World Politics

[Captain_Cavman]

... I have seen only one politician say that he hoped that the Greek rescue deal would fail - Geert Wilders, our own home grown right wing nut job.

Amazing, the UK is full of politicians saying that the Euro was a stupid idea and the sooner that countries regain the ability to control their own financial destinies, the better.

The UK Parliament debated whether to have a referendum on remaining in the EU a short while ago. All three major parties forced their MPs to vote against, completely contradicting election pledges.

The reason being, of course, that if the people of the UK had their say, they'd leave the EU right now. Opinions are hardening.

 

[Cobblestones]

...the good news is that Iceland went thru something somewhat similar recently and last I checked they haven't sank into the ocean and we are still standing...so a good outcome is possible....

There is a fine difference in that Iceland does not have a military.

I'm still convinced that the complete exchange of Greece's top brass, was, if not an outright threat, at least a very strong message.

 

[patricknd]

Greece is proof that the global economy is a bunch of crap. As usual the USA is to blame for all this trouble...as usual. Our Socialist President Obama has done nothing but play golf and smoke cancer sticks.

Preoccupied at my office I am hearing rumblings that the MAN will be sending in the LAW if I do not end my peaceful preoccupation. “This aggression will not stand man”. They denied my latest demand for a new office chair,,, One that does not make my prostate gland feel like it is stuck in my tonsils when I sit down. Dammm the MAN!

i'm singing 'we shall overcome' in your honor

i hope everyone here will join me in honoring a true hero

 

[Captain_Cavman]

In fact the market fundamentalists fear democracy. ...

What do you mean by 'market fundamentalists'?

 

[Amsterhammer]

Amazing, the UK is full of politicians saying that the Euro was a stupid idea and the sooner that countries regain the ability to control their own financial destinies, the better.

The UK Parliament debated whether to have a referendum on remaining in the EU a short while ago. All three major parties forced their MPs to vote against, completely contradicting election pledges.

The reason being, of course, that if the people of the UK had their say, they'd leave the EU right now. Opinions are hardening.

And if the people of the UK had their say, you'd have the death penalty back too!

The UK has always been full of politicians who want the best of both worlds - yes, they want to be part of 'Europe', but only on their own terms. Personally, I think the rest of Europe should have told the Brits to ***k off years ago - either you're 'in', which means all the way, Euro and Schengen, etc., or you're out - you choose, but choose now.

 

[blutto]

There is a fine difference in that Iceland does not have a military.

I'm still convinced that the complete exchange of Greece's top brass, was, if not an outright threat, at least a very strong message.

...my wild-a$$ guess as well...though as has been pointed out earlier in this thread selling a military coup in this day and age may prove difficult...or maybe that is just wishful thinking on our part and it will be easy as apple pie...though this time there is no spectre of communist takeover to provide cover for such a move...wonder who the new boogie man will be...

Cheers

blutto

 

[Semper Fidelis]

i'm singing 'we shall overcome' in your honor

i hope everyone here will join me in honoring a true hero

Patrick did you see where redtreviso was QQ = crying about that kid who started the ihatethemarinecorps website who got hit in the head by a teargas (CS gas) can and it left him all discomBOBulated.

To bad that kid has so much hate. If he worked here at my office with this chair and the interweb filter he would literally come unhinged!

 

[blutto]

Greece is proof that the global economy is a bunch of crap. As usual the USA is to blame for all this trouble...as usual. Our Socialist President Obama has done nothing but play golf and smoke cancer sticks.

Preoccupied at my office I am hearing rumblings that the MAN will be sending in the LAW if I do not end my peaceful preoccupation. “This aggression will not stand man”. They denied my latest demand for a new office chair,,, One that does not make my prostate gland feel like it is stuck in my tonsils when I sit down. Dammm the MAN!

...now I realize you threw out that blame the US comment as irony but there is a case to be made that that is more to that case than not...it all boils down to the US support, in the post WW2 period, of military backed governments in what have become three of the major economic headaches presently troubling the EU...these countries, Spain, Portugal, and Greece would have very likely not stayed juntas without that US support...and there is also a good chance they would have developed into modern economies in other more democratic circumstances...the corrupt crony based economies that are part and parcel of the military junta scenario are less than an ideal path to a developing a modern economic system...

...so yeah US foreign policy concerns did help shape the current crisis...not totally to blame but also not entirely blameless either...

Cheers

blutto

 

[Bala Verde]

Here is a great interactive map about Europe's debt crisis, where vital statistics such as , are available.

(top from left to right)
1) growth
2) total debt
3) budget deficit
4) Unemployment
5) <embed option>

I thought Euro members were bound by an annual 3% (v. GDP) budget deficit and total government debt isn't to exceed 60%. Many Euro countries have violated this principle at times, but I think you can see that Greece has been among the most notorious.

Enter Goldmans Sachs:

The Greeks have never managed to stick to the 60 percent debt limit, and they only adhered to the three percent deficit ceiling with the help of blatant balance sheet cosmetics. One time, gigantic military expenditures were left out, and another time billions in hospital debt. After recalculating the figures, the experts at Eurostat consistently came up with the same results: In truth, the deficit each year has been far greater than the three percent limit. In 2009, it exploded to over 12 percent.Der Spiegel

Greece's debt managers agreed a huge deal with the savvy bankers of US investment bank Goldman Sachs at the start of 2002. The deal involved so-called cross-currency swaps in which government debt issued in dollars and yen was swapped for euro debt for a certain period -- to be exchanged back into the original currencies at a later date.

But in the Greek case the US bankers devised a special kind of swap with fictional exchange rates. That enabled Greece to receive a far higher sum than the actual euro market value of 10 billion dollars or yen. In that way Goldman Sachs secretly arranged additional credit of up to $1 billion for the Greeks.

Corporatchiks and Corrupticos working hand in hand to game the system and make a nice sum of money, or in return to consolidate their power position.

Interesting other financial news:

Greek Exit From Euro Zone Just a 'Matter of Time'

The Greek prime minister's announcement, however, quickly transformed the budding optimism into deep pessimism about the future of the common currency. Should Greek voters, frustrated by round after round of deep austerity measures, reject the bailout deal, it could result in an uncontrolled national bankruptcy. Markets will likely remain nervous until the results of the ballot are in -- meanwhile the euro will move even closer to the abyss.

As if to highlight the dangers, German banks on Wednesday announced they were postponing their acceptance of the Greek debt haircut until after the referendum. Without voluntary bank approval, Greece faces a disorderly bankruptcy which could accelerate contagion throughout the euro zone.

Papandreou's decision, said European Commissioner for Energy Günther Oettinger, "puts the euro in even greater danger."
Der Spiegel

In the US, on the banking sector:

[Senator] Richard Shelby (Ala.), the ranking Republican on the Senate Banking Committee, warned that many of America’s biggest banks could need further capitalization and additional regulations to stay healthy and avoid another round of taxpayer bailouts.

“Dr. Volcker asked the other question — if they’re too big to fail, are they too big to exist?” Shelby said Wednesday on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.” “And that’s a good question. And some of them obviously are, and some of them — if they don’t get their house in order — they might not exist. They’re going to have to sell off parts to survive.”

 

[patricknd]

So why not hold Cain to the same standard? Both were/are alleged to have committed multiple acts of sexual harassment, yet with Cain it's "inconsequential BS".

(EDIT: actually, come to think of it, they're not the same - Clinton's were, and remain, unproven allegations; Cain has admitted that settlements were indeed made in both of his cases. A better comparison for Clinton would be Clarence Thomas.)

i'd say 850,000.00 is a pretty good admission

So if the allegations against Clinton spoke to his character, what do the allegations say about Cain's character?

it says he's a playa

 

[patricknd]

Patrick did you see where redtreviso was QQ = crying about that kid who started the ihatethemarinecorps website who got hit in the head by a teargas (CS gas) can and it left him all discomBOBulated.

To bad that kid has so much hate. If he worked here at my office with this chair and the interweb filter he would literally come unhinged!

he should have got more than CS for a website like that.

 

[Captain_Cavman]

And if the people of the UK had their say, you'd have the death penalty back too!

The UK has always been full of politicians who want the best of both worlds - yes, they want to be part of 'Europe', but only on their own terms. Personally, I think the rest of Europe should have told the Brits to ***k off years ago - either you're 'in', which means all the way, Euro and Schengen, etc., or you're out - you choose, but choose now.

The difference being that the the people of the UK have always wanted the death penalty back. We voted to go into the EU in a referendum, and if Tony Blair had tried to get us into the Euro, he might have managed it. If there's one thing we can be grateful to Gordon Brown for, and it is just the one thing, he prevented us from joining the Euro.

As for being 'IN' or 'OUT', it's you who keep changing what we're 'IN', i.e. Euro Schengen, Lisbon etc. Just because we sign up to one agreement 35 years ago shouldn't make us a hostage to all future agreements.

Basically the EU has only one possible destination, full social, legal and economic integration. You couldn't get any country to vote for that but you can achieve it gradually. Death by 1000 cuts.

 

[Bala Verde]

Some people are getting it...

From the FT Eurocrisis liveblog:

Source

17.05: Anyone wanting cheering up should look away now. Simon Johnson, MIT Sloan School of Management professor and former chief economist at the IMF, has called for reform of the global financial system.

Speaking at the fourth annual CFA Institute European Investment Conference in Paris, Prof Johnson said:

“We have built a dangerous financial system in the United States and Europe… We must step back and reform the system.”

“The last crisis cost 50% of GDP and involved the socialisation of losses… but even that has failed to address the fundamental issues. We are looking straight into the face of a great depression.”

Further news:

source

Greek voters would be asked not to approve or reject the terms for Greece’s next financial rescue, which European leaders set at a Brussels summit last week, but a broader question centred on support for Greece’s membership of the European Union and 17-nation eurozone.

and on Cannes:

source

14.40: How much will the G20 summit achieve? Not a huge amount if the UK position is anything to go by, writes Chris Giles, the FT’s economics editor, before he set off for southern France.

Even though Britain is largely watching from the sidelines, its position on the G20 becomes more difficult to explain by the hour. Officials say the UK wants a successful G20 summit to stress the importance of implementation of the already agreed eurozone rescue package and take forward the G20′s action plan for jobs and growth.

Britain supports other countries contributing extra money to help the eurozone, but refuses to stump up extra cash itself. It also rejects International Monetary Fund involvement apart from the possibility of administering the European special purpose vehicle to boost the firepower of the European Financial Stability Facility.

More than that, some hope is being given to the action plan on jobs and growth. But since no one can highlight any policy that any country has taken because of the G20 process rather than something it would have done anyway, the G20 is also irrelevant here.

This does not suggest a very substantive summit unless leaders rip up the agenda and act bold, as the Group of Seven did in October 2008.

 

[Captain_Cavman]

This does not suggest a very substantive summit unless leaders rip up the agenda and act bold, as the Group of Seven did in October 2008.

That's right boldness is what we need now, it was boldness like that that got us where we are today.

We need more boldness, more debt, more fraud, more unconstitutional behaviour, more refusal to acknowledge bad debts, more illegal foreclosures, more false accounting, more putting peoples savings at risk, more high risk investments, more money printing, more screwing of the taxpayer. Much more.

If we don't, the consequences might be, er, quite bad.

 

[redtreviso]

he should have got more than CS for a website like that.

yours and glenn's reading comprehension is impaired....obviously

 

[Hugh Januss]

he should have got more than CS for a website like that.

Yeah, **** that freedom of speech bull**** the Marine Corps is bigger than that.

 

[Semper Fidelis]

Yeah, **** that freedom of speech bull**** the Marine Corps is bigger than that.

Well you got that right HughJanuss!
I got my weapons to take care of the freedom of speech when times get tight from the current socialist President Obama and FoxNews get done with destroying our country...... I never saw where either Patrick or myself said anything about him not being able to cry about the USMC? What I did see was Patrick and myself exercising our rights to freedom of speech and inserting an opinion based on his freedoms.

 

[redtreviso]

Well you got that right HughJanuss!
I got my weapons to take care of the freedom of speech when times get tight from the current socialist President Obama and FoxNews get done with destroying our country...... I never saw where either Patrick or myself said anything about him not being able to cry about the USMC? What I did see was Patrick and myself exercising our rights to freedom of speech and inserting an opinion based on his freedoms.

It wasn't him, you maroon.. It was right wingers trying to make him deserving of his injury.

 

[Semper Fidelis]

yours and glenn's reading comprehension is impaired....obviously

That is not how you do it! You are supposed to have a FoxNews quote.

 

[Semper Fidelis]

It wasn't him, you maroon.. It was right wingers trying to make him deserving of his injury.

rightwingers were the nuts who made up that web site? Wow I never would have guessed it was coming from some gun toting tea party rightwinger. They usually have all the over the top fake love for the US military etc.

Thanks for clearing that up.

 

[redtreviso]

rightwingers were the nuts who made up that web site? Wow I never would have guessed it was coming from some gun toting tea party rightwinger. They usually have all the over the top fake love for the US military etc.

Thanks for clearing that up.

No you double ultra maroon.,. the marine that got hit in the head with the cs canister had nothing to do with it.. But rightwingers tried to connect him to it.


Maybe I should go to freerepublic to keep up...

""Now, knowing the right wing’s history of fabrication and lies I dug into the history of the website they reference, IHATETHEMARINECORPS.COM. It turns out that it is registered to Scott Olsen, BUT it is registered to Scott Olsen from Milan, Illinois. The Scott Olsen the Gateway Pundit is referencing is Scott Olsen from Onalaska, Wisconsin who was critically injured at Occupy Oakland. Scott moved to California after finding a job in the information technology field in San Francisco, with the help of his roommate Keith Shannon. The distance from Onalaska WI to Milan Ill. is over 200 miles away.

The website they reference was created on January 28th 2009. Scott was deployed to Iraq twice. The first time, August 2006 to May 2007 and then from 2008-2009, he left the Marines in November of 2009""

http://www.mediabistro.com/fishbowlla/marines-storm-reddit-after-occupy-oakland-shooting-of-scott-olson_b43369

 

[blutto]

rightwingers were the nuts who made up that web site? Wow I never would have guessed it was coming from some gun toting tea party rightwinger. They usually have all the over the top fake love for the US military etc.

Thanks for clearing that up.

...the following may, and I emphasize may, be the issue you and redtreviso are having a discussion about...

The Right Launches A Smear Campaign Against Occupy Oakland’s Scott Olsen

The Gateway Pundit is the go to site for the extreme ideological right wing. It also has the journalistic integrity of North Korea. In the latest post by this vile website, Jim Hoft, Gateway’s owner wrote and posted this article titled “Good Grief… Leftie Hero Scott Olsen Is Founder of “I Hate the Marines Corps.com” & Is a Jew-Basher”.

Now, knowing the right wing’s history of fabrication and lies I dug into the history of the website they reference, IHATETHEMARINECORPS.COM. It turns out that it is registered to Scott Olsen, BUT it is registered to Scott Olsen from Milan, Illinois.

SNIP

The Scott Olsen the Gateway Pundit is referencing is Scott Olsen from Onalaska, Wisconsin who was critically injured at Occupy Oakland. Scott moved to California after finding a job in the information technology field in San Francisco, with the help of his roommate Keith Shannon. The distance from Onalaska WI to Milan Ill. is over 200 miles away.

The website they reference was created on January 28th 2009. Scott was deployed to Iraq twice. The first time, August 2006 to May 2007 and then from 2008-2009, he left the Marines in November of 2009.

SNIP

How many Scott Olsens are in the United States? We don’t even know if the Scott Olsen that created the website was even in the Marines, but we do know, by looking into the history of the website, that the Scott Olsen the website is registered to is from Illinois, not Wisconsin.

SNIP


Cheers

blutto

 

[Semper Fidelis]

No you double ultra maroon.,. the marine that got hit in the head with the cs canister had nothing to do with it.. But rightwingers tried to connect him to it.


Maybe I should go to freerepublic to keep up...

""Now, knowing the right wing’s history of fabrication and lies I dug into the history of the website they reference, IHATETHEMARINECORPS.COM. It turns out that it is registered to Scott Olsen, BUT it is registered to Scott Olsen from Milan, Illinois. The Scott Olsen the Gateway Pundit is referencing is Scott Olsen from Onalaska, Wisconsin who was critically injured at Occupy Oakland. Scott moved to California after finding a job in the information technology field in San Francisco, with the help of his roommate Keith Shannon. The distance from Onalaska WI to Milan Ill. is over 200 miles away.

The website they reference was created on January 28th 2009. Scott was deployed to Iraq twice. The first time, August 2006 to May 2007 and then from 2008-2009, he left the Marines in November of 2009""

http://www.mediabistro.com/fishbowlla/marines-storm-reddit-after-occupy-oakland-shooting-of-scott-olson_b43369

So it is a known fact that it was not Scott Olsen oakland who had that website ihatethemarinecoprs? Was he a former Marine also? Or did he just fake it?

 

[blutto]

...just took a quick boo at this page and it seems that me and Mr redtreviso were pretty well on the same page...heck we were the same page...sorry about the wasted band-width...

Cheers

blutto

 

[VeloCity]

Why do Republicans hate Ronald Reagan?

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs...o-create-jobs/2011/11/02/gIQAmMKtfM_blog.html