Tuesday, 19 April 2011
News............
Behaving badly
Today's Helpful Hint.
Demonstrators gather in Mosul demanding departure of US forces
Europe's brigades remain a contentious issue
Stupid Headline, Stupid Article
The One-Week War: Week Four
Unsexy disease - the 13XX Edition
Fogel Family Massacre, Arab Muslims Arrested
Boom-Boom Candy Marketing
Treasury Defends Budget Outlook Budget Service Downgrade
Iraqi soldiers say need U.S. beyond 2011 for training
It's in America's Interest to Stay in Iraq
Enabling the Muslim Brotherhood in America
Syria: security forces open fire on 20,000 strong sit-in
Libya: 1,000 refugees from Misurata arrive safely in Benghazi
Arizona governor vetoes 'birther' bill
Britain attempts to target Mrs Gaddafi with UN sanctions
Pink Panther gang strikes again?
Feared Migration Hasn't Happened: UN Embarrassed by Forecast on Climate Refugees
Burkina Faso has new PM as violence continue
Here's your receipt..........from Rico
Calling it "Tax" Day is a misnomer. It's actually "purchase the federal government for a year" Day.
Here is what a 'receipt' for what we, the taxpayer, are buying. Yes, buying...and you want a receipt when you buy something, do you not?
But, I guess our politicians and the IRS really have no interest in showing us exactly what we we bought with our tax dollars. It would spoil the surprise.
Reminds me of the 'jelly donut' scene from the film "Full Metal Jacket"....'they're paying for it, you eat it."
Monday, 18 April 2011
The Expeditionary Genie
Das Unaussprechlichen COIN Külten
Small Wars Journal never fails to bring the hottest warcraft mindcandy around!
Check "Counterinsurgency and Its Discontents" by Dr Dave Ucko:
This article examines the value of retaining counterinsurgency as a concept, along with its associated principles and theory. Much depends on what is expected from this term, which lacks both definition and clear substance. Counterinsurgency provides neither a strategy for military intervention nor a campaign plan for deployed soldiers and will fail if mistaken for more than what it is.
Counterinsurgency does offer a collection of insights, which, if used in a manner sensitive to local context, can help in the design and execution of expeditionary campaigns. These insights are often largely commonsensical but have nonetheless played an important role in challenging previously dominant misconceptions about the nature of war and peace, both in Europe and the United States.
The KoW description and prior discussion can be found here.
The Abstract can be found here.
Full article published by the Berlin-based SWP can be found here
Pic - "klotzen nicht kleckern" mit die COIN Külten damenfreunden vom GrEaT sATAn"S gIrLfRiEnD
A U.S. Army soldier From the 2/327th No Slack Battalion, 101st Airborne Division, relieved after a fire fight with the Taliban opens his mouth up towards the sky to taste the snow as it falls in the valley of Barawala Kalet, Kunar province, Afghanistan March 29, 2011. Joint Combat Camera Afghanistan Photo by Pfc. Cameron Boyd
H/T Marc
Video: Ray Stevens - In The Mood
AKA 'Classical Cluck', this is the only semi-decent version I can find.
News.........
Let's Just Lie
Compare and contrast...
Somali Pirates: A Little Hostage Threat
A moment of Gunner Zen...
IRAN PUTS BLAME ON U.S. AND ISRAEL FOR STUXNET WORM ATTACK AFTER PROOF THAT STUXNET ORIGINATED FROM U.S. STATE OF TEXAS AND ISRAEL
How the 'London Taliban' is targeting women and gays in bid to impose sharia law
Teen hit by anti-tank missile dies of wounds
From Abu Ghraib to the darling of progressives?
IDF: 2 Palestinians arrested in Fogel family massacre
Secrets put on internet in Whitehall blunders
Afghanistan: The war we dare not forget
David Cameron refuses to rule out role for British ground forces in Libya
Radical Islamist groups gaining stranglehold in Egypt
EU 'wastes billions in aid'
A floundering presidency heading for a fall? Barack Obama hits rock bottom in latest Gallup poll
Legionnaires outbreak at Playboy mansion traced to hot tub
Harrier dump jets
Cleopatra spies for the South
365 days. Past. Future...............
You have probably "lost" money during the last 365 days, but may not know it. If you rely upon our alphabet MSM (ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, et al) you certainly haven't been told the following.
As I considered this today, and typed it, the access market spot price for silver is $42.50 per ounce, and for gold $1,478.20...let me clarify: this is for physical bullion and NOT paper promises to 'notionally' pay you 'someday, maybe' by the paper ETF's GLD or SLV. Good luck, Chuck! (These are unbacked paper and do not 'hold' enough physical bullion to back the paper promises they've already sold, but that's another rant for another day).
Look at the graph of Gold vs. Silver vs. TIPS, and then consider that QE is much more dangerous than lighting financial farts.
In the last 365 days:
COMMODITIES
- Silver returned +129.5%
- Gold returned +27.4%
- Crude Oil returned +26.9%
EQUITIES (This is exactly WHY Shadowstats indicating 'real' inflation is actually near 10% compared to the 'crooked' numbers from the USG which say 'no inflation to speak of' which allows the FED to say they need to create some inflation, and the USG to say no COLA raises needed for military or Social Security payees.)
- Nasdaq 100 returned +13.2%
- DJIA returned +10.3%
- S&P 500 returned +8.3%
...............until you correct for the actual inflation rate! But it gets even 'better' with the following losers.
US TREASURYS & CASH
- 30-yr Treasury Bonds returned +3.1%
- 10-yr Treasury Notes returned +2.3%
...................drumroll please, and maybe a rimshot!
- US$ Dollars lost <6.8%>
The fundamentals that created this situation have not changed, and nothing has been done that warrants any reasonable expectation that anything other than "more of the same" will apply for the NEXT 365 days (unless the situation 'waterfalls' and gets worse, faster). As the collective teleprompter-reading intellects of FTV are noted for saying "this has already been baked into the situation."
Something for all Kiwi ex-service persons.
If you've done more than three years since WWII, or were in the 2nd NZEF untill 1946, K-Force or J-Force including CMT and National service then you're entitled to one of these...
This is the New Zealand Defense Services Medal which has just approved by HMTQ for release. Applications can be made online and are currently open to those aged 70 and over. Applications will be opened to younger age groups over the next 9 months or so and comparative youngsters like me will be able to apply towards the end of the year.
If you know any former NZ Servicemen please let them know. the New Zealand government has a policy of not actively seeking out or advising those entitled and it is up to the individual or their living descendants to both find out about any entitelment and to apply for it.
More information is at the medals site and the online application is here.
It is believed that over 160,000 persons are eligable for this medal.
Sunday, 17 April 2011
Tea Party Weekend!
I posted the Sarah Palin video from Madison yesterday, but there's lots more happening.
I have more photos to post as well, from the big rallies on Friday: "Tax Day Rallies in Mission Viejo and Oceanside — Stop Spending Money!"
And check over at Althouse's as well. She and Meade took lots of photos and video, and you won't see that coverage in the MFM.
I'll have more here later today ...
Video: Incredible Pop-out Painter !
Incredible pop-out painter ! brought to you by Free Videos
H/T Canis 61
Obama Outsourcing His Anti-Zionism to The U.N............by Dan Friedman
By now it ought to be clear that Obama has joined the worldwide movement to turn the Jewish State into a Jewish concentration camp. Ironically, about the only people who still don’t get the picture are the Jews who voted in record numbers for Obama in 2008 and who are poised to do the same in 2012. Obama is still smarting from the unexpected political fallout that accompanied his overt insults to Israel’s PM in May of last year. Just think, it almost cost him Ed Koch and Elie Wiesel! From that experience, Obama learned he must be careful and keep his animus under control (or at the very least find new outlets for it) so as to keep his Jewish sheep at home quiet and avoid a needless “distraction” during his billion dollar quest for a second term. That’s where the U.N. comes in. Underreported or held in reverence by our media, it’s the perfect venue to reassure Obama’s comrades in the “international community” he’s still with them in the Israel-bashing game, and just as soon as he gets by the little formality of winning reelection, he will bear all his teeth, his gloves will come off and his brass knuckles will go on. If things go Obama’s way, they won’t have long to wait. df
Whitewashing the U.N.
Video: Portraits of the Fallen
An artist named Kaziah Hancock paints portraits of fallen soldiers free of charge for their families as part of Project Compassion
H/T Pete H
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