Thursday, September 30, 2010
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Monday, September 27, 2010
Cambodia
From: larry.r.trout@
'What the Khmer Rouge brought to Cambodia was in fact real Communism. There was no radical distinction, either conceptually or concretely, between the rule of the Khmer Rouge and that of Stalinism, Maoism, Castroism, or the North Korean regime. All Communist regimes follow strangely similar trajectories, barely colored by local traditions. In every case, these regimes seek to make a blank slate of the past and to forge a new humanity. In every case, the "rich," intellectuals, and skeptics wind up exterminated. The Khmer Rouge rounded up urban and rural populations in agricultural communities based on precedents both Russian (the Kolkhozy) and Chinese (the popular communes), and they acted for the same ideological reasons and with the same result: famine. There is no such thing as real Communism without massacre, torture, concentration camps, gulags, or laogai. And if there has never been any such thing, then we must conclude that there could be no other outcome: Communist ideology leads necessarily to mass violence, because the masses do not want real Communism. This is as true in the rice fields of Cambodia as in the plains of Ukraine or under Cuban palms.'
Friday, September 24, 2010
H.R. 5028 Could Collapse the Housing Market
From: ryan.w.mergenthal
According to HousingWire, the bill would grant the right to homeowners entering foreclosure to occupy their homes for up to five years, making fair-market rent payments, determined by an independent appraiser, to the lender. The CEPR says this would give homeowners important "security" since they would not be "thrown out on the streets." CEPR cites the cost savings to "homeowners" who would be able to rent their homes rather than face evictions and have to rent on the open market.
_____________________________________________
From: Trout, LarryWhy would they be worried about renting on the open market, if they will pay fair market value?
From: ryan.w.mergenthal@
For one, it forces foreclosures off the market for five years…so I imagine the price for non-foreclosures will go up in the mean time as the supply of available homes for sale decreases. I imagine there are some costs associated with maintaining a property's compliance with rental laws…but rent money is basically free cash for the mortgage holder that doesn't pay into any equity for the renter.
I imagine it's the real estate brokers that would be more affected by this than the banks.
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Walked out
From: larry.r.trout
'In his speech to the annual General Assembly, Ahmadinejad said it was mostly U.S. government officials who believed a terrorist group was behind the suicide hijacking attacks that brought down New York's World Trade Center and hit the Pentagon.
Another theory, he said, was "that some segments within the U.S. government orchestrated the attack to reverse the declining American economy, and its grips on the Middle East, in order to save the Zionist regime."
"The majority of the American people as well as most nations and politicians around the world agree with this view," Ahmadinejad told the 192-nation assembly.
The U.S. and several European delegations left shortly after Ahmadinejad made the remarks.'
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/39331594/ns/world_news/
Iran
From: larry.r.trout
'Ahmadinejad's speech also ought to make us reflect on how poorly secularized Westerners encounter men of faith, especially those who believe profoundly in a "clash of civilizations" (as Khamenei and Ahmadinejad do). President Barack Obama came into office believing that the principal problem between the United States and Iran was George W. Bush. This view was shared by a wide swath of the foreign policy establishment. Senior officials in the Bush State Department who thought that Khamenei really, truly wanted better relations with the United States differ little from the Obama crowd, who hoped that their boss would have a magic touch with the supreme leader, who responded to Obama's early felicitous outreach by referring to America as "Satan Incarnate."
Even among Iran devotees, who follow the country in its native language, there was an astonishing naivete or, to put it another, politer way, a determined hopefulness about where U.S.-Iranian relations could go. Ray Takeyh of the Council on Foreign Relations, who briefly served in the Obama administration, deserves praise for announcing clearly what few among the more liberal Iran cognoscenti have been willing to do: the debate is over. Iran under KhameneI remains a highly ideological state. Engagement as envisioned by Obama and so many others was an (appealing) illusion.'http://www.tnr.com/blog/foreign-policy/77855/why-ahmadinejad-acts-the-way-he-does-the-un-iran-obama
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Preexisting conditions
From: larry.r.trout
'Major health insurance companies in California and other states have decided to stop selling policies for children rather than comply with a new federal healthcare law that bars them from rejecting youngsters with preexisting medical conditions.'
Obligated to give citizenship
From: larry.r.trout
'Obama's aunt says US obligated to make her citizen
Aunt Zeituni still lives in public housing and collects $700 monthly disability'
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hlOeNCgJvuyKzZv_V8kDfYOigYXwD9ICDN1G0
'Despite what's she's been given, Zeituni Onyango said flatly that she owes this country nothing in return. "But, it's given you so much?" Elias asked. "So? It's a free country under God," was her terse response.'
http://wbztv.com/local/obama.aunt.Zeituni.2.1924422.html
Monday, September 20, 2010
Collecting rainwater now illegal in many states as Big Government claims ownership over our water
Didn't know but not surprised.
From: "Allan
You may already know this ,but I thought it was pretty wild.
Mexico
'EVERY 100 years, Mexico seems to have a rendezvous with violence. As
the country gathers on Wednesday night for the ceremony of the "grito"
— the call to arms that began the war for independence from Spain — we
are enduring another violent crisis, albeit one that differs greatly
from those of a century and two centuries ago.
the country gathers on Wednesday night for the ceremony of the "grito"
— the call to arms that began the war for independence from Spain — we
are enduring another violent crisis, albeit one that differs greatly
from those of a century and two centuries ago.
In 1810 and 1910, revolutions erupted that lasted 10 years or more and
were so destructive that both times it took decades for the country to
re-establish its previous levels of peace and progress. Both episodes
furthered Mexico's political development, however, and our collective
memory centers on these two dates that have taken on such symmetrical
and mythical significance.
In 2010, Mexico is again convulsed with violence, though the size and
scope of today's conflict does not even remotely approach that of 1810
or 1910. This war is unfolding within and between gangs of criminals,
who commit violent acts that are fueled only by a competitive lust for
money. This is strikingly different from the revolutions of 1810 or
1910, which were clashes of ideals. '
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/15/opinion/15krauze.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1
Fwd: Blago
You know, I almost felt sorry for the guy. Politicians are corrupt.
Why is that news? I am sure that there are back-room deals happening
all the time. The people who hung him out to dry are probably more
corrupt than he is.
I do think it is good to expose it.
Why is that news? I am sure that there are back-room deals happening
all the time. The people who hung him out to dry are probably more
corrupt than he is.
I do think it is good to expose it.
Best wishes,
John Coffey
On Aug 12, 2010, at 10:18 AM, larry.r.trout wrote:
'Jurors who have spent the last 11 days deliberating in the corruption
trial of former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich have been able to listen
to more than 100 excerpts of wiretap tapes, look through any notes
they took during testimony and refer to some 120 pages of jury
instructions.
All of that, though, may not have been enough to prevent them from
becoming deadlocked.'
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iQzzfJgU11ljyZElHhClLPy89z3wD9HHUG5O0
I thought a unanamous decision was only needed for death penalty cases…
Deficit
"For my part, I don't want to hear another conservative pundit call
for more tax cuts until there's a closure of the gap between what
Washington takes in and what it promises and spends. If that day never
comes, well, someone has to pay for the party.
for more tax cuts until there's a closure of the gap between what
Washington takes in and what it promises and spends. If that day never
comes, well, someone has to pay for the party.
Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin stands out as the rare Republican willing
to challenge the Democrats' "culture of dependency" by proposing
painful cuts on Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid spending. He,
at least, is willing to tell the middle class that entitlement
spending is "unsustainable." Ryan is the adult in this room."
'As David Walker, head of the Peter G. Peterson Foundation and former
U.S. controller, told the San Francisco Chronicle's Carolyn Lochhead
last week, "If you eliminated all the Bush tax cuts, if you withdrew
from Iraq and Afghanistan tomorrow, if you eliminated foreign aid, and
if you eliminated all spending associated with congressional earmarks
— the populist things — it's about 15 percent of the problem."'
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Fwd: Cost of Government Day
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: <larry.r.trout
From: <larry.r.trout
21 % Medicare/Medicaid/Chip
20 % Social Security
19 % Military
16 % Unemployment/Welfare
5 % Interest
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Fy2010_spending_by_category.jpg
Spice and How to Make Pot Butter
> Never heard of "Spice" but it was on the radio on two different
> stations tonight.
>
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synthetic_cannabis
>
I heard that they were trying to make this stuff illegal in Utah> stations tonight.
>
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synthetic_cannabis
>
county. Apparently it is real popular.
All the news stories about Spice got me curious...
I found the first video on this page to be really amusing, not that I
would ever do anything like this. If I were taking chemo I would
consider it...
http://www.mahalo.com/how-to-make-pot-butter
Friday, September 17, 2010
Fwd: Cartoonist in hiding
From: larry.r.trout@
Date: September 16, 2010 12:41:22 PM MDT
To:
Subject: Cartoonist in hiding
'An American cartoonist whose satirical work inspired the controversial "Everybody Draw Mohammed Page" on Facebook has gone into hiding, the newspaper which published her comics said Wednesday.
Molly Norris, of Seattle, Washington, has moved and changed her name following a call for her assassination by US-born Yemeni cleric Anwar al-Awlaki, The Seattle Weekly said.
"You may have noticed that Molly Norris' comic is not in the paper this week," the newspaper said. "That's because there is no more Molly."
"The gifted artist is alive and well, thankfully. But on the insistence of top security specialists at the FBI, she is, as they put it, 'going ghost': moving, changing her name, and essentially wiping away her identity.
"She is, in effect, being put into a witness-protection program -- except, as she notes, without the government picking up the tab," the newspaper said.
Norris drew a cartoon in April to protest the decision by the US television channel Comedy Central to cancel an episode of the popular show "South Park" over its depiction of the Prophet Mohammed in a bear suit
In her cartoon, Norris satirically proposed May 20 as an "Everybody Draw Mohammed Day."…
In July, an English-language Al-Qaeda magazine, "Inspire," in an article attributed to Awlaki, the radical Yemeni cleric, said Norris "should be taken as a prime target of assassination."'
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gsevvhMY7G4oPXClCvfyl0FUW7DQ
Instead of just putting her in hiding, they should have found a look-alike and setup a sting to catch anyone threatening her life.
Jim DeMint raises $174K for Christine O'Donnell
"Republicans shouldn't give up on any race this year because there's an awakening taking place all across America as people reaffirm their support for America's founding principles," DeMint added. "They're not as concerned with which party is in power or who gets committee chairmanships. They simply want to elect new leaders who will fight for balanced budgets, constitutional limits, and individual liberty."
Why It's Time for the Tea Party
"In part it is a rising up of those who truly believe America is imperiled and truly mean to save her."
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Fwd: China's currency
From: larry.r.trou
Date: September 16, 2010 6:59:00 AM MDT
To:
Subject: China's currency
'China's Yuan Gesture Could Backfire '
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/16/business/global/16yuan.html?src=mv
'U.S. Adopts Tougher Stance on China'
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/16/business/global/16yuan.html?src=mv
'US-China tensions rise over yuan'
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-11328532
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Like, Is Sarah Palin Totally Conceited?
"I think most normal people reading that aren't thinking about Palin, they're thinking, "Wait -- do I tip maids?"
I don't on principle, unless I've stayed several nights or left a dead body in the room. Even then, it depends on the size of the body."
I don't on principle, unless I've stayed several nights or left a dead body in the room. Even then, it depends on the size of the body."
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Fwd: France
From: larry.r.trout
Date: September 14, 2010 8:55:06 AM MDT
To:
Subject: France
'The European Commission will have no choice but to start a legal action against France for its expulsion of Roma, Justice Commissioner Viviane Reding said Tuesday.
"I am personally convinced that the commission will have no choice," Reding said during a press conference.
"I intend to recommend to [European Commission] President Barroso fast track infringement procedure, so we lose no time," she said, calling France's expulsion of these people a "disgrace." '
http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20100914-703768.html
How dare the French throw illegal immigrants out of their own country :-)
Fwd: 1rst provision repeal vote today
Begin forwarded message:
From: larry.r.trout@
Date: September 14, 2010 11:19:20 AM MDT
Subject: 1rst provision repeal vote today
'You might not have seen it reported, but the Senate will vote this morning on whether to repeal part of ObamaCare that it passed only months ago. The White House is opposed, but this fight is likely to be the first of many as Americans discover—as Nancy Pelosi once famously predicted—what's in the bill.
The Senate will vote on amendments to the White House small business bill that would rescind an ObamaCare mandate that companies track and submit to the IRS all business-to-business transactions over $600 annually. Democrats tucked the 1099 reporting footnote into the bill to raise an estimated $17.1 billion, part of the effort to claim that ObamaCare reduces the deficit by $100 billion or so. '
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703897204575488272691514074.html?mod=googlenews_wsj
Monday, September 13, 2010
Fwd: Krugman attacks China
From: l.robert.updike@
Date: September 13, 2010 9:50:58 AM MDT
To: "Trout, Larry R @ CSW-SLC" <larry.r.trout@
Subject: RE: Krugman attacks China
Simple solution.
Tell the PRC that we will make up any trade deficit with them by selling
additional arms to the ROC.
-----Original Message-----
From: Trout, Larry
CSW-SLC
Subject: Krugman attacks China
I didn't expect to see this from Krugman...
'You see, senior American policy figures have repeatedly balked at doing
anything about Chinese currency manipulation, at least in part out of
fear that the Chinese would stop buying our bonds. Yet in the current
environment, Chinese purchases of our bonds don't help us - they hurt
us. The Japanese understand that. Why don't we?
Some background: If discussion of Chinese currency policy seems
confusing, it's only because many people don't want to face up to the
stark, simple reality - namely, that China is deliberately keeping its
currency artificially weak.
The consequences of this policy are also stark and simple: in effect,
China is taxing imports while subsidizing exports, feeding a huge trade
surplus. You may see claims that China's trade surplus has nothing to do
with its currency policy; if so, that would be a first in world economic
history. An undervalued currency always promotes trade surpluses, and
China is no different.
And in a depressed world economy, any country running an artificial
trade surplus is depriving other nations of much-needed sales and jobs.
Again, anyone who asserts otherwise is claiming that China is somehow
exempt from the economic logic that has always applied to everyone
else.'
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/13/opinion/13krugman.html_r=2&ref=global
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Fwd: 1937
From: larry.r.trout@L-3com.com
Date: September 7, 2010 1:37:04 PM EDT
To: <john2001plus@gmail.com>
Subject: 1937
Friday, September 3, 2010
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Filed Under, "What If Bush Did This?"
http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=38783
Best wishes,
John Coffey
http://www.entertainmentjourney.com
Sent from my iPhone
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