10/16/2009
WHAT A GOLD COIN MEANS TO ME?
I LEARNED Before I was 10 years old, that when you dig in the ground you’ll find old Roman coins and you can sell them at the Museum for a lot of money. One day I found a gold coin and it got me a new bicycle and a month’s worth of candy and ice cream…
I LEARNED By the time I was 20 that war can destroy estates, families and fortunes, and that all you can find in its wake are the gold coins buried in cellars and under thresholds by the victims…
I LEARNED By the time I was 21 I found out what rampant inflation means: The price of dinner going up while you are eating at a restaurant; Payrolls that had to be made daily; A pair of fancy riding boots cost an equivalent of 7.5 grams of gold plus 20%, so the merchant has enough time to reach the black market to convert the currency into gold before it loses its value; Devaluing money means that you have to buy a 50¢ stamp and put it on a $1 bill to make it worth $1 dollar again; Government printing money and buying gold with it on the open and black market and printing more money as the price of gold rises.
I LEARNED By the time I was 25, that a money belt is a belt around your waist with little holes where gold coins can be fitted and you carry it on you at all times. You could live well on one coin for a month or more…
I LEARNED By the time I reached 30, that if you only make $37.50 a week in New York while learning the language and the ways of America, you could still save money and put it in the bank at 4% interest…
I LEARNED By the time I was 40, that gold is a non-constructive investment. Money deposited in banks makes a country grow but money buried in gold does not. Gold is a defensive investment for times when you are more concerned about the return of your money than the return on your money…
I LEARNED By the time I reached age 89, that gold coins saved my life and made it possible to write this vignette of a different world. I am now sad to realize that in this new world gold coins had become life savers again.
Ceterum censeo: Throw the bums out!
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10/21/2009
MILITARY INTEL OF THE WEEK OCT.19-25**
WASHINGTON DC.
Congress has been finding it difficult to find those extra dollars to fund their pet project earmarks back home. So they dipped their fingers into the military appropriation that purchase bullets, bombs, support items, clothing and equipment for our troops now in combat. These congressional weasels took $3 billion away from our armed forces overseas to fund 778 earmark projects in their home districts. Revolting. (See item IRAQ below.)
IRAN
Earlier this year, an Iranian nuclear scientist went to Saudi Arabia on the Haj (pilgrimage to Islam's most holy shrines), and never returned. Iranian attempts to find out what happened to their man were not answered by Saudi Arabia. Two years ago, a senior Iranian government official, with knowledge of the nuclear program, disappeared in Turkey. These two incidents indicate that Western intelligence officials have a very good idea of what goes on in the Iranian nuclear program. The Arab nations on the west coast of the Persian Gulf also have a good informant network inside Iran. There aren't as many secrets in Iran as the Iranians would like.
SYRIA
Given Syria’s desperate water needs, the Assad regime might resort to an adventurous war with Israel in order to capture the Sea of Galilee. Syria has underground storage and launch facilities for its arsenal of over a thousand SCUD missiles. The Syrians have a large network of camouflaged launching sites for the mobile launchers. Iran and North Korea have helped Syria build underground SCUD manufacturing and maintenance facilities. The Syrian missiles are meant to hit Israeli airfields, missile launching sites and nuclear weapons sites, as well as population centers. Syria hopes to do enough damage with a missile strike to cripple Israeli combat capability. The Israeli government has been passing around, to local governments, a war planning document. This study assumes a future war with Syria, and gives the local officials an idea of what to expect. Currently, the Israelis estimate that there would be as many as 3,300 Israeli casualties (including up to 200 dead) if Syria tried to use its long range missiles against Israel. If the Syrians used chemical warheads*, Israeli casualties could be as high as 16,000. Over 200,000 Israelis would be left homeless, and it's believed about a 100,000 would seek to leave the country.
TURKEY
In a major, militarily dangerous move for the Mid-East, the once pro-Western, dependable Muslim democracy, Turkey, officially left the Western alliance and became this week a full member of the Iranian axis. On Monday eleven Turkish government ministers descended on Syria to sign a pile of cooperation agreements with Iran's Arab lackey. Syria announced it was entering a military alliance with Turkey and would be holding a joint military exercise with the Turkish military.
Turkey also withdrew its ambassador from Israel. Turkey’s sudden move was caused by the Obama administration, which since entering office in January had abandoned US support for democracy activists throughout the world in favor of a policy of pure appeasement of US adversaries at the expense of US allies. In keeping with this policy, President Barack Obama paid a humiliating visit to Ankara where he effectively endorsed the Islamization of Turkish foreign policy. As a direct result Turkey moved into the arms of Teheran's mullahs.
IRAQ
Homeland Security and Defense Departments are concerned about the patches worn by many members of the military in Iraq and Afghanistan. The patches “Oath Keepers” and “Three percent” may represent the influence of two new organizations. According to the organizations:
“Oath Keepers is a non-partisan association of currently serving military, reserves, National Guard, veterans, Peace Officers, and Fire Fighters who will fulfill the Oath we swore, with the support of like minded citizens who take an Oath to stand with us, to support and defend the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic, so help us God. Our Oath is to the Constitution.” Oath Keepers have a specialized mission focused on the oath and to convince members of the military to refuse obeying unlawful orders.
The three percent group are “hard-line gun owners who are done backing up and will not comply with further infringement of any of their rights.” It also alludes to the three percent of the colonists who took to the field against the King during the Revolution, and the estimation that at least three percent of modern Americans will actively fight, if it comes to it, to preserve liberty. Ominous Obama Opposition.
SECRET SERVICE.
An internal congressional report, questioning the ability of the Secret Service to continue fulfilling its duties, was leaked to the Boston Globe. The report says the Secret Service is strained by a drastic increase in threats to President Obama, coupled with deep budget cuts. According to the report, threats against President Obama are up 400 percent from the number of threats levied against former President George W. Bush, while the size of the agency's staff has only increased by 5.3 percent.
PS
* Israel has no chemical weapons. In the event of a chemical attack on Israel, they announced retaliation with nuclear weapons.
**If sufficient interest is shown by my readers in any of the above items, I will furnish additional details.
Ceterum censeo: Throw the bums out!
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10/24/2009
ARNING! This is not an official State Department document. Although the names are factual, the contents and form are not intended to resemble actual State Department communications.
Briefing Update on Negotiations with the Iranian Delegation in Bandar Abbas.
Status: Priority. FYEO.
To: (REDACTED)
Deputy Secretary of State
Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs
From (REDACTED)
Senior Field Desk Officer, Middle East
Transmitted by KG-3X encryption.
Re O: P5+1 non-proliferation and disarmament.
Re C: Mutual Security Agreement and enrichment approval agreement.
The scheduled weekly meeting to work on details for official acknowledgement and endorsement of uranium enrichment in Iran had been postponed due to sudden developments with a potential negative impact on recent progress. Intelligence Minister Gholam Hossein Mohseni Ejeie has been fired and we had to arrange an impromptu meeting with Mehdi K. and Ahmad T. to learn of the facts upsetting the Iranian delegation.
We notified Yael D. of the IAEC and Ali Asghar S, of the delay.
Here is the summary of issues disclosed to us:
Sunday's suicide bomb attack on a conference hall in the Pishin region of Sistan and Balochistan province was a major blow against the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC). At least 48 people were killed in the attack, among them four of the most senior commanders of the IRGC. They include Generals Noor Ali Shooshtari (the deputy commander of IRGC land forces), Rajab Ali Mohammad-Zadeh (the commander of IRGC forces in the Sistan and Balochistan province), Hossein Moradi (commander of the IRGC garrison in the county of Iranshahr) and Ali Alavian (the commander of the IRGC's "Sarallah" Corps - a prestigious infantry unit). The loss of Noor Ali Shooshtari is the most damaging, since he was the deputy commander of IRGC land forces at a national level.
Responsible for the attack were the Jundallah with close links to the US Central Intelligence Agency's network and other secret military American agents, (some of them considered “rogue”,) and security contractors. In addition "Saudi money" and "American spies" who "have tried for years to raise ethnic tension in the region” are believed by the Iranians to be involved. Iranian Baloch insurgents from the Mujahideen-e-Khalq (MEK) and other Iranian Baloch organizations, associated with Jundallah are a major concern for the Iranians and the CIA using Jundallah as a proxy army, as the new "Balochi contras".
In the Kalakot area Dost Mohammad, an underground leader of the MEK, now working in coordination with the Americans against Iranian interests in the region. The alliance of the Iranian Jundallah with American secret agents and Pakistani agents of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) is numerous and beyond dispute. In addition to the CIA, highly specialized and secret branches of the United States military, have met key Jundallah operatives and commanders on numerous occasions in remote hideouts on the western fringes of Pakistani Balochistan. Moreover, the Americans have supplied the group with communication devices, in particular encrypted laptops, and large sums of cash.
The covert operation of the magnitude mounted against Iran on Sunday and allegedly supported by US Special Forces based in Afghanistan runs the high risk of provoking Tehran to retaliate. We expressed our official position that the US provides no funding to the groups allegedly involved, which would require an official presidential order from Pres. Obama. They pointed out that that money from foreign sources was being funneled to the Jundallah leadership through "Gulf states" especially the Saudis. We believe that this should be considered a conjecture, not impairing deniability.
The brother of Abdul Malik Rigi, the Iranian Balochi leader of Jundallah, has been captured and has confessed to links with US intelligence. They did not deny torture involved.
We believe that these developments complicate, but do not impair the proposed mutual security agreement. We expect that Iran may again raise the level of demands from guaranteeing Iran’s security against any attack, to putting Israel’s nuclear capability under UN supervision. Yael D. repeatedly stated in the past that such proposal is a non-starter with Tel Aviv.
We expect to resume our meetings as soon as a replacement for GHME is selected.
In addition to the firing of GHME, three other cabinet members resigned, or were fired. Pres. MA has been under extreme pressure and at his last cabinet meeting engaged in screaming exchanges with some of the ministers. Culture and Islamic Guidance Minister Mohammad Hossein Saffar-Harandi, who was also fired, expressed concern about MA’s mental stability, which combined with the illness of AAK points to the possible resurgence of Cleric Rafsanjani.
COMMENT: The above alleged activities by the CIA, AI, DIA, and MCI and by private security contractors indicates a reluctance of these organizations to follow Department guidelines and Presidential objectives. In my opinion, the “rogue” CIA units maybe members of the Sayeret Matkal.
End of communication.
11/1/2009
CANCER AND SURVIVAL.
Everybody reading this must understand that they have potential cancer cells in their body. These cells are continuously attacked and destroyed by the body’s immune system. Every time you have a wound and it heals by forming scar tissue, you are watching the process of cell growth similar to the growth of cancer. When the wound is healed the cell growth is stopped. When the body is unable to stop the growth of cells, tumors develop.
I spent most of the least ten years telling you that the secret of survival is to adjust to circumstances. My autobiography, THE VISION, goes into great detail how I used this concept to survive during World War II. The second rule of survival is to understand the circumstances that you must adjust to.
To survive cancer you must understand the circumstances and adjust to them. I was diagnosed with two types of cancer in 1996 and after my years in researching the cancer “terrain” I just found a book that may prove to be the most important book affecting your survival. Written by an oncologist suffering from cancer, it reminds me of another doctor who 150 years ago was first ridiculed, then attacked and finally his recommendation not only became the standard of the medical profession, but you are advised right now to use his method to avoid getting the flu.
I highly recommend that you read “Anti Cancer. A new way of life.” By David Servan Schreiber MD.PhD. It may save your life and your children’s life. You will learn that it is not heredity but your own way of life that controls your health. A concise explanation of what makes cancer cells thrive and what inhibits them, and drawing on both conventional and alternative ways to slow and prevent cancer, this book is revolutionary. www.anticancerways. com.
I also recommend that you read about the tragic life of a Hungarian physician, Dr. Ignác Semmelweis. When you are told to wash your hands to prevent the spreading of the flu, you should hear the voice of Dr. Semmelweis who first recommended it to a medical profession, which ridiculed him and eventually destroyed him. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ignaz_Semmelweis
Since I want to do more than sincerely wishing that you lived a long and prosperous life , I am advising you to read the book. If it helps you survive, someday you may be hearing my voice telling you: “I told you so.”
Ceterum censeo: Throw the bums out!
12/9/2009
THE NEW WAY OF DYING.
In my autobiography (THE VISION) death and last words of people facing death are often discussed. On his deathbed Heinrich Heine, the German poet was asked if he expects to be forgiven by God. His answer: “Dieu me pardonnera. C'est son metier." [God will pardon me. It is his trade.] These were the same words the German Gestapo agent said to me when contemplating his future near the end of the war.
When my late wife was waiting nude in front of the gas chamber to be executed within minutes, she heard people’s last words, their last expressions facing inevitable death. She tried to forget but could not forget their last words. The world has always been fascinated by what people say at the moment of death and a little research on the Internet provides an array of interesting quotes.
http://www.mapping.com/words.html
The Internet has apparently also provided a new way to say good-bye. A good friend of mine is dying. The medical profession has given up on him and he now continues to live with hospice treatment. Pain pills make his last days tolerable. In his recent message he says:” I may be full of cancer and realize the inevitable, but God wants me to fight it everyday.” He then goes into great detail showing how he is living his life to the fullest in spite of pain and weakness. Diagnosed 5 years ago with cancer of the esophagus he now has lived the best 5 years of his life in spite of all the pain and unsuccessful attempts to cure. He also sent along a current picture showing the ravages of chemo and other treatments and the metastasized cancer on his physical body.
He is a young man and computer savvy. Most of my previously departed friends were less than computer friendly primarily because of their ages and lack of electronic knowledge. Could this be the forerunner of a new trend?
In the recent past we have lost the ability to accept death as an integral inescapable part of life. How much more would memory, family friendship, love mean to us if death could be met head on and not be made palatable and easily digestible in the great American tradition like sugarcoating cereals. If death could be treated as high fiber, to remind us that some things must be rough for our own sake, perhaps there would be less self-destruction by dope and alcohol.
Perhaps this new way of chronicling death on the Internet will alleviate the need for the traditional camouflage of cosmetics, fancy caskets, big productions, cascading flower arrangements that try to hide the challenge of how to make peace with death’s inevitability. Perhaps there will be less need for statues and monuments as part of a feeble desire to achieve immortality by spending wealth as if to bribe the future. When we die we must live in the hearts and minds of others. What you leave behind is not what is engraved in stone monuments, but what is grafted into the lives of others.
As I am watching the last days of my friend as he struggles with the spread of his disease and read about his love for his family and friends, I see a new trend. Dying on the Internet may make us, the living, better people and give us a better acceptance of God’s will
On the other hand will we suddenly be overwhelmed by offers of “Get Your Dying Website” and “Last Breath Websites in Color with Music 50% off!”? We already have video headstones. You may now have a solar powered video headstone that talks to visitors at your grave. I just added this paragraph to make this message softer. Like the guy who put straw inside a concrete pipe he uses as a pillow.
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12/23/2009
CHRISTMAS MEMORIES OF A DIFFERENT KIND.
You have heard me say often that inability to forget is far worse than the inability to remember. You can always force yourself to remember something and in due time your subconscious will serve up the forgotten memory that was on the “tip of your tongue” anyway. There is no way, however, to force yourself to forget. People have tried many ways using alcohol, dope, hyper-activity or hypnosis with little results.
Some people may suppress bad memories, but eventually they come back and may bite really hard. Many suicides are caused by the inability forget. Military and Holocaust survivors live with such suppressed memories and it is a standard joke among such survivors to declare that they consider themselves a little bit insane, mostly due to such suppressed, but unforgettable memories.
Luckily there are, however, good unforgettable memories. Many of those are connected with happy occasions, with Christmas being one of the best memory generators.
What is Christmas really about? About one-third of the world will celebrate Christmas, but at least another third of the world has never heard of Christmas.
BUDAPEST CHRISTMAS 1944
Unfortunately most of those who celebrate do not have an understanding of the true meaning of the Christmas spirit. One of my fondest Christmas memories is a night during the street fighting in Budapest in 1944 during a bitter cold storm when survival was on everyone’s mind. Frozen dead bodies littered the streets and shadowy figures hunched next to carcasses of frozen horses probing for food. It was a scene of future nightmares; The fog and smoke of war with its odor of cordite, sewage and decay, the gruesome brilliance of fires and searchlights and the lightning like flashes of gunfire. We were cautiously walking dark streets with our full survival attention sharpened to the sounds of war: the ripping silk sounds of incoming mortars, the sound of engines, the rumbling of distant artillery and the occasional whistle of a harmless bullet passing through the accursed and blessed smog hiding us and our enemies
My partner suddenly froze and instantly so did I. Then I heard something so out of the ordinary and contrary to my expectations that I just stood there paralyzed. The sounds of Silent Night came drifting through the noise. Without hesitation or discussion we both moved towards the sound. It came from a cellar.
All I remember now after 65 years is that we found a group of people around a small tree. Burning candles were attached to some of the branches and we saw women and I think even a child. The relief and feeling of peace came upon us so suddenly that we did not even realize that some of the people did not sing “Csendes az éj” in Hungarian, but “Stille Nacht” in German. The song kept repeating as more and more people came into the cellar. Hungarian and German soldiers, armed young men of the resistance, some of whom we recognized.
I no longer recall if we shared a drink or food. I remember the Hungarian “Szaloncukor” decorations of candy wrapped in colored shiny paper hanging on the tree and especially remember the spirited conversation, because we found out somehow that the Russians had totally encircled the city and the final stages of battle were about to take place. Alas, it was three more weeks before the end, but this was the first time we understood that the end of the war was near. A great Christmas to remember! We all stood around in peace, shared hope and also foreboding. We certainly shared the spirit of Christmas before returning to the fight for our lives. I often wondered how many of those in the cellar survived and remember those incredible moments and for how many that was the last moment of hope before a cruel destiny.
Celebrate the joyous spirit of family and friendship this Christmas. May your hopes be renewed as you share them, just as I share my joyous memory with you after 65 long years.
1/11/2010
POLO IS DEAD.
Often when I read obituaries I wish I could have known the departed so impressed I am with their accomplishments and talents. Unfortunately there are no obituaries for dogs or cats except many great books written about the relationships between a loving human and their pet. This short obituary is not about a pet I owned. I don’t think Polo was owned by anyone.
Polo was an independent contractor, dressed in the suit of a Great Pyrenees he walked through life with nobility, courage and disdain for mere mortals. At least that is how I first saw him walking slowly and deliberately like a man on a mission.
It all started when a human couple had marital difficulties and part of their assets was a herd of goats. The female human asked our daughter if we could keep the herd at our ranch while the domestic crisis fomented. Our ranch has often been the last resort of animals in crisis. Orphan deer brought in by game wardens; emus and ostriches abandoned by disgruntled investors; broken winged eagles found struggling in ditches; wounded critters of many kind are rehabilitated by our daughter.
One day a cacophony of goat cries alerted me that one of our pastures was occupied by a new group of refugees. I noted also with dismay, that they were put in a small pasture next to a creek where coyote families could often be heard yipping and howling at night.
I was assured, however, that the herd was safe. Their protector, Polo, who came with the herd, was guarding it.
I was curious to see this Polo, but he was seldom seen. I heard his baritone bark at night sometimes. They told me that Polo slept during the day and guarded the perimeter at night against all intruders. Coyotes could not bite him because his fur was so heavy that at best a coyote could get a mouthful of fur before facing the furry of his 120 lb. attack.
After a few weeks I saw Polo walking mightily and I called his name. He gave me a glancing view and a cold shoulder. When I tried to approach him later, he would always send me a message that he was not interested in meeting me. His fur was matted and in some places brown. After every heavy rainfall, however, I noticed he was snow white again in contrast to his black nose and amber eyes.
My 80 lb. retriever, Murphy, slowly developed a relationship with Polo. He would jump and trounce around, while Polo would quietly tolerate him, like an older brother puts up with a teenager.
All went well until the human domestic crisis culminated in the male human suddenly showing up and claiming the goatherd. He drove off with the goat filled trailer, but did not take Polo. The guardian lost his job and was forced to find another task for his life. I don’t know if he mourned for the loss of his protégées, but certainly he did not apply for unemployment insurance, He was an independent contractor and created himself a new job. Protecting the entire ranch. He now expanded his nightly patrol to cover the perimeter of more than 300 acres and enlarged his job to protect the chickens, the geese, the peacocks, the Australian Shepherds and the people living in his protectorate. Soon the coyotes and javelinas seem to have disappeared.
After trying for months I finally succeeded in giving him a dog cookie. Slowly, with patience, our relationship gradually got better. He started to come for dinner and let me pet him,
One day to everyone’s surprise, I was able to groom Polo. His fur came out in bunches and by the bucket full. He liked the grooming and soon started to come for breakfast and dinner plus the dog cookie ritual we jointly developed.(Smart dog.)
I owned and buried many good dogs in my long lifetime and learned a way with dogs. Polo and I became friends. At this point people would write long books about their relationship and shared love with their pets. This story, however, is not about a dog. It is about the end of our guardian’s life.
On the weekend of January 3rd my family came to celebrate my birthday. In the morning I gave Polo a special breakfast in celebration of my special day. Real turkey mixed in his food. He was so happy that he would not leave the deck and greeted me every time I came out of the house. Hoping for more turkey, or saying good-bye? Then my family arrived in several cars and Polo did not shy away from them. They could pet him and admire him. That is the last time I saw him. The celebrations of my birthday took up the day.
At an unknown time that day a vehicle on the highway in front of the ranch hit Polo. There were no skid marks. His body is now burried on the property he protected. I am sure he found a new job and is now protecting a much larger territory. We will forever see him waiting for us on the deck with his enormous white tail waving at us from a distance. Polo, the independent contractor. We miss him.
1/11/2010
MIDDLE EAST BACKGROUND INTEL.
SUICIDE BOMBER PROBLEMS.
Suicide bombing continues to be the most popular weapon among Islamic terrorists
This effort has become the second largest suicide attack campaign in the last century. The largest was the Japanese use of suicide pilots, in air attacks on the U.S. Navy (and some allied ships) during the later stages of World War II. Some 2,800 suicide pilots died. They managed to sink 34 ships and damage 368 others. About 4,900 sailors died. Only about 14 percent of the Kamikaze pilots survived U.S. fighters and anti-aircraft fire, to actually hit a ship. The Kamikaze always attacked military targets, while the suicide bombers tended to avoid anyone who could shoot back.
With both the Kamikazes and Islamic suicide bombers, the idea was to demoralize the opponent, and force an end to the conflict, or at least reduce the extent of the attackers defeat. The tactic failed in both cases, although both Kamikazes and Islamic "martyrs" are admired for their courage. In the case of the Islamic suicide bombers, the tactics backfired in that the civilian population, which was getting hurt the most, turned on the terrorists. The many attacks on Iraqi security forces were supposed to demoralize them, but that, by-and-large, did not work. The same story is playing out in Afghanistan, as it did in other countries where the Islamic Kamikaze weapon was employed.
Palestinian terror groups are having a hard time recruiting suicide bombers. So they are making a pitch to women. The two major Palestinian political parties; Fatah (which controls the West Bank) and Hamas (which controls Gaza), both use their mass media to praise those who die while trying to kill Israelis. But these efforts have been increasingly unsuccessful, and Palestinians are less eager to volunteer for suicide bomber duty. Last year, for example, not a single Israeli was killed, inside Israel, by a Palestinian terrorist.
Palestinian leaders have been expanding the suicide bomber recruiting propaganda directed at children. Terrorists in Iraq and Afghanistan have tried using kids as young as nine or ten as suicide bombers (often without telling the kids exactly what would happen to them).
Families of the bombers are usually paid at least a few thousand dollars, to "honor" the heroism of their child. Very poor families see this as a win-win situation (losing one of many children that were difficult to care for, and making a whole lot of money). There is also social pressure, with everyone encouraged to show respect to the families of suicide bombers. The reality is different, but in places like Iraq, Gaza and Afghanistan, reality doesn't count for much.
Hamas, and Hezbollah have not given up on suicide bomb attacks, but have recognized that the new Israeli counter-terror tactics (go after the leaders and specialists, build walls) are unbeatable. So both groups are stockpiling thousands of long range rockets, with the intention of launching a massive, joint, attack. Hezbollah did this in 2006, but was chased out of southern Lebanon and suffered major damage. Despite this, Hezbollah declared a victory, believed their own propaganda and are ready to go again. Hamas believes that when Israel responds to a large scale rocket attack, the UN and some European nations might be persuaded to prosecute Israel for war crimes. This is more likely than any kind of battlefield victory.
Israel suffered no Islamic terror attacks within its borders in 2009. That's the lowest level of Islamic terrorism for Israel since the Palestinians began their current round of violence in 2000. The Israelis developed tactics to defeat the Palestinian suicide bombing campaign (after Palestinian leaders refused to accept a recently negotiated peace deal), and keep improving those methods, as well as adapting to new Palestinian tactics. What the terrorists really want is to avoid any more of the Israeli tactics that shut down their terrorist operations. This included going after terrorist leaders and technical specialists, and either capturing or (failing that) killing them. Raids and air attacks were made against buildings used by the terrorists, and tight security on Israelis borders were instituted. This last measure crushed the Palestinian economy, which put popular pressure on the terrorists to stop their attacks, and promise to keep it that way. That hasn't worked, but Israeli counter-terror techniques continue to.
The Israelis also set up an increasingly effective intelligence system inside the Palestinian territories. What the Israelis basically did was "take the war to the enemy." This is an application of the old maxim, "the best defense is a good offense." This particular war is still going on. The Israelis implemented their winning tactics in 2003, and two years later the terrorists were rendered largely ineffective. Israel has a large number of counter-terror agents who spoke Arabic. These were Israeli Jews who had grown up in Arab countries, or had parents who had done so. The Israeli police agents who looked, and spoke like, Palestinians, could circulate in Palestinian areas, recruiting informants, and making arrests.
IED PROBLEMS
The war against IEDs (Improvised Explosive Devices, mainly roadside bombs and mines) is playing out in Afghanistan as it did in Iraq. The Afghan terrorists have been using IEDs more, to less effect (against foreign troops), while killing more civilians. Three years ago, one foreign soldier was killed for every 29 IED used. This year, with eight times as many IEDs being used, it took 36 IEDs to kill one foreign soldier. In 2007, it took 55 roadside bombs to kill one American in Iraq. The trend in Iraq was similar to that is now unfolding in Afghanistan. The much higher civilian toll in Iraq turned the civilian population against the terrorists to the extent that overall attacks, and casualties, dropped 90 percent.
The Taliban have tried to avoid civilian casualties by using most of their roadside bombs in isolated areas. But these are more frequently detected and avoided or neutralized. The bombs in populated areas are more likely to work, to the detriment of nearby civilians. The Taliban do not really care that much about civilian casualties, as they believe anyone who does not agree with them, deserves to die, and isn't a real Moslem anyway. It was this attitude that made Islamic terrorists the most hated group in Iraq, even among the Sunni Arab population that provided most of their support and manpower.
US MUSCLE GROWS AGAIN - HOW ABOUT US WILL?
The deployment in the Middle East of the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower carrier strike group in the first week of January adds muscle to the words of Gen. David Petraeus, CENTCOM commander, on Jan 10 that Iranian nuclear infrastructure, albeit strengthened against attack with enhanced underground tunnels, wasn't fully protected.
THE PLOT THICKENS.
China is expected to deploy military forces and bases in the Middle East in the coming decade as part of an effort to protect its access to valuable resources like oil. The intervention of the United States in Yemen - in whatever form it takes - is not simply a matter of hunting down al-Qaeda. The focus on this strategic country, along with engagement with Somalia and Kenya, is a manifestation of the three-way US-Israel-India alliance that is the emphatic counter to China's surge.
1/24/2010
When I received this cartoon the other day, I had a good laugh and put the message in the trash. Ever since, however, I kept remembering the criminal behavior of the political elite and decided to remind you of some of it. My first reaction was recalling when Al Gore was running for president and his arrogant pontification about the "Social Security Lockbox" that he is going to protect if president. I remember yelling at the TV screen" "You lying bastard. You know there is nothing in that lockbox!
At that time most of the American public did not really know what kind of a scam the conniving political establishment was perpetrating. Thanks to the awakening caused by the arrival of the Chicago crime syndicate into national politics, most people now know that the money put into the lockbox by the taxpayers was stolen and replaced by an IOU signed by the taxpayers. That is a better scam than Bernie Madoff's. He just stole the money but did not get every victim to sign an IOU for the money he has stolen. The American taxpayer sucker has paid cash into the Social Security lock box and the politicians then signed the name of the taxpayers to an IOU and merrily spent the money.
The Chicago gang thought that they could repeat the scam. They came up with an ingenious plan to repeat the process. Under the guise of health care reform they planned to collect insurance premiums from every taxpayer, could steal the money and have the suckers sign an IOU for the money stolen. They even had the chutzpah to extort the money from everybody under penalty of the law. You don't pay your premium; you pay a fine and/or go to jail. A better scam than the protection racket in the Chicago 'hood.
It was so obvious; that a child could have cried out that the king had no clothes. They planned to collect premiums for four years without providing any insurance benefits. The scam was, however, more devious than the movie where the insurance company just collected premiums and did not pay any claims. The Chicago gang would collect the money and spend it. A new "lockbox" would be set up and they would put IOUs into that new box signed with your name.
This scam had another purpose even more sinister than the theft of the sucker's money. By not providing insurance for four years, the sucker would not find out that the plan would fail miserably, as compared the private sector insurance plans most Americans are accustomed to. If the taxpayers had seen the failure of the new insurance scam in the first four years, they would have revolted and would have thrown the bums out by the next election.
This was an ingenious triple play plan. Steal the money - replace it with IOUs - get re-elected before they wise up.
Over 20 years ago I wrote small booklet of "Old Hungarian Sayings". It had 100 sayings by an Old Hungarian. In the meantime I became 20 years older, but the sayings may still be valid. Here are some examples. You decide.
"There is a limit to human wisdom. Only stupidity is unlimited."
"Crime does not pay, you do."
"The jug will keep going to the well until it breaks."
The day I received the cartoon and got another message with a song attached to it. It had the answer. No, it wasn't blowing in the wind. But it sounded good.
http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=UZkvkLmkYVg
"He who digs a trap for another, will fall in it himself."
"It is not the prevailing wind that determines where your ship is going, but the way you set your sails."
2/7/2020
A PERSONAL MESSAGE
For 14 years I was able to control the spread of the cancers that I had been diagnosed with in 1996. My main tool of control was taking decaf green tea capsules. Unfortunately I did not follow other anticancer rules primarily because they were not very well known in those days. After reading the sensational book by David Servan-Schreiber, MD “ANTI CANCER. A NEW WAY OF LIFE." I decided to let my friends have a list of anti cancer rules, so that they may choose to defeat this enemy before it strikes them. It is too late for me, but it is not too late for you. If you are interested in the logic behind these rules, read the book and be convinced, or accept my word that your health and survival depends mostly on your own decisions. These are just the simplest food rules. For other behavior rules you should read the book.
Go retro: Your main course should be 80 percent vegetables, 20 percent animal protein, like it was in the old days
Mix and match your vegetables: Vary the vegetables you eat from one meal to the next, or mix them together -- broccoli is an effective anticancer food, and is even more effective when combined with tomato sauce, onions or garlic. Get in the habit of adding onions, garlic or leeks to all your dishes as you cook.
Go organic: Choose organic foods whenever possible, but remember it's always better to eat broccoli that's been exposed to pesticide than to not eat broccoli at all (the same applies to any other anticancer vegetable).
Spice it up: Add turmeric (with black pepper) when cooking (delicious in salad dressings!). This yellow spice is the most powerful natural anti-inflammatory agent. Remember to add Mediterranean herbs to your food: thyme, oregano, basil, rosemary, marjoram, mint, etc. They don't just add flavor, they can also help reduce the growth of cancer cells.
Skip the potato: Potatoes raise blood sugar, which can feed inflammation and cancer growth. They also contain high levels of pesticide residue (to the point that most potato farmers I know don't eat their own grown potatoes).
Go fish: Eat fish two or three times a week - sardines, mackerel, and anchovies have less mercury and PCBs than bigger fish like tuna. Avoid swordfish and shark, which the FDA says pregnant women should not eat because they contain a high concentration of contaminants.
Remember not all eggs are created equal: Choose only omega-3 eggs, or don't eat the yolks.
Change your oil: Use only olive and canola oil in cooking and salad dressings
Eat your grains whole and mixed (wheat with oats, barley, spelt, flax, etc.) and favor organic whole grains when possible since pesticides tend to accumulate on whole grains. Avoid refined, white flour (used in bagels, muffins, sandwich bread, buns, etc.) whenever possible, and eat white pasta only al dente.
Keep sweets down to fruits and instead of coffee or black tea, drink three cups of green tea per day. Use decaffeinated green tea if it gets you too wired.
2/18/2010
IN VINO VERITAS
“I had traveled many places,
I had looked at many faces,
Had good steaks and
Tasted fancy wines.”
From the unreleased recording by the Danny Ward Orchestra: The song “Gigolo or Sugar Daddy” composed and performed by Tibby Weston. (When he was young!)
If you are a wine connoisseur who can tell the different wine bouquets and if the wine is light or heavy, thin or full, rich or crisp; this story is not for you. If you can tell if the aroma is floral, fruity, vegetative, nutty, woody, caramelized, earthy, spicy, or chemical; this story is not for you.
If you know red wine from white wine, sweet wine from awful tasting wine; this story is for you.
My story starts with the news that shocked the sophisticated world of wine:
Twelve French wine industry figures were convicted Wednesday of selling 18 million bottles (13.5 million liters) of falsely labeled wine to US wine powerhouse E&J Gallo at an inflated price. The wine was ultimately sold under E&J's ubiquitous "Red Bicyclette" Pinot Noir label.
The convicted were sentenced by a French judge, who gave them suspended jail sentences and fines ranging from 3,000 to 18,000 euros apiece. They had made seven million euros from their massive fraud.”
This story prompted me to raise my finger to get your attention.
Last year I found a magnetic gadget that you put on the neck of a cheap bottle of wine and it makes it taste expensive and good. I tested it blind on some people and they insisted that the same wine tasted better when poured through the magnetic gadget. This convinced me that some people actually can tell the quality of wine. I just wonder why the experts could not spot the fake Pinot Noir in the Gallo bottle? How about 13.5 million bottles?
I am not an expert, but I read in a medical journal that the healthiest red wine is the Pinot Noir. It even has anti cancer ingredients. For that reason we buy inexpensive Pinot Noir wines at HEB and serve it through our magnetic gadget. It sure seems to be working for my wife.
My tastes in wine have changed through the years. Having been raised in Hungary I am very fond of sweet Tokay wines. In my younger years we always drank fake champagne,’spritzers,’ which was white whine mixed with Seltzer Water. Then I got hooked on Liebfraumilch. Hungarian wines still get me excited: Egri Bikavér, Szürkebarát. Of course a variety of Rieslings I liked are not sophisticated, but I have never met a sophisticated drunk. Do people getting drunk on Château Lafite Rothschild have their valet vomit for them?
Another interesting fact is that the earliest evidence of wine production comes from Iran. Carbon dating estimates that Iran built wine centrifuges that date back to approximately 5000 B.C. The technology soon spread and even Noah had a vineyard. The Israelis also acquired the technology but their wines were so bad, that they could not export them without adding all sorts of fruits. Finally the Arabs conquered them and put an end to the production of bad Israeli wines for 1200 years. I found this useful information on the Internet.
If all of the above sounds a little incoherent, I confess that I am not having any wine. I found out (also on the Internet) that yeast attacks cancer cells, so I am on the attack using some Shiner Bock beer. I am sending out this missive right now, before the effect of my anti cancer attack wears off.
3/14/2010
WHO IS A CONSERVATIVE?
By T W TIBBY WESTON
"I have always been against abortion; it’s not possible for me in my own concept of Christ to believe that Jesus would favor abortion." If this were the only criteria to be considered a conservative, then the person who spoke those words should be a likely candidate. He is a born again Christian, a Sunday school teacher and a true believer. None of the above, however, makes Jimmy Carter a conservative. Unlike Islam, Christianity is a philosophy of life, but it is not also a philosophy of government.
I have often wondered about the so-called Conservative Base of the Republican Party. Could it be that they are single-issue voters interested only in abortion? I am opposed to abortion and the Federal Government’s involvement. Let’s assume, however, that Hillary would suddenly announce that she will be running for the Presidency in 2012, and that God talked to her and that she is now pro-life and Reverend Jackson assured us that she means it and has become a fundamental Christian by joining the most fundamental of churches. Should a Republican candidate for President who agrees that abortions be allowed if the mothers life is in danger or if the child is to be born monstrously handicapped - who would you vote for? Search your soul and answer that question and you will know if you are a single-issue voter, but it won’t determine whether you are a conservative.
Which brings me to the issue: who is a conservative? This is not an easy subject and nobody has really been able to answer it because it is a moving, evolving target hard to define. At best one can make a snapshot of today's conservative ideas because they will not be the same in the next generation. This is one of the determining factors of being a conservative. We change with the times, adapt to conditions.
The communists, the socialists, the liberals, starting with Marx, have a fundamental faith that in a truly socialist society there will be no conflicts or contradictions. By taking from those who have and giving to the have-nots all further conflicts would be resolved. Any ideology that promises that once it succeeds there would be no more problems and no more inequality of any kind is utopian and cannot be conservative
We see a "Cost to Benefit" world and a "Give and Take" world and a “Life is not Fair” world. Liberals seem not to understand economics, because it is based on competition and profits, rather than the lack of it in the socialist world. They loathe the concept of free-market because it results in different outcomes based on competition rather than government fiat. We understand that there must be a constant give and take in this world with winners and losers. A conservative is really a bit of a cynic who sees things as they are, not as they would be under the utopian socialists. We know that “Life is not Fair.”
Unlike a socialist world, in our conservative world everybody has an opportunity to become a winner. If you are rich or have more money than most of the people, then in the socialist world you must be a crook, dishonest, or lucky in the lottery of life. In the socialist world to be rich is not allowed and fundamental measures are designed to punish you if you are successful. Our income tax system was designed on this principle directly adopted from the Communist Manifesto.
I became a conservative fighting the communists. Today’s conservatives no longer face communists who declare themselves openly, but we now have a stealth-communist enemy hiding behind numerous names and covers. Lets call them neocoms. Their beliefs don’t change, only their names. They want equality in outcome not equality of opportunity. They want a world united in socialism and the abandonment of “chauvinistic“ national pride.
If you want a united world without boundaries, how could you be a patriot? Without doubt the neocoms are not patriotic. Being a patriot does not necessarily make you a good person and patriots of different nations may hate or eventually kill each other in the name of patriotism. Conservatives are patriots because they believe that we are nation with laws and institutions designed to guarantee our individual liberties.
The neocoms believe in the United Nations and would gladly and immediately surrender our sovereignty to the UN and make us join the world community in equality rather than continue to be a “racist and imperialistic oppressor.” They believe that there should not be Third World countries, but we should all be equal, without conflict and contradictions.
In their zeal to accomplish the goal of equality they have infested our educational system poisoning the minds of the young by promising a world where there are no losers; no Fs; only As. They do not keep score in sporting events because there should not be any losers.
We conservatives do not believe that the goal of life and of a nation should be to ensure equality. The neocoms believe that equality is best accomplished if the State owns and regulates everything for the benefit of all. Big Government is deemed the answer because we as individuals have unequal abilities to cope with life and only with the guidance and assistance of the party leaders shall we accomplish our life’s goal: equality.
Generations of Soviet workers labored under inhuman conditions for substandard salaries because the State promised glorious equality in retirement that never materialized. Communism brought equality of misery, which today’s neocoms would like you to forget.
We conservatives are more or less united because we understand that life consists of conflicts and contradictions. Conservative Christians and Jews call it God’s will. Others call it the mechanism of the free market. We live with it and adjust to it.
The neocoms want to eliminate the conflicts and contradictions by making us all equal under the wise leadership of Big Government and it’s political elite. Without fail equality must always be enforced at the point of a bayonet by a totalitarian system.
I am sure there is more to be said about who is a conservative. If, however, your loyalty is to a single issue, abortion, at the price of abandoning all other issues, then you cannot be considered a conservative in the American political arena of ideas.
##
3/24/2010
WILL A DOMESTIC CRISIS TRANSFORM OUR GOVERNMENT?
Throughout the country the division is mounting and more and more are talking about the possibility of civil unrest, violence and a coming chaos. Many are frustrated with the flagrancy of corruption in the political establishment. Polls clearly indicate a division with a widening gap.
I thought it would be time to revisit an issue that I discussed during the Bush presidency:
How could the nation survive a domestic crisis and what powers does the president have to maintain order?
The American President, should he need them, possesses awesome powers. Those powers potentially in effect create a "constitutional dictatorship." Our system of government works best in times of peace, when there is debate, compromise, and deliberation in forming governing rules, regulations, and policies. It seems Congress has already decided that we are not at domestic peace.
The history of democratic governments, from the ancient republics of Greece and Rome to the modern states that have replaced earlier totalitarian governments, show that governing by committees, or legislative bodies, never works in times of crisis. Our Founders were aware of this when they designed our system.
While our constitution contains no express provision for "emergency" or "crisis" situations, such a provision is not necessary. The U.S. Supreme Court made clear in Ex Parte Milligan, following the Civil War, that "the government, within the Constitution, has all the powers granted to it which are necessary to preserve its existence."
Past presidents by exercising their powers in time of emergency, have expanded their authority as necessary to meet emergencies they faced. They have, in essence, created the law in times of crisis, not always in the manner envisioned.
Lincoln launched the Civil War unilaterally, without Congressional action, following the secession of seven Southern states. Only later did he obtain Congressional approval. His critics called him a dictator.
The distinction between a "constitutional dictator" and a strong president is remarkably thin, if not non-existent because there are few checks on the Commander in Chief.
Constitutional dictatorship is a dangerous thing because once it is created it is difficult to terminate without the consent of the “dictator.”
By creating the USA PATRIOT Act Congress laid the groundwork for the American equivalent of a constitutional dictator in the White House if the President so chooses by declaring a national emergency and assuming such dictatorial powers.
The Founders well understood the difficult tradeoff between safety and freedom. "Safety from external danger," Hamilton declared, "is the most powerful director of national conduct. Even the ardent love of liberty will, after a time, give way to its dictates. The violent destruction of life and property incident to war; the continual effort and alarm attendant on a state of continual danger, will compel nations the most attached to liberty, to resort for repose and security to institutions which have a tendency to destroy their civil and political rights. To be more safe, they, at length, become willing to run the risk of being less free." The Federalist No. 8, p. 33.
It is, however, the President’s prerogative to determine that liberty give way to security in times of a national crisis by declaring internal danger sufficient to invoke dictatorial powers.
Of course, the very concept of a "dictatorship" has been offensive and inimical to the political thinking of most citizens of this country. The question is whether Americans could tolerate the undemocratic ways of a constitutional dictatorship if it is construed to be essential to the preservation of the state?
###
3/24/2010
TRIVIA WORTH NOTICING
PAKISTAN
The most terrifying aspect of the current war is the increased success of American UAVs, and their Hellfire missiles, for killing Taliban and al Qaeda leaders. This makes it kind of personal for the leaders, and paranoia has been rampant. The Taliban tend to believe they are tracked mostly by local informants, and are always looking for suspects. Anyone appearing suspicious enough is tortured, usually to death, to obtain information about American methods. The suspects usually know nothing, but are frequently beheaded, as a warning to others.
YEMEN
Thousands of women are demonstrating in front of parliament, for and against a new law that would ban child brides. Girls as young as nine are married off, and often impregnated as soon as they are able to conceive. This is an ancient Arab custom, and enshrined in the Koran. But Yemeni women, and many men, oppose it. The conservative clergy accuse those who back the law of being anti-Moslem. The government has the votes to pass the bill, but does not want to defy conservative clergy. Then again, it's support from conservative clergy that keeps Islamic radicalism going, and abuse of women that keeps the Arab world poor, illiterate and a hospitable place for religious terrorists.
IRAN
European and American broadcasters, including the BBC and Voice of America, have ramped up their criticism of Iran for jamming satellite signals carrying their programs. This throws a harsh light on a senior Iranian government official who chairs the United Nations body that is supposed to prevent such jamming.
AFGHANISTAN AND FORTUNE
A British CH-47 Chinook pilot (flight Lieutenant Ian Fortune) got shot in the forehead, yet continued to fly his helicopter, and got it back to base. The CH-47 was on a casualty evacuation mission, picking up American and Afghan troops wounded in a fight with the Taliban. As the helicopter was taking off, Taliban bullets slammed into the cockpit. One hit flight Lieutenant Fortune in the forehead, penetrating his flight helmet. But the metal device that the night vision gear attaches to on the front of the helmet, slowed the bullet down sufficiently that it did not penetrate his skull. But there was the shock of impact, and lots of blood. Fortune quickly recovered, wiped the blood from his eyes, and kept flying Flight lieutenant Fortune was aptly named, and lucky. If the bullet had hit a little lower, he would be dead.
CHINA
China may have weathered the global recession, but if it has, Beijing regards its success as tentative, for even slow economic growth threatens the communist elites' deal with the Chinese people: We will let you get wealthy, just don't question the political structure. Beijing knows this.
Fear of losing its grip on dissidents during a period of economic stress played a role in China's January cyber-attack on Google's email service for Chinese clients. Google began Chinese operations in 2006 and admits it censored Chinese Internet search results. What an ugly side-story: A liberal California company that makes billions of dollars in the digital free information regimen (that ultimately owes its existence to the U.S. Constitution's First Amendment) acceded to the censorship demands of authoritarians. At least Google now says no more.
NOSTALGIA – SUBMARINES
The Golden Age of submarine collisions was during the Cold War (1948-91). Once Russia began building nuclear subs in the 1960s, and putting them to sea often and for long periods, there were lots of collisions. Most involved at least one Russian boat. The problem was that the Russians had pretty poor sonar, so they were the equivalent of half blind under water. From the 1970s on, the U.S. has increasingly superior sonar compared to the Russians. This led to the more collisions involving Russian and U.S. boats. It also saw the invention, by the Russians, of the "Crazy Ivan" maneuver. This occurred when an American sub was stalking a Russian. The U.S. boat would stay in the Russian sub's "blind spot" (behind its propeller). But sometimes the Russians would suspect they were being stalked, or just wanted to make sure they were not, and would perform the "Crazy Ivan" maneuver, which involved upping speed and making a sharp turn. The U.S. sub would have to quickly get out of the way, or there would be, and sometimes was, a collision. Oh, the good old days…
4/1/2010
Dear Friends
Last year at this time I had already sent you thirty ON AND OFF THE RECORD newsletters and several ON THE DECK OF THE TITANIC observations. Many of you have noticed that this year I am at newsletter #8 and I received several telephone calls and e-mails asking for an explanation.
As the Romans would say: “Tempus fugit” and my tempus has certainly fugited. I celebrated my 90th birthday in January and as soon as the celebrations were over, my health has reached what, under Obamacare, would be called “pill time”. For more than 14 years I was able to push the envelope and win the skirmishes with bladder and prostate cancer.
The idea was that some other fatal condition would come along, or a jealous husband would shoot me, and I would no longer need to worry about the cancers. Alas, that plan did not work out and now I need to tackle progression of my condition. There is always a Plan B, like it, or not.
I am now a patient at MD Anderson Hospital, one of the world’s foremost cancer centers and they keep me quite busy. They don’t intend to cure me, because I suffer from a fatal condition: old age. On the other hand, I won’t let them destroy my quality of life in exchange for breaking some kind of longevity record for men with my type of cancers.
It has been 23 years of newsletter publishing that started during the S&L crisis of 1986-87. I just read the first issues and there is much in them that applies to our problems today. As soon as I can figure out how to scan some of the articles, I will send them to you.
In the meantime the quantity of my newsletters will be reduced, but the quality will remain as long as I can protect the quality of my life.
Remember the rules of survival: 1. Adjust to circumstances; 2. Understand the circumstances; I am doing it. So should you. Thank you.
4/11/2010
I wrote this article many weeks ago, but my in-house censor advised me not to send it out. It was too negative and too complex. Also people hate to be forced to think.
At the risk of antagonizing some of my readers and risking the eyes haze over of some others, please feel safe to delete it without reading if you are looking for entertainment.
COULD YOU TAME THE CAPRICIOUS PENDULUM?
Let me start with my often-repeated first rule of the secret of survival: adjust to circumstance. In order to adjust you must, however, understand the circumstances. I will now proceed to the third level of the survival problem.
A pendulum in motion best depicts the problem. World events, economy, warfare, power structure, social developments, etc. all have their own pendulum and move in their own rhythm. Seldom do they move in unison.
We all know that the pendulum has its motion, but we seldom realize that in addition of its basic swinging motion, the pendulum itself is moving in time.
Just imagine that in addition to the rhythmical movement, the pendulum itself is moving forward. A moving pendulum creates a wave. Try and visualize it, as it is the basic principle upon which this article is based. Just keep your eye mentally on the motion of the pendulum and imagine it moving and you will understand how the wave is created.
Now we have several waves created by multiple pendulums. The problem we are faced with is that each pendulum operates at its own speed. They all, however, move together forward in time.
Now we have waves that differ in length and depth and seldom, if ever, do they come close to moving in unison.
Here is an easily understood example how two waves operating independently affect each other. Let us assume a wave showing the occupancy rates of apartment projects. The wave is high when apartments are full and it drops when apartment vacancies rise.
Another wave that has a direct impact on the first wave is the availability of financing to build apartment projects. The ideal convergence would be for financing availability to be high when apartment occupancy is high. Unfortunately it has not worked like that in the past. Financing was available when occupancies were low and no money could be found when there was a justified need for it due to full occupancies. These two waves operated independent of each other creating a boom and bust apartment market.
Another example is the relationship between income tax rates and government revenues. Repeatedly it has been shown that when tax rates are lowered the revenue stream of government increases. It happened under presidents Kennedy and Reagan. Conversely when tax rates increase, revenues fall.
The multitude of interdependent waves operating world wide at different speeds create an unpredictable future. When people discovered this condition they named it the chaos theory. It simply means that the rules of normal logic no longer apply. 2 + 2 is no longer guaranteed to be 4. It could be anything and to prepare for the future you can no longer assume that the results can be predicted.
It is almost a joke, for example, that every announcement from the experts about economic results almost always starts out with the word: “unexpected.” Under the chaos theory “unexpected” is the “expected” result. If you go back just a few years and imagine that someone had suggested to you today’s’ world conditions, you would have laughed and ignored that forecast because it would have been so “unexpected.”
So the third rule of survival is to expect and prepare for the unexpected. Since unexpectedly good conditions don’t need to be worried about, it seems logical to expect and prepare for unexpectedly bad conditions.
Occasionally in world history, the multiple waves started moving in unison and the convergence of these waves created a tsunami that wiped out the chaos and with it the existing order and leveled the playing field. This convergence occurred on a large scale during world wars and on a smaller scale in revolutions. In this new world of instant communications, revolutions will no longer be local, because the tsunamis they create will be duplicated throughout the entire world.
Let us go back for a moment to the original premise of the pendulum. The pendulum has energy, which propels it and velocity, which is the speed by which it moves. The highest energy and the lowest velocity is when the pendulum comes to a momentary halt at the apogee of its swing. The lowest energy conversely is when its momentum at its highest velocity carries it forward.
It is therefore easy to realize that similarly the highest energy of the moving pendulum in the form of a wave is at its apogee and it builds up velocity on its downward slope.
It is interesting to note that the Obama wave was at its highest at election time and as it moves forward in time, it is building up both velocity and resistance energy that will be at a maximum when the Obama wave comes to a halt.
One may also speculate that the forces of socialism that have gained much momentum recently, will also reach their apogee followed by a reversal caused by the accumulated energy of the opposition.
Unfortunately there are many other waves throughout the world and a convergence of some of these waves may create the historical leveling force of a world tsunami.
Since you alone cannot tame any of the capricious pendulums, your survival depends on expecting the unexpected. Remember: 2+2=? and plan your life accordingly.
Socialism introduces a new force that interferes with the natural movement of pendulums. It is the force of governmental interference with the pendulum to stop it from falling or rising. If you stop a pendulum to prevent its natural movement, the pendulum will either slow down or come to a complete stop. That stop is on the bottom and that is where the socialist plans to achieve his goal of equality. Equal results can only be achieved at the bottom by taking away the opportunity to rise or fall, to succeed, or fail in a free society.
The utopian socialist society is a prison with full employment; food and shelter; medical help and order among the inmates. In practice, however, socialism erodes the work ethic, creates organizations where employees consider it their right to steal from the company, management as a profession is never understood, and party loyalty and networks are the most important criteria of advancement.
It also creates a new aristocracy of party leaders, the nomenclature, which lives in a life of luxury. Resentment against this double standard can only be controlled by an oppressive secret police, as best demonstrated in Cuba and China. Socialism can only be enforced at the point of the bayonet. Thus the President in our country calls for the need for a civilian police force equal or more powerful than the military.
A convergence of pendulums is coming. The ability of governments to control the velocity of the pendulums is limited and resistance is growing day by day. It will reach a combined energy level to create a tsunami, which will level the playing field again, as it has done in generation after generation before the advent of the nuclear age. History will repeat itself, just as it has done since the beginning. This is the ultimate circumstance to understand and be prepared for.
4/13/2010
I wrote this article many weeks ago, but my in-house censor advised me not to send it out. It was too negative and too complex. Also people hate to be forced to think.
At the risk of antagonizing some of my readers and risking the eyes haze over of some others, please feel safe to delete it without reading if you are looking for entertainment.
COULD YOU TAME THE CAPRICIOUS PENDULUM?
Let me start with my often-repeated first rule of the secret of survival: adjust to circumstance. In order to adjust you must, however, understand the circumstances. I will now proceed to the third level of the survival problem.
A pendulum in motion best depicts the problem. World events, economy, warfare, power structure, social developments, etc. all have their own pendulum and move in their own rhythm. Seldom do they move in unison.
We all know that the pendulum has its motion, but we seldom realize that in addition of its basic swinging motion, the pendulum itself is moving in time.
Just imagine that in addition to the rhythmical movement, the pendulum itself is moving forward. A moving pendulum creates a wave. Try and visualize it, as it is the basic principle upon which this article is based. Just keep your eye mentally on the motion of the pendulum and imagine it moving and you will understand how the wave is created.
Now we have several waves created by multiple pendulums. The problem we are faced with is that each pendulum operates at its own speed. They all, however, move together forward in time.
Now we have waves that differ in length and depth and seldom, if ever, do they come close to moving in unison.
Here is an easily understood example how two waves operating independently affect each other. Let us assume a wave showing the occupancy rates of apartment projects. The wave is high when apartments are full and it drops when apartment vacancies rise.
Another wave that has a direct impact on the first wave is the availability of financing to build apartment projects. The ideal convergence would be for financing availability to be high when apartment occupancy is high. Unfortunately it has not worked like that in the past. Financing was available when occupancies were low and no money could be found when there was a justified need for it due to full occupancies. These two waves operated independent of each other creating a boom and bust apartment market.
Another example is the relationship between income tax rates and government revenues. Repeatedly it has been shown that when tax rates are lowered the revenue stream of government increases. It happened under presidents Kennedy and Reagan. Conversely when tax rates increase, revenues fall.
The multitude of interdependent waves operating world wide at different speeds create an unpredictable future. When people discovered this condition they named it the chaos theory. It simply means that the rules of normal logic no longer apply. 2 + 2 is no longer guaranteed to be 4. It could be anything and to prepare for the future you can no longer assume that the results can be predicted.
It is almost a joke, for example, that every announcement from the experts about economic results almost always starts out with the word: “unexpected.” Under the chaos theory “unexpected” is the “expected” result. If you go back just a few years and imagine that someone had suggested to you today’s’ world conditions, you would have laughed and ignored that forecast because it would have been so “unexpected.”
So the third rule of survival is to expect and prepare for the unexpected. Since unexpectedly good conditions don’t need to be worried about, it seems logical to expect and prepare for unexpectedly bad conditions.
Occasionally in world history, the multiple waves started moving in unison and the convergence of these waves created a tsunami that wiped out the chaos and with it the existing order and leveled the playing field. This convergence occurred on a large scale during world wars and on a smaller scale in revolutions. In this new world of instant communications, revolutions will no longer be local, because the tsunamis they create will be duplicated throughout the entire world.
Let us go back for a moment to the original premise of the pendulum. The pendulum has energy, which propels it and velocity, which is the speed by which it moves. The highest energy and the lowest velocity is when the pendulum comes to a momentary halt at the apogee of its swing. The lowest energy conversely is when its momentum at its highest velocity carries it forward.
It is therefore easy to realize that similarly the highest energy of the moving pendulum in the form of a wave is at its apogee and it builds up velocity on its downward slope.
It is interesting to note that the Obama wave was at its highest at election time and as it moves forward in time, it is building up both velocity and resistance energy that will be at a maximum when the Obama wave comes to a halt.
One may also speculate that the forces of socialism that have gained much momentum recently, will also reach their apogee followed by a reversal caused by the accumulated energy of the opposition.
Unfortunately there are many other waves throughout the world and a convergence of some of these waves may create the historical leveling force of a world tsunami.
Since you alone cannot tame any of the capricious pendulums, your survival depends on expecting the unexpected. Remember: 2+2=? and plan your life accordingly.
Socialism introduces a new force that interferes with the natural movement of pendulums. It is the force of governmental interference with the pendulum to stop it from falling or rising. If you stop a pendulum to prevent its natural movement, the pendulum will either slow down or come to a complete stop. That stop is on the bottom and that is where the socialist plans to achieve his goal of equality. Equal results can only be achieved at the bottom by taking away the opportunity to rise or fall, to succeed, or fail in a free society.
The utopian socialist society is a prison with full employment; food and shelter; medical help and order among the inmates. In practice, however, socialism erodes the work ethic, creates organizations where employees consider it their right to steal from the company, management as a profession is never understood, and party loyalty and networks are the most important criteria of advancement.
It also creates a new aristocracy of party leaders, the nomenclature, which lives in a life of luxury. Resentment against this double standard can only be controlled by an oppressive secret police, as best demonstrated in Cuba and China. Socialism can only be enforced at the point of the bayonet. Thus the President in our country calls for the need for a civilian police force equal or more powerful than the military.
A convergence of pendulums is coming. The ability of governments to control the velocity of the pendulums is limited and resistance is growing day by day. It will reach a combined energy level to create a tsunami, which will level the playing field again, as it has done in generation after generation before the advent of the nuclear age. History will repeat itself, just as it has done since the beginning. This is the ultimate circumstance to understand and be prepared for.
5/14/2010
HORT SENTENCES WITH LONG CONSEQUENCES.
American Muslims are exempted from the Obama Health Insurance law, which allows people with religious objections to insurance to opt out of the mandate. Islam considers health insurance to be haraam (forbidden).
The plane, that crashed, carrying the Polish delegation to Russia had the usual Russian installed two black boxes aboard. The Russians took these to Moscow. A third, unexpected black box was put on the plane by the Poles and was discovered. Poland agreed to have Russian experts present when they examine the content of the third box in Warsaw.
A website (crashtheteaparty.org) was recently set up. The creator, though he tried to hide his identity, has been identified; his name is Jason Levin, and he's a middle school teacher in Beaverton, Oregon. He's on record saying that you might see some of his team in Nazi uniforms at your local tea party pretending to be racists and other offensive characters.
The USA has about 200 nuclear weapons in five European countries (Germany, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands and Turkey).
During the Nuclear Security Summit Tehran issued the following statement: "If the US strikes Iran with nuclear weapons, there are elements which will respond with nuclear blasts in the centers of America's main cities.”
Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Henry Waxman, D-Calif., has cancelled a hearing intended to grill CEOs who took a charge against profits because of the health care reform bill. The cancellation came after the incompetent power hungry moron realized what everyone already knew - that the companies were required to do what they did because the law required it.
4/13/2010
It is hard to find good news. Here is a small attempt.
MILITARY INTEL. 5/19/10 23:48
THE IRANIAN THREAT TO THE OIL TRADE IS JUST BLUSTER.
Iran has repeatedly threatened to block the export of oil via the Straits of Hormuz if attacked. Hormuz is where ships exit the Persian Gulf and enter the Indian Ocean. Some 40 percent of the world's oil shipments pass through these straits, which comes to about 15-20 tankers a day. The Persian Gulf, in general, is a busy waterway. Iran now openly boasts of its ability to use land based anti-ship missiles as "coastal artillery" to halt traffic in the straits. Given past performance by the Iranians, that is unlikely.
The Iranian problem is that they have a small navy, an obsolete air force and a poor track record when it comes to shutting down tanker traffic in the Persian Gulf, or the Straits of Hormuz. This is actually a wide (about 30 kilometers) deep channel. It was long believed that the main Iranian threat would be naval mines. The Arab states have lots of mine clearing equipment, and more numerous air and naval forces than Iran. In addition, there is the United States and NATO force in the area.
If Iran tried to shut down the Straits of Hormuz, it's more likely that the straits would remain open for non-Iranian oil, but Iranian oil exports would be halted. With the loss of their oil exports, Iran would find its remaining military forces being hunted down and destroyed day after day. Not only would Iranian oil exports be halted, but also so would imports. Iran depends on imports of food (over 100,000 tons a week) and gasoline to keep its economy operating. However, even if Iran does possess the ability to block the Strait of Hormuz, it would be useless. With Hormuz closed, Iran would choke itself. If Iran attempted to blockade the Strait of Hormuz, the US and NATO would likely respond with their own blockade. The U.S. possesses a superior fleet, so it would be highly unlikely for Iran to eliminate the U.S. fleet and its blockade. Immediately, all trade both ways through the Strait of Hormuz would be stopped.
Iran could never afford such an action
Iran believes it has a secret weapon for shutting down the Straits of Hormuz. This is hundreds of Chinese C-802 anti-ship missiles mounted in trucks, some of them civilian trucks that, they hope, could slip past enemy aircraft. But the Iranians have another problems with the C-802.
Four years ago, Hezbollah received some C-802s and fired two of them at an Israeli warship. Why wasn't the 1,100-ton Israeli corvette destroyed by the 164 kg (360 pound) warhead of the C-802? That's because the C-802 missile hit the helicopter hanger on the Israeli ship. Then the missile suffered a common problem; the warhead failed to go off. The fire on the Israeli ship was caused by the half a ton of missile crashing into it, and the unburned rocket fuel. The Israeli anti-missile system was not turned on because it was found to interfere with the electronics on Israeli warplanes operating in the vicinity. This is also an increasing problem in modern warfare. There are so many electronic gadgets transmitting, that there are more cases of signals, literally, getting crossed.
Another problem with the C-802 is that it can hit targets over the horizon (about twenty kilometers distant), and to do that, you need an aircraft or ship on the spot to provide general location data for the C-802. American air power would shut down nearly all Iranian radars, so the C-802s would be blind much of the time.
The C-802 is 30-year-old technology, and Iranian quality control in its weapons plants is known to be uneven. So a certain percentage of those missiles would fail for one reason or another. In sum, the Iranians, despite their bluster, don't have a sure thing when they say they will close the Straits of Hormuz, and they would self-destruct if they close it.
5/28/2010
GOING BACK CAN BE FUN.
We had an unusual bird’s eye view of our lives today while visiting Houston. We had to grab a fast lunch and stopped at a Chick-Fill place on the corner of Richmond Ave and Post Oak Blvd. While eating we suddenly realized that I had my office about 40 years ago in the exact spot where we were sitting. More correctly, exactly above the spot where our table was located. It brought back numerous memories of events and people. Good memories and bad. Good people and crooks.
My wife asked if I remember the TGIF restaurant across the street, which was at one time the hangout of the smart set and it was known as a pressure cooker. I won’t go into an explanation about the later. It was a place of intrigue and monkey business.
I told her that as usual some intrigue and monkey business still happens in this area. The old TGIF location is living up to her reputation. Here is a modern day version of some of the old time shenanigans, intrigue and monkey business. The property was owned by my former partner Jerry Hines and according to the Houston Business Journal the following happened.
In December 2007, a Dubai development group then under the direction of CEO Zack Shahin, bought the property for $55 million, or $209 per square foot for the construction of a fantastic condo plus development. Earlier addition of the Journal revealed, however, that the property was sold by Jerry Hines for $86 per square foot in May of 2007 to a Mr. X. Mr. X sold the property in December to a Mr. Y. for $140 per sq. ft, who sold the property the same day to a Mr. Z, who sold the property the same day to a Mr. XX for $155 per sq. ft, who sold it the same day to the Dubai development group for $209 per sq. ft.
I had the opportunity about 25 years ago to do business with a group out of Dubai and the above scenario is no surprise to me. We were part of joint venture with a group out of Dubai to build a $150 million World Trade Center in downtown Houston. When I found out that I had to pay about $25 million in bribes I declined and the Dubai group decided to build the center themselves. Just like the big condo project across the street that has not been built, neither has the World Trade Center.
The only difference is that this time the Government of Dubai smelled a rat and arrested Mr. Shahin, who has been held in jail in Dubai for over a year, while they are trying to find where the loot is.
If you have any idea where the money could be found, let me know and perhaps I can arrange a reward for you.
As they used to say in Rome: Tempus fugit. This time it was the tempus of Dubai that got fugited.
6/7/2010
NOTHING NEW UNDER THE SUN.
Suddenly many Americans discover that politicians have been buying votes. Many methods are used, but the simplest is to register the voters and provide them some form of assistance in exchange for their votes. In the old Texas days ministers were used to distribute “walking money” in the congregation to assure votes. Things obviously have gotten much more sophisticated since then.
The classic vote getting scheme, however, was invented by a New York congressman named Vito Marcantonio who was arguably one of the more left wing Members of Congress. He was sympathetic to the Socialist and Communist parties, and promoting their ideas among labor unions and was investigated by the FBI, as many were suspicious of him because of his sympathy with communism and ties to the Communist Party. In 1940, he helped form the American Peace Mobilization, identified as a communist front group, to keep the US from participating in World War II, and served as its vice-chair. He appeared in a newsreel in 1940 denouncing 'the imperialist war,' (the line taken by Stalin and his supporters until the invasion of the Soviet Union in June 1941). Marcantonio was also a Vice President of the International Workers Order, a fraternal benefit society unofficially affiliated with the Communist Party.
Marcantonio's district was centered in East Harlem, New York City, which had many residents of Italian and Puerto Rican origin. He was considered an ally of the Puerto Rican community and an advocate for the rights of the workers and the poor. He was so popular in that district that he sometimes won the Democratic and Republican primaries, as well as the American Labor Party endorsement.
This is what the official record show about him. Less known, however, is how Vito got his votes at election time. Prior to each election he sponsored a massive airlift of Puerto Ricans to Harlem. Each airline ticket cost $80 and it was advanced by Vito’s organization. As soon as the “voters” arrived on jam-packed airplanes, they were put into slum apartments, sometimes as many as 12 people piled in an apartment. They were instantly registered on the New York welfare rolls and started receiving a weekly stipend. Vito then forcibly withheld a portion of the welfare check to recover the cost of the airplane ticket.
Do you see something familiar about the scheme? Bring in Spanish speaking voters, put them on the welfare rolls and get them to mass register and vote in gratitude and then get their money?
I am suffering the curse of old age. Having seen it happen in the past and watch how politicians repeat doing it to you again because you don’t know about the past.
I have written about this THREE YEARS AGO. If you care to read WAKE UP AMERICA you are invited to open
6/19/2010
“COINCIDENCES” WITHIN CIRCUMSTANCES.
All our lives are full of “coincidences” and “what if” moments that changed the course and destination of our journeys. Had you not been in a certain place at a certain time, you would not be where you are today.
I am about to tell you an insignificant short story about what happened last week and the chain of “coincidences” that led to something that may start another chain of “coincidences” with possible impact on the future.
Last year I made a speech at a July 4th Tea Party. About three weeks ago my friend Dr, Bob Lowe received an announcement from the Heritage Foundation that they were looking for stories that could confirm that the concept of the Founding Fathers’ “We hold these Truths to be self-evident…” is still very much alive and working in this nation.
Bob believed that my speech was such evidence and urged me to send it to the Foundation. I wasn’t sure that my story would be of interest, but I did submit it and Bob’s conviction was correct. They liked what I had to say and decided to include me in the filming of a documentary. Matthew Spalding Ph.D. wrote a book about the Truths still being alive and the producer of the documentary, Mike Edwards, a multiple Emmy winner, arrived to our little community of 260 people, to film my segment of about three minutes. A string of “coincidences” however, may have changed his plans.
Impressed by our hard-to-imagine rural location, Mike decided to film segments of Matthew Spaldings’ interview in our area. On Monday while looking at historic sites where the Spalding interview could take place, I asked Mike if he would not mind if I went by the local Tractor Supply store for some supplies.
On our way we drove through downtown La Grange and found a gathering of World War II veterans in uniforms around the historic Courthouse bedecked with hundreds of flags. It was a Flag Day celebration. Most of those veterans were even older than I and Mike and cameraman Chris filmed the entire Flag Day celebration; incredible and irreplaceable footage. Perhaps the last such formation for the 19
veterans. Ed Janecka, the County Judge invited us to see the inside of the courthouse, but we did not want to disturb the ceremonies any further and left.
Mike needed two locations to film the interview with the author, Matthew Spalding. A location signifying the Rule of Law and one to represent Freedom of Religion. Capitalizing on the invitation by Judge Janecka, we asked and received permission to film the interview in his historic courtroom. We then tried to locate a church that had hand carved interiors and sufficient light for a recording session. After looking at several beautiful country churches, we found that most were too dark for filming.
Our daughter-in-law Laurie suggested that we look at a little historic church in Ellinger, Texas. My wife reminded me that friends of ours, the Janaks, attend St. Mary’s Church. Before considering other locations, we decided to see this small church. Unfortunately the church was locked.
I noticed a handyman working in the adjacent cemetery. After I got his attention over the noisy weed-eater, he told me that the church was closed and we needed to go to Fayetteville where the church office is located to get permission to go inside. He also pointed out that it was too late for that because the church office closes at 4 PM and it was already 4:30 PM. I mentioned to him that Larry and Betty Jean Janak were our friends who attend this church. His face lit up and he proclaimed that the Janaks were his neighbors and promptly produced a key and let us in the church.
It was the ideal location. The interior was hand carved and the light was just right. We now needed approval, but it was close to 5PM. I declared that since they had only 36 hours left in our area, we should proceed to the church office in the hope of finding someone who could OK the use of the church. By “coincidence” the church secretary was still there and she introduced us to the priest. Approval was granted. The recording at the Courthouse and at St. Mary’s Church was accomplished and the documentary will be soon seen on TV, and cable and distributed by the Heritage Foundation.
This is a small and insignificant demonstration that perhaps there are no “coincidences”. When you reach my age you finally understand that life is not predetermined by fate, and to survive you must adjust to circumstances and understand those circumstances, yet our lives are also a chain of “small world” stories and “coincidences.” So when something unexpected happens, accept those “coincidences” and let them become part of your “circumstances.” Accept them without the necessity to fully understand them.
##
6/27/2010
THE CIVILIAN VS. MILITARY CONFRONTATION
The MacArthur – Truman confrontation was not similar to the current controversy between a President and a General. George Patton resembled Stanley McChrystal more. A brilliant non-political general was a United States Army officer most famous for his leadership commanding corps and armies as a general in World War II. He was also widely known for his controversial outspokenness.
Let us examine why Gen. McChrystal may be frustrated and had become outspoken. Of the 40,000 troops he requested to meet the needs of a sustained offensive operation, the President only granted 30,000. Even that number has not been received. At last count there were still 10,000 promised troops who had not been deployed to Afghanistan.
Have you heard about the politically correct rules of engagement? Joe Biden’s son was over there as a JAG attorney to make sure these rules were enforced. In Afghanistan our soldiers and Marines may only return fire when under attack. They are refused air strikes and artillery support, and have been denied smoke coverage when they needed to conceal their movements. As a result more and more of our soldiers are being wounded or killed. In addition, their movements are being restricted and they are being reduced to a defensive posture, not having sufficient strength of force to keep waging an ongoing attack. Territory that should remain occupied to protect the civilian population is left undefended. Our soldiers are forced to engage in a war not designed to win.
Remember this testimony by Marine Major Kevin Williams?
“Dashing from boulder to boulder, diving into trenches and ducking behind stone walls as the insurgents maneuvered to outflank us, we waited more than an hour for U.S. helicopters to arrive, despite earlier assurances that air cover would be five minutes away.
U.S. commanders, citing new rules created by the Obama Administration to avoid civilian casualties, rejected repeated calls to unleash artillery rounds at attackers dug into the slopes and tree lines — despite being told repeatedly that they weren’t near the village.
“We are pinned down. We are running low on ammo. We have no air. We’ve lost 4 good men today and we can not get helicopters to help us.”
Trying to choreograph a fair fight during wartime is simply stupid. The most important duty of the President of the United States, during a time of war, is his duty as Commander in Chief of our Armed Forces. America is at war right now against a fanatical Islam. The President is in denial about this. He refuses to face the obvious. Could it be that as a former Muslim, he does not want to fight a war against Muslims?
Outstanding young Americans are dying tragically every day. Some of those deaths are caused by our military’s Chain of Command and the Commander in Chief, because the Rules of Engagement for our troops in harms’ way are totally out of balance with their ability to accomplish their mission. The lives of brave young Americans who have volunteered to serve in our military are being put at risk, unnecessarily, so that the lives of Muslim Iraqi and Afghani civilians will not be harmed even in a minor way.
Had I been an outspoken General faced with these problems, I’d have expressed my frustration to a journalist, to make sure I wouldn’t have to be part of this losing farce any further. Just a guess I reckon.
###
6/25/2010
HARD TO FIND GOOD INTELLIGENCE
MIDDLE EAST
Military Intel.
Israel launched another photo reconnaissance satellite, the 300 kg (660 pound) Ofek 9, on June 22nd. It used the same Shavit 2 type launcher that sent the similar Ofek 7 into orbit three years ago. Ofek 9 has more powerful sensors (able to see objects as small as 55 cm/twenty inches) than Ofek 7.
This was the ninth Shavit launch. The first two stages of the Shavit are also used for the Israeli Jericho 3 IRBM (Intermediate Range Ballistic Missile). Two years ago, Israel completed testing on the Jericho 3, which had actually gone into production the year before. With a range of nearly 5,000 kilometers, the Jericho 3 can drop a nuke anywhere in the Middle East. Jericho is a 30-ton, solid fuel, two-stage missile, with a half-ton payload.
The bizarre bazaar.
In the West Bank and Gaza terrorist groups are allowed by the Palestinian Authority and Hamas to operate. In turn, the Palestinian Authority and Hamas tolerate constant Israeli raids against the terrorists (which the Palestinian officials also see as unpredictable and dangerous.) Palestinian public opinion supports the terrorism. This self-destructive attitude by the Palestinians, who, officially, are seeking a peace deal with Israel, has been created by decades of anti-Israel propaganda within the Palestinian community (in the mass media and the schools). The propaganda insists that Israel has no right to exist, and all Israeli territory is actually part of Palestine. This angle is constantly stressed in Palestinian Arabic electronic and print media.
Recently the Palestinians found that they had growing support in Europe from activists and politicians who were willing to ignore Palestinian Arabic media, and pretend to believe the non-Arabic line that the Palestinians are willing to negotiate a two state treaty. They aren't, and the Moslem world agrees with them. The Arab world is able to view Palestinian Arab language web sites and satellite TV shows, and willingly consume the constant stream of "Israel must be destroyed" propaganda. Palestinians are hoping that this situation will eventually result in economic sanctions, or maybe even military action, against Israel. The Palestinians accept the fact that they cannot destroy Israel via military or terrorist action. The Arab world has also accepted that they cannot defeat Israel. So an indirect strategy is accepted as more likely to succeed, a strategy based on deception and delusion. It seems to work on Washington.
PAKISTAN
Money $$ Talks Paki.
In North Waziristan, an American UAV missile attack killed 15 Islamic terrorists. Several days later, details leaked out, and it was revealed that eleven of the dead were foreigners, including one (a Lebanese named Hamadi) who had a $5 million reward on his head. The reward prompted the tip that led to the missile attack. These attacks have severely hurt the morale of, and hampered the activities of Islamic terrorists in the tribal territories. Despite changing how they operate (no cell phones, travel on public transport, avoid meetings with each other), the Americans keep finding, and killing, them.
AFGHANISTAN
The U.S. Army has just purchased another 76 HMDS (Husky Mounted Detection System) IED (Improvised Explosive Devices, usually anti-vehicle mines or roadside bombs very near the side of the road) detectors, HMDS is actually a ground penetrating radar that can see what is under the road ahead. It is usually mounted on a special mine hunting MRAP armored vehicle.
Troops inside the MRAP use a computerized analysis system that can quickly spot IEDs. The system includes GPS, which enables the operator to quickly store the location of the bomb.
HMDS has enabled combat engineer units to quickly and regularly check heavily used roads for IED. An HMDS can scan a road at speeds of up to 12 kilometers an hour. Scan data for up to a hundred kilometers of road can be stored in the system computer (and offloaded to portable hard drives). Over a hundred HMDS noticeably reduced the effectiveness of the Taliban IED tactics.
SOMALIA
Al Shabaab leaders are warning people in Somaliland to not vote in upcoming elections. Al Shabaab believes that democracy is un-Islamic and evil, and that good Moslems should have nothing to do with it.
Somali pirates are having a hard time dealing with new anti-piracy patrol tactics. The foreign warships are closely watching ports the pirates operate from, and stopping suspected mother ships, disarming the pirates and destroying their ship and speedboats. The pirates are put back on the beach. This prevents pirates from heading far out to sea, where there are fewer anti-piracy patrols, to seek targets. In the Gulf of Aden, more efficient patrolling and better tactics and techniques by merchant ships, has greatly reduced pirate success. Thus while pirate attacks have nearly tripled since last year, the number of ships taken is down 25 percent. But the money is still good, and more Somalis continue to join the ranks of the pirates.
Corruption is the other big problem. This was seen recently when hundreds of government soldiers, trained by foreign instructors, demonstrated at the presidential palace for back pay. Government officials, who consider a government job as a license to steal, had stolen the money. Donor nations have a hard time convincing officials that effective government cannot survive such attitudes.
Facing lots of hostility, al Shabaab has backed off on its efforts to stop people from watching TV or listening to radio coverage of the World Cup. Instead, the Islamic radicals are now hassling men without beards, demanding that they grow them.
6/30/2010
A SUCKER FOR SOCCER.
I am watching with curiosity the World Cup games. I was raised playing soccer in Hungary. Between the ages of 10 and 16 my knees never healed. We did not have those fancy knee protectors, shin guards or shoes. When we hit the ground we bled. Peeling scabs off knees was a national pastime. Soccer competition between innumerable variations of groupings was a way of life.
It was quite a shock to discover when I came to the US, that only immigrant groups played soccer. I lost interest in soccer when I became rapidly enthralled with the Brooklyn Dodgers. To this day Tommy Thompson’s home run off Ralph Blanca remains my most memorable sports moment.
Several of my friends of European background could not believe in the lack of popularity for soccer, but we noticed the rapid growth of youth soccer activity. We all thought that soccer would be coming soon and wanted to promote it and perhaps make money utilizing our expertise in the sport. We decided to make a soccer movie. We hired an Italian itinerant movie “director” who created a marvelous instructional movie.
The first 30 minutes were about the history of soccer. It was quite fascinating to find out that similar games have been played for thousands of years in every part of the world. Even native Indians had their ball kicking game and one segment of the film showed how in medieval times a battle between two armies was halted so that they could play a soccer game to decide who won the battle.
Our “director”, who later grew into a world famous left wing nutcase, even had a scene showing Adam kicking an apple in the Garden of Eden suggesting that soccer is as old as mankind.
The second half of the movie was showing soccer strategy and tactics. This was before TV and we had film segments with diagrams super-imposed on the pictures. Quite a technological accomplishment for those times.
After completion of the documentary we tried to sell it. Our timing, however, turned out to be terrible. Soccer had indeed come to the US and they started showing soccer games on TV making our second half of the movie created with enormous effort, worthless. On TV they now could slow down, repeat and explain the action with little effort.
One of the TV networks was interested in the first half of the movie, but would not pay us enough even to cover the cost of production.
To my regret we lost that big can of movie film while moving from one office to another. It probably would have some histerical significance. We were all suckers to invest in the film. We lost the money, but we were right. Soccer did come to the US. It just moved faster than we expected.. I prefer baseball. “Maybe next year.” sounds a lot better than “Maybe four years from now.”
This little story, however, has an important message between its lines. If you realize what the future is about to bring and plan to do something about it, you’d better move fast, because the future may start tomorrow. In fact it does.
##
7/19/2010
WHAT MADE GEORGE SOROS WHO HE IS?
When George was just a teenager he had experiences that no teenager has ever had. It has been published that he was using false papers prepared by his father, who was a well-connected and shrewd attorney in Budapest. These papers proved that George was not Jewish and his father was able to have George assist Mr. Baufluss, a Nazi official of the Ministry of Agriculture in charge of confiscating Jewish properties. Under a false name of Sándor Kiss young George enjoyed the enormous power of depriving people of their property and wealth. George admitted that he enjoyed this period of his life as the alleged godson of Mr. Baufluss.[1]
A more sinister aspect of George’s life, however, is not well known and published. Prior to enjoying the immense power of confiscating property, young George was handing out death sentences to people and watched them react.
“When systematic persecution of the Jews began it was carried out not by the Germans, nor by their Hungarian lackeys, but-most astonishingly-by the Jew themselves. One of the first things the Germans did was to form a so-called Jewish Council, consisting of the leaders of the Jewish community.”[2]
As a reward for doing the dirty work of executing the orders of the Germans these Councils were given special privileges and promises that they will be exempted from the harsh treatment the rest of the Jews were about to experience. It was a brilliant scheme invented by the Germans and used successfully in other countries.
It was therefore the Jewish Council who was to select the Jews going to concentration camps and to their death. One of the couriers of these death sentence notices was young George.
These are the summonses he carried and handed to people and watched them and their families react.
SUMMONS
You are requested to report tomorrow morning at 9 o’clock,
at the Rabbinical Seminary in Rökk Szilard Street.
Please bring with you a blanket, and food for two days.
THE JEWISH COUNCIL[3]
Just imagine what it did to the mind of the young man to see grown men; professionals; merchants; journalists; the wealthy and powerful; men with families react to the death sentence. Did he feel like a messenger of God or some supreme evil power? As he watched these men crumble, cry and meekly surrender their life, what did this experience do to the young mind of George? Did it make him feel superior? Did he feel that he has been selected to decide on the fate of people?
It is hard for you reading this today imagine the times and the terror of those days in Hungary in 1944. I was there and witnessed the fear and the insanity that roamed the streets. I saw the bodies hanging from lampposts and floating among the icy waves of the Danube. I carried a gun, but it did not make me feel superior, or brave. Bravery is the lack of fear. George Soros had no reason to fear. Did he start feeling contempt and believe that he was better than everyone else? I do not need a medical license to answer that question.
These experiences also started him on the philosophy later expanded by the teachings of Karl Popper, that no human undertaking is ever perfect and betting on the imperfections pays off better than betting on the expected outcome. Hasn’t Hitler with all his power and might been unsuccessful in exterminating the Jews like his father and himself? It was this perception that made it possible for him to break the British pound later in his life.[4]
Soros now commands a worldwide empire of subjects depending on his money. He put them in places of power and controls them. Is Obama one of them? Only history will tell, unless it is written by the elite group that both belong to.
##
[1] SOROS The Unauthorized Biography; Robert Slater p.27
[2] Tivadar Soros MASQUERADE p.17.
[3] MASQERADE, ibid. p.17.
[4] Slater, ibid .34-36
8/14/2010
AM A MONGREL TOO.
Until last week I tried to keep the subject of my origins quiet, but after the President of the United States admitted to being a mongrel, I thought it is time for me to come out of the closet and also fess up. I heard him talk on the TV . When asked about his background, which includes a black father and white mother, Obama said "We are sort of a mongrel people."
My name is Murphy; at least that is what they call me today. My original name was Norman, but I hated that name. How could anyone call a dog Norman? My parents did not look alike. On the one side I am a Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever and on the other side I am a Golden Retriever.
A Duck Tolling Retriever has a dual personality. My breed is one of the most unusual breeds of gun dog in how we work. The hunter stays hidden in a blind and sends us out to romp and play in the water, usually by tossing a ball or stick to be retrieved. Our activity and white markings pique the curiosity of waterfowl, which swim over, or land to investigate. The act of enticing or luring game to approach is known as "tolling". When the birds are close, the hunter calls the dog back to the blind, then rises, putting the birds to flight, allowing him a shot. Then we retrieve the downed birds. My breed is a Deceiver before we become a Retriever. I inherited this dual personality from one side of my parents.
My other side is a Golden Retriever. Nice looking, stable, loving, eager to please, gentle with a big bark, but not very courageous.
I am; however, better then both of my breeds. I am unique in so many ways. I feel I am better than all breeds, especially those with bloodlines approved by exclusive dog clubs.
My present owners do not know where I was born. They acquired me because my former owner could not understand why I did not perform according to my bloodlines. I am a water dog but I never learned how to swim. I am a gun dog that hates guns. They wanted me to retrieve Frisbees, but I refused to bring it to them. They thought I was useless to perform anything meaningful and they gave me to my present owners.
I now have a good life. My owners love me and care for me. I had to teach them, however, to adjust to my way of life. I won’t let them eat a meal without me being present to grab a share. To keep them happy I do occasionally walk into a pond and swim to show them I know how to do it. I even bring back an occasional tennis ball; just make them think I am doing something worthwhile. I do bark fiercely and they love me barking at the UPS truck to prove that I am a good guard dog. Actually the UPS man is my friend and I just want to greet him. He is nice to me – he keeps dog treats in his truck for me. I am just putting up an act. Remember I am part Deceiver. For show I am fierce, but I would not bite or hurt anyone. I do not have the cojones to do it.
I object to shooting squirrels. I am against guns. So what if the squirrels eat tomatoes in the garden? Why can’t we all share? To assist with gardening I do fertilize the premises, although my master calls it pooh-pooh. He could Google it and would find 66,000 references about the chemical composition of my fertilization ability.
I keep marking my territory, but lately my master is competing with me. I hope they can fix his condition soon, because it is hard to keep up with him. Luckily we live on a ranch out in the country.
I live in the house now, but in my former life I lived outdoors. It was a terrible way to live. Whenever it rained there would be thunder and lightning so loud that it seemed it was going to get me. My parents, their friends and all the other dogs told me to hate the rain and I still can’t stand it. It frightens me when I hear thunder – even it is far away. I hide behind a chair whenever a storm comes. Maybe that’s why I hate guns; they are so loud they remind me of my days living outdoors. What you learn in your early years stays with you for the rest of your life.
Being a mongrel does not bother me. I think I am better than my ancestors. There is something, however, that I do not understand. My owners love me in spite of all my faults. Since I am so similar to the President, why don’t they love him too?
8/16/2010
The Criminal Justice System is corrupted.
A few years ago I was Chairman of the Harris County Grand Jury Association and tried to make some small steps to eliminate blatant misuse of the Criminal Justice System. I wrote and argued and sent petitions all in vain to eliminate one of the most flagrant abuses that not only discredits the Justice System, but also is used as a tool to destroy people’s lives for political gain.
I am not talking about the thousands of innocents languishing in prison sent there by non-scrupulous District Attorneys more interested in convictions than in justice. The only restrain holding them back is the possible acquittal of the defendant in a trial before a jury. Most people, however, cannot afford to go to trial and are forced to plead to get a lower sentence. They are innocent and go to prison, victims of a corrupted justice system.
Today’s announcement that the Justice Department informed former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Texas) that the government has ended a six-year investigation of his ties to disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff. The investigation lasted through two presidents and four attorneys general and had no other purpose than to regain the control of Congress for the Democrats who have lost it in the 1994 elections.
It brought to my mind how Ronnie Earle, the Democratic District Attorney had to shop three Grand Juries before he found one that would indict Tom Delay. The unfortunate fact is that Ronnie Earle was allowed to lie, introduce non-admissible evidence, and even fraudulent evidence to obtain an indictment. He was not obliged to disclose any evidence to the Grand Jury that would prove Delay innocent.
What Ronnie Earle did, however, was not illegal or unprecedented. A District Attorney is allowed to do all that he did with impunity. The District Attorney is not interested in justice: his success is measured by the indictments he gets.
The recent and ongoing scandals involving forensic laboratories and their incompetence and corruption prompted me to recommend that the District Attorney be sworn to tell the truth, just as everyone else involved in the Grand Jury process is required to do. All I asked that a District Attorney should not be allowed to deliberately lie to a Grand Jury to obtain an indictment.
My effort has failed. The Harris County District Attorney refused to agree and the Ronnie Earls, the Mike Nifongs continue wreck havoc throughout the nation motivated by political hate.
There are many problem areas within the criminal justice process that are not easily solved. Eyewitness identification, the recording of custodial interrogations, post-conviction access to DNA testing, and writs of habeas corpus based on scientific evidence are all issues that will not be solved rapidly. Making District Attorneys tell the truth to Grand Juries should take very little effort and should not create resistance by anyone interested in the impartial functioning of the justice system.
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8/31/2010
DESTRUCTION OF THE CIA BY CONGRESS IS STARTING AGAIN.
After September 11, 2001, as the CIA has undertook a massive recruiting program (of analysts and field operators), and introduced lots of new technology (especially for the analysts) and techniques. All this was largely the result of the CIA being put into a sort of semi-hibernation since the late 1970s. This was an aftereffect of the Church Committee, an investigative operation sponsored by Congress that sought to reform, and punish, the CIA.
The reforms were mainly about eliminating CIA spying inside the United States, or doing stuff for the president that Congress did not approve of. There was also a desire to avoid any CIA connection with foreign unpleasantness (like using unsavory people as spies or informants, or paying foreign politicians for information). This led to a growing list of restrictions on what the CIA could do overseas, and at home. Congress was out to make sure no future president (the CIA works for the president) could use the CIA as had been done during the Vietnam War, and before. The CIA interpreted this as "no more James Bond stuff," just use your spy satellites and write up your reports. The Church Committee insured that the CIA became a much less interesting place to work. A lot of the most capable people got out over the next two decades. Recruiting became difficult.
But after September 11, 2001, the CIA was tossed a huge pile of money and told to staff up and get going and save us all from the Islamic terrorists. The Church Committee restrictions were largely, if not completely, discarded. Recruiting efforts were greatly expanded, and since September 11, 2001, several hundred thousand applications were received. The agency has had a hard time keeping up with that.
This created some interesting personnel problems, especially in the operations division (the people who go to foreign countries and, well, sometimes do James Bond stuff.) There were few people left in the agency that remembered how to do field ops the old school way. By late 2001, many recently retired field ops guys were being lured back to active duty. You now had a situation where the field ops population was a cross between a college fraternity and retirement community. There are few people in the middle, age and experience wise. It was almost as bad in the analysis division (where the data is studied and reports prepared.)
The area of the CIA that has flourished in the last three decades has been the geek side of things. These folks were always flush, thanks to a Congress that felt safer with spy satellites, than with spies on the ground. But those days were over. Much of the new technology was going to the analysts (better computerized tools to dig quickly through information) and the field operatives (like Predator UAVs, at 4-8 million bucks each.) A lot of money was going into training (learning Arabic, Pushto, Farsi and Dari are encouraged, and sometimes demanded) and the use of consultants (often former CIA operatives who would not come back full time.)
But now Congress is resuming the destructive cycle all over again. The CIA is being investigated for doing what was desperately demanded of it after September 11, 2001. Proposed new restrictions would outlaw things like the use of contractors for interrogations (even if there were no other source of manpower to do the job in time), the use of "vigorous interrogation", the detention of foreigners without giving them access to the U.S. criminal justice system, and many more items that most CIA officials know, from their own experience, will only get Americans killed. They know that because they paid attention to what the Church Committee restrictions did to degrade U.S. intelligence gathering capabilities.
Thus the thousands of new people hired into the CIA since September 11, 2001, will be, for the foreseeable future, the only ones with practical experience in effective espionage. Congress wants new hires to stay away from anything that is unpleasant, politically incorrect, or potentially embarrassing.
It looks like history is going to repeat itself. Not the first time that has happened. Another reason to hope that Congress is replaced in November to save the CIA and the nations’ intelligence capability.
