SAR #12314

“This is not the country I thought it was.”  Ta-Nehisi Coates

Wages Of Sin: David Petraeus, the Hero of Something or Other, resigned as Director of the CIA either because he had an affair, or because he failed to keep his affair secret. Lockheed Martin fired its incoming CEO for “a close personal relationship with a subordinate”. Keep it zipped, partner.

Nice Guy, Finished At Last: As soon as Romney conceded defeat, his campaign canceled the credit cards issued to staffers – who had to come up with the money to pay for their hotel rooms, cabs, planes home, etc. There's a difference between being financially conservative and being a bastard.

Love & Marriage: The CBO notes that reducing the federal budget deficit will cause a decline in GDP and an increase in unemployment. This evil gossip will not pass muster and the Republican Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith will consign it to the Index Librorum Prohibitorum.

Postmortem: There were not enough bigots and fools in rural America to push the “far too white” Republican party across the finish line. The small town America they pretend to cherish has vanished. Women, blacks, Hispanics, Asians, those of most and least education, and union workers overwhelmingly voted Democrat, and there were more of them than there were insecure white male southerners who were willing to vote against their best interests.

Jingoism: Sales of Japanese cars in China fell 59% in October, m/m.

Jobs Is Jobs: Foxconn – the beloved employer whose happy workers assemble Apple products in China – is rumored to be planning to open factories in the US, to get away from rising wages in China. Go ahead, make a joke.

No Easy Button: It is embarrassing that a nation that has been voting for over 200 years can't figure out how to do it. Florida's reprise of fumblism is a national embarrassment and Obama should live up to his off-hand “we'll fix that” comment. At least this time the various idiots and incompetents attempts to limit the vote and change the results after the fact can't make the rest of the country accept Justice Scalia's choice.

Ooo La La: French industrial output fell 2.7% in September, the central bank expects the GDP to fall another 0.1% this quarter and a “mild” recession (your neighbor loses his job) to close out the year. French industrialists are cutting back on their investments, as the government cuts back on its spending. Another poster child for austerity.

Say Goodnight, Gracie: ECB President Draghi, after saving Greece at least thee times in the last six months, now says the ECB is “done with Greece.” Greece, meanwhile, is self-destructing, with a 58% youth unemployment rate and an increasing fascist movement and no one sees any way out. Certainly the salary and pension cuts forced through the Greek parliament (at Angela's behest) are only going to exacerbate the problem. And it's not just Greece, Italian loan demand has fallen by half and Spain's unemployment is climbing towards 30%. But the leaders keep insisting on austerity. These are not rational people, they are true believers, willing to let the sinners die, and along with them, democracy in Europe.

Spoiled of War: About 10,000 Syrians a day are fleeing into Turkey, which is not really happy to be hosting over 100,000 refugees in overtaxed camps. The Red Cross says it can no longer cope with the crisis.

Laundromat: HSBC is shocked to find out that the subsidiary it set up on Jersey in order to avoid playing by the rules has customers who don't play by the rules – like drug dealers. And “prominent Texas attorney” Marco Delgado has been charged with laundering about $600 million in Mexican drug money. All alone, apparently.

Porn O'Graph: Focus.

The Parting Shot: