give me more drugs (...or the needle and the damage done)

"Stimulus Package" - sounds like a pink, kinky deal at first - but all it shows for, is a planed blessing from the government.
This is how it works:
First the government took your money; then they spend it all and borrowed astronomical sums on top of it.
Now (the government) gives you a bit back ($600 in change or so in May). You, the consumer, will spend it on this and that in order to "stimulate" the economy while the big fat fishes grow even bigger and the government will tax that spending again from the little skinny fishes. They are fucking geniuses these politicians.
Spend a little, receive more. What a scam. It sounds like an overdose blowjob on 42nd Street. Unreal dude!
Wait, there is something else wrong with that picture. What do you actually "stimulate" with such an act? Who might be the fearful looser of such a stimulation? Could it be you or I?
Sure, something will happen if you hand out cash to about 150 million people. It is for the masses like winning a scratch ticket in the lottery. So what. The ones who really profit are the big companies, when all the sheep (ups, little skinny fishes) go to the stores to consume yet an other gadget that is totally unnecessary for their existence and which they couldn't really afford in the first place.
It seems just a bit absurd to me, that the US government, who is deep in dept, shares cash on (newly printed paper... what's that worth?) to it's citizens which doesn't even exist in the first place, awaiting a turn in tide by such actions.
The USDollar is way down compared to the Euro, and the Canadian Dollar runs higher as well.
Since we already have a war (or two or three) we can't possibly invent an other one to stimulate the economy. Bummer. I guess therefore we get this injection.
Will it work? Perhaps in the short run - but like with all drugs, the trip will fade away and leave an even more somber citizen behind, craving for an other "shot."
The root of the problem is not that we don't spend enough, we already spend more than we really need. The issue is put totally upside down. To have REAL growth we should start to conserve and save ... only that works in the long run. Everything else is like crack-cocaine, a short high followed by a long down.
I have a lingering suspicion that politicians like to have common folks to stay addicts - forever!

Why the Democrats will loose again

Too correct, no charisma, no mainstream knowledge, too righteous - that's Hillary's profile. Her husband on the other hand had charisma, was intelligent and had a "suck me baby" presence. Under his reign the US actually ended up with a surplus in their coffers - now we are spending trillions (how many zeros is that) on forlorn dreams in the Middle East paining the back of taxpayers with no end in sight and diving into a vortex of national debt like never before. The US economy is in shambles, to state otherwise would be an utter stinking lie. The dollar has lost all its luster. Bush and his administration killed the US - thoroughly, the economy, national prestige and also hope for the future.
But Hillary, or any other following new president, will have a hard time fixing this mess. It will take generations.
Hillary is not my girl, she will never win my heart, maybe she could have in the 60's - but not now. So what are we left with - Obama, Ruckabee, sorry Huckabee and Romney. And there is still Edwards, I would certainly vote for him. But he will not win the Democratic party's nomination, therefore not electable. Obama, if he actually wins, will have no chance. He probably will get shot and killed like the other Kennedy's before him and any of his youthful wisdom wasted on the pavement before it even could have splattered to the masses. That's what we call "the American way". Kill first, ask later! So what does that leave us with? Huckabee, an evangelist wannabe with humor on his side?

Back to my train of thought. The Democrats will not (again not) win this coming election, 'cause their nominees are either useless or unelectable. So the Repubs will win this despite their internal confusion. An other moron is on the horizon. If McCaine could win, I wouldn't mind at all, but all the others?...
I might have eyeballed Hillary differently when she still was a hippie - but for now, in this millennium, she has estranged herself to my taste. If I shall vote at all, I'll go for Edwards.
It is really too bad that the US has only a two party system. It's like watching a ping-pong game waiting for the ball(s) to drop from the table. And this very game here they call - democracy.

(pictures stolen from public domain)

Fear = haha!

World shares fall on credit fears
World share prices continue to slide in a second day of big losses, amid fears of a global credit crunch... (BBC)August 10 2007
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OK, so what is this? Unlimited growth, unlimited borrowing is not logical or feasible - just a phantom, a warped philosophy and estranged mindset.
Adams was wrong - dead wrong ... as was Darwin. Species do not survive because they are just posing to be the fittest, species thrive when they take care of the balance in their immediate environment.

So on what kind of spaceship is the US cruising? Will they now run out of fuel?
As far as I understand, every US citizen is burdened with a debt of about $20,000 due to the enormous squandering of the government abroad and within ...
Bridges fall and miners die because there is no money to invest into the future, only money for quick fixes. Yes, and instead of investing feasibly, the US government spends 1.3 billion Dollars a month to uphold a lost war. Pathetic!
Imagine how this money could have been used in other ways ... that taxpayers money!
Anyhow, the latest crunch on Wall Street, and all the other financial institutions world wide, only reflect the tip of the iceberg - yet to melt ...

the "green zone"

Update: Saddam was "given" from the US authorities today to the regime that pretends to rule in Baghdad. Within the next 72 hours he will be a dead man by hanging. An other detrimentally bad move by the occupational forces.
________________________________________________

one of the entrances to the "Green Zone"

So here you go, arrive with a taxi from an adventurous and scary ride from Saddam (Baghdad) International Airport and you see the portals of the "green city", a compound of 5000 mostly US citizens. You sigh with relief and say to yourself "I made it"!
You stumble out of the cab and find yourself tottering towards the next hamburger joint, with onions please you mumble.
"Here you go Sir! By the way did you know that Saddam is going to be hanged on a rope in a unspecified location within the next 26 days"? ... the vendor said.
You keep munching on your burger and say: "Yes, I've heard so".But suddenly the bite of the bun grows stale. Hanging? Weren't we to export and import Democracy?

a palace that got struck by a missile instead of the dirt hole where Saddam was hiding

You see, this seems worse than Vietnam. Once the military retracted from the fields there, a handful people still were left in the US embassy of Saigon, but they got airlifted out by choppers once the climate got increasingly hot and desolate. Hey, but now you might need more than a few helicopters to evacuate the "green zone". Probably first of all a change of course in political direction would be in place. But that is very unlikely to happen, even with the House and Senate being run by the Democrats. I have lost any faith and hope in politicians. Bahhh!
But what grosses me out the most is that the US was the only country in the world applauding Saddams death sentence by hanging, everybody else was like: What the heck are you talking about, you guys are going crazy!

preamble to previous post

All day long I suffered through the Public Radio (NPR) repots, I am beaten now!
The bullshit finds new level of finesse: "We do not recommend a stay-the-course solution," said James Baker, the former secretary of state and Bush family adviser who co-chaired the (Iraq) commission with Lee Hamilton. "In our opinion, that approach is no longer viable."

DAHHH!!!! Some of us said this over three years ago. Does it need a "panel" of past cronies to come up with this conclusion - NOW????

It's too late, the food stinks of the burnt pot it was cooked in! No reversal possible. There is no panel, committee or other group of individuals who can turn back the clock in time and remove the bad taste.

Just swallow it patriots, the United States is fucked, no reversal possible. And all this blabber about pulling out combat, yes "combat troops" out of Iraq by 2008 is the biggest bullshit I heard during this saga.
Thousands of troops will remain to maintain the status quo of the empire, that you can be assured of! No committee will whisk that item off the table.

The lip-service to fire Rumsfeld, replacing him with Gates - and the bipartisan advisory panel chaired by Baker and the other guy ... are just helpless outer signs of political incompetence. Too little too late!

There is no way you can take the burnt smell and taste out of food, unless you dump it on your compost and clean the pot.
Same goes with politicians.

Monday tidings

"It's another defeat for the devil, who tries to dominate the world," Mr Chavez told cheering supporters, mocking US President George Bush after it was clear that he had won an other six year term.


* So yes, I do support Chavez's landslide win. Is he perfect, nah - not in a long shot. He is just an other politician who adores power and fame. But at least this dude has charisma and is smearing some sand dust into the machinery of stupidity of the "New World Order" Bush is subscribing to in his relentless delusions of daily affairs.

* Speaking about "empire", after Rumsfeld left, the former well versed demagogue of the Pentagon, he is now being replaced by a new elected guy who is facing an impossible job, namely sorting out the involvement of the US in the Middle East. It is an impossible task and doomed to fail because the damage already done is insurmountable . There is absolutely no possibility of "winning", a concept Bush still sticks to feveriously in his deluged mind set.
_____________________________________________________________________

OK, so here is an answer I send to Michael Moore in response to his open letter on his website (good reading) about troop disengagement in Iraq. We'll see what he has to say, IF he responds at all. I'll keep you updated:

Dear M. Moore,

I red your passionate letter on your website Michael, about that we should get out of Iraq tonight, not tomorrow - tonight!
Actually I completely agree with you ... there is nothing to be fought "for" in Iraq, it would be the best move.
Nevertheless, I believe there were two items that triggered this war. No - oil is only indirectly part of it :)!
It was the moment when Saddam declared that he would start to convert his revenues into Euros (yeah, from oil I guess) instead of maintaining the hegemony of the US dollar connected to this kind of business, that broke the "camels back". That is reason number one.
Reason number two is that Saudi Arabia (our allies?) managed to shun us out from maintaining substantial military bases on their land.
It is reason #1 that we started the war - it is reason #2 that we can't just "walk out".
There is no way on earth that the US will disassemble its largest embassy (5000 people) in the "Green Zone" and also give up the prospect of having military bases in Iraq. It's just not going to happen.
Even if the Democrats were able to instigate a troop withdrawal (which they seem to be incapable of) I would estimate that roughly 10,000 troops would remain on a permanent mission there, securing military-bases I was speaking about.
Michael, this is not looking good. Sorry my language, but I think the "empire is fucked". This present situation can only lead to that the US is either bleeding to death, slowly but surely - or that there is going to be some kind of a revolution (from within) and the US will retract, give up it's world ambitions and start to mend things that have been in disarray for decades within its own borders.
Long story ..... short conclusion: The US will not leave Iraq (or Afghanistan for that matter) willingly, only out of necessity!

Yours, Lukas
_______________________________________________

P.S. With the new endorsement of Gates replacing Rumsfeld and the submitted "iraq report" by some congressional committee, nothing will change ...

a grey Friday

... this Friday might be a decisive day in Lebanon's present history.

Since I don't understand all the delicate veins and chaotic political issues at hand, the only thing I can do is radiate positive thoughts to ALL people of Lebanon instead of taking sides openly. May their future be blessed with clarity and love for their country!

Hezbollah has urged its supporters to start a massive protest today in Beirut until its demands are met, which burns down to topple Siniora's presidency.
Mr Siniora's government "has proven it is incompetent and has failed to fulfil its promises and achieve anything significant," Mr Nasrallah has said. "We appeal to all Lebanese, from every region and political movement, to take part in a peaceful and civilised demonstration on Friday to rid us of an incapable government," he said.

With a certain portion of cynicism I watch Nasrallah make his moves.
Was the 33 days of war this summer with Israel to be the outcome of this? The "Syrian coalition" walked out of the Lebanese parliament not long ago, basically giving up power. Now they wish not only to regain strength, but achieve a position as a majority in order to be able to veto any legislation that would come from the "Anti Syrian" government in power.
To say it gently, it's a bloody mess. For the Lebanese people to solely blame Israel in this situation would be a fatal error in my eyes. It would catapult the issue beyond reach of personal investment of reconciliation towards the country they love.
How to solve this? I have no clue. Lebanon: Be strong, whatever the outcome!

darknes

the killing game

Now that assassinations from people who please to blow themselves up has gained an all time popularity, I start to wonder who these people actually are who sacrifice their lives for causes that in my view are unattainable with such actions.
Personally I'd rather would fight with a sword in my hand for my convictions if I was pressed to do so instead of blowing up my body in a market place, exploding in a waiting line of day-time workers, blow up innocent children and woman at a bus stop. It's easy to preach for me from the security of a keyboard, but heck - nevertheless all suicide bombers deserve their destiny, namely being first tickled to insanity by 17 virgins before they are thrown to eternal hell.

who is the assassin - a person from Assyria?

Yeah so what now, Who is to blame?
You believe it is the Christian right - right?
But brave Muslims are on top of the the "killing game", obviously for now. Do I care?
Oh, in case you don't recognize the person on the image to the left, be aware of that Lebanon is now observing the first of three days of mourning in memory of Pierre Gemayel, the Maronite Christian politician assassinated in Beirut on Tuesday. Perhaps the plot of a Buddhist freak or a lonesome lunatic who has escaped the asylum; wouldn't surprise me - hahahah!
I shed tears for Lebanon because it is presently the only country in that region of the world that I care for. Why? Because it has potential for a bright future, and it is also a beautiful place once you clean up the thousands of cluster bombs Israel dropped there!
So anyhow, what's up with that "killing game" then?
Yes, blowing yourself up or using assassinations is a fairly drastic means of self-development I would say. I also wonder if such a method is purely an Arabic pastime or just an other religious ceremony by devotees stuck in Mohammed's oriental delicately weaved carpet?
You tell me.

just an other brick in the wall?

Do people actually realize that the majority of immigrants who enter the US come legally and then simply overstate their visa, hence by that action become illegal?!
Nevertheless, congress and the prez signed a bill that will give the green light to build a 700 mile fence on the Mexican border, with cameras, sensors, drones and all the technological schnick-schnack you could ever imagine. So what good does that do besides gobbling up billions of my tax dollars and destroying hundreds of acres of nature? Can you truthfully imagine that immigrants, and god forbid terrorists, will be kept away?
Besides the lack of a comprehensive plan on how to deal with seasonal workers and immigrants at the southern border, it disturbs me greatly that people here believe in building walls instead of building bridges ...
... same goes for Israel!

Pentagon gears up for new media war!

By Paul Reynolds
World affairs correspondent, BBC News website

The Pentagon's new effort to influence media coverage of the war in Iraq is an example of how governments react when a war is not going too well.
They begin to think it is not the war that is the problem, but the presentation of it.
The media, being the messengers, get the blame, not the message itself.

The plan, detailed in a memo seen by the Associated Press news agency, is for a rapid response unit that would "correct the record" in the 24/7 news cycle that exists today - including, crucially, on the internet. One aim, AP says, seems to be to deflect criticism of Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld himself.
It is on the internet that blogs and other sites rapidly spread information, sometimes as fact and sometimes as rumour, and build up pressure points of opinion. These are then reflected in the mainstream media.
There would also be a list of favourite speakers or "surrogates" who would be offered to broadcast media, especially to the US talk shows, where fast appearances and faster opinions matter.
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Full article at the BBC website: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6103056.stm

I just had to post this my friends, because it bothers me a lot ...

Despite all this, nevertheless VOTE Democrats if you can vote!

space junk

you don't have to be embedded in a sheet of ice-crystals to feel the present chill - Refrigerators are so ignorant, especially after they have seen better days. Politicians are the same and they lame me to a high degree. If it were up to the them I might as well turn into a can of olives, frozen into the back-shelf corner while the ice builds up and then wait for the "big thaw" - that supposedly lurks around the corner. The left is schussing around with no aim, the right feels rightful, and the center doesn't exist: IN NO COUNTRY! The US for example has a right wing party and a right wing party with distinction. What's up with that? It's all just one big bloody party. There is no such thing as Democrats and Republicans, they are just using a labeling technique to keep the public entertained, keep the nation in a fog and create artificial divisions.
You might as well drop this whole nationalistic notion of belonging to a state or a party, forget the politicians who want to make you believe that being a "citizen" is important - . Find instead local opportunities to make your voice heard, as a caring human ... forget citizenship, act locally and "screw globally". What I mean, let's deport all politicians to the moon, it's nice and chilly there, so let them freeze for a change ... and we will start anew. We can't trust those people anymore. Let's get rid of all of them and let us switch roles and take charge for once. We have been living in a cold climate for too long now and deserve a change, a change that doesn't subscribe to global warming but instead embraces life with warmth and compassion.

In defense of Saddam, the man who will be hanged alive

Oh yes, by the way I follow the trial of Saddam, it is ludicrous! Even though he was a murderer, torturer and tyrant - I have to say something in his defense. When the war between Iraq and Iran was going on, Kuwait (that stinking little peace of shit where the camel dung stinks and therefore the rulers mostly reside in my home-country Switzerland) gave Saddam millions after millions to fight the Iranians because they were afraid that their region to the straight in the Gulf would be hampered or that Iran would claim key access points, so therefore they supported Iraq ...
Right after the war (both Iraq and Iran were a mess and badly needed reconstruction) these slimy bastards (Kuwait) demanded back all the money they had given the Iraqi leader, immediately!!! Saddam was broke and they knew it. Nevertheless, they insisted and threatened to put high interest penalties on their loans. It was then, that Saddam freaked out and declared: "You little wretched monkeys, I show you how and when I can pay you back, I supported you, you supported me and now you want to see me bleed to death? Fuck you, not long ago you were not that little independent entity as you are now, you had been historically part of Iraq!"
And so, with the blessings of the US ambassador in Iraq, the first Gulf war was started.
Can't blame the man for that.
Now what happened afterwards is a mystery to me. Bush senior changed his mind, hence the first Gulf war. After that he imposed the famous sanctions on Iraq, with no fly-zones and all.
Then the inspectors came in, and they came out, and then in again. But there was no gratitude in that for the US empire. So they fabricated the myth of weapons of mass destruction (WMD). The inspectors had to quit. Scott Ritter rebelled and went back to visit Saddam, Scott having been the chief inspector for quite some years, stating to Saddam that a dialog is needed. The US government cut Scott Ritter short, they didn't like his move and therefore fabricated some shit that he was into kiddie-porn on the the internet, that put a damper onto his reputation (unfounded of course).
So what did Saddam do? Well, he played his last card and declared that Iraqi oil would trade from now on in Euro's and not in Dollars. I strongly believe that this move did "brake the camel's back" and as a result the US government freaked out again.
For decades the oil market was based on the US Dollar, actually from the beginning of the exploitation in the Middle East. Now suddenly, this one country who claims the second largest oil reserve in that region, defies the US currency. What a riot, what a bummer. That could lead to disaster! The US dollar would plummet to it's actual value!!!!!! No way!!!!!!!!
Understandably, the "Empire" would not let this happen and invaded Iraq again. The sale ticket to the folks at home was "terrorism", because it was so convenient after 9/11 - but the real reason was to maintain the status quo of the Dollar ... it wasn't directly about oil at all - though it could have been a convenient "desert" if it had worked out smoothly.
But it didn't.
Now the US is stuck in a "Green Zone" in Baghdad, a city by itself - while the different fractions outside massacre each other.
Is the "Green Buck" worth all this trouble? Or is there a hidden agenda I have never heard of?

And was this angst worth to create a thousand and one more BinLadens?

I suppose Bin Laden's mission could be described as: "Mission accomplished!"

ilumination

Couldn't resist to repost this from GARY's blog (see sidebar).

How many members of the Bush administration does it take to replace a lightbulb?

1. One to deny that a lightbulb needs to be changed;
2. One to attack the patriotism of anyone who says the lightbulb needs to be changed;
3. One to blame Clinton for burning out the lightbulb;
4. One to tell the nations of the world that they either favor changing the lightbulb or support darkness;
5. One to give a billion dollar no-bid contract to Halliburton for the new lightbulb;
6. One to arrange a photograph of Bush, dressed as a janitor, standing on a step ladder under the banner "Lightbulb Change Accomplished";
7. One administration insider to resign and write a book documenting in detail how Bush was literally "in the dark";
8. One to viciously smear #7;
9. One surrogate to campaign on TV and at rallies on how George Bush has had a strong lightbulb-changing policy all along;
10. And finally, one to confuse Americans about the difference between screwing a lightbulb and screwing the country.


personally I favor the humor of #6, but the main question is:
Are you still in the dark?