Petrodollars and wars

Update 2:39 PM 9/19/2008 Foreign Affairs: Russia has disclosed that it will sell military hardware to Tehran that will protect Iran's nuclear facilities. The time left to halt the Iranian nuclear threat has thus grown that much shorter.

Russia's state arms dealer also said Thursday that it will sell anti-aircraft systems, armored personnel carriers and fighter jets to Venezuela. That in itself is worrisome.

Experts wary of dearer oil's effect on output
Reuters
Published: September 19, 2008, 23:42
But Saudi Arabia, Opec's largest member, has exceeded its output quota over the summer to prevent further harm to its rich-world customers, already reeling from the credit crunch.





Frankly, I don't know squat about Ron Paul, & I didn't learn much watching these.

I would like to know why a lot Americans don't know the basics about oil and petrodollars.

Hat tip to Grumpy Old Man

Ron Paul: The PetroDollar - Part 1/4

Ron Paul: The PetroDollar - Part 2/4

Ron Paul: The PetroDollar - Part 3/4

Three years after the recycling began we were acclimated to truth in fiction and fiction in truth.

Ron Paul: The PetroDollar - Part 4/4

Iranian Oil Bourse

Estimated reserves in order

Yeah, all that blather about Iran being a threat?

It's not about noo-kyu-ler ambitions, it's about economic devastation.

MAJOR FOREIGN HOLDERS OF TREASURY SECURITIES
I believe we got here through a combination of short term goals by business interests and politicians. When you only look towards next quarter's earnings and the next election, the American people get lost in the shuffle.

2008: A Republican Reinvention?

Find 26 minutes to watch this. No surprise that PBS is pitching around once a month here, and this was either bumped or played hours before it was supposed to be on.

Sometimes I hate this city. It's loaded with Repugnant Thuglicans. Nasty, hateful, stupid ones. The kind that "live poor and vote rich."

How Will You and Your State Cast Ballots in November?
By Kim Zetter September 05, 2008 9:00:00 AM
Categories: E-Voting, Election '08
This year, as a result of a lot of changes in voting machines around the country, numerous voting districts across many states will be using new voting equipment that has either never been used in an election or has never been used in a national election involving millions of voters.

The map that shows the variety of equipment used all over the states is interesting.

I'm inclined to think that if McCain wins in November it's another stolen election.

Yes, I do believe it was stolen in '04 through a combination corporate funded media bias (no, that doesn't mean librul, for any freeptard that happens to land on this page), and voter - disenfranchisement , not to mention people having to work three jobs to survive, which doesn't leave time to research the issues ignored by our corporate media, OR vote, hack able optical scanners , hackable DREs (touchscreens) .

I don't trust the GOP/Diebold (Premier Elections now, mybad) operatives in this county as far as I can throw them.

Rambo and the Mean Girl

Juan Cole explains the RNC strategy in St. Paul. (click title link)

Usually I skim over his blog because it's hard for me to handle the unending daily death toll details of Pesident Cheney's war in Iraq.

Moving on.

Do the Fox Newz Fucks ever change?


Nope.

Neither does the average IQ of their fan base.

"Flip Flops" was the buzzword they used in '04.

Peggy Noonan's flip flops?

Or McCain's flip flops?

Or Sarah Palin's flip flops?

Oh, so flip flop isn't working this time?

This time it's Barack Huessein Obama is a Muslim, who doesn't recite the Pledge of Allegiance, right?

Fox Newz watchers don't use snopes or they would know that Obama is not a Muslim, and he does recite the Pledge of Allegiance

Sometimes the stupid just burns.

Friday sqirrel blogging

Does this one look like she's getting ready to pop out a litter to you?

How timely.

Liveblogging. the RNC. no not me, I suck at it, but this blogger is great!

Can't touch that. go, already, wouldja? (title link)

And I am pleased as punch to add AKMuckraker at Mudflats to the blogroll.

Update 11:20pm Ok, the speech was a snoozefest, but AKMuckraker kept us all awake.

I really don't get the drill, drill drill thing. Drilling in ANWR might add 650,000 to 1.9 million barrels per day.

We use 21 million barrels a day.

The Ballad of Sarah Palin


Sarah Palin. Six colleges in six years to get a degree in journalism.

Sarah Palin, cheerful and combative.

And a typical GOP lying sack of shit. Still, I'm sure she was very popular in junior high school, and I'm sure that the GOP freeptards will lap up every lie she spits out.

I'll bet she was popular as Mayor of Porky-Podunk-Moosetown, Alaska. Rednecked freeptards don't do their homework, but they do have beauty contests, popularity contests and uh... Aerial Wolf Gunning 101.

And obviously they like pit bulls with lipstick on. Even ones who use their tax dollars to defend themselves when they abuse their power. And they seem to love batshit crazy rapturists. They never learn. They just keep doing the same shit over and over again.

Our GOP owned and operated mainstream media is busy looking retarded:

Palin Comes Out Fighting
WaPo

Sarah Palin, as governor, takes on energy companies
LA Times

The Unusual Challenges Palin Faced in Alaska
NY Times


AlJazeera actually went to Palin's hometown and the AK state fair.


The crew at the UK Guardian are laughing their asses off. (this IS some funny stuff they found)


And here in San Diego we're stuck with 30 million dollars worth of hackable voting equipment, Ohio '04 rejects and GOP/Diebold operatives.

Gah, thank God for Jon Stewart.
I wish Michael Phelps was still in the news and stealing some of her press. This kid really did something heartwarming. It made me want to root for him to do well on SNL.

Bristol Palin's privacy

And your daughter's uterus.


Sarah Palin
Palin Slashed Funding for Teen Moms
Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin wrote in her line-item veto changes by hand in this copy of a 2008 spending bill obtained by The Washington Post.

Is she a distraction from the RNC goon squad tactics? They have received 50 million in Homeland Security money for law enforcement, as did Denver. Law enforcement? When did "pre-emptive" arrests become legal?

Or is she a distraction from No Se Nada Torquemada (Gonzales) ?

Heerz how yur librul media (ABC & CBS) dealz with the DNC and RNC

Palin Wants Independent Trooper-Gate Probe Called Off
By Zachary Roth - September 3, 2008, 10:09AM

Yeah, I'll bet she does.

Sarah Palin like, babbles on and on in church

You have to see this in order to believe it.

Truly. I'm stunned.

Hmmmm, this is an interesting little tidbit I found posted in the comments section of Huff Po.

She is enormously popular; in every way she’s like the most popular girl in middle school Even men who think she is a poor choice and won't vote for her can't quit smiling when talking about her because she is a "babe".

Oh. My. God.

Would someone please inform the McCain campaign that running the country is not like running Porky-Podunk- Moosetown, Alaska. And explain to her what she's supposed to do as VP? She doesn't know. Better tell her more than once, she's a Barbie girl

She's also a conservative. I know conservatives. They are rigid, inflexible, selfish, and they don't want any lip from their kids. They see things in black and white, right or wrong. In their minds, they are never wrong, and if you disagree with them, you are wrong.

Amy Goodman and Two Democracy Now! Producers Unlawfully Arrested at RNC

And everybody's talking about the feds busting kids in Minnesota before they even get a chance to protest.
Coulda told you this would happen.
The War on Terra has a disgustingly disproportionate percentage of the budget.


Watch these thugs.




From what I can gather, Amy has been released, but Sharif Abdel Kouddous and Nicole Salazar, her producers trying to cover the "riot" ? have not.

Update from Tom D'Antoni at the Huff Po
No one knows what they are being charged with, but Palmer attributes their arrest to "suspicious behavior."
Kouddous and Salazar are still being held without any formal charges.
11:33PM: Kouddous and Salazar have been released. Sgt. William Palmer called me back and said they have been released with "Pending complaints," which essentially means they were not charged while in custody, but may yet be charged with some felony at a later date.
12:00AM: Democracy Now! has posted this update:

Palin's unmarried 17-yr-old pregnant

Palin says 17-year-old daughter is pregnant

By LIZ SIDOTI, Associated Press Writer
25 minutes ago


ST. PAUL, Minn. - John McCain's running mate Sarah Palin said Monday that her17-year-old unmarried daughter is five months pregnant, an announcement campaign aides said was aimed at rebutting Internet rumors that Palin's youngest son, born in April, was actually her daughter's.

A statement released by the campaign said that Bristol Palin will keep her baby and marry the child's father. Bristol Palin's baby is due in late December.

Associated Press Writers Eric Gorski in St. Paul and Steve Quinn in Anchorage, Alaska, contributed to this report.

This family values crowd just gets more and more comical every day. Tristero over at Hullabaloo has some James Dobson, of Focus on the Family fame, on adolescent rebellion . for you.

Update 5:04 PM 9/1/2008

Palin hires attorney for Troopergate investigation
By STEVE QUINN, Associated Press Writer
1 hour, 32 minutes ago
ANCHORAGE, Alaska - Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, the GOP vice presidential candidate, is being represented by an attorney in the investigation into the firing of her public safety commissioner.

Man, it's like watching the Three Stooges.

Article titles demeaning to women

Can You Cross Out ‘Hillary’ and Write ‘Sarah’? NYT

Pick Of Palin Sets Up Battle For Female Voters NPR
The Republican Convention
by Ina Jaffe

Battle begins for the Hillary vote
Paul Harris in St Paul, Minnesota
The Observer, Sunday August 31 2008

Jeee-zus Christ. Do guys vote for other guys just because they have a penis?

Women don't vote for women just because they have a vagina. Only stupid religious nutjobs want to give a woman power that will hand over control of said religious nutjob's reproductive organs to misogynistic religious nutjob men.

Here we go, wow, I especially love it when some tool who writes for rich asshole fuckheads comes up with this bullshit:

Hillary Clinton’s New Motivation
Forbes
John McCain giving Alaskan governor Sarah Palin the nod as his vice presidential choice looks to be a pure play for the faction of Hillary supporters still dissatisfied with Democratic nominee Barack Obama.

Lemmee give the fucktards who write this crap a little lesson in how THIS Hillary supporter DEALT WITH IT. I cried, but I got over it months ago, & I enthusiastically support Barack Obama now. That idiot who squirted out a down syndrome brat when she knew better in order to what, increase her street cred as a good Catholic marytyr? What the fuck is it with Catholics anyway? They don't stop squirting out brats until they squirt out a retard. Eggs have a shelf life, Helloooooo? She makes me want to vomit. Here's more msm bull shit on Palin. She's a religious whacko that supports gays? I think not. Oh boy, Bobo speaks , it must be true right? Bwwwaa ha ha hahaha.

Update, Warren notices that Palin' Wikipedia page just keeps getting cleaner . Nice catch Warren :)

Shifting focus slightly.

Gustav threatens start of GOP meeting
Hurricane to keep Bush and Cheney away from Minnesota
By Russ Britt & Kate Gibson, MarketWatch
Last update: 12:29 p.m. EDT Aug. 31, 2008

Jon Stewart on Palin

vs MSM (corporate media whores for the obscenely rich) barf-a-rama on Palin

Palin Selection Already Paying Dividends to McCain August 30, 2008, 3:47 pm
Wall Street Journal
Elizabeth Holmes reports from Pittsburgh on the presidential race.

Reading Sarah Palin
TIME magazine
Friday, Aug. 29, 2008 By LAURA FITZPATRICK

Palin: Pioneer, maverick -- and now game-changer
August 30, 2008 -- Updated 1438 GMT (2238 HKT)

Holy crap, look at the links to the "who is blogging" blogs on this piece of shit. Newsbusters and Powerline? Ugh. Yeah, I'm sure there weren't any any other bloggers except these Repugnant Thuglicans with any response to this drivel.

So, anyway I think pandering to the "conservative, family values crowd" is going to backfire big-time. How is she going to join McSame on the campaign trail with three kids in school , and an infant with down syndrome? And what about her ethics issues?

This is funny--
McCain's Brain: The Truth Behind his VP Choice Sarah Palin


Mark Fiore's Bible Thumper

On second thought, why am I bashing the McMoldy and the Beauty Queen show?

The money started moving to the Dems a while ago.

Just how is Obama planning on fixing Afghanistan?

It's a fucking train wreck and has been for some time:

Surging in Afghanistan: Too Much, Too Late?

After three decades of almost constant warfare, most citizens are programmed to answer the slightest challenge with violence. In Afghanistan it's the default response

... amid poverty, illiteracy, misogyny, and ongoing warfare...

.... a British nongovernmental organization, issued a report entitled "Taking Stock: Afghan Women and Girls Seven Years On." The news? Violence against women is "epidemic." Eighty-seven percent of women complain of domestic violence. Half of those cases involve sexual violence. Sixty percent of marriages are still forced. Fifty-seven percent of brides are still under the legal age of 16. What would you call this massive use of force, complete with torture, if not "war" -- an ongoing war against women....

I had a neighbor from Afghanistan many years ago. She had been a teacher there. She was sweet and strong, a single mother. Her daughter wanted to be a doctor, and the girl's eyes shone with hope and determination as she revealed this to me. I had no idea of how ridiculous this idea would have been in the country of her birth. The girl is probably in med school now.

Anyway, my first order of business in Afghanistan would be family planning clinics. Most of the vicious, cruel, idiot men in that country have no business breeding.

Unrelated, altlhough I'm sure the women are disenfranchised from voting in Afghanistan.

Electoral Dirty Tricks Coming Soon To An In-Box Near You
August 29, 2008 at 22:59:25

PBS = the petroleum broadcasting service

Tonight it's obvious. I wouldn't ask right-wing dickhead Ruben Navarette directions to the bathroom, but tonight he's a fucking expert on Obama's speech.

"But beyond that, in terms of what was said, the actual text of the speech, it was a bundle of contradictions."

What a putz.
I've never heard of that Rosemary Goudreau lady, but she looks whacked on valium. She must have been to spit out this:

"I think, in the end, they did come through, although there are still a lot of Democratic women in Tampa who are not going to vote for Senator Obama because of what happened to Hillary."

Gee, maybe if they repeat this bullshit enough the sheeple will believe it?

Friday sqirrel blogging

"Local" flora and fauna
Yeah, I don't know who's brilliant idea it was to plant Australian eucalyptus trees all over San Diego residential areas because San Diego is fire prone. Eucalyptus trees have been known to explode in fires.

They don't harvest the trees in the residential areas for feeding Zoo and Wild Animal Park animals.

McCain' s VP choice

Lame-O Gramps McSame jumps on the "Change" bandwagon.

I recognize her from this episode of PBS NOW.
Here's the transcript link for that show.

I still find it difficult to believe that so many Republicans in this country think that the answer to high gas prices is more drilling in America. The problem is that we NEED so much fucking gas. Our infrastructure IS unsustainable and it needs a major overhaul. Real changes in our transportation AND housing system seems to be something many Republicans, Libertarians, Independents just won't accept. Conservative Republicans are so brainwashed, loyal and stupid and stubborn that they deserve to be stranded in the suburbs. They will be.

"Wake Up America" will never sink in to these bubble headed idiots.

Can't wait to miss this shit

Phelps to Host 'SNL' with Lil' Wayne
By Roger Catlin on August 27, 2008 9:16 PM

Hoping to hold onto its golden boy just a bit longer, NBC has announced that eight-time Gold medalist Michael Phelps will host its 34th season premiere of "Saturday Night Live" Sept. 13.

While Phelps has been undeniably electrifying in the water, he's been a little less so in interviews or public speaking. It will be interesting to see what they'll get him to do.

Seems like one great lure to get him there - or a negotiating chip on Phelps' part - is the musical act that will also be on during the season opener.

If Lil' Wayne was the most likely thing on his iPod in Beijing, it's fitting that the rapper will be musical guest of Phelps' show-hosting gig.

Odd that he'll be hosting a show that had been going 10 years before he was even born, though.

"SNL" won't be his first high-profile entertainment gig on TV this fall. Phelps will also be a presenter at the MTV Video Music Awards show from Los Angeles Sept. 7.

And I haven't watched MTV since it moved into the gutter in the ghetto. Keep your bling in your crib and outta my face, it disgusts me. My kid isn't fond of rap now but she did drag me to see 8 Mile and it wasn't all that bad.

There is a sound that came out of Southern California that I prefer, if I must be dragged away from Blues and elevator jazz. I don't know what it's called, maybe punk-pop mixed with speed metal with some ska thrown in? Think old No Doubt

5:39 PM 8/28/2008 Update. Yeah I'm definitely not looking back fondly on swimming today, I had my face, hands and back sprayed with liguid nitrogen to freeze off the sun damage. That shit stings, & the doc said it looks gross before it heals. It's gonna look worse? I gotta go back very six months and get sprayed with the stingy shit for the rest of my life. Whooopeeeee. Fuggit, gimmee a glass of wine, damnit, I'm m n a get me some purple teeth to go with this funky blotchy skin, scare the neighbors.

California high schools

California high school dropout rate near one-quarter, report says
By Deb Kollars - dkollars@sacbee.com
Last Updated 4:28 pm PDT
Thursday, July 17, 2008

The report shows Latino school kids now make-up almost half of the student population in California public schools.

53% of Latina teens get pregnant at least once before age 20—nearly twice the national average.1

The graduation rates for African-American and Latino students are even lower, 60 percent for Latino students and 56.6 percent for African-Americans

At inner-city LA high, nearly 6 in 10 drop out
By CHRISTINA HOAG – Aug 19, 2008

Army opens prep school for dropouts to fill ranks
By SUSANNE M. SCHAFER Associated Press Writer
Wednesday, Aug. 27, 2008

Watching the DNC in Denver

It's better online without the ads.

Malkin is a monster

Hat tip to Sadly No
Alex Jones can be a little loud, but in this case I love it. I HATE Michelle Malkin.

Alex Jones Confronts Michelle Malkin at DNC

Diebold Accidentally Leaks Results Of 2008 Election Early

I know we've all seen this, but it still makes me smirk, & it's a perfect follow-up for yesterday's post.

Diebold Accidentally Leaks Results Of 2008 Election Early

I missed Ted Kennedy's speech last night. I missed Michelle Obama's also. Full of hope for change, but I know what these guys are up against. An entrenched military-industrial-complex that is working for the rich and powerful and will fight to the end for it's dominance in American foreign policy and on the world stage.

If you think Granpa McSame ain't part of it, you ain't looking.

Americablog via Maru breaks it down for you if you ain't been looking.

Diebold Admits Their Tabulator Software Doesn't Count Votes Correctly

Blogged by Brad Friedman on 8/24/2008 5:17PM
UPDATED WITH VIDEO: CNN's Lou Dobbs Covers Stunning Admission...
Blogged by Brad Friedman from Boulder, CO...

...Diebold has admitted that their tabulator software, known as GEMS, and used all across the country, in at least 34 states, does not count votes correctly...

Beijing Olympics press freedom

Let me first say, Press freedom in China?
bwaaaa haaha ha ha ha haaaaaaaaa haaaaaaaaa hhahahahah.

Bill Moyers covered this on Friday quite well. I guess the rest of American media had to skedaddle out of China before they could speak up?

U.S. Envoy Calls on China to Free Detained American Activists
By Chua Kong Ho
Aug. 24 (Bloomberg

US disappointed Olympics didn't open China more
By ROHAN SULLIVAN – 41 minutes ago

Olympic disaster for free expression in China
Reporters Without Borders condemns Chinese government cynicism and IOC inability to ensure respect for charter
2008 Beijing Games 22 August 2008

China shows flaws in trying to be perfect
BEIJING 2008 08-24

Fay get the gold for phucking up Florida

Ann Korin's Oil Solution

This is definitely worth watching.

pt 1 of 7



Comments from MDD's post are worth reading.

She is speaking of relatively short term solutions, like coal to gas . She is speaking to, and answering questions from college age conservatives, but her appeal must surely be with people my age or older because her solutions don't involve changing our unsustainable infrastructure. I agree with her that nuclear power is not the solution to our transportation problem, or our McMansion's needs for energy, for that matter.

Yes, I say temporary solutions, because I read Clusterfuck Nation and I've seen The End of Surburbia . I know that the problems that the American suburban middle class -> poor are facing right now, are not due only to fuel prices. The co2 problems created by our "our way of life" don't only affect us . They most certainly don't

Korin doesn't talk about ground water depletion via agriculture. Or the effect of agricultural ) , and or highway runoff .

She may have a point with the bleeding capital to Arabs only to have them so kindly re-infuse it into our economy. And yeah, it pisses me off that we are paying for the Arab world's arrogance and ignorance when it comes to overpopulation because they know they got the oil. The Asian expectation that you gotta keep squirting them out until you have a boy really makes me want to puke me.
Of course, they're not the only ones with that arrogance, we got 'em too:


Some countries in the Middle East do have a higher per capita co2 emissions rate , but not only are those rates all over the map, the US military may have something to do with those rates currently. I don't think she knows what kind of stranglehold the military-industrial-complex has on our government or how obligated they are to protect a very small minorty in the Middle East. Or maybe she does, but if she does, in this particular piece she doesn't talk about the dependence of the US Military and Arab monarchies upon each other.

She is right though, we are paying for both sides of this fucking war.

Obama's Veep Pick

Woo. Big Surprise.



Not that the Obama/Biden ticket has a chance in hell in San Diego County:

Posted date: 8/25/2008
State Officials Taking Aim at Fair Ballot Practices
By NED RANDOLPH
San Diego Business Journal Staff

Distrust of electronic voting machines around the country, and a decision last summer by California Secretary of State Debra Brown to decertify machines in 39 counties, including San Diego, has left the county elections supervisor with $25 million of mothballed voting equipment.

The county’s 1.4 million registered voters will choose between Democratic Sen. Barack Obama, Republican Sen. John McCain or none of the above by paper ballot in November....

“There was a paper trail before they were decertified,” said Seiler, an employee of Premier before becoming the elections supervisor...

Same Diebold optical scanners counting and tabulating the paper ballots, different name on 'em

Here's more local and statewide information from a local group

And in entertainment news:

'House Bunny' could be box-office leader
Melinda Sue Gordon / Associated Press

Oh Jeezus, Jehovah, Jiminy Christmas, and Oy. Why does the movie industry only cater to drooling, kleenex wielding thirteen year old boys?

Oh yeah, that's how mothers get a couple hours of peace from the little fuckers, they send their asses to the movies.

Dear Marwan Bishara,

While you focus on "The Politics of Evil in the US Elections" religious leaders in the country you came from encourage their followers to outbreed each other. There are 6.7 billion people on the planet. Wake the fuck up, and ask yourself what real evil is.

Friday squirrel blogging

Damn rodents.

Completely unrelated, but it made me laugh, the Onion returns Michael Phelps to his Sea World tank.

Well gosh, how's he gonna write a book from there?

Oh yeah, it doesn't really matter that he didn't learn how to write in college . He's been a professional athlete for a while. I used to have some unrealistic idea that the Olympics weren't for professional athletes. Boy was I deluded. I don't know how anyone could remain under that impression after China’s Potemkin Olympics

Protections Set for Antiabortion Health Workers

Opponents Denounce Proposed Regulation Allowing Federal Officials to Pull Funding

By Rob Stein
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, August 22, 2008; A01

The Bush administration yesterday announced plans to implement a controversial regulation designed to protect doctors, nurses and other health-care workers who object to abortion from being forced to deliver services that violate their personal beliefs.

..."People should not be forced to say or do things they believe are morally wrong," Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt said. "Health-care workers should not be forced to provide services that violate their own conscience."

...Both supporters and critics said the language remains broad enough to apply to contraceptives, as well as many other areas in medicine...

..."For example, an operating room nurse would assist in the performance of surgical procedures; an employee whose task it is to clean the instruments used in a particular procedure would be considered to assist in the performance of the particular procedure," the regulation states.

Are you fucking kidding me? If you object to abortions and you're working in the health care field in a facility that provides them, and you are forced to work with people who choose to have them, my question to you is "Why the hell don't you get another job you fucktard?" Don't shove your religious bullshit down other people's throats.

Soul Serenade

King Curtis & The Kingpins


David Sanborn