Who REALLY rules the dictators of the Muslim World? - Robert Fisk

Robert Fisk : Obama will be worse than Bush

Robert Fisk on Syrian Uprising

Friends or Foes: Christoph Hoerstel on situation in Syria

On the Other Side: views to consider (true journalism)  How does one weigh the reality of what we hear today from the media?

Turkey Syria Protest 1/4/2012

There are many Syrian refugees in Turkey, this is a protest pro-Assad and against Assad in nearby Turkey.

Syrian Christian Activist Hadeel Kouki's Speaks on the Assad Regime

Syrian Army Mocking Dead Civilians

This reminds me of a video that was released regarding some U.S. soldiers.  This must happen in every war where there are brutal killings.  Maybe this is a way of handling the mental crisis when it comes to killing people?

Reporter: Al Jazeera told me to ignore Syria intervention

This is an interesting twist on reality.  Remember, it is always best to look at all sides, and if possible it is best to be there yourself in order to know what is really going on in the world of journalism.

Syrian Doctors Accuse Regime of Using Chemical Weapons

Old City of Damascus - The Worlds Oldest City UNESCO World Heritage

Six ways to get the Rich Richer under Romney

1. Housing bargains – but only for the wealthy and uber-wealthy.  The largest transfer of wealth from the public to private sector. The federal government will be bulk-selling the massive portfolio of foreclosed homes now owned by HUD, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to private investors — vulture  Read More... funds.  “You and I will not be allowed to participate” is that these properties will only be sold to those that can bring “a billion dollars or more to each transaction”

2. Tax breaks are good – especially if you’re rich - RYAN PLAN - $MANY TRILLIONS - PLUS CAYMAN and SWISS ACCOUNTS.  PAY FOR THIS CUTTING PROGRAMS FOR THE 99%.

3. Hedge funds: A typical minimum investment is $2.5 million, but many have much higher admission prices.  PLANNED SCAMS FOR THE RICH!

4. Borrowing is easy – if you don’t need the money
Mark Twain said, “A banker is a fellow who lends you his umbrella when the sun is shining, but wants it back the minute it begins to rain.”

5. Buy low and sell high – easier if you’re rich - capitalize on bad times as prices plummet and demand drops and supply increases.

6. Good credit is money in the bank - More income and money you have, the easier it get credit at ZERO%
related articles:
 recalculating romneys four percent gimmick

Procedures for handling Assemblies and Mass Demonstrations, D.C.

Washington D.C. Metropolitan Police Department Procedures for Handling First Amendment Assemblies and Mass Demonstrations
From:  Public Intelligence

    The Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) outlined in this manual are to ensure that this department is prepared to respond effectively and efficiently in accordance with applicable law and District of Columbia policy to any unlawful conduct occurring in the context of First Amendment assemblies. These SOP’s incorporate revisions to the manner in which the Metropolitan Police Department responds to demonstrations and other assemblies on District of Columbia public space that the District has implemented in resolving litigation. This manual also reflects measures mandated by the First Amendment Rights and Police Standards Act of 2004.

    This handbook sets forth general policy and shall serve as standard operating procedures for all members in carrying out the mission of the Metropolitan Police Department in dealing with all demonstrations, rallies, marches, picket lines, or other similar gatherings conducted for the purpose of persons expressing their political, social, or religious views. This policy is intended to exceed constitutional requirements and satisfy the heightened requirements of local statutory law and best practices.

    The manual also is designed around the concept of operational flexibility within the requirements of the National Incident Management System. It is impossible to devise specific standard procedures for handling all possible situations, for each has its own characteristics and problems. The overall police philosophy must be one of moderation, flexibility and controlled response. Since each situation is unique, both commanders and supervisory officials must plan to respond according to the nature and size of the crowd. The tactical procedures established within this manual are a guide, and not a substitute for the exercise of sound judgment and proper command and supervision within the context of general departmental policy.

    It is imperative that members of the force understand the role of the Metropolitan Police Department during mass demonstrations and major disturbances in our city and the manner by which the department prepares itself to fulfill this role. It is to this end that this handbook is dedicated.

    …

    V. VIOLENT CIVIL DISTURBANCES

    Unplanned civil disturbances may arise from a number of causes such as political grievances, economic conflicts, community unrest, or in response to police action taking place in neighborhoods, or in the midst of a crowded street, park or public place. Civil disturbance participants come from all walks of life and cover the entire political spectrum.

    Whenever an unplanned First Amendment assembly arises, the first officer on the scene will serve as the initial incident commander. That member will be responsible for conducting an assessment of the scene, notifying the CIC and the element Watch Commander of the situation and requesting assistance from the Special Operations Division.

    The basic human element sparking a civil disturbance is usually the presence of a crowd. Civil disturbances usually arise when a crowd:

    1. Gathers to air grievances on issues, and transfers its anger from the issues to the people dealing with the issues.
    2. Swells uncontrollably as curious bystanders and sympathetic onlookers join forces with the activists or protestors.
    3. Is incited to irrational action by skillful agitators.

    In civil disturbances, crowds employ any number of tactics to achieve their goals. Their tactics may be unplanned or planned, non-violent or violent confrontations. As indicated, the situations that could evolve into a violent civil disturbance are numerous and varied. Often there will be little or no warning before the onset of violence or property damage. In a few instances, it may be possible to predict a level of civil disorder by the nature of a pre-planned event. However, each civil disturbance situation is unique and commanders and supervisory officials must, therefore, plan and respond according to the nature and size of the disturbance. The policies and procedures presented in this SOP are based upon the concept of operational flexibility, and it is expected that officials will exercise sound judgment and proper command and supervisory responsibility in the control of a civil disturbance.

To Download the entire manual click here 

International Aid Worker Meets African Villager

I want to be an aid worker

CIA Torture Secrets: 'Nazi-like' Polish black site confession

Recalculating Romneys Four Percent Gimmick

2 April 2012  (Think before you vote...really)  This is one of the most important elections in our history, our future is at stake and this is not a time for playing around...(side note: Susan Brannon)

I have a new piece up at ForeignPolicy.com on Ron Paul and the Republican Party, focused in particular on the strong support that Paul draws from young people, with some additional speculation about where those young people will end up, if and when Paul steps back from his very public role. My instincts are that these young people are motivated at least as much by the ideas that Paul espouses as by Ron Paul, the person. If I am correct, many of them are likely to remain active in politics. I close with a warning to GOP leaders that they would be making a grave error if they ignored this libertarian-leaning voting bloc. Unfortunately, that is what the GOP’s leading candidate, Mitt Romney, seems to be doing by pushing a short-sighted plan for boosting military spending at a time when the country is awash in debt.

I have always been puzzled by the fact that conservatives who rail against welfare dependency here at home miss the pernicious effects of security dependency among our allies. Tim Pawlenty didn’t get it. Neither does Mitt Romney. Rather than questioning the mantras that have guided U.S. foreign policy for over a generation, Romney simply assumes that the United States will remain the world’s policeman, other countries will continue to free-ride on our security guarantees, and U.S. taxpayers will happily foot the bill. He proposes spending at least four percent of GDP on the military’s base budget, plus whatever additional money might be needed to fight the wars that he wants to fight (for example, this one).

I commented on the Four Percent Gimmick a few months ago, and now I have a bit more detail about Romney’s plan relative to the Obama administration’s latest 10-year projections. I alluded to these numbers in the ForeignPolicy.com piece, and below provide some more detail. (I am grateful, as always, for the help of my colleague Charles Zakaib in sorting through these, and in preparing the charts).



The chart above shows spending in nominal, current-year dollars, over the next ten years. The Obama administration plans to spend $5.7 trillion between 2013 and 2022 (the blue bars). If Romney keeps his promise of four percent for defense, he will spend at least $8.3 trillion (using OMB’s GDP projections) over that same period, an additional $2.58 trillion (the yellow bars). His budget in 2022 would top $1 trillion, and would be at least 61 percent higher than Barack Obama’s. He hasn’t said what other spending he will cut, or what taxes he would increase, to cover that difference. Until he does, it is logical to conclude that he plans to pile on more debt.

And we should remember that current laws call for even less spending than President Obama has proposed, but he has chosen to ignore the sequestration provisions of the Budget Control Act. GOP leaders in Congress seem equally disinterested in following through on their promise to kick the spending habit, and several have put forward plans to undo sequestration for the Department of Defense. Either way, the bottom line is more debt. As I speculate at ForeignPolicy.com, no wonder young people seem to like Ron Paul so much (and Mitt Romney so little).

Another way to demonstrate the absurdity of Romney’s plan is to control for inflation and compare it to future and past trends. Looking ahead, in constant, 2012 dollars, annual Pentagon spending will average $744.8 billion over the next ten years—again assuming the same GDP projections as Obama’s plan. That is 44 percent higher than Obama’s average budget (the bright pink line) over that same period, and nearly 59 percent higher than sequestration (the dark red line).

Now consider how this compares with the recent past. As you can see, Romney’s Four Percent Gimmick would result in taxpayers spending more than twice as much on the Pentagon as in 2000 (111 percent higher, to be precise), and 45 percent more than in 1985, the height of the Reagan buildup. Over the next ten years, Romney’s annual spending (in constant dollars) for the Pentagon would average 64 percent higher than annual post-Cold War budgets (1990-2012), and 42 percent more than the average during the Reagan era (1981-1989).





Mitt Romney may genuinely believe that today’s enemies are 42 percent more frightening than the big bad Soviets. He might believe that spending an average of $450 billion (in constant dollars) every year since 1990 has left the country dangerously vulnerable. If that is true, he should say so. More importantly, however, he should be compelled to answer the question on everyone’s mind: Where is he going to get the money to fund his Pentagon spending binge?

Cross-posted from Cato @ Liberty 
Related Information:
(Mar 01, 2012) - T12-0040 - Romney Tax Plan Without Unspecified Base Broadeners; Baseline: Current Policy; Distribution of Federal Tax Change by Cash Income Level, 2015

Why are you driving in my country?

God Bless America.  No wonder no one like America.

TTZ S01E22 The Monsters are Due on Maple Street.avi

Here is my response to "The Police Tracking our Cellphones"  From the Twilight Zone.  Watch this!  Growing in suspicion on a daily basis, anything goes and just watch...neighbors will be suspicious of each other, family members, into a frizzy.  This will justify and does justify our privacy rights being violated in America today.

History of the Value of the U.S. Dollar and Today's Economical Crisis

Susan Brannon
30 March 2012

I decided to take a look at the U.S. dollar's value to compare it with today's in order to find out why the dollar continues to drop.  I wanted to know, when in the past has it dropped and what may have caused it.  I wanted to understand what we can do today, to help stabilize the American economy.  I don't take it for granted as "truth" when the media and politicians tell me (us: The Americans) that things are getting better, when all I need to do is to open my eyes and see in reality they are not and have not been getting better since they have been telling us for the past few years.  I have been feeling like a Ethiopian waiting for the rain to fall so my crop will grow and the rain never comes.

This may seem like boring stuff, but it is rather important for us to know and understand our "history" in relation to the U.S. dollar and the American economy.  It helps us to gain insights as to what we can intelligently petition our politicians to help create change to improve our lifestyles. What I discovered were two important years that the value of the U.S. dollar started to fall, never to regain its previous status.  The years were 1933 and 1968, both of which had something to do with changes in the Gold Standard Act.

The U.S. Dollar

In 1800 the estimated value of the U.S. dollar was $1.961 and continued to go up from the first railroad (1827) on through the California gold rush to an all time high of $4.00 in 1849.  It remained stable at $4.00 until 1853. 

From 1853 the value of the dollar started to drop until the development of the Marconi telegraph in 1895, where it went back to $4.00 followed by zero inflation until 1901. During zero inflation and the stability of the dollar, historical events such as the Klondike gold rush and the discovery of penicillin and the end of the Spanish-American war occurred.

In 1900, was the development of the Gold Standard Act, where gold became the sole legal-tender coinage of the United States, and set the value of the dollar at $20.67 per ounce. The gold standard act was suspended twice, and re-opened in 1914.

By the time the Federal Reserve Act in 1913, came into power the dollar was valued at 3.367 with a 2.4% inflation rate.  From then on the value continue to drop and inflation continued to bounce around until the great recession in 1920 when inflation hit 15.8% and the value was $1.667.

If we compare out current economic crisis to the great depression that started in 1929 through the 1930's, we will find that in 1929 the inflation rate was zero with a $1.949 dollar value and in 1932 with the development of the new deal and the Third Reich, the dollar went up to $2.577 after which the value has been dropping ever since.

In 1933, many countries went off the gold standard, and during the great depression people starting to hoard gold not trusting the dollar depleting gold reserves. This was an historical event for the American economy and its future.  In 1933, President Roosevelt implemented a series of Acts of Congress and Executive Orders, which suspended the gold standard except for foreign exchange.  As a result, the value of the U.S. dollar started do tumble. They revoked gold as a universal legal tender for debts, and banned private ownership of significant amount of gold coin.  At that time, the set amount of gold was $20.67 per ounce was lifted, allowing the dollar to float freely in the market.

Next, they devalued the the dollar on the foreign exchange and made the dollar a fixed price of $35.00 per ounce of gold.  This created more countries to exchange gold for dollars, to allow the U.S. to corner the world gold market. From 1933 the dollar value was $2.577 and slowly declined to $1.00 in 1967.

In 1968, the redemption of pre-1963 Federal Reserve notes for gold or silver officially ended.  For 177 years gold was set at fixed prices with the gold-based dollar with a long standing value of $35.00 for an ounce of gold.  The ability for the U.S. to control the market became too
complicated to manage, caused by economic and trade pressures, as a result the effort to control the private market price of gold was abandoned and a two tier system started.

This was the beginning of a time when the U.S. dollar was not worth a dollar anymore to $.960 in 1968. Central banks trading gold became a isolated event.  They would trade gold with each other at $35.00 per ounce, but would not trade with the private market, this pushed gold to the price of $43.00 per ounce by the end of the year. 

When the gold standard act was abandoned, the dollar became a free market, meaning that the value was based on what other countries felt the value was to the dollar, not backed by anything.  Prices became unstable, inflation was harder to control, it left unchecked balances to America's debt, and started chaotic "floating" of currencies valued against each other.

By 1972 the price of gold was over $70.00 per ounce and by 1973, the two-tier system was abandoned and the dollar was "self valued" at $.798.

By the official end of the Vietnam war in 1975, there was not enough gold to back the dollar and the value of the dollar fell to $.620.

Now we are under the Fiat standard that is, money not backed by any physical asset. In 2010, the value of the dollar fell to $.153.* 

The New York Times reported, that the dollar weighed against global currencies had "hit a 40-year low" in May of 2011.  This is because the Federal Reserve's policy of printing dollars to spry the economy is not working.  Bernanke, the Federal Reserve chairman believe that the cheaper dollar encourages "American manufactures to hire more aggressively." Has anyone seen that happen except for outsourcing?

The claim of the Federal Reserve to continue to print money in order to  "stabilize" the economy has not worked.  History has proven that the government continues to borrow and expand as long as the money is available and the government has not proven to spend any less than it has before.  They borrow money to bail out banks and on foreign investments with money that America does not have. 

America's unemployment rate in real numbers is estimated at 22.5%, according to WND while prices continue to rise.  When this happens, people spend less and cut back on just about everything that they can in order to survive month to month.  With less people buying, the harder it is for companies to keep their employees or stay open; it becomes harder for manufactures to stay open because of the lower demand and high cost of developing products.

Inflation is a real threat and here is why:
In the past forty years the U.S. dollar dropped in value by 72% compared to the Euro and 75% compared to the Japanese yen.  When America's purchasing power falls, inflation occurs,  drop of exchange rates can cause inflation, the national debt can cause inflation, price control of certain markets such as oil, can cause inflation.  

There is another problem, the reported inflation rates are not "real" numbers in terms of practical living.  For example, in 2011 a gallon of milk cost $3.39 in December. Compare that to the average price of $4.25 in March 2012 or a gallon of gas from 3.89 to $4.00 in 2012. This reflects much more than the reported inflation rate of 2.9% for February 2012.  The actual rate for inflation in 2011 was 9% based on consumer goods such as gas, food, house rent, compared to the reported amount of 3.5%.  In the end, if you receive a 3% pay raise, you will have lost 8.9% of your income due to "real" inflation numbers.  This is why American's are continuing to feel the pinch of the current crisis and do not feel that things are getting any better.

History tells us that if we went back to the Gold Standard, it would be easier to balance the budget, increase price stability and lower inflation.  It would put into a "check" of our spending and national debt. 

Conclusion:  Get back to the Gold Standard Act, to stabilize the economy, create checks and balances for national spending, and to help control inflation. 

*The "values" listed here are based on an old survey called "Prices paid by farmers" to approximate inflation.
Related Articles:
Thank You Mr. Boehner
Debt Plan Fact Sheet
Our Tax Dollars at Work
Satellite View of Foreclosures
American Struggling Middle Class (Video)                        What is Wall Street?
Global Confidence in Economy Collapses
Crime Against Humanity
Which Countries Have the Most Days Off?
Changing Hands  From Europe/USA to India/China       Examples of US Financial Corruption
Lies and More Lies - Cost of Wars and Lives                      One Example of Wall Street Corruption  Occupy Wall Street Proposed/Unproposed Demands       
American Job Act Summary - Obama                                Occupy Wall Street - Quiz                     
Italy in a Crisis - August 2011                         

Presidential Candidates Response to Occupy Wall Street
Goldman Sachs Robbing the Americans Video
Asian Stocks Fall - Video -  August 2011
Euro on the Edge - Video - August 2011
Spanish and Italian Bond Move - Video - August 2011
July Employment Report - Article - August 2011
Making Sense of a Failing Economy - Article - August 2011
Making Sense of Bank of America - Article- August 2011

11. The Largest Event In Human History

You know, I hate this stuff like "conspiracy theories" type information.  However, I must say that I too have been watching (and posting) items of investigation regarding our global and American economy, politics and corruptions.  I have also noticed a "pattern" of cycles, and it is general knowledge that all life has its cycles.