11 enero, 2012

Eight simple truths you need to know about 2012. by Simon Black

Coyhaique, Northern Patagonia


Yesterday we discussed certain events that, in my view, are nearly mathematical certainties. Things like a restructuring of public pensions and Social Security in Europe and the US. Western governments blocking Internet and mobile networks. War. The US government being forced to issue debt in a foreign currency.
All of these events are underpinned by a simple premise:

Why 308,127,404 Americans are going to get hosed

Santiago, Chile
 
Last week, the US government’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), an agency of the US Treasury Department, published its 2011 annual report. There are a few numbers that are pretty startling.
We’ve discussed before that FinCEN is the executive agency tasked with ensuring that every US banker is an unpaid government spy through Suspicious Activity Reports.
A Suspicious Activity Report, or SAR, includes details of any transaction that may be deemed ‘suspicious’. Naturally, there’s no clear guidance on what is/is not considered suspicious. Banks, brokerages, money service businesses, precious metals dealers… even casinos are required by law to fill them out.

Another Consequence of Economic Decline by Simon Black

Nearly 10 years ago to the day, the government of Argentina collapsed. Beset by weighty deficit spending and a completely unrealistic currency peg to the US dollar, Argentina became the poster child for the golden rule of economics: ‘that which is unsustainable will not be sustained.’ It’s reversion to the mean.
Within a matter of days, the country had burned through several presidents, the currency collapsed, inflation soared, unemployment shot up, crime rates spiked, and the government defaulted on its debt.

Dear Americans, We Are Surrounded. by Robert Wenzel

Occasionally in the past, I have received emails from readers asking me if it was time to leave America because of some new infringement on our rights.

 In the past, I always responded to these emails by saying that it really depended on who the reader was. Anyone, I usually replied, who was in the securities-brokerage industry or the medical profession should start looking, because of how regulated those industries are. If on the other hand, a surfer dude just living for the next wave, would have little reason to be concerned.

Billions in Military Dollars Disappear Into Black Hole

Quest for the 'Perfect Radio' Continues With No Serious Progress

by Jason Ditz, 
 
The US military spends hundreds of billions of dollars on “new” technology for the American war machine, and while few bat an eye when a big expensive program doesn’t yield results, these are speculative technologies after all, they don’t seem to have any better luck with improving old technology.
Take the radio. A well understood piece of technology and when the US launched its “Joint Tactical Radio System,” they just assumed it’d work fine, planning to replace the old radios with the newer, better ones.
But the quest for the perfect radio did not go according to plans, and $6 billion into their funding military officials concede that the program has produced virtually no useable inventions, forcing the Army to spend $11 billion in additional outlays buying more old radios for their assorted occupations. The program continues.
Not that America’s is the only military losing massive amounts of money in its programs. Our neighbor to the north, Canada, spent millions on an “anti-terrorist barrier” in Halifax Harbor, an effort to keep terrorist speedboats out of the key naval site. The installation of the barrier began in 2007, and officials say it has now sunk below the waves because too many mussels have attached themselves to it.
Which is probably a cheaper mistake than the shipment of military supplies from Afghanistan. With Canadian troops in the process of ending their direct role in the decade-long occupation, they began shipping crate after crate of equipment home. Today, those containers were opened, and found to be full of sand and rocks.

At Least Four Killed in US Drone Strike Against Pakistan

Identities of Victims Unknown in First Strike in Nearly Two Months

by Jason Ditz, 
 
Just one day after reports began trickling out that the US was close to a deal with the Zardari government to resume their drone strikes against the tribal areas, the first drone attack in nearly two months was launched, killing four and injuring several others.
US officials declined to comment publicly, saying that the attack was “classified,” but reports are that it was “probably” a CIA strike. The US stopped all attacks in late November after a US warplane attacked two military bases in Pakistan, killing 24 soldiers.
In December it was even reported that the Pakistani military was planning to shoot down future US drones invading the country’s airspace, though this threat apparently was an empty one, as there is no indication any such attempt was made.
As usual, the identities of the victims are entirely unknown, as is the reason for the strike. We can expect a future comment from Pakistani officials to term the slain “suspects,” but in all likelihood their identities will never be made public.

The Return of the Chickenhawks

They’re baaack!
 
What a joy to see Ron Paul take down Newt “Chickenhawk” Gingrich in front of millions of Americans. Slogging through fifteen Republican presidential debates was totally worth it just to witness this defining moment. Dianne Sawyer, who sounded like she was on Quaaludes, raised her eyebrows quizzically as she asked him if he stood by his previous characterization of Newt as a “chickenhawk.” Her tone implied she thought this a little harsh. Paul took this opening and ran with it:
“I think people who don’t serve when they could and they get three or four or even five deferments – they have no right to send our kids off to war … I’m trying to stop the wars, but at least, you know, I went when they called me up.”

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