.

Original Page: http://hotair.com/archives/2012/02/23/obamateurism-of-the-day-690/

It's easy for weak minds to get caught up in the crowd mentality and buy into the optimistic rhetoric. It's also easy to see how there is little substance to the vacant words. Obama is just a figurehead, no different than Bush or Clinton.

NYSE Volume At New Decade Low

Still believe that the stock market is going gangbusters? Think again. Another good observation by Tyler Durden.

Both NYSE and ES (e-mini S&P futures) volumes were the lowest of the year so far. This is the lowest non-holiday trading day on the NYSEVOL (from Bloomberg) since its data began a decade ago and eyeballing ES volumes, this appears to be one of the lowest ever volumes of the last few years. For those who think this is irrelevant as the market's price has risen and so total USD volume remains approximately equal - wrong! Today is the lowest USD volume day since the mid 2009 (which tended to coincide with holiday trading volumes around July 4th) - making today's USD trading volume less than 50% of their 2004-2007 average!

A proxy for total USD trading volume - NYSE Volume multiplied by the S&P 500 is at decade low levels for a non-holiday period...

and NYSE Volume standalone...

NYSE Volume At New Decade Low | ZeroHedge

The County Sheriff Project

	The County Sheriff Project with Sheriff Richard Mack 2/2 Over a hundred sheriffs from across the country came together at this convention to hear presentations on a wide variety of topics relevant to the powers and rights of their constitutional duties and oaths of office. It was a powerfully moving conference, and many videos are now online for your viewing at The County Sheriff Project YouTube Channel. www.sheriffmack.com www.countysheriffproject.org www.infowars.com www.prisonplanet.tv twitter.com [I'm Running for Congress in Texas] sheriffmackforcongress.com	From: TheAlexJonesChannel Views: 6944 188 ratings
	Time: 14:53	More in People & Blogs

Original Page: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mNMGQhQq_nU&feature=youtube_gdata

US Budget Deficits Heading For a Train Wreck

Its finally coming from within our government, the realization and admission that the government has led the economy to the brink of collapse.

Jim welcomes back former United States Senator Alan Simpson to the program. Mr. Simpson sees the spiraling debt and trillion-dollar budget deficits as a problem that must be solved, or America's finished. "We won't get a second chance."

The former Societ republic traveled this path, and the hyperinflation that followed, before their unavoidable collapse.

Alan K. Simpson served as United States Senator from Wyoming for 18 years. While in Congress, Senator Simpson served as Chairman of the Veteran's Committee, Immigration and Refugee Subcommittee of Judiciary, the Nuclear Regulation Subcommittee, the Social Security Subcommittee and the Committee on Aging. Recently, Simpson was appointed as co-chair to President Barack Obama's National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform with co-chair Eskine Bowles. During his time at the Fiscal Commission, he and fellow co-chair Erskine Bowles were able to garner a bipartisan majority of 11 out of 18 Commission members to support a final debt reduction plan, outlined in "The Moment of Truth."

Yet we continue to see dollar devaluation/inflation and ever-increasing budgets and deficits year after year.

Click Here to Listen to the Interview

Original Page: http://sgtreport.com/2012/02/alan-simpson-us-budget-deficits-heading-for-a-train-wreck/

Right to Carry, Crime Stats, and Gun Control

Avoiding fraudulently manipulated data from organizations like the CGSV and Brady Campaign linked to George Soros, the Joyce Foundation, and other anti-gun/anti-rights groups, it takes very little effort to find that gun control which moves toward excessive restrictions on firearms ownership and possession coincides with increases in crime, violent crime particularly.

* In the 10-year period from November 30, 1998 to December 31, 2008, about 96 million background checks for gun purchases were processed through the federal background check system. Of these, approximately 681,000 or about 1% were denied.[74] [75]

* During 2002 and 2003, out of 17 million background checks resulting in 120,000 denials, the federal government prosecuted 154 people (about one-tenth of 1% of the denials).[76] [77]

* According to federal agents interviewed in a 2004 U.S. Justice Department investigation, the "vast majority" of denials under the federal background check system are issued to people who are not "a danger to the public because the prohibiting factors are often minor or based on incidents that occurred many years in the past." As examples of such, agents stated that denials have been issued due to a 1941 felony conviction for stealing a pig and a 1969 felony conviction for stealing hubcaps.[78] [79]

* The same investigation audited 200 background check denials and found that 8% of denied applicants were not prohibited from lawfully possessing a firearm.[80]

* During 2008, applicants appealed about 19% of the 70,725 background check denials issued that year. Of these, about 23% were later overturned and the applications approved.[81]

Contrary to claims from anti-rights groups, gun crime is at a low, yet they call for more bans and restrictions on law-abiding citizens. The background checks that the Brady Campaign promoted are working, as the numbers show. Further, high profile shootings are highly covered by media like never before, yet most shooters slip through cracks that increased restrictions would never likely prevent.

* In January 1996, Texas's right-to-carry law became effective.[110]

* This law requires that concealed carry licensees be at least 21 years of age (or 18 years of age if a member or veteran of the U.S. armed forces), have clean criminal/mental health records, and complete a handgun proficiency course.[111]

* In 2009, Texas had 402,914 active licensees,[112] constituting roughly 2.4% of the state's population that is 21 years of age or older.[113]

* Since the outset of the Texas right-to-carry law, the Texas murder rate has averaged 30% lower than it was before the law took effect, while the U.S. murder rate has averaged 28% lower.[115]

Free states like Texas have lower crime rates than the country on average, yet decreases in restrictions and the restoration of carry rights further encourage the population to see that the right to keep and bear arms by the population is what drives crime down, again, contrary to what state media and the anti-right folks would have you believe.

Want to see crime drop? Just support the Second Amendment rights of the nation. You don't have to exercise your rights to be free, but you must recognize the collective rights of all to prevent the nation from slipping into tyranny.

Full article: http://www.justfacts.com/guncontrol.asp

23 February 2012

Global Warming Means Tough Choices

Natural selection means adapting to a changing environment for survival. It works for other species, why not for humans?

A hotter planet, an economist visiting West Virginia said, is just something that will be a part of the lives of young people today.
"The reality is, especially for young people in their 20s or 30s, a hotter planet is just going to be a defining feature of their world," said Eban Goodstein, director of the Bard Center for Environmental Policy, who spoke Feb. 22 as part of the ongoing "Energy: Who's Got the Power" speaker series at the University of Charleston. "That means more floods, more droughts and there is going to be a lot of pressure on the coal industry as a consequence."
That could be bad news for a state accustomed to raking in profits from the very resource — coal — that is catching a lot of the blame for global warming.
"Despite the politics of the moment the science is clear — that's what's causing the problem. That and gasoline," Goodstein said just before speaking at the University of Charleston event. "So, I think folks in West Virginia have just got to sort of accept those facts. You can obviously fight them for a while, but they're going to catch up with you, and find a new way forward."

http://thinkprogress.org/romm/2012/02/23/430953/chinese-solar-module-prices-fall-below-1-a-watt/

Chinese PV Module Prices Fall Below $1/Watt

Chinese Tier-2 Modules Offered Below $1/W

Prices for crystalline-silicon (c-Si) solar photovoltaic (PV) modules fell below the $1/W mark in January 2012, and in some cases well below even that, marking the first time that global average prices have fallen below this milestone, according to IMS Research.

With the market now stuck in overcapacity and oversaturation with solar PV modules — so much so (some say tens of gigawatts) that Tier-1 producers and overstocks can fill demand all by themselves — Chinese Tier-2 suppliers have desperately kept up their pricing one-upsmanship to simply keep themselves in the game at the expense of rivals.
[...]

Original Page: http://thinkprogress.org/romm/2012/02/23/430953/chinese-solar-module-prices-fall-below-1-a-watt/

Obama: ‘We Can’t Wait’ to grow your government

In keeping with his "We Can't Wait" initiative, President Barack Obama has once again asserted that if Congress does not enact his policies in the future, he will continue to forge ahead on his own.

So, the constitutional separation of powers between the branches mean nothing to this administration?

"When Congress refuses to act, Joe and I are going to act," Obama said on Tuesday, with Vice President Joe Biden at his side. "In the months to come, wherever we have an opportunity, we're going to take steps on our own to keep this economy moving."

The administration has also been instrumental in stifling the economy through manipulation of currency (inflation and devaluation) and increasing government spending despite reduced revenue as a result of fewer employed taxpayers.

Obama, speaking at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building near the White House, praised Congress for voting to extend the payroll tax cut. He said this helps the middle class, adding that he will fight for middle class voters regardless of what Congress does.

Yeah, sure he will...

http://conservativebyte.com/2012/02/obama-we-cant-wait-to-grow-your-government/

Stuck in the rent trap

Like many families, Shona Sibary and her husband blithely took money out of their beloved Hampshire home, smug in the belief that burgeoning house prices would protect them. Now, in their early 40s, they find themselves back at square one, in rented accommodation, and with little or no hope of ever getting back on the property ladder.
There's a house we drive past every day on the way to school. It's a solid Edwardian home on three floors with a slightly imposing presence and bags of kerb appeal.
A large hedge and trees shield it from view but this doesn't stop the children from urging me to slow down so they can get a proper look.
I, on the other hand, stare fixedly ahead. It's not that I don't appreciate the double-fronted windows and the lovely Camellia bush framing the porch. But the truth is, I am beside myself with envy.

Three years ago this was our family home. We all remember how it felt to live there and it still seems like a cruel joke that someone else's car is parked in the drive. And why did they have to paint the front door that horrible colour?
You might ask why, if I love this house so much, isn't it still mine? I ask myself the same question every day. But the 2008 property crash happened. And through a combination of bad financial planning and events beyond our control we were forced to sell.
[...]

Original Page: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2105011/Stuck-rent-trap-How-middle-class-family-kept-remortgaging-home-pay-bills-longer-afford-repayments.html?ITO=1490

22 February 2012

"Seinfeld" actor who played Mr. Kruger shoots self in head, survives in critical...

Daniel von Bargen, a character actor who played Mr. Kruger on "Seinfeld," is in critical condition after shooting himself in the head, according to a report on TMZ. The website has posted audio of a 911 call von Bargen made from his Ohio home Monday morning.

This sort of perverted attempt to demonize gun owners over concerns of self inflicted injuries is just another way the anti-rights folks are after the Second Amendment. They include suicides in gun violence statistics. Doesn't really maintain validity for their argument under scrutiny, though.

Original Page: http://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=253301048084304&id=284334690298

'If We Cannot Track You With Our Microchips, You Cannot Leave' -- Or: Why Ron Paul is Right Again About 'Border Control'

When Ron Paul said in a debate last September that the border fences may well be built to keep Americans in rather than keep illegals out, the usual brain-dead, mainstream media-addicted sheep "laughed out loud" at this, the "apex of Paul's paranoid band of libertarianism."

Fast forward to this incredible story today of a family who had their trip to Belize ruined because the father's passport had a slight crease on the back cover after it had inadvertently been sat on. The family had no problems in their native Denver, but as soon as they got to Dallas an airline official (read: government agent) decided that the passport was "mutilated" and ruined their trip for them.

What is most remarkable about the story is the interview with Ray Priest, owner of International Passport Visas in Denver, who speculated that the rejection may stem from possible damage to the microchip embedded in every American's passport.

Spoke Mr. Priest (who seems suspiciously unbothered -- a good little totalitarian? -- by the whole thing):

"To have a passport is privilege, it's not entitled to you by citizenship.... They have no reason in the world to let you travel if it's been damaged.... It's like cutting your photo out or something if that chip doesn't work.... This is done for national security...they can't make an exception, period." (emphasis added)

Original Page: http://www.lewrockwell.com/blog/lewrw/archives/106171.html

New Government Initiative Would Circumvent Second Amendment By Targeting Ammunition Not Guns

With over 10 million guns sold in the United States in 2011, violent crime rising significantly as the economic crisis worsens, (crime rates in states with reduced firearms resteictions have actually gone down) and self defense killings sky rocketing, it's becoming increasingly unpopular for politicians to call for restrictions on firearms. If anything, even though government officials in states like Illinois and New Jersey are attempting to outlaw guns completely, the public outcry has been deafening, with each attempt met by protests and solidarity from individual rights and gun advocates all over the country.

It's clear that the majority of Americans support their inherent right to bear arms. But, even though the strategy of attacking our second Amendment is wholly unpopular and failing miserably, misguided government officials are beginning to explore ever more novel ways of circumventing the US Constitution and Second Amendment altogether.

Like New Jersey's recent attempt to ban ammunition, Illinois is now taking aim at ammo. This latest legislation would add a surtax to every box of ammunition sold, and if allowed, would set an alarming precedent that effectively threatens our ability to utilize a firearm for its intended purpose.

Reminds me of the sin tax on tobacco products, supporting the position of a minority, and infringing upon the liberties of others.

Read More @ SHTFPlan.com

Michael Pento: Money Supply & Inflation Exploding Around the World

Today Michael Pento told King World News that money supply rates and inflation have been exploding around the world.

Really? Hadn't noticed...

Pento, who founded Pento Portfolio Strategies, also said with (fiat) currencies burning, global investors need to protect themselves. But first, Pento had this to say about the Greek situation: "The Greeks have done the correct thing. The fact that they have written down their debt is a step towards an explicit default.

Letting Greece default will reduce the financial burden on the citizens who are being attacked with austerity threats.

What they have done in Greece is something they need to do in Italy, Portugal and Spain. When you take down your debt as a percentage of GDP, the way the Greeks have, you will cause a short-term depression."

The long-term benefits are that Greece will regain independence I it abandons the EU.

Michael Pento continues: Read More @ KingWorldNews.com

Bailing Out Banks Is Inflationary

The latest wave of financial-market turmoil has been caused in particular by growing investor concern about the financial health of commercial banks, especially banks in the eurozone.

It seems that investors have been increasingly losing confidence in banks' ability to live up to their payment obligations under "normal" market conditions and to generate sufficient profits going forward.

Such an interpretation may contribute to explaining the depressed valuations of eurozone bank stocks, which have lost around 71 percent of their value since the start of 2007.[1] In contrast, losses for US bank stocks amounted to (just) around 50 percent.

[...]

http://us1.campaign-archive.com/?u=bf16b152ccc444bdbbcc229e4&id=056cee3806

So, the US bank stocks are only down by 50% compared to the EU down by 71%? That installs confidence in the US economy how?

Unemployment Stimulates The Economy?

Another Obama crony telling the weak-minded that those unemployment checks stimulate the economy…

"Even though we had a terrible economic crisis three years ago, throughout our country many people were suffering before the last three years, particularly in the black community," Jarrett said. "And so we need to make sure that we continue to support that important safety net. It not only is good for the family, but it's good for the economy. People who receive that unemployment check go out and spend it and help stimulate the economy, so that's healthy as well."

Wait. Unemployment is a form of economic stimulus? How does that work?

We still have an economic crisis and it's much worse than it was three years ago due to Obama and his policies. Jarrett also leaves out the fact that unemployment is higher, today, in the black community than it was three years ago. As a matter of fact, it is at Depression-era levels. But the ones she is speaking to will vote for Obama based on skin color alone. Nothing but the same ol' "Blame Bush" bullshit from Obama's kiss-ass cronies who continue to lie to the weak-minded who can't see the truth.

I'm at a loss for words this time. Reality must be checked at the door to believe this for fact.

Original Page: http://scottystarnes.wordpress.com/2012/02/22/25684/

UK includes electric delivery in rebate plan; Renault Kangoo ZE now eligible

The UK's inclusion of battery-electric delivery vehicles in its alt-fuel rebate program makes Renault's Kangoo Van Z.E. eligible for the incentive, the French automaker said.

With the new plug-in program providing a rebate of as much as 20 percent of a new EV's price, Kangoo Van Z.E. buyers may get a refund of as much as 3,398 British pounds (about $5,400 U.S. at today's exchange rates) from the UK government. The Renault is one of seven battery-electric vans deemed eligible for the program, and all three versions are also exempt from the London congestion charge.

Last month, the UK government extended its electric-vehicle tax credit to 2015 and added electric vans. Personal EV buyers get as much as a 25 percent credit, up to 5,000 pounds ($7,880), making the incentive slightly more generous than the $7,500 tax credit provided by the U.S. government to EV buyers. The commercial EV credit is as much as 20 percent of the purchase price, up to 8,000 British pounds ($12,600).

The Renault differs from EVs such as the Nissan Leaf in that consumers pay for the vehicle without the battery, then rent the battery for as little as 60 British pounds a month.

Batteries not included! Too bad it's actually coal-powered in terms of energy source. That electricity has to come from somewhere...

Original Page: http://green.autoblog.com/2012/02/22/uk-includes-electric-delivery-in-rebate-plan-renault-kangoo-ze/

Iran pushes on with nuclear after failed IAEA visit

Iran's nuclear work will defiantly go on, supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Wednesday, after UN inspectors left Tehran following talks that failed to lift their suspicions of atomic weapons research. "The Iranian nation has never been seeking an atomic weapon and never will...

That doesn't stop Western nations from pushing a disarmament agenda on Iran, or from our state media corrupting the truth.

Original Page: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheRawStory/~3/LVplkOpprxk/

21 February 2012

Fukushima Update: Why We Should (Still) Be Worried

After the catastrophic trifecta of the triple meltdowns at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear complex in Japan last March—what the Japanese are referring to as their 3/11—you would think the Japanese government would be doing everything in its power to contain the disaster. You would be wrong—dead wrong. Instead of collecting, isolating, and guarding the [...]

by contain, they mean ignore and downplay

Original Page: http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/28946721/0/alternet

Refusing To Settle: Gary Johnson For President

I simply can't put the square peg in the circle hole. I am firmly committed to defeating Barack Obama and turning back his disastrous policies, and I wanted to believe that I could support whomever the Republican Party nominated. Unfortunately, I cannot in good conscience do that.

We need to have not only statesmen step up to truly represent the people of this nation in government, but to have them populace embrace this deeper involvement in a nation that we benefit from an contribute to.

Partisan political affiliations are far less important to me than principle. I don't consider myself a Republican first, I consider myself a limited-government conservative first; the party label comes in a distant second. I won't simply blindly support a Republican nominee just because he has an R beside his name. The truth is political parties don't believe in anything — well, anything except winning — and believing in something is exactly why I got involved in politics in the first place.

When it comes to selecting a candidate for president, I don't want to settle on the lesser of two evils or support the nominee just to be a good "team player." I want to believe in that candidate.

[...]

Original Page: http://www.garyjohnson2012.com/refusing-to-settle-gary-johnson-for-president

Stimulus and Failure to Recognize Failure

Common refrains from people who say it didn't work:

But Obama promised that unemployment would be less than 8%. Horseshit on a stick. First, he didn't "promise" a damn thing, if everything an incoming president says is turned into a "promise", well then there has been a whole lot of promise breaking going on in our history. Second, the cautious prediction made during the transition was based on the numbers that the outgoing Bush administration was feeding the Obama team. They were flat out wrong and completely underestimated what was going on in our economy. Hey media, that's called context. Buy some at the local C-store.

The state media seem fine with the transition to a new dictator.

But soooo many people are still out of work. Yes, and that totally sucks. But that does not mean that the over 3 million people who did get jobs are insignificant or don't matter. They do. If the measure for whether the stimulus worked is full employment, then those people will be waiting till the end of time — we've never had anything close to full employment. And you can damn well bet that those people still looking for work are encouraged by the fact that others are starting to find jobs, which of course increases the number of people looking and drives up the unemployment rate.

Those with jobs are simply lucky at this point. The real unelployment numbers are jorth of where they were during the Great Depression, but Obama's state media wont report that. Obama has been constantly promoting himself as the savior for the economy, yet has done little himself. He is no more than a figurehead, just as we're his predecessors.

But the stock market has been falling…..oh, wait, it's going like gangbusters. Nevermind.

The stock market is failing, miserably. It's amazing how good the bottom line looks when businesses cut jobs to raise profits.

But Fox News says we are still in a recession, the numbers are being cooked. The only thing cooking at Fox New is the meth that the anchors must be smoking during commercial breaks.

It's funny how Fox News is the object of ridicule, yet the other lamestream media outlets are cut from the same cloth, incapable of journalistic integrity, government criticism, or honest reporting.

But, but, but….let's just all say it together, the stimulus worked. And yes, we have more to do, but don't let the Republicans and the compliant media make you think that cutting taxes for the rich would have been much better, that is a big part of what got us into this freakin mess.

Things will get worse before they get worse. Bush's stimulus didn't work, neither did Obama's. What they have done is to inflate and devalue the currency in circulation through the Federal Reserve. Want to know what's wrong? Follow the money.

Original Page: http://extremeliberal.wordpress.com/2012/02/21/yo-the-stimulus-worked-thank-you-president-obama

20 February 2012

VA GOP primary: Romney 53%, Paul 23%

Romney would likely take all 46 delegates with a 50-percent showing

If state media admit Ron Paul is at 23%, I expect he has twice that support in reality. Since we don't have national media capable of presenting a balanced, unbiased view on anything, we may never know the real numbers.

Original Page: http://dailycaller.com/2012/02/20/va-gop-primary-poll-romney-at-53-percent-paul-at-23-percent/

Religious Leaders | Contraception Mandate | Letter to Obama

More than 2,500 evangelical and ministry leaders from a range of denominations have signed a letter to President Obama voicing their opposition to the administration's new mandate requiring that all health insurance plans contain contraceptive coverage.

The socially conservative Family Research Council unveiled the letter Monday afternoon.
FRC President Tony Perkins explained to The Daily Caller that the contraception mandate is not a Catholic issue or a contraception issue, but rather an issue of religious freedom.

I still remember Rick Perry pushing Gardasil on Texans through mandate rather than by the approval of the people. I hope this works out just as well for Obama.

"[The undersigned] see this, are very alarmed by this and are asking for the president to rescind this attack on religious freedom," Perkins said in an interview with The Daily Caller.
The letter lays out the leaders' opposition to the administration's contraception mandate, writing that it violates the consciences of those whose religion prohibits certain methods of birth control.

Our elected leaders are showing their true colors much faster these days, abandoning campaign promises, reason, and even the constitution.

The Top Ten Survival Things You Need to Do Before the Complete Collapse of the U.S. Dollar

I’ll be the first to admit that I’m no financial genius. That’s why I make it a point to surround myself with men who are much smarter than me when it comes to stocks, bonds, and overall investing. And over the years I’ve made contacts with some of the wealthiest men in finance. These are men with net worth’s over $100 million and you’d probably know their names.

For the last several years these men have been telling me that the economy is going to collapse soon and the U.S. dollar is going to have a complete meltdown any day now. Some of them think there will be riots in the streets and Martial Law. Other’s think it won’t be so bad but that inflation is going to skyrocket and so will unemployment.

Fact is, I don’t know who’s right, but I certainly believe something bad is going to happen in the near future. I don’t know how tough times are going to get, and I don’t know how severe the collapse is going to be, but again, there’s no doubt in my mind something will happen. That’s why I believe it’s crucial to do the following 10 things before China decides to stop investing in the U.S. dollar and we see our spending power disappear overnight.

[...]

Full list: The Top Ten Survival Things You Need to Do Before the Complete Collapse of the U.S. Dollar

There's No Tomorrow, 2012 Film

From the Post Carbon Institute, this is the single-best film I have ever seen describing the crisis now upon the Earth. My personal advice is that if there are members of your family still in denial, ask them to watch this thirty-minute video. Swear to them that it will be the last thing you ask them to look at... ever. And if -- after viewing it -- they are still in denial your choices become clear. If it is your spouse in denial, get a divorce immediately. If it is other family members, cut yourself off and create distance from them as fast as you can. Make a sacred vow to yourself that if the people you would like to awaken refuse to see, you will never waste a second of your own energy (which you will need to survive yourself) trying to persuade them further. You have done the best you could and to waste additional personal energy is suicidal behavior that will harm you. (Climb down off the Cross, we need the lumber!)

The world has until the end of March to prepare. And the "climate" we will all be living in after that will not tolerate anyone but those most focused on lifeboat building. Evolve or perish. Grow up or die. It's all amazingly simple to see and understand. You must cut loose anything that stands in the way of being prepared, of doing what you can to be as ready as possible for the Spring, Summer, and what will follow.

Hubbert figured out in the mid-1950's that the world and it's resources are finite, and that increasing it's consumption would lead to collapse. It wasn't that hard to see, but was difficult to accept, so much so that the world seems to have had it's head in the sand in an attempt to ignore reality. The problem with that approach is that it does nothing productive, but makes a collapse that much greater.

Everything is related to energy. Without affordable energy, nothing else matters in a world that continues to grow. Fiat money has no value, nor does an overabundance of it bring anyone true wealth. Paper is worth only what it stands for, which in the case of the US dollar and other similar currencies, they stand for debt, not wealth. That debt drives the average person further from a sustainable life. Everything else splinters off from there, but they all come back to financial, based on energy. If we can figure out the energy crisis, and how to create a different world through sustainable energy, we can then replace the system of monetized debt, through which the control mechanisms can be cast aside, and a sustainable future realized.

Will that change happen before we allow ourselves to starve? I'm a part of that movement to find the hundredth monkey.

The Ultimate Zombie Litmus Test | COLLAPSENET