Who Is Next?

U.S.-Born Qaeda Leader Killed in Yemen. US citizen killed (without trial) in drone attack. Who is next?

So no more hilarious Inspire magazines?

Counter Propaganda

Sometimes propaganda claims clash.  See Stop the Conspiracy Theories, Al Qaeda Tells Iranian Leader.

Financial Crisis II Electric Boogaloo (Part 3)

(Click to enlarge)

Regarding the above cartoon, it's difficult to sympathize with parasitic corporations who lose their own game, but banks are in a league unto themselves.

General:

Share Traders More Reckless Than Psychopaths, Study Shows.  What a shock!

Feel Better?  Not really.

The economic situation in Europe is just plain bad:

Eurozone Bailout Numbers Go Stratospheric From €440 billion to €4 Trillion.

Split opens over Greek bail-out terms.

Merkel Prepares Market for Bigger Haircuts; Split opens Over Greek Bail-Out Terms; Needs vs. Fantasies.

This time, unlike 2008, it's the US that will follow.

Voting is Worthless

From As Scorn for Vote Grows, Protests Surge Around Globe:

“Our parents are grateful because they're voting,” said Marta Solanas, 27, referring to older Spaniards’ decades spent under the Franco dictatorship. “We're the first generation to say that voting is worthless.”

Why anyone would think otherwise never ceases to amaze.  The belief that an elected authority figure is going to do anything positive for anyone but the rich is outright delusional.  One thing the economic crisis is revealing is that people need to take matters into their own hands.  Although it is my opinion that non-violent protest is pretty useless (unless backed by the threat of a massive uprising), it is still superior to voting--at least the participants are taking matters into their own hands.  (If voting is worthless, why would a peaceful appeal to corrupt scum be any better?  One reason the Tea Party is so utterly pathetic is their stupid belief that voting matters.)

Quite simply, the real enemy is not corruption, it's leaders, elected or not.  They deserve to be replaced by nothing, which means the establishment of a citizenry that does not feel the need to be lead anywhere.  Once the politicians are dispatched, then the economy can be destroyed (as befits its parasitic nature).  I believe this can only happen when everything has fallen so far, that there is no alternative to starting from scratch.

In the 21st century, everyone will be an anarchist whether they like it or not.

No Confidence

Public’s opinion of government: ‘You stink!’:

Americans may be sharply divided on many fronts but they can agree when it comes those who run the government.

Congress stinks and anyone who seeks or holds public office ain’t that hot either.

From Obama Has an Everyone Problem:

Beyond every individual group’s specific concerns, what the bulk of the American people first and foremost elect a president to do is govern their country well. Obama’s problem is that basically every group across the spectrum feels the country is being governed poorly.

In an economic system, based on faith (much like communism) but reliant on the state, widespread dissatisfaction is a sign of impending alienation.  Hence, vested interests and opponents will attempt to either "ride the wave" or "stem the tide."  Those straddling the line will be stranded, which may be for the better: reality isn't a metaphor.

Drinking the Kool-Aide?

Stock Rally Continues on Wall Street. Drinking the Kool-Aide?

Financial Crisis II Electric Boogaloo (Part 2)

Punked World. Punked out for the banks. Well, for a change, at least it's not just the US that is FUBAR. As far as the Author's question concerning the lack of a progressive tea party, here are two response questions and answers:

Q: What the hell is a "progressive" anyway? 

A: A Chump who voted for Obama (and not because they thought he was the lesser of two evils).  Why would anyone follow such a useless lead?

Q: Who cares about preserving this stinking mess other than a bunch of honky geezers? 

A: (See #1.)

Neither the Tea Party or "Progressives" speak for most Americans.  Only the MSM and/or alternative media would espouse otherwise. See also Barack Obama VS Those Craaaazy Republicans: Is He the Lesser Evil, or the More Effective Evil (via Naked Capitalism).

Chris Hedges seems to think wasting time with occupying Wall Street means something.  (He obviously spends too much time in NYC.)  It's too far gone for that.  (Where were these people in 2008?  Probably, hoping the biggest looser since Millard Filmore would come riding to their rescue.)

Europe Stews on Greece, and Markets Sweat Out the Wait. Riding to the rescue with funny money. Why anyone would take a "rescue" seriously is amazing.

Saving the Rich, Losing the Economy.  Policy makers care about their class and nothing more.

World's economic crisis 'worse than bank crash'.  Some have a clue, but too little, too late.

Financial Crisis II Electric Boogaloo

It's almost October, time of market crashes, and maybe the start of Financial Crisis II Electric Boogaloo.  This time it looks like Europe is the catalyst, but maybe the US as well.  Starting the next couple days, as in 2008, this blog will start to follow the developments (as opposed to my current events blog which is really more about insulting anyone and everyone).

For now see also:

Why Stocks and Gold Crashed for a little current background reading.  Demand destruction is always a sign.

And:

Naked Capitalism and Calculated Risk as a good source of daily analysis.

Laughter

Laughter implies sadness.

Down is Up

In economics and politics, down is the new up.

Numbers

Numbers may be correct, but not necessarily valid.

Head in the Sand

Having one's head in the sand is preferable to having it shoved someplace worse.

OR

Ignorance is preferable to delusion.

Short Term Memory

Massive head trauma destroys short term memory.

Interconnectivity

Regarding contagion, interconnectivity is a weakness.

10 Years

Ciphers

Regarding Ciphers:

In the parlance of communications intelligence, a cipher is a secret message deliberately encoded to mislead unintended recipients.

[...]

Ciphers are often used to disguise messages encoded to mislead virtually everyone, whether they be citizens, consumers, stockholders, employees, voters, viewers, readers, Internet junkies, students, patients, or parishioners. They are a sophisticated form of lying and deceit—one of the most important instruments of mass manipulation and social control in our culture. A person, such as a political leader, who transmits misleading messages is also a cipher.

[...]

To some ciphers are world-class bloodsuckers who exploit our vulnerability and our inability to cope with the human condition. Ciphers tell us what to believe, how to live, how to raise our kids, how to work, how to play, how to make love, and how to die. From them we also learn what to buy, how much to pay for it, and when to replace it, as well as where we will work, how much we will be paid, and what working conditions will be like. We call this “freedom.

Cipher is also a synonym for zero, indicating a value of naught, symbolizing nothingness and a hint of nihilism. It can refer to a person or a thing of no importance, a nonentity. Ciphers stand for nothing. Thus a person, a place, a thing, an idea, or a message may be a cipher. But in our culture, some of the most important ciphers are politicians, TV advertisers, the Internet, text messages and money.

True freedom is not believing zero.  How many of us are really free?

Majority

Q: Why do so many believe their cause represents a majority?

A: Their cause is delusional.

Anticipation

Anticipation is a negative.

Bogus Aphorisms

I agree with On Bogus Aphorisms.  If a so-called aphorism makes you feel good, then either you have something very wrong with you, or (most likely) it's not an aphorism.  Clichés are not aphorisms.

See Also.

Education

One cannot educate the unwilling.