Rebane's Ruminations
November 2011
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George Rebane

California’s carbon calamity is cranking up to full speed, destroying jobs and driving companies to other lands and states.  CARB is now the loose cannon in the state’s economy, putting into full force the dictates of AB32 (q.v.).  Even the unions are screaming about job losses and arguing that California’s carbon tax n’ spend will not affect global warming in slightest.  Meanwhile the green Europeans are rethinking the carbon calamity that they were planning for themselves.  More in ‘California’s New Green Tax’.  Oh yes, and we mustn't forget about the new industry of carbon tax farming coming to California.  Don't know about tax farming? then read this little ditty.

Who are the top 1% earners around here?  Russ Steele sent me a Dept Commerce census data covered in the Sac Bee (here).  Sounds about right.  The Occupiers ought get right in there and ferret out those people who are taking food out of the mouths of us 99% folks.  Is there no justice left in the world??!!

Our beloved Union couldn’t shoot straight on complex stuff like global warming.  Their article on physicist Richard Muller’s discovery that global temps have gone up in the last 50 years is supposed to be a big black eye for the “climate change deniers”.  I’m not aware of too many such deniers.  To be sure, there are skeptics of anthropogenic global warming, but it appears that reporting on such bright lines that separate the ‘deniers’ from the ‘skeptics’ is a still a bit difficult for a small understaffed newspaper.  No problem, the local Left was happy dancing in the streets.

The prominent proto-communist truthout.com is lamenting that police are acting with unwarranted brutality in the various cities where occupying is taking place.  In a “true democracy” police would act in a manner that support the law breakers.  “So imagine how it could be different, if we had a government designed to serve the people rather than keep them in their place. In a country with a true democratic culture the local governments would be serving these people and honoring their right to dissent and protest. They would instinctively be showing up at protests like this and offering to help with any sanitation problems, etc, setting up public toilets, and other services. They would even be offering tents. If there are security problems in the occupy camps a city would be posting police in the encampment to help the people there, with a clear mission to serve them.”  (emphasis in the original, read article here)  Maybe the cops could even soil their own cars so as not to overly inconvenience the occupiers sitting in their police supplied porta-potties.

Dana Perino of Fox News is historically challenged.  A couple of days ago in a gush she identified Steve Jobs as being “the best innovator in world history.”  The poor lady had not heard of Thomas Edison, Alexander Graham Bell, …, and thousands of other engineers and scientists whose fundamental discoveries changed the world.  Jobs, while no doubt a great product designer and marketer, was not in the same league with these historical giants.  Maybe there’s now a new politically correct definition of ‘innovator’ that puts Jobs into the top spot.

What happened in Greece between last Friday and this Monday to make the Dow climb 2.86% and then dive 2.26%?  Actually nothing, and that’s the quandary.  The market’s volatility attributed to the ups and downs of the next Greek financial palliative seems to be insane.  It doesn’t matter what the eurozone economical biggies (Germany, France) or the European Central Bank do or don’t do.  Greece will default on its sovereign debt, bet the ranch on it.  That paragon of union dominated socialism is so deep in the hole that Europe doesn't have a rope long enough to get them out.

The markets can’t be so dumb in the aggregate that they take seriously the impact of Nick calling Angela a ‘fatso’ and Angela calling Nick ‘shorty’ on Greece’s certain default.  It doesn’t matter how big of a check Greece gets to service its debt, even with the contemplated haircuts to the bond holders, Greece cannot grow out of its financial excesses, it has to default sooner than later.  Now if I know this, then all the money mavens in the world must know it.  Therefore the markets are being moved by something entirely different, and the media pundits writing headlines are either stupid (not ignorant), or they’re trying not to tell us something important – like the US is really headed for Depression2.

[update]  Today the Dow fell another 2.48%, ostensibly because Greek's proposed austerity measures, as the terms of the last EU bailout, will be turned down by the Greeks as they vote in a just announced referendum on said terms.  Now, dear reader, does it really matter in the scheme of things whether the pampered Greeks accept or reject the terms?  What changed?

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216 responses to “Ruminations – 1nov2011 (updated)”

  1. Douglas Keachie Avatar
    Douglas Keachie

    Violence doesn’t have to involve physical contact, and non contact violence can be very, very real, affecting both body and spirit. The fact that nether the Dems nor the Repubbys are paying any serious attention yet does not bode well for the future.

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  2. Douglas Keachie Avatar
    Douglas Keachie

    2,000 Occupy movements across the country, the Tea Party has never had that kind of on-going turnout, and never will. Today at 4pm, Brunswick and Sutton, our local group assembles for the 4th time in four weeks, each one as big as any local TPP gathering in the two parades. I’m wondering how long it will take before the big party candidates start paying attention. In a way, they are paying attention, in that none of them are really coming down negatively on the demonstrators, in any serious way, so obviously they realize that a lot of us will be voting.

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  3. RL Crabb Avatar

    Gone over, Dixon? Hardly. Just wait a few days and I’ll probably say something that will prove to Scott that I hate conservatives, or Todd will point out that I’m too limp wristed to stand with one side or the other.
    Truth is that I’ll agree with Frisch and Ben on some of their positions and disagree on others, and all the while pointing out to both sides that they are arguing over the seating arrangements on the deck of the Titanic. Hypocrisy has no party.

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  4. George Rebane Avatar

    “Violence doesn’t have to involve physical contact,…” Does that now make ‘violence’ another arbitrarily defined word like ‘racist’, having lost all commonly acknowledged meaning? Before Leftwing linguistics, violence meant “rough or injurious physical force, action, or treatment: to die by violence.” So if we are to understand the Left in that violence can also be virtual and arbitrary, what label are we to attach to the commonly acknowledged meaning of yesteryear? It is important because that’s the kind of violence I maintain that collectivism threatens and practices, and that’s the kind I want to talk about without confusion.
    So until the new politically correct narrow definition comes along, please understand that I mean violence in its classical sense when talking about the Occupier riots – none of that ‘you hurt my feelings and now I have to be treated for low self-esteem’ kind of stuff need be included.

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  5. Douglas Keachie Avatar
    Douglas Keachie

    I think the problem is that the Conservatives and Dems are both way too over-confident in the USA military being able to keep the rest of the world at bay. as near as I can tell, as soon as the Cinese fingure out how to neutralize the missile subs, it will be all over. To make matters worse, I’ve already figured out one very good way for them to do it. If I can figure it out, so can they. The horror is, the tool that does the job, will be solar and battery powered. I can say no more.
    If the Conservys and Dems had had half the sense of an old man on a darkened street, they be screaming for everyone to shape up and get to work, and take all steps necessary to put this country on a wartime footing. Zombie Congress is fiddling while the lifeblood drains out….and the vultures gather….

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  6. Douglas Keachie Avatar
    Douglas Keachie

    Deprivation of food or medical care results in physical injuries.
    “Tea Party” as seen by Google over tha last couple of years:
    http://www.google.com/trends?q=%22tea+party%22&ctab=0&geo=all&date=all&sort=0
    Try putting in “occupy” and see what you get.

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  7. George Rebane Avatar

    Re BobRl 1254pm – Bob enjoys a lofty pulpit above the disagreeable debates of street level ideologues, a pulpit that unambiguously purports the foibles and follies of all who seek to convince and cajole others of the merit of their ideas. And from here below, with soiled hands and sweaty faces we look up in understandable awe, and try as hard as we can to knit together the form and function of that noble belief system which allows one to remain above the fray. All for naught, for nobility need not defend, need give no reason, need define no terms, need only to offer a circumspect pronouncement and then withdraw.

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  8. George Rebane Avatar

    DougK 119pm – “Deprivation of food or medical care results in physical injuries.” ??? What does this pertain to?

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  9. RL Crabb Avatar

    George – Thanks for recognizing my omnipotence. I’ll remember you when my subtle plan to rule the world with my Solomon-like wisdom comes to fruition. Don’t hold your breath, though, it could take a while.

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  10. Douglas Keachie Avatar
    Douglas Keachie

    The violence of poverty, George, what did you think it pertained to?

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  11. Todd Juvinall Avatar
    Todd Juvinall

    George that was sooo funny about the omnipotent one. I have come to understand those that jab and withdraw over the years. The Revolt only had about 25% support with 25% against and the rest were a Crabb. Folks like Crabb are necessary though to force us all to look at ourselves a bit closer and not be too full of it. I have always taken sides, whether it was basketball or politics. Not a lot of nuance when you actually believe in something.

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  12. George Rebane Avatar

    Todd and Bob – please don’t get me wrong, would want Bob to change neither hair nor nuance on his pithy pronouncements, I was just recognizing their provenance.
    DougK 151pm – I’m not acquainted with the “violence of poverty”; is that a new notion being kindled on the Left? I thought we were talking about the incidence of violence as it pertains to how the Right and Left seek to promote their ideas in the public square. If you now expand to include the fact that the poor don’t always get the food and medicine they need as violence, then the conversation will be harder to follow than a herd of cats.

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  13. Russ Steele Avatar

    The other day I posted a comment about the OWS protestors being paid, now this from Big Government, Communities for Change, a.k.a ACORN, are hiring the homeless as ringers to pad the size of the protests. So here’s what we’ve got in the petri dish downtown right now according to HotAir:
    (1) Actual protesters, many of whom live very comfortably when they’re not busy “raising awareness” (which bolsters the theory that OWS is chiefly a civil war within the upper class);
    (2) quasi-protesters who simply enjoy the scene or want an excuse to drum 15 hours a day;
    (3) homeless people and addicts drawn to the park in hopes of free food and a tent to sleep in;
    (4) ringers hired by NYCC, apparently with little regard for their stability; and of course
    (5) assorted lunatics and degenerates eager for an audience to scream at and/or prey upon, some of whom are allegedly being directed there … by the police.
    At the rate we’re going, soon the city will be dropping off prisoners from Riker’s Island at Zuccotti Park. Assuming they’re not doing that already.

    This is quite a stew that ACORN is brewing for the Obama, sex, drugs, drums and homeless lunatics.

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  14. Mikey McD Avatar

    Stand for something or fall for anything.

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  15. Mikey McD Avatar

    The fate of Greece (already sealed) needs to be the prime focus of every news outlet. Americans need to see the inevitable fate of socialist policies. Americans need to see the fate of the entitlement mentality. Americans need to see the incompetence of politicians/bureaucrats/Keynesian economists/central planning. Americans need to see what happens when the individual is forced to trade liberty for government security. Americans need to see that governments are not worthy of worship.

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  16. George Rebane Avatar

    Well said Mikey. And more to be said as this modern day Greek tragedy of misplaced trust unfolds and rolls across the continent. Will it stop there?

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  17. Douglas Keachie Avatar
    Douglas Keachie

    I guess it wasn’t Russ who praised the NYPD for sending the homeless to the protest areas to get free food and a place to sleep. In this very thread, no less.

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  18. Mike Thornton Avatar

    A great time was had by all at the Sierra Fund’s 10th Anniversary shindig in Sacramento this evening! It’s really great to be with a group of people that are actually doing positive things. On another note, they say that as many as 10,000 folks with Occupy Oakland marched and blockaded the port this evening.
    What a good night!

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  19. George Rebane Avatar

    “… actually doing positive things.” Blockading ports? criminalizing neighbors swapping food? Trashing public parks? Fighting with law enforcement officials doing their duty? Are there still questions about what continues to drive us apart more every day? Without fear of contradiction I can say that they definitely are not of us. Where is this all going?

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  20. bill tozer Avatar
    bill tozer

    Topic of violence and its meaning is food for thought. In domestic violence literature coming out of San Diego, it is now considered domestic violence to refuse to eat dinner with the spouse. Kind of an “emotional form of violence” now equated to physical violence. What man wants to eat when irked by the bickering with the wife? It is best to go outside and cool off before allowing the argument to heat up into raised voices and let things calm down before sharing a meal. But, noooo, now in some jurisdictions in California not eating dinner when upset is considered domestic violence. My sister graduated from high school in the roaring 60’s and went on to get her degree in Feminist Literature. I showed her the San Diego literature being used from California to Colorado and was surprised by her reaction: “My God, they are trying to regulate marriage.” I used to know what violence was, but nowadays I guess violence means retreating to the Man Cave.

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  21. bill tozer Avatar
    bill tozer

    I think the Occupy Sesame Street crowd is likely to get more violent as the election nears: http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Fed-foresees-far-weaker-apf-4253484235.html?x=0&sec=topStories&pos=7&asset=&ccode=

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  22. Douglas Keachie Avatar
    Douglas Keachie

    See the revolution live at: http://www.livestream.com/globalrevolution

    Like

  23. bill tozer Avatar
    bill tozer

    Douglas, more of the same. Occupying vacant buildings and setting fires might be called by the unenlightened ones as non violent trespassing and arson.

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  24. Douglas Keachie Avatar
    Douglas Keachie

    Let’s see, did all the people, into the thousands, do this? or was it a tiny group of folks paid for by the right, of the ultra right, or sponsored by the government?
    If the whole crowd went this way, the smoke from the fires would be up here by now. This group was the Koch squad. That’s funny, the spell checker knows the Koch Brothers, it took it years to learn Obama’s name.

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  25. George Rebane Avatar

    My, my. How little time it took for the Left to claim that the Occupiers were just the progressive equivalent of the Tea Party, to now progressing to the smashing of windows and burning buildings. As predicted from the outset on these pages, the Obama demonstrations have turned into the Obama riots. And now our opposites are proudly talking about this being actually a “revolution” and a “global revolution” at that. Have they advised us yet whether now is the time to start soaking the cannons?
    http://rebaneruminations.typepad.com/rebanes_ruminations/2010/08/time-to-soak-the-cannons.html

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  26. Todd Juvinall Avatar
    Todd Juvinall

    Do these “revolutionaries” have a manifesto? A declaration? Nope, they are simply against everything our country stands for. This movement has to turn violent to get coverage.

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  27. Greg Goodknight Avatar
    Greg Goodknight

    Notice the local left both cheer on the riots and claim it’s you right wingers paying for the violence.
    It’s easier for the usual suspects to invent a reality they prefer than to accept the one they’ve been asking for.

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  28. Mike Thornton Avatar

    I love it how some people, only want some people to be able to exercise their First Amendment rights.Sometimes, I think you guys actually love Stalin.
    Occupy Oakland is (as widely reported in the corporate media) ” broad cross section, of the middle and working class. While, as we well know, the Tea Bags are largely made up of low information retirees already getting substantial amounts of their income as a result of government programs. Programs that (by the way) were fought for by other working class people. In addition the funding for “Baggism” and it’s intellectual leadership comes straight out of the multinational corporations, think tanks and K Street lobbying firms, that have helped drive America into the ditch. Mind you, they’ve profited quite handsomely, while the “99%” have seen their economic fortunes steadily decline.
    So, you bet! Yea for “Occupy Oakland” and everyone else that is willing to work to end the reign of the terrorists/Regressives.

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  29. George Rebane Avatar

    Inventing the necessary ‘reality’ was always the forte of the 20th century Left, and that heritage is fully operational in the 21st century. Being “simply against everything our country stands for” is manifesto enough for now to assemble the broadest groups of dissidents, discontents, crazies, and criminals. You can bet that the unions, the moveon.orgs, and the ACORNs are busy fashioning the appropriate manifesto and proceeding to give these incoherents some very definite form, direction, and leadership. This is the opportunity to “fundamentally transform” America that candidate Obama was talking about, and President Obama has been working for. These are his legions assembling in the streets.

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  30. D. King Avatar
    D. King

    RL Crabb,
    This reminds me of your chilly cheese fries cartoon.
    Maybe we should sell tickets and rent lawn chairs.
    “See the revolution live at:”
    Douglas-
    Do you think the destruction of private property is funny? And what if it was your property?
    As you tear down your country, its morals and traditions ECT, do you think you and your friends are going to escape participation?

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  31. Mike Thornton Avatar

    George:
    I know this may come as a bit of a shock to you, but you don’t get to arbitrarily decide what the country stands for.
    There’s a long, complicated and, at times, convoluted historical road that has brought us to where we are today. The idea that you get to decide what all of that means, simply because you want too, is kinda comical.

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  32. D. King Avatar
    D. King

    I’m with George!

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  33. Todd Juvinall Avatar
    Todd Juvinall

    I just read a news article about the march of these folks in Oakland last night. What struck me is the supposed makeup of the crowd was union people, teachers and others of the same ilk and professions. Now, I guess I am a bit confused here as to how a bunch of people with guaranteed, tenured jobs, making more than those in the private sector, would be marching for a transformation of economic equality? Also, it seems to appear the cities are the repository of these folks and Oakland, run by a string of liberals and self proclaimed communists are already practicing the “equality” sought by the protestors. So, when I read the incoherent ramblings here of MikeT about the wonder of these protestors, I am simply glad they are staying in their “sanctuary” cities and leaving the rest of us alone.
    Regarding the Tea Party and the denigrating terms used by MikeT. He is a prime example of a leftwing hypocrite. Crying the blues that we on the right don’t accept his musings then namecaling a huge group of Americans. Mostly Americans of age and who fought for the very rights MikeT claims are under attack! I think he may be confused.

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  34. Todd Juvinall Avatar
    Todd Juvinall

    George is not arbitrarily deciding what America stands for. He is a loving breathing example of what it stands for. After 230 years, we all know what it stands for. Freedom and liberty. The left, led by MikeT types and Obama want to install slavery and big government.

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  35. Mikey McD Avatar

    The Obama riots prove everything one needs to know about socialism. At it’s core a socialist uses violence/force to take what they deem ‘theirs’ from society. The Obama riots show how truly selfish/immoral socialism is. The Rioters have no focus other than to hate and destroy (true use of the term regressive comes to mind). The Obama rioters are uneducated (thanks teachers unions) and violent. The 1st Amendment does not give people the right to set property on fire, shit on cop cars, beat fellow humans, destroy public parks, etc.
    The TP was honorably demonstrating the 1st Amendment (and with FAR more people I may add).

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  36. Greg Goodknight Avatar
    Greg Goodknight

    Thornton,
    I know this may come as a real shock to you, but you don’t get to arbitrarily decide what the country stands for, either.
    Gallup reports about twice as many Americans think they are conservative as liberal, and I suspect the Thorntons of the country are a small minority of the liberal. In fact, if someone put a gun to my head and demanded what label to choose, I’d choose “liberal” with a meaning very different than Thornton thinks it stands for.
    http://www.gallup.com/poll/148745/Political-Ideology-Stable-Conservatives-Leading.aspx
    Thornton, you’re a tiny minority within a minority. You don’t get to decide how anyone else lives. They do.

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  37. Mikey McD Avatar

    Conservative or Liberal it is NOT acceptable to destroy property and attack humans to push an agenda. The violence in the Obama Riot movement cannot be condoned. Obama needs to lead by pleading with his movement to be peaceful. There is peaceful demonstration offered by the 1st amendment or there is a declared civil war (great divide anyone).
    Hypocrisy is…
    I chuckle when I recall the socialists saying the signs at the TP rallies were ‘too harsh’. But, somehow setting fires, crapping on cop cars and beating fellow humans is ok.

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  38. Mikey McD Avatar

    Even more ironic is the FACT that socialism worldwide is on the brink of failure (see EU and Greece) and yet the uneducated push to attain the same fate.
    Where oh where does their idolatry of government come from?!

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  39. Russ Steele Avatar

    Despite the wishful thinking of our local lefties there were not 10,000 people at the Oakland OWS riots. News reports say about 3,000 people converged on the Port of Oakland swarming the area and blocking exits and streets with illegally parked vehicles and hastily-erected, chain-link fences. With that success under their belt and robes, they converged on an empty building and then blocked off city streets with dumpsters and other large trash bins, and started bonfires in the streets.
    Oakland Police responded when the protesters broke into and occupied a downtown building, setting several simultaneous fires. When the police arrived the protesters began hurling rocks, explosives, bottles, and flaming objects at responding officers.
    Several private and municipal buildings sustained heavy vandalism, as shown on the TV news this morning, including the Men’s Wearhouse, who had signs in the widow that they were supporting the protest, yet those same windows were smashed. I guess the problem is the Men’s Wearhosue sells suits to capitalist, and protestors are into jeans, flip flops, robes and chaos.

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  40. Douglas Keachie Avatar
    Douglas Keachie

    D. King and others,
    i have already pointed out that I do not believe that the destructive part of last night was done by teachers and union leaders. What part of the Koch Squad didn’t you understand? As for my property, and yours, you all seem to feel that the country is only falling apart for the grasshopper public servants, who made reasonable decisions about pension plans, back when they gave up many salary demands for stability, ha!
    The reality is that if they all go down, you will go with them too, even if you are Larry Ellison, as countries like India with the foresight to develop $50 teaching computers, 10 million of them in round one, leave this one squabbling in the economic dust of history. You are so obsessed with supporting your ideologies, socialism bad/ unbridled, unregulated capitalism good, etc., that you have blinded yourself to what has gone down. It will all become much more obvious to you in another ten years, when it is too damn late to turn the Titanic the Repubbys have pointed straight at the iceberg. “No, No, NO! Stay the course!” The only solution that will bring your to your senses will I guess be the deep briny one, NaCl in H2O. I hope you turn out to be smarter than you are currently behaving, and the sooner the better.

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  41. Douglas Keachie Avatar
    Douglas Keachie

    MikeyMcD, Germany and Scandinavia on the brink of failure? Whatcha smokin’?

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  42. Steve Frisch Avatar
    Steve Frisch

    This may be the one and only time I have openly agreed with a key point being made by McD.
    Violence and rioting in pursuit of the OWS agenda is not only politically counter-productive in the long run, it is morally wrong.
    I under stand the frustration felt by many of the OWS participants, but this strategy is almost the least effective way they can advance their agenda. To me it signals a lack of a coherent alternative solution, a fundamental disconnect with majority American values, and a bunkruptcy in their strategic thinking.

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  43. Mikey McD Avatar

    zerohedge:
    Greek 1 Year bond celebrates the ‘great news’ by blowing out to new all time highs 231%
    Keachie- in case you missed it Greece is a member of the EU (as is Germany). Ever played dominoes?
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MnqP8lBUwgs

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  44. Douglas Keachie Avatar
    Douglas Keachie

    Yes, we played dominoes in the 1960’s and 1970’s, and now Australia and New Zealand are hard line communist countries and Vietnam is so bad a good friend is now buying beachfront property over there, and doesn’t plan on returning (BTW, a US marine, served there a long time ago). Ain’t it a shame!
    Good grief Steve, the live feed last night had 99.99% of the 99% protestors specifically speaking out about staying non violent. if you’ve never experienced a planted agitator from the other side, take it from me, it does happen, I experienced it first hand back in Berkeley. I think I’ve already related the tale here.

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  45. Todd Juvinall Avatar
    Todd Juvinall

    I have read somewhere the OWS are going after the Teacher’s pensions. Anyone else?

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  46. Douglas Keachie Avatar
    Douglas Keachie

    Actually they’re going after ex contractor supervisor’s trucks.

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  47. mike thornton Avatar

    Here’s a story for all the chestbeating screamers complaining that poor people don’t pay enough taxes.
    http://news.yahoo.com/thirty-companies-paid-no-income-tax-2008-2010-042531293.html
    Do us all a favor, “Gang of Eight”, throw your highpowered chestbeating against them for awhile. Then come back and talk about how you want poor people to pay more taxes, ok?

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  48. Greg Goodknight Avatar
    Greg Goodknight

    Thornton, you’re changing the subject; probably good tactics. You’re even losing Frisch.

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  49. Greg Goodknight Avatar
    Greg Goodknight

    I don’t know who else has noticed, but Keach has gone from a bizarre rant about India ruling the world with $50 kiddie komputers to threatening to go after Todd’s vehicles.

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