Saturday, July 6, 2013

SAR #13187

We live in a time and place of secret secrets.

Borne On The Fourth Of July: According to the Administration, " the American people do not deserve to be told what their laws mean," nor "how those laws are being used.”

Puke: NATO's leaders claim “they told us... that he was inside... “ President Morales' aircraft when it was given “ridiculous and unacceptable treatment” (in the words of the EU president), an “act of piracy, a metaphor for the gangsterism that now rules the world.” Who, do you think, is “they”? As a footnote, the US is harboring former Bolivian President Sanchez de Lozada (wanted in Bolivia for killing 60 people) and refuses to accept Bolivia's request that he be extradited to La Paz to stand trial. Just on the off-chance, the US has demanded that Ireland arrest Snowden and ship him to DC if he happens to show up there.

Same Old Same Old: A US drone kills 16 people in Pakistan. The CIA says some, all, a few, one or two at least may have been militants. Pakistan says... Who cares what Pakistan says?

Vive la différence: In a speech at US Ambassador Charles Rivkin's 4th of July party in Paris, French Interior Minister Valls explained that “in the name of our friendship, we owe each other honesty.” And then went on to say the French were honestly disgusted at the US spying on French citizens. That is, after all, the French Interior Minister's job.

Bedrock: House Republicans are ideologically incapable of imagining a world at variance with their ideology; they won't let themselves understand the world we live in. But the Democrats (led, or not, by Obama) have done little to stop them, so they continue to pursue their monstrous agenda.

Self-Evident: Americans celebrated their “independence” and “freedom” by submitting to random searches and incessant surveillance.

Facets: While the stock market was reacting to the sparkle of the latest jobs report, looking at the facets is less encouraging. Those with part-time jobs grew by 360,000 in June, to over 28 million – an all time record – while full-time jobs fell 240,000. While nearly 200,000 jobs were added in June, none were in manufacturing but there were more waiters and bartenders than ever.

Quoted: "It’s pretty disheartening when the incessantly ballyhooed watchful eyes for which we spend untold billions turn out to belong to Mr. Magoo."

Worth Thinking On: We are still the same country that declared independence all those years ago. Yes, we have maintained continuity of legal government, but more important is the enduring hold on our nation of the democratic ideal, the notion that “all men are created equal”. Yes, we are regularly hypocritical about it, but at base we still believe it to be true.

The Other Side: Gold has fallen, rather quickly, from $1750 to $1200 an ounce, shaking the faith of many in the magic metal. But if I recall market theory correctly, there have been ready buyers all the way down, expecting to make a profit later on... For every panicked seller there is a smugly certain buyer.

Porn O'Graph: We're Number One!

The Parting Shot:

130707

1 comment:

mistah charley, ph.d. said...

Maduro’s sheltering Snowden gives the MICFiC one more reason to back a coup against him – giving Snowden asylum is a solidarious act, but puts Venezuela at a bit more risk.

I had hoped that Iceland would grant Snowden citizenship, but have read recently that such an act is less likely due to fear by some that it would negatively impact their economy (by pissing off their export customers).

It’s hard to make predictions, especially about the future.