Russians call for Revolution

Shouting 'Revolution!' and calling for an end to Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's rule, demonstrators accused the ruling party of stuffing ballot boxes and intimidating voters

Some Russians have taken to the streets to protest ballot box stuffing and voter intimidation by Putin's ruling party


About 10,000 Russians took to the streets in Moscow to protest against what they said was a fraudulent election.

Shouting 'Revolution!' and calling for an end to Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's rule, demonstrators accused the ruling party of stuffing ballot boxes and intimidating voters to rig the parliamentary poll reports the UK Daily Mail.


Video:  Hundreds arrested as thousands protest Russia's vote

In one of the biggest opposition demonstrations in Russia in years, protesters gathered in the rain on a tree-lined boulevard where they had permission for a rally.

They denounced the vote as shameful and shouted 'Russia without Putin!' Many tried to march on to a major street and were confronted by a chain of police officers who locked elbows and divided the surging crowd into two parts.

A number of people were detained.

Patriarch Kirill of Moscow casts his vote.

Several dozen protesters broke through or circled around the police and marched toward the Kremlin.

Officers detained at least 300 near the complex and bundled them into buses.

With all but a handful of results declared, United Russia had taken 49.5 per cent of the vote, leading to a fall in seats from 315 to 238.

Observers said the drop would have been greater in a fair election.

There were thousands of complaints of abuses. In one example, journalists penetrated a gang that smuggled voting slips already marked for United Russia into Moscow polling stations.

The nation's only independent election watchdog has been subjected to a massive official intimidation campaign in the week before the vote and saw its website blocked by what it described as a massive cyber attack it blamed on authorities.



Russian policemen detain a protester rallying against unfair parliamentary elections in Moscow

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The Freak Show that is American Elections



The Great American Freak Show that is a Presidential Election.
American "elections" have devolved into nothing more than a carnival freak show with dancing monkeys,  two-headed cows, tattooed ladies and whores to entertain a near brain dead public. 

The Idiot-ization of America  -  The Corporate Media Complex will not allow you to vote for candidates that might challenge the corrupt system . . . . and the Sheeple voters go along.


By Gary;

Without wanting to look too old fashioned, is there anyone left in America who is not disgusted with our so-called Presidential elections?

Whatever happened to something called dignity?  These are "elections" in name only.  They have become nothing more than Freak Shows to build ratings for TV and radio talk shows.  What the people want has little meaning. 

Selecting a President  -  Our Federalist Founding Fathers created a system where a President was chosen by the state legislatures.  True, it was an imperfect and un-democratic system.  But a President was chosen by the elected representatives of the people who knew the candidates personally.  Consider the stature of men like George Washington, John Adams or James Monroe who won the elections.

Today the people anointed from on high to "select" our President for us are the unelected Nielsen rating system and anonymous corporations that employ companies called Rasmussen and Gallup. 

Polling companies are asking people who would have trouble finding Colorado on a blank map of the world who they like for President.  Then we are told to respect the poll results.

The slack-jawed Sheeple glued to their TVs are bombarded with Corporate manufactured and directed info-tainment on a 24 hour basis. 

The Sheeple are being told who they are allowed to vote for based on the broadcasts of a small band of Elite Media based in New York and Washington D.C.   An even smaller band of pollsters are employed by that very Corporate Media to tell you who is worthy of support. 

Candidates are overexposed by a corporate Media Complex hungry to sell advertising.  Yes.  It is all about selling advertising.  Period.

The Media Complex promotes and covers elections like a carnival freak show in order to make money.  Every possible pimple on a candidate's face is given a massive close-up on live TV.   Candidates who are not approved of by the Media Complex come in for an extra deep prostate type exam on live TV.

Candidates are forced to answer the same questions over and over and over, again and again and again.  If a candidate fails to answer the question the exact same way 200 times in a row then the Media Complex whips up the people into a frenzy about the evil flip-flopping politician . . . . film at 11. . . . don't forget to watch . . . . the Nielsen company is counting our viewers. 

Before a single vote is cast, the Media Complex forces candidates out of the race or voters are told they would be fools to support candidate "A" who has no chance to win. 

To get top Nielsen ratings the Media / Talk Heads on TV and radio display for the voters an endless stream of "crazy" statements by total political nobodies, insane preachers, fringe protest groups or whores the candidate may or may not have screwed.

Democracy is Dead  -  What little democracy existed in America is dead.  But we are still goig through the motions.  Pretending that freedom exists.

First, you have a tiny band of Corporate Media on both the Left and the Right telling the people who they are allowed to vote for.  The field of choices are reduced before a single voter has a chance to cast a ballot.


Orange County, a single county
in California, has more than
twice the population of New
Hampshire but no voice in the
2012 primary.

Second, what passes for "elections" are the retarded dreams of some mentally ill person in a straight jacket.  It is a fucking joke that little crap-hole states like Iowa and New Hampshire decide for the entire nation who will be allowed to compete in the later primaries. 

As a resident of the Golden State of California I look down on Iowa and New Hampshire does not even exist in our world (except every four years).

The process of selection a President leaves out most of the nation.

Without being asked, the Media Complex has already narrowed the field of candidates for us.  Now depending on events it is very, very possible that the entire primary may be over in February.

The GOP primary over in February!  Yes there is a very good chance of that.

Romney is a weak candidate among Republican voters.  The first six contests are Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, Florida, Nevada and Maine.  If Newt Gingrich were to sweep all six or take five out of six then the process is over before anyone else in America has a chance to vote.

To add insult to injury, four of those six states are really small.  Why should Nevada and Maine be front loaded in the primaries?  What would the GOP contest be like if the first three states to vote were Texas, Florida and California?

BOTTOM LINE   -   The Republican field has already been narrowed.  GOP supporters will never cast a meaningful ballot in 2012.  They will get the candidate the Corporate Media Elite wants them to get. 

Shades of George H.W. Bush, Bob Dole and John McCain.  I guess history does repeat itself.

A Corporate Media Directed Prostate Exam.
A candidate that is not pre-approved of the by the Elite Corporate Media Complex will get an extra deep political prostate exam on live TV.  The Media (including Fox) will endlessly repeat news clips where the non-approved candidate momentarily has "crazy eyes", stumbles in a speech, looks too happy etc. etc.  The Corporate-Beltway Elite will only allow you to vote for approved and safe candidates.

BIG BROTHER is recording your phone



Big Brother is recording your every move through your phone.
The government does not need to gather information on you.  Supposedly "private" Corporations are recording your every move.  Naturally every level of government will be able to subpoena that information at any time to use against you.  


"Thoughtcrime does not entail death: thoughtcrime is death."- George Orwell, 1984, Book 1, Chapter 2


A little-known California software company can monitor every keystroke consumers make on many popular smartphones.

The company, Carrier IQ Inc. in Mountain View, Calif., found itself in the middle of a national privacy furor this week after an amateur security researcher posted a video purporting to show its software logging every key press, as well as the content of text messages and search engine queries.

Mobile security professionals said the video made by security researcher Trevor Echkart, 25, of Connecticut raised major concerns reports the Washington Post.

"A company no one's ever heard of having the capacity to look at everything you do on your mobile device is a reason to be nervous," said Justin Brookman, the director for consumer privacy at the Center for Democracy and Technology.

"This is highlighting that when people buy a smartphone, it's not just one company they're dealing with that has access to their data, but possibly dozens," Brookman said.

According to a promotional document on Carrier IQ's website, the company's software can "capture a vast array of experience data including screen transitions, button presses" and "device feature usage, such as camera, music, messaging, browser and TV."

Carrier IQ is able to access "your personal information," "your messages" and "your location," as well as "intercept outgoing calls" and "read contact data." There is no clear way for users to stop the application or opt out of the data collection.

For more on this story

Aaron Burr - Founding Patriot

Vice President Aaron Burr

"I have never known the prejudice in favor of birth, parentage and descent, more conspicuous than in the instance of Col. Burr. That gentleman was connected by blood with many respectable families in New England. . . .  He had served in the army, and came out of it with the character of a knight without fear, and an able officer."                   - - - President John Adams



Book Review
Fallen Founder: The Life of Aaron Burr
by Nancy Isenberg   (2007)
(Amazon.com)


By Gary;

I just re-read this excellect biography.  We are moving into the holiday season.  For anyone out there with an interest in the founding of the United States this book is a total must read.  Make it a present to yourself.

The book reads easily.  Dr. Isenberg does a wonderful job recreating a late 18th century society which was very different from the later Victorian era.

There are endless books about Washington, Adams, Jefferson and Hamilton but very little on Burr.  But Burr was an important player in the early Republic:  Lt. Colonel in the American Revolution serving with Benedict Arnold in the attack on Quebec through Valley Forge; New York State Assemblyman, New York Attorney General; U.S. Senator, our 3rd Vice President . . . . and then turned into a "traitor" in a Stalin Show Trial conducted by a vicious and vindictive asshole named Thomas Jefferson.

Gore Vidal on Aaron Burr

Author Interview:  Nancy Isenberg

America's First Ward Heeler  -  Burr was perhaps the first political campaign manager in the new Republic.  He out organized Alexander Hamilton and the New York Federalists by taking a social group called "Tammany Society" and turning it into what became the machine politics of Tammany Hall.  Through door to door organizing Burr turned out every possible vote for the Democratic-Republican Party.  The Federalists became a minority in the legislature and New York's electoral college vote went to Jefferson's campaign.

The book covers in excellent detail the tie between Jefferson and Burr for President and Vice President in the election of 1800.

Thomas Jefferson  -  Vindictive Political Hack  -  The Federalists portrayed Jefferson as a radical trying to undermine the Republic, and a potential dictator who was also screwing his slaves.

The funny thing about political attacks is they are often true! 

Add in, that at the same time Jefferson lounged around the safe and secure Virginia legislature pretending to be a statesman, Colonel Aaron Burr was freezing his ass off at Valley Forge.  That comparison was made by Jefferson's contemporaries many times.

President Jefferson was a strongman political hack out to crush his enemies.  The author tells of a private meeting between Jefferson, Madison and a New York newspaper publisher.  Within days of the publisher's return to New York his newspaper started to publish political hit pieces attacking Jefferson's own Vice President on issues of sex and character. 

The Jefferson campaign to destroy his own Vice President was gearing up.

______________________________________________________________________

"Aaron Burr is as far from a fool as any man I have ever met, but he is more easily fooled than any man I have ever known."

- - - Andrew Jackson

(A younger Andrew Jackson served with Aaron Burr in the U.S. Senate.)

______________________________________________________________________

As the Federalists predicted Jefferson attacked the independent judiciary with the Judiciary Act of 1801 and impeaching Federalist Supreme Court Justice Samuel Chase in a direct attack on an independent Supreme Court.  As President of the Senate, Aaron Burr presided over the impeachment trial and insisted that it not become a Stalin Show Trial, but that it was done fairly.  Chase was acquitted no doubt making Jefferson even more angry at Burr.

Jefferson's Stalin Show Trial of Burr for "treason"  -  Joseph Stalin had nothing on Thomas Jefferson.  Vice President Aaron Burr was arrested by the military, not civilian authorities.

Burr was also arrested based on a "warrant" signed personally by Thomas Jefferson, not a warrant issued by any court.  He was charged with the trumped up accounts of treason and trying to overthrow the government.


General William Eaton
Eaton was called to testify against Burr at the
treason trial.  Right before giving testimony Eaton
was "reimbursed" with a $10,000 check from the
Jefferson Administration for "services rendered."

The punishment for this "treason" was execution.  Jefferson was trying to kill his own Vice President.

Jefferson wondered how do you convict a hero of the Revolution and a Vice President of treason?  Jefferson had the military transport Burr to stand trial in Jefferson's home state in Richmond, Virginia.  There a New Yorker would face charges from Prosecutors hand picked by the President himself and tried before a jury of Virginians who would supposedly be loyal to Jefferson.

To say that the shit hit the fan was an understatement.  The entire nation was in an uproar of partisan Federalist / Democrat fighting.  There was no disguising that this was a show trial to beat down and make fearful any opponents of Jefferson.

Some 140 were to be called to testify against Burr.  To make sure of a conviction Jefferson gave Prosecutor George Hay a stack of pre-signed, blank Presidential Pardons.  Anyone who would testify against Burr would get a pardon . . . those who refused to testify would be open to Federal prosecution by Jefferson.

Federalist Chief Justice John Marshall himself served as judge for this political show trial.  Marshall issued rulings in favor of Burr's defense no doubt as payback to Jefferson's attack on the independent judiciary.

Joining Burr's defense team were George Washington's first and third Attorneys General Edmund Randolph and Charles Lee.

Andrew Jackson attended the trial and threatened to fight any man who insulted Burr.

The main witness for the prosecution was General James Wilkinson who was also a spy on the payroll of the Kingdom of Spain.  Also testifying was Ambassador William Eaton hero of the Barbary War.  Jefferson arranged to "reimburse" Eaton $10,000 to appear in court for the prosecution.

Chief Justice Marshall issued a subpoena to Jefferson ordering him to turn over government documents relating to the charges to the defense.  Jefferson refused to comply.

After a trial lasting over three months the jury declared Burr not guilty.


The duel with Hamilton.

Burr, despite his acquittal, stood disgraced.  Although he would live another twenty-nine years, he would never again be a significant player in American public life.  In 1808, he sailed for Europe, where he would remain for four years.  The death of his beloved daughter Theodosia, lost at sea while sailing to meet her father in New York upon his return, seemed to end whatever spark remained within him. 

Years later, when he heard news of the Texas Revolution, Burr exclaimed to a friend with satisfaction: "There! You see?  I was right!  I was only thirty years too soon.  What was treason in me thirty years ago, is patriotism now."

The Founding Fathers

In the 1830s America started to create for itself the "Great Myth" of the Revolution and the worship of the Demi-Gods Americans called the Founding Fathers.

It was at this time that former Vice President Aaron Burr started telling people that he was going to write a book in order to  tell the real truth  about the Revolution and the Founders.  But with advanced old age he gave up the project saying:

"What is the point?  Everyone is dead.  I am the last one, and no one would believe me anyway."   - - - Aaron Burr

A young Aaron Burr.

Found in the memoirs of General John Lamb, who accompanied Montgomery on his expedition to Quebec and fought with Arnold's column during the Dec 31 assault on the city, record his first meeting with Burr:

"On this occasion, the General [Montgomery] was accompanied by Aaron Burr, whom he had appointed his aid.  This was the first time that lamb had ever seen him; and as his appearance was juvenile in the extreme, he wondered that the General should encumber his family, with the addition of one, who seemed a mere boy. 

But upon a more thorough scrutiny of his countenance, the fire in his eye, and his perfect coolness and immobility, under such dangerous fire, convinced him that the young volunteer was no ordinary man; and not out of place in the most important position."

Official bust of Vice President Aaron Burr in the capitol.

SOCIALISM = 21.5% unemployment



Unemployment lines are long in Socialist Spain.
21.5% unemployment after 7 years of Socialism in Spain.  Socialism has failed the world over, but the insane Left-wing Elites refuse to see reality.


Socialism in Action  -  Under seven years of Socialist rule Spanish unemployment has ballooned to 21.5% and unemployment for those under 30 is at 40%.


It is the same all over the world and at every point in human history . . . . Socialism fails when they run out of other people's money to spend.

Now the conservative Spanish People's Party is coming into power.  They have a huge mountain to climb to repair the damage done by the evils of insane Socialism.

The Spanish unemployment rate soared to a 15-year high of 21.52 percent in the third quarter, the highest among major industrialized nations.

Spain has struggled to find jobs for the millions thrown out of work by a 2008 property bubble collapse. The outgoing Socialist government's end-year target of a 19.8-percent unemployment rate now seems unreachable.

The National Statistics Institute, which uses a different method of calculation to the Labour Ministry, says the number of unemployed rose to 4.978 million people in the third quarter from 4.834 million in the previous three months.

The rising jobless numbers add to huge challenges facing Spain's conservative Popular Party, which crushed the ruling Socialists in November 20 elections promising to fix the country's finances and economy.

(France 24 News)



Elections in Spain.
Conservatives swept Spanish elections last month throwing out the Socialists.    (Spanish Elections)



Conservatives of the Spanish People's Party celebrate their victory over Socialism.



Free elections, but not in the USA

The New Zealand Parliament.
Conservatives just won the 2011 free elections in New Zealand.  Too bad we cannot have free elections in the United States.

A Conservative victory in truly free elections


Party breakdown
Unlike the United States the people of New
Zealand have free elections with eight
political parties in their Parliament. 

By Gary;

I admit it.  I am jealous of New Zealand.

New Zealand held their elections this last weekend and it saw the victory of the center-right National Party over the socialistic Labour Party.

A total of 3,053,705 people were registered to vote in the election, with over 2.2 million votes cast and a turnout of 73.23%.

Good news as this might be, it is not anything earth shattering to Americans.

I am jealous because New Zealand, unlike the United States, held truly free elections where a voter's vote actually mattered.  A free multi-party election where voters had real choices on their ballot.

The result of those free elections is a Parliament with eight different political parties representing just about every social and political group in the nation.   (New Zealand Elections)

While back in the USA . . . . .

The American peasants are revolting.

Americans are angry beyond words at the worthless Beltway political hacks that rule over their Serfs from their thrones in Washington D.C.  That is reflected in the polls showing Congress only a 12% approval rating.

People are angry that the "system" only allows them two choices:   Choice #1) The Republicans who fucked up the economy up to 2008, or  Choice #2)  The Democrats who fucked up the economy from 2009 on.

Unlike New Zealand the American voters almost never have any other real choices on their ballots.  It gets worse for those of us who believe in limited Constitutional government.  Lovers of freedom get a choice between a Socialist Party and a Socialist-lite Party.  Wow.

This is not the legislative government that our Federalist Founding Fathers envisioned for the U.S.  Two major changes in the early 20th Century basically ended the Republic created by the Founders.


Back when America had free elections.
People's Party candidate nominating convention held at Columbus, Nebraska, July 15, 1890.  In the past people unhappy with the government could easily form a brand new political party and even get elected to Congress.  Today Americans are ruled by a Beltway Oligarchy that is totally out of touch with real voters. 

1912 and 1913 and the end of the American Republic    

Two major changes to our Constitution took place in 1912 & 1913.

Every ten years since the Founding the House would increase its' membership to keep pace with population growth.  Districts were kept fairly small allowing truly free elections.  Then in 1912 the House increased its' members for the last time.  It has been 100 years since the House added seats.  District size had ballooned up from 30,000 people at the Founding to 700,000 people today.


Senator Marion Butler from North
Carolina of the Populist Party.

With the adoption of the 17th Amendment in 1913 Senators would be chosen directly by the people instead of by the state legislatures.  Now candidates for the Senate need to campaign directly to the mass of voters.

The Law of Un-Intended Consequences  -  Candidates for Senator now had to cater to hundreds of thousands, or millions, of people instead of just a few hundred legislators.  Both Senators and Congressmen spend more and more of their time raising campaign money from Billionaire Cartel special interest groups of every type in order to fund their election efforts. 

A campaigning financing machine of special interests money has become centralized in Washington D.C.  Senators and Congressmen increasingly have no interest in the people back home.  They cater almost totally to the Special Interest Cartels of labor union and corporate money.

American "elections" have become bidding wars between puppet candidates financed by Cartels seeking one government favor, tax break or law after another.

U.S. Senate elections of 1896

We all know the real truth . . . 75% of politicians from all parties are either crooks, idiots or liars.

Though political parties did not exist at the time, our Constitution was set up to allow the people to make their wishes known in House elections every two years.

From the Founding of the Republic until the 1940s voters angry at politicians who ignored their wishes (a very regular event) formed brand new political parties to represent them.

Senator William Stewart of Nevada
representing the Silver Party.

The American Republic saw a huge variety of political movements and parties.  Parties would rapidly rise and fall based on the needs of the voters.  We have seen the Federalists, the Democrat-Republicans, the National Republicans, Whigs, Anti-Masonic, Free Soil, American Party, Republican Party, Union, Greenback, Silver, Populist, Socialist, Progressive and Prohibition.

America was a bottom up democracy and politicians were forced to listen or lose their jobs.

The 1890s  -  The 1890s saw huge economic upheaval not much different from that of today.

There was a massive Depression resulting in upwards of 18% unemployment, money flowing out of the Treasury, and calls for coining more money and inflation. 

As concern of the state of the economy worsened, people rushed to withdraw their money from banks and caused bank runs. The credit crunch rippled through the economy. A financial panic in the United Kingdom and a drop in trade in Europe caused foreign investors to sell American stocks to obtain American funds backed by gold.  People attempted to redeem silver notes for gold; ultimately the statutory limit for the minimum amount of gold in federal reserves was reached and US notes could no longer be successfully redeemed for gold.

A series of bank failures followed, and the Northern Pacific Railway, the Union Pacific Railroad and the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad failed. This was followed by the bankruptcy of many other companies; in total over 15,000 companies and 500 banks failed (many in the west). According to high estimates, about 17%-19% of the workforce was unemployed at the Panic's peak. The huge spike in unemployment, combined with the loss of life savings kept in failed banks, meant that a once-secure middle-class could not meet their mortgage obligations. Many walked away from recently built homes as a result.


The 1896 Broadway melodrama The War of Wealth was
inspired by the Panic of 1893.

Many people were dissatisfied with the Democrats and Republicans and formed their own parties.  The Populist Party, the Silver Party and the Silver Republican Party were formed.  They elected Governors, Senators, Congressmen and state legislators seeking to force action in Washington D.C. to address their needs.

The 2012 Elections  -  Today we have almost the exact economic problems Americans faced in the 1890s.

Then and now many people have no faith in the two ruling political parties.  To millions of Americans the two parties caused the problems in the first place. 

There is a democratic problem today that did not exist before World War II.  Because of mega, monster-sized election districts it is financially almost impossible to run candidates from smaller political parties.  Add in the centralized Beltway Special Interest Money Machine that controls the political process. 

The people today do not have the option of forming new political parties to seek redress of grievances.

That lack of a free election process creates a political pressure cooker that will explode.  Be it the Arab Spring, Louis XVI or George III if the people cannot express they will peacefully through elections then the only option is violence. 

We need election reform today with small House districts so the will of the people can be heard.  Reform only takes a majority vote in the House to increase its' membership and restore American democracy.
  


With 18% unemployment and a huge Depression, Coxey's Army marched on Washington D.C. demanding jobs and food for the unemployed.  Federal troops were used against different groups to prevent them from coming to Washington.

1896 election  -  Change in Senate composition

Before the elections D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D S P P P P D D D D D S R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R

In the next Congress D D D D V D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D P r r r r S S P P P P r R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R V

Key:	D = Democratic P = Populist R = Republican r = Silver Republican S = Silver V = Vacant	Majority divider

Free elections . . . what a concept.   
Modern Americans have no idea that we used to live in a democratic nation with free elections and real choices on the ballot that really mattered.

The U.S. Senate that met in 1897 had five political parties representing the people including twelve Senators from smaller parties.

The betrayal of Afghanistan begins



America has said it will not meet the costs necessary to keep the Afghan forces at full strength beyond 2014   (Photo: AP)



The U.S. and NATO are getting ready to undercut the Afghan army

The betrayal begins.  The US and NATO are going public about cutting the money going to support the army of Afghanistan.  I have been there are seen that with South Vietnam having their money cut off.

Nato has concluded the present strategy of creating a 352,000-strong force of soldiers and police to take over security from international forces is unsustainably expensive in the long run.

The Afghan forces are totally reliant on foreign aid and commanders are now discussing funding a dramatically smaller force which under extreme options would be less than 250,000-strong.

The betrayal of Afghanistan is nothing new to readers of this site.  See our article  THE FEDERALIST - "Betrayal: It's American as Apple Pie."

Donor countries facing deep financial woes of their own have said they will not pay the projected $8bn (£5 billion)-a-year for the full-strength army reports the UK Telegraph.

Sir William Patey, British ambassador to Kabul, said: "The reality is the figures are moving around. Nobody is quite sure exactly what would be the right size for the Afghan security forces beyond 2015.

"Nobody thinks that [352,000] is a sustainable figure or that's what's necessary. That figure is changing." The Afghan security forces currently stand at 308,000-strong. They are still expected to reach their full strength by the end of next year in an "Afghan surge", but will then drop off soon afterward.   (UK Telegraph)

Rand Paul Speaks Out Against Indefinite Military Detention

Republican Senator Rand Paul speaks out about the “indefinite detention” sections of the National Defense Authorization Act  bill would turn the whole of the United States into a “battlefield” and hand the executive branch the power to have the military arrest U.S. citizens and hold them without trial.

Thanks for this link goes to The Libertarian Patriot.

Elections in Egypt

This candidate for the Egyptian Parliament was assigned a school bus as her symbol as
a way to help illiterate Egyptians cast their votes.

Egyptian voters go bananas . . . and Viking ships & soccer balls


Think about it.  From 6000 BC to today no Egyptian has ever cast a vote in a free election.  8000 years and no freedom. . . . till this week.  Now Egyptians are lining up for hours for the right to cast their vote.  This is a moment in history.

That being said, Egypt has special problems in this election.  Illiteracy is one.  Likening one’s political party to a banana or a toothbrush might not be a recognized way to sway voters in the West, but has been widely used in Egypt since the 1950s.

And as Egyptians head to the polls today to select their country’s parliament, they are partly making their decisions based on the weird emblems.

Each of the 250 symbols represent a different political party and helps illiterate voters mark their ballot papers correctly. More than 50 per cent of Egypt's population are illiterate, reports the UK Daily Mail.

Some parties aim to vacuum away the residue of Egypt’s old regime with the symbol of a Hoover, while one female MP has used a rocket as her symbol – which means ‘hottie’ in colloquial Egyptian slang.

Other animated figures include tanks, traffic lights, cameras, bottled water, grapes and even the almighty Egyptian pyramids.

The unusual system was brought about in 1950 and was used in the election of Egypt’s second president Gamal Abdel Nasser Hussein, who ruled from 1956 until his death in 1970.

In the 1950s only 30 symbols were used to represent each MP but today more than eight times that amount is needed.

The recognizable objects are decided upon by the Supreme Elections Commission and are then randomly assigned to those in the running to be elected.   (UK Daily Mail)  


The symbols of Egyptian politics: Voters chose which MP to vote for with the help of these recognizable symbols.



Ballot papers are displayed at a polling station in Garden City, Cairo, showing the random symbols



A winner?  This candidate was assigned a banana as his symbol.



What's wrong with killing the Euro?

"Most Americans have no real understanding of the operation of the international money lenders. The accounts of the Federal Reserve System have never been audited.  It operates outside of the control of Congress and manipulates the credit of the United States."   - - - Senator Barry Goldwater (1909-1998)


The Fed is shoveling cash . . . .
The moronic Socialist ruling Elites of Europe are screaming "panic", but what is wrong with bringing back the Franc and Mark?



By Gary;

Trying to prevent a debt crisis in Europe from exploding into a global panic currency printing presses around the world are churning out cash by the trillion in order to prevent a economic meltdown.

The Fed started shoveling cash and was matched by corresponding actions from the Bank of Canada, Bank of England, Bank of Japan, European Central Bank and Swiss National Bank.

The effort to provide more liquidity may temporarily soothe the symptoms of Europe’s debt crisis and allow financial institutions easier access to funding.  It does little to address the underlying roots of overburdened governments with mountains of debt that need to be propped up while they drastically cut spending.

The central banks are doing their job to prevent a panic and an even greater depression.  That is what central banks are for.

That being said, what is wrong with letting the Euro vanish into history in an orderly manner?  Bring back the French Franc and the German Mark.  

The rest of the world does not have a common currency and they get along just fine.  China, India, Brazil and Australia all manage to operate just fine with their own individual currencies.

I suspect the Euro "panic" is much more about shoring up badly managed banks that invested deeply in Greek and Italian debt.

Just a random thought for the day. 



What on earth is bad about the return of the French Franc or the German Deutsche Mark?  The rest of the world gets along just fine without a common currency.