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Chairman Of Joint Chiefs Of Staff Says National Debt Is Biggest Threat To National Security
Not China, not Russia, not North Korea, not Iran, not terrorists...According to Admiral Mike Mullen, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the "single biggest threat" to American national security is the US national debt, which is either $8.85 trillion (public debt), $13.4 trillion (total national debt), $20 trillion (total debt including GSE debt), or $124 trillion (total debt including unfunded obligations), depending on one's definition of the word "debt." And as Zero Hedge has long been warning, the imminent increase in interest rates (sooner or later), will eventually put the country in an untenable funding position. "Tax payers will be paying around $600 billion in interest on the
national debt by 2012, the chairman told students and local leaders in
Detroit." The Chairman (the real one, not his pale imitation over at Marriner Eccles) politely forgot to add that the successful rolling of nearly $600 billion in debt per month is likely an even greater threat to national security.
More from Mike Mullen, commenting on the upcoming annual interest payment forecast:
“That’s one year’s worth of defense budget,” he said, adding that the Pentagon needs to cut back on spending.
“We’re going to have to do that if it’s going to survive at all,” Mullen said, “and do it in a way that is predictable.”
He also called on the defense industry to hire veterans and become more robust in the future.
“I need the defense industry, in particular, to be robust,” he said. “My procurement budget is over $100 billion, [and] I need to be able to leverage that as much as possible with those [companies] who reach out [to veterans].”
And since debt is now the functional equivalent of a nuclear bomb, it behooves readers to know just who the biggest threats to US national security are:
We hope it is appreciated promptly enough, that the entity highlighted in red can just as easily become the biggest domestic threat to national security, should the interests it represents, both political and financial, not get their way.
h/t Robert
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Morning
I have been patiently waiting for the "enemies, foreign & domestic" clause to finally enter into the (civic) discussion. It's all just an exercise in fundamental logic, to wit:
A. The greatest threat to the nation's security is represented by current economic policies;
B. All members of the military take an oath to " solemnly swear (or affirm) to support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic";
C. Ergo, a military coup is Constitutionally protected, if not actually mandated, to rectify such an existential threat.
Good Dog, C. not happening. Oath and culture too strong. Not widespread dissatisfaction, no way to assemble critical mass.
Chain of command very strong and control on the ammunition, weapons, communications is exacting.
In my view all good.
- Ned
Well your a private and they guarantee you 20k a year, but then it cost 15k just for gas, you're gonna become pissed. Wait for food shortages. The chain of command will start to fall apart when soldiers and low end officers see their money become worthless. Critical mass? Every base seems to have +30k people. That's more people than cops in any one state. Besides the military personnel are taught tactical logistics.
I would doubt a coup mostly because the people I know and met in the military don't seem to really want to use force to make a point. Obvious answer is obvious. The military isn't so mistreated to justify such behavior that may change though when the money is worth nothing and the benefits go out the window. But again what I would see is a failure in chain in command, not necessarily a coup.
Though a coup is fine too.
looks like we're pretty much in agreement. MWR would take care of the gas situation, then the kids could get a good night on the town "bartering" gas for things that kids want.
Coup would be pretty bad, in my view. Military good at taking things apart like a chicken, not so good at putting them back together, viz Iraq after the qwms at the U.N. quit.
- Ned
Well the point of a military is take things apart. Nation building is a rather new doctrine, incidentally one we seemed to have adopted from the Soviets.
Iraq fell in the blink of an eye because we are much superior to them but also our leviathan force is just untouchable. The problem with Iraq and Afghanistan is more our plans.
1. We invade.
2. We beat the shit outta you.
3. You're left there broken and tattered.
4. Now the State department says "alright walk over to me I'll fix you up."
5. You trip and fall into a hole walking to get patched up by the state department.
6. Game over.
Never enter a war without a plan to repair the country would be a better doctrine. But frankly I say just level the place and walk out.
The U.N. is a waste of money. Nuke it.
Millenial, you said "leviathan force". TPM Barnett follower? - Ned
I watched a few of videos, I don't care for his policy of establishing America everywhere, but he does make good points regarding our military, foreign policy, and it's behavior.
Core and Gap seem pretty useful. His long view on China seems pretty natural to me, not that there will be all smooth sailing. Establishing America everywhere is almost acknowledging reality, look at all of the squealing that occurred when Rummy tried to draw down troop levels in Germany. Took Jones to blow the Army out of their kasserns. Jones is one imposing SOB.
- Ned
I think China is headed for deflation and will probably never really get of out it. The Chinese will follow Japans path. I say this because they are in a massive real estate bubble. Their central bank is suppressing rates to keep it going. When it pops they'll stimulate again and again and again.
I'm with you on the deflation and RE bubble. However, they have other degrees of freedom. The command economy allows them to shift policy almost instantly (e.g. margin/down payment on 2nd, 3d, etc. homes). Their loan sharks are well into the housing market, that would make for some interesting negative feedback when the payments (how does one say "vig" in Mandarin?).
But they do need to come up with like 25MM new city jobs/year. Transition of PLA/PLAN "factories" to more business driven management is ongoing. Way ahead on nuclear plant construction: (W), Areva, and well on the path to knockoffs of Areva M310 and two-looper designed more-and-more by BINE and other design institutes. Hit an industry conference this week with consensus of: a) only game in town, b) difficult dealings, c) all contracts have 'technology-transfer' components. So we are training our replacements; did I mention that this is the only game in town?
Also why I like Barnett; he makes sense (except he was quite the O-proponent) in many areas and at least has a coherent/consistent vision.
- Ned
A close equivalent to vig would be guan-xi ("fragrant grease")
Or perhaps a half-dose of mercantilism now or a full dose after the dollar falls.
ref; the UN; too dramatic. just stop paying them, evict them from the nice office building in NYC; and say Bye !
You comments, I'm sorry to say, are rather incomprehensible?
The U.N. is important in aiding and abetting the World Bank and IMF in changing laws in many, many countries (as in Greece, Slovakia, Slovenia, Czech Republic, Albania, etc., etc.) to allow the new financial instrument known as public-private partnerships to be adopted.
These, in turn, allow for massive securitizations to take place which favor those multinational banks and investment banks.
Also, there's that International Chamber of Commerce, which has a seat at the U.N.
You may be a bit confused as to the real purposes of the UN, the US military and a host of other organizations.
And the US military works on behalf of the multinationals, last time I checked (protecting Chinese mining companies mining copper in Afghanistan, protecting gas and oil pipelines to transport said stuff to facilities in India for multinationals, securing oil in southern Iraq for China, etc., etc., etc.).
The UN, IMF, World Bank should all be abolished.
Appearances can be deceiving and they usually are.... A Big Black Swan....!
Indeed
Does a big black swan have a deceiving appearance ? or does it look a like a big black swan? My point ? gee, is there handwriting on this wall ? The wall has handwriting all over it; but nobody wants to read it.
B9.
I agree 100%......it's past time.The main problem here is, the Fed holding this debt, is that it's debt that cannot go anywhere,(i.e) no other Sovereign is footing it at all.
And, soon everything is going to be Nationalized.This cannot, must not be allowed to happen.
There is an exception to your -B.- part, If your are a muslim in the military, now you can say that it is against your religion and do not have to follow your sworn obligation to " " solemnly swear (or affirm) to support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic";
Due to political correctness these people can not be courtmartialed and put in prison.
The majority of OPEC is muslim and control the price of oil. Over the last 20 years they have sucked out all the extra money that the U.S. has. Not all of the current oil speculators are muslim but a good percentage I suspect. Every time the U.S. economy looks like it might go up the speculators instantly bid up the price of oil and suck out even more of our dollars, preventing the U.S. from making a recovery to pay on our tremendous debt.
Blaming your dealer for your habit?
I would like to add to A just as you say. the debt is a reflection of poor economic polices. Hence the Joint cheifs should be speaking about that, not debt per se.
In my view much of thathas to do with the federal reserve and it's actions of always blowing asset price bubbles fueled by credit. In addition economic polices that don't fix things, blow them down the road, encourage wealth disparity (social instability). Our own government has played a big role in this.
It is a shame the Joint chiefs don't have the courage to address the real issue. fix those and the debt gets fixed. he is just using a military excuse to cut social programs. Or of course justify cuts to the military budget :-)
The United States military power and ability to out spend the rest of the world on defense comes from its reserve currency status. So it is true, there is no greater threat to America's ability to project power than running up so much debt that the dollar is no longer the world's reserve currency.
The military should attack Washington D.C.
Be careful what you wish for.
be careful what you type on your keyboard; never mind what you wish for.
Yeah, I'm not military and I'm not advocating it. The only thing uglier than civil war is despotism.
Instead of unleashing the Military against the country why not just unleash it against the Federal Reserve? It would be much easier and much more effective.
We can do something like this:
1) Seize the Fed and declare all debt to them "odious debt". That would immediately cut our debt by a large sum and require the military to fire hardly one bullet.
2) Return the power to control the issuance of the nations currency to congress...if only because that's what is stated in the...uh...whadda ya call it?...oh yeah...Constitution.
3) Cut military spending by at least 25%. Let's face it...is it really reasonable that we spend more on our military than the entire rest of the world combined does?...It just seems a bit excessive to me...but that's just me. Some may disagree.
From that point forth...a world of possibilities open up. Good possibilities. All we need to do is send a few motivated Marines...to the Marriner S. Eccles Building....then we can all truly hang a sign that says "Mission Accomplished".
It's not necessary. The US has chewed through multiple central banks at this point. The Fed just lived well over triple the next-highest lifespan.
I like this line of reasoning. 2 more questions, please...
"We can do something like this:"
Who's we?
How can do?
If the Military wants to take over, due to Constitutional issues,get this SOB back running on Original Constitutional reading....there will be no fight period.
( I can just see Rangel, and Fwank, behind overturned desks w/M4's)..LOL
Simply a removal of what's there now, new elections, and new people, and policies.
The U.S. Military, is not into destroying the country,we have a group in power doing a SLAM bang job on that now.
Constitution?, WTF is a Constitution?.
Now, if Despotism were to occur(which I see NO way) the current U.S.armed forces would go along with it, then a Civil War would be the only end game.
At that point moving to Haiti, would be an improvement over the end game.
Dude wake up. It's sociopaths (government) + psychopaths (military). They sprinkle in a few non sociopaths and psychopaths to confuse everyone but conform and control them. vs. EVERYONE ELSE.
"Fish rots from the head".
We can thank G.W.bush and McRonald reagan for this mess !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
We can thank idiots like you who have nothing to offer except inane commentary. You would be quite welcome on huffpo though.
And who is the greatest national threat, Pogo; "we have met the enemy and he is us".
This is also a threat to everybody's security. If the currency dies and one of the US's major hard assets is military hardware, that depreciates very quickly, they are forced to "cash in" the weapons to extract value and take a last desperate swing at maintaining hegemony.
Which is exactly the reason why we dashed over and started buying / dismantling ex-Soviet nukes after they crashed.
The boomer generation has born witness to the greatest private misallocation of capital in the modern era, dot-com, followed by the greatest public misallocation of capital in the modern era, blutarsky interest rates and banksters too bankrupt to go broke.
As we continue our walk through the fiscal wilderness it is fitting that 40 days and 40 nights (80 years) brings us 1932-2012. (1929-2009 being just a coincidence, of course.)
What shall we call the next generation? The busted?
The rhyming of the greatest separation of wealth since 1928 brings the spectre of the first full-blown deflationary episode post-WW2 to the forefront once again. The prevailing chestnut that deflation will result in depression is for the most part, per the historical record, nonsense. Worldwide, over the last couple centuries, there were 65 episodes of deflation without depression and 21 of depression without deflation, 65 of 73 deflation episodes had no depression, and 8 of 29 depression episodes had no deflation. Nearly 90% of the episodes with deflation did not have depression. (Atkeson&Kehoe, 2004)
Of course back then we had sound money not found money.
Deflation and depression were interlinked in GD1 of course, but not quite the way most folks believe it was. Inflation expectations were well anchored in GD1 and the black diamond in CPI to mark the onset of that crisis was symmetrical to the pop in CPI in the late 30s. Hyperinflation did not ensue because the 'deflation' more rightly should have been called disinflation, and of course deflation is the midwife of hyperinflation (caught you cribbin' Mr. Edwards.) The disinflation of the 30s was reversed with a 40% currency devaluation, the belief in wizards was strong and well met.
The empirical point to consider though is that this Great Depression is occurring in a sovereign that has the world's reserve currency with a national security apparatus that includes the rating agencies. A volatile mix of mischief that allows folks to not only dispel the administration of medicine but promote the advocacy of alchemy while bloviating on how deflation is truly the hemlock of the people, well at least some of the people.
How does this end? To the sound of great applause, folly's denouement ... and then a long period of silence.
In many ways it is the age old story of Emperors and Pirates, deflation being the Jolly Roger, and a headlong drive into oblivion with the argument that forcing the issue will resolve it. Rummy's chestnut of "If you can't solve a problem, make it bigger."
Methinks the Federales have one 'futile and stupid gesture' brewing to can-kick the ebbing empire, guns and butter redux, although this time perhaps more appropriately phrased as buns and gutter. Ultimately regaled, for those of more modest deportment, as Financial Pornography 101 : Gangbanging a String.
The Fed will end, 2016 is circled on my calendar, hoist with their own petar; and 't shall go hard. The world as bard, as they play their last card.
The "boomer generation" is the one responsible for this mess. They are selfish and way too materialistic.
Agreed. The boomer generation has insisted on continuously expanding entitlement programs to a point of complete unsustainability while failing to insist on adequate financial governance and regulation and quite often not even balancing their checkbooks.
Hey baby boomers. I like how you've screwed over all future generations of Americans, in perpetuity, by burdening them with an unsustainable debt burden, a broken economy, and a disunited country.
Assholes.
the boomers didnt do it. the politicians who bought votes with it did. i would like for helicopter ben to spray hundreds through my windows...if i could bribe a politician to make that happen i would
government is responsible for not only egging people on but also promising them riches and security on the heels of their debt laden kids
http://www.usdebtclock.org/
We all did it! We are all still doing it! We are all gonna pay and pay big time. There is no way around it. the first step to being productive in this environment is accepting responsibility and then doing something to make it better.
oh yeah, I am from QUOTE gen X UNQUOTE
'the boomers didn't do it.'
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eFTLKWw542g&ob=av2n
koaj,
Face it dudeski, the Boomers are responsible for the FRA of 1912,W Wilson,FDR, Aids, Bubonic Plauge,Smallpox,Pam Andersons tits........etc,etc,etc.
Refuse to buy refuse to fund pensions pay off your house put your money in offshore accts, silver, etc. Don't feed the source that serves these greedy schmucks.
There's no such thing as an offshore account. The banking industry owns all banks and they really don't give a crap if your money is one country or another.
We are guilty as charged.... Euthanize us all.... It would be a better world.....
Trust me.....!
Still asking for gov't to do what you should just do yourself!
</total sarcasm>
+1,000 !!
Quote of the day!
That's next on the list, as your injected w/drugs, into a Lucid Dream state.........or, a 7.62 Tokarev to the base of the brain.
Shit is CHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP...........
Ice pick, even cheaper, or a .22 Short.
you first; I'll hold on to your silver for you, while I make sure everything "goes alright", heh, heh, heh.
ML,
Fku,you have no clue what you are saying, and lumping the ENTIRE Boomer group into a bowl of shit, is shit.
Myself, nor ONE swinging dick I know, that is in Boomer staus, had anything to say about this, and everyone I know, worked,and paid their own way.
You need to go back to 1913,Wilson, and FDR, LBJ, for the Welfare fks.......we were FORCED into the system.
You get that part?. As in no choice?.
If there's an Asshole, tag your it.
Now that you mention it, I don't recall having been given the choice, no box to check or question to answer.
great quote RR...thanks
maybe it's not the particular generation that's the problem, but the sellouts, suckers & sociopaths in every generation that's the problem?
ML,
Fku,you have no clue what you are saying, and lumping the ENTIRE Boomer group into a bowl of shit, is shit.
Myself, nor ONE swinging dick I know, that is in Boomer staus, had anything to say about this, and everyone I know, worked,and paid their own way.
You need to go back to 1913,Wilson, and FDR, LBJ, for the Welfare fks.......we were FORCED into the system.
You get that part?. As in no choice?.
If there's an Asshole, tag your it.
A fucking men. This shit has existed in a large time and space in a large time and place. Time to knit this up in every generation and every experience of it. Bye bye wendy the magic paradoxical money system dragon. Nice knowing ya.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kO6qrtSTkew
Shit..the US will go broke long before the boomers will collect all they have put into the system! Tell me how much you have at stake?
Aww, shaddup or we baby boomers will conspire to break your typing fingers and keyboard too. And we'll probably spank your butt for the first time in your life.
And if you think we won't, just look at what we already did to you and your kind.
Baby boomers are keeping an eye on you. The country may be disunited, but baby boomers are a very close-knit group who share much more than just a demographic.
So be verrrrry, verrrry careful because, yes, you're right; We are Assholes.
The problem began December 23, 1913. It ain't got shit to do with the baby boomers.
missing link: your welcome!
Yes, the boomers are nominally at fault. But the reality is that they are human, and when faced with the same moral hazards and false dichotomies created by our overlords, your genration (or mine) likely would have done the same, no?
It's why I love the Constituion, because it recognizes universal human shortcomings and seeks to mitigate them. People are people, no sense singling out the Hippy generation (as annoying as they are).
The "boomer generation" is the one responsible for this mess.
The boomers blamed their parents for the mess that was the 1960s. You are no closer to the mark with your accusation than they were with theirs.
They are selfish and way too materialistic.
No living being would remain alive if it decided to favor the interests of outsiders over the interests of self and family. If you try to rescind selfishness, you'll take all life on earth with it.
Everyman,
I think I am demographically with the beginning edge of the Xer crew. I am surprised you would say something this simplistic, you generally have decent things to contribute. I am not too thrilled with my crew's performance, AT ALL, nor the next group, and the millennials (my child's group) are scaring the shit out of me. We all inherited this and we are each going to have to see our own way through it. Why do you need to single out the Boomers is what I would like to know?
Hi MsCreant.....sure we all have done some things wrong, but we didn't cheat and steal from all of America and rob future tax revenue for generations the way our captured govenment did on behalf of their puppetmaster the privately held federal reserve...
I can't give up hope that we will shut down the cartel, and get our country back--
""If the American people ever allow private banks to control the issue of currency, first by inflation, then by deflation, the banks and corporations that will grow up around them will deprive the people of all property until their children wake up homeless on the continent their fathers conquered." Thomas Jefferson
agrotera,
I rather hope that what they set in motion, destroys them. Nothing like some good failure to clean out the system and free up resources for honest ingenuity to take root and grow. I think the justice system is captured and we will not be able to "take it back." I fear we never had it.
Always good to see you!
MsCreant
So you're saying that David Rockefeller, Henry Kissinger, John Negroponte, Maurice Greenberg, Peter G. Peterson, et al., are "boomers"?
Not too good with the arithmetic, are you?
"Methinks the Federales have one 'futile and stupid gesture' brewing to can-kick the ebbing empire, guns and butter redux, although this time perhaps more appropriately phrased as buns and gutter. Ultimately regaled, for those of more modest deportment, as Financial Pornography 101 : Gangbanging a String."
LOL...welcome back AM.
Here-here! +Infinity, until.....
you reversed your own comment in the end. War. This is the only way they will "fix" it. War. That's why the CJCoS would ever bother making these kinds of comments, not the threat of defence budget cuts (which is real). War.
War. They're out of options monetarily, but more importantly, politically, and the gangbang'll only deepen their political losses in Novemeber.
War, and soon, and how, as the patsy, Israel, needs also to act immediately to ensure its patsy's November outcome is materially in its favor, regardless of who wins.
Of course, Obama could take the November loss, and, [affirmative-action] genius that he is (as you all insist on telling me), play this card.......................................................................................................................................
in 2012
affirmative action genius;;;contradiction in terms. perfect example of a sleepy nation of replete sheep shooting themselves in the foot.
You flatter yourself at 145 if you can't get something that simple, and it's even funnier you think 145 is worth advertising 'round hea.
Mike Mullen is right. He must be planning to leave soon. Sinking ship.
He is floating a trial balloon...to see if the time is right for an air-strike on the Fed.
Yes, that is wishful thinking.How about a Global War on the Oligarchs?
That would pay dividends.....
Right on!
War against the debt!
Biggest Threat to National Security - Debt, Politicians, Wall Street & the "Elite".
And China and Middle East oil. All of which could be dealt with by Washington.
So are our politicians gutless and stupid, or clever and criminal ?
Nothing else answers the question as to why we continue on this path of wealth destruction.
I'm with Team "gutless and criminal"
My question is WHY did it take so long?.Why wait, it's clear as day what they have been up to,if the Military doesn't step in, the Citizens must.
Say's the selfish,stupid,self centered, no good for nothing Boomer that never owed a man a dime he did not get back,nor broke his word,nor failed to fulfill a contract, that believes a mans word is his bond, and Character once lost, can never be regained,that has mores, and values that Gen X, and Y, mostly never even heard of,(key mostly).
I will not throw every member of any generation under the bus, like some dicks here have.
If that's a Boomer, then I am proud to be one....
I can't wait for the lineup of men & women saying "it's not my fault".
I vote for W as the first on the Truth & Reconciliation Commission stand.
I need some humour.
He'd probably inadvertently reveal the powers behind the throne and how they get their way. Carter is too self-righteous, Bush Sr. is too practiced, and Clinton is too slick. Those three will not be the first internationalists to expose their masters.
And I'll bet you this: all four of them still believe they made the world a better place. They all think a global oligarchy is man's best hope.
Yeah, Dubya will 'testify' live from Paraguay with lower-third of the screen reading:
George Bush (former Texas Rangers owner)
well, I had to laugh at that one. LOL as they say here; but that's what you get for owning a television set; I've never owned one. I find the present running in circles and hand waving quite amuzing; and I expect the "grownups" to go ahead and tear their playhouse down; no matter, I'll just get some more popcorn.
.
Mullen is worried because he is afraid they will cut his Defense budget, not because of the fact that the debt problem will destabilise the US.
Well, that's how I read it.
They can cut it to $0.00. So what, its all off budget anyway. Oh wait, we have no 2011 budget which begins 1 Oct 2010. Cool!
and the biggest waste of resources, including money, is
the defense department and pentagon and security apparatus.
our attempts and efforts, lame, to create security actually accomplish
the opposite, create more insecurity. this is why the world recognizes
america and americans as morons. this also creates a perfect environment
for con men to steal pre money money directly from the treasury in broad
daylight under the cover of respectable position and duly accredited
and sanctified authority. "leaders" becoming parasite facilitators.
but it will end well, the fed has it under control.
end the fed. (amygdala of the war machine).
The defense budget is obscene by any measure but pales in comparison to entitlement spending. As a famous actor once said, "A government big enough to give you everything you need is big enough to take away everything you have." Mission Accomplished!
Comparing entitlement to military contribution to the nat'l debt...scroll down about half way on this page for a chart.
http://www.americanthinker.com/2010/08/iraq_the_war_that_broke_us_not.html
b.s. just sayin'.
If the author of the linked article really had anything worthwhile to say, it wouldn't such an absurdly partisan piece.
Perhaps the short-term costs of the Iraq war aren't as great as the anti-war advocates would have one believe. I'd certainly buy that. But the effort to shift all the blame onto a Democrat administration is a bit too shrill to be taken seriously.
After all, it wasn't a Dem administration that created the prescription drug entitlement program--that was Dubya's baby.
Anyone who believes our situation is the fault of the Democrats, or the fault of the Republicans, is already so hopelessly wrong that the discussion should be over.
To be fair, I said "look at the chart" not "read the analysis of the data".
Here's the point:
If you think the US spends too much on military, OK, sure, no argument.
If you think it come close to comparing with entitlement spending, you're spending too much time reading people who write with agendas.
if that is really your middle finger i'm sure you have been
told you should take up the piano.
.
except the "government" is not the government. yet it is?
the trick is to have a shadow government so you can take
all the goodies into the shadow and leave all the waste and
expense with "the people", the other government that actually
has no place in the "government" but is the government.
raygun was just a crook acting like a leader, people fell for it
cause they can't resist a good actor. marketing works.
end the fed. amygdala of the war machine.
.
entitlements are only expensive , actual and projected, because
the fed has been trashing the curreny for 100 years, nearly. this to
leverage everything and everyone into their skimming sham.
rome , 3rd century, ad. ?
That quote is attributed to Gerald Ford and often erroneously attributed to Thomas Jefferson.
http://wiki.monticello.org/mediawiki/index.php/Government_big_enough_to_...
Jefferson did say: "The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not."
these comments from the jcs are nothing but a prelude to war and a coup....the united states is the world's leading fascist totalitarian state....the involvement of the military in political matters is not idle talk. it is a warning flag....
You mean men of substance and great accomplishment may lead us again instead of pompous community organizers with communist sympathies?
Yeah, people like Nixon and Benedict Arnold. God, I miss the good old days when everybody was a hero.
3 channels and nothing but heros on em.
Wrong....
The biggest threat to "USA" is....
1) The CURRENT government (individuals in govt)....same faces....same faces....same problems and worse....
Faulty structure and rules
ie govt cannot exceed 10% of the economy
ie tax structure change....
The immediate removal of all individual and corporate income taxes...
To be replaced by a small monthly basis point charge on all money deposits....
2) Flawed securities exchange structure
Needs to be restructured for RETAIL..not a handful of large accounts which have also succeeded in regulatory capture....after all....this IS THE INTERNET AGE...."use it wisely"....Banks should be "servicers of RETAIL"....nothing more....
'Nuf Said...by the A-Holes at J-Hole
Fiscal "alchemy" must mimic monetary science
Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the BombGeneral Jack D. Ripper: Mandrake, do you recall what Clemenceau once said about war?
Group Capt. Lionel Mandrake: No, I don't think I do, sir, no.
General Jack D. Ripper: He said war was too important to be left to the generals. When he said that, 50 years ago, he might have been right. But today, war is too important to be left to politicians. They have neither the time, the training, nor the inclination for strategic thought. I can no longer sit back and allow Communist infiltration, Communist indoctrination, Communist subversion and the international Communist conspiracy to sap and impurify all of our precious bodily fluids.
Major T.J. "King" Kong: Survival kit contents check. In them you'll find: one forty-five caliber automatic; two boxes of ammunition; four days' concentrated emergency rations; one drug issue containing antibiotics, morphine, vitamin pills, pep pills, sleeping pills, tranquilizer pills; one miniature combination Russian phrase book and Bible; one hundred dollars in rubles; one hundred dollars in gold; nine packs of chewing gum; one issue of prophylactics; three lipsticks; three pair of nylon stockings. Shoot, a fella' could have a pretty good weekend in Vegas with all that stuff.
Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb
You can't fight in here, this is the war room!
Well, Admiral Mullen raises some interesting points, but I hate to judge before all the facts are in.
Hey, look!
Two of our three biggest creditors are evil central planning regimes that have interests that directly conflict with the interests of the American people
That's why we're going to ignore them and nuke the Japanese.
again ?
easy, easy there. its just a co-incidence. don't pay it any mind.
Under what conditions do you think the U.S. military would take sides (physical or otherwise) against their civilian bosses in Washington D.C.?
I think it's obvious to everyone by now that Obama has Big Plans for this country which may become a whole lot less popular than they already are if the economy really starts to fall apart. Obama still has a lot of fans on all levels of society but his disdain for all (or most) things military may be a mismatch for such grandiose ambitions. In other words, domestic enforcemant may become an issue.
The last time there was a threat of martial law was under Nixon when there was fear he would call out the troops to save his Presidency. The next time will be after the currency collapse, but the Presidency will be replaced by a military junta.
...answerable to Obama? That just doesn't seem all that plausible.
Military junta......if that's the case then things may be looking up for equites since according to a recent post also described a resurgence of stock prices after Pinochet took control of Chile.......way out of the money calls.
nah, shrub had a go in Sept. 2008 - how soon we forget:
http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/glenn_greenwald/2008/09/24/army
again, there are no "sides" in gov't., apart from THEIR side, which is not YOUR side, k.
enough with the nonsense that a "president" is in control. . . they are faces, with scripts, and are well compensated for their acting - that's it folks, no president has "power" or "agenda" nor even opinions. . . it's like reality TV, they hire folk that will play the roles.
"Under what conditions do you think the U.S. military would take sides (physical or otherwise) against their civilian bosses in Washington D.C.?"
Conditions very close to where we are now, or where we will be very soon.
I've known many military (all branches) men all my life... young, old, active, retired... and 90% of them are now disgusted to the point of sedition. And this is NOT a Red vs. Blue thing. These feelings are deeper - well beyond partisan politics. The active soldiers I know are fully aware that they are corporate pawns, and if they felt they could find work outside of the military, every last one of them would prefer to work - not kill/occupy - for their paycheck. The retired military men I know have taken much longer to shed the kneejerk patriotism they've been trained to regurgitate. Some still bark and snarl at the nearest faux enemy, but I've been shocked to see so many drop the blind allegiance they've carried for decades. They understand what "quantitative easing" is and where it leads. They see Iraq and Middle East for what it truly is... Vietnam x 10, with terrorism taking communism's place in the same old propaganda re-runs. And for what? To steal another country's resources for corporate profit. The young guys see all of this clearly, and the old guys are moving up the learning curve slowly but surely.
Anyone who thinks our military culture is blind, brainwashed, or stupid is dead wrong. I know these men (and women), and these days they sound downright revolutionary. And this gives me optimism, and makes me proud.
They should have attacked Bush. If I was sent to war over what turned out to be a demonstrable lie, I'd be pissed.
They ARE pissed at Bush (+Cheney, Rummy, etc.).
They are also pissed at the current admin. for rolling over most regs & reserves from the 'sand box' straight to the 'rock pile'... the most corrupt, unwinnable theater imaginable.
The military have been reduced to bribing these guys with cash to get another tour out of them, and even this desperate tactic is losing momentum...
Good to hear.
they're also poisoned, sick, fighting for care, and committing suicide in record numbers.
http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=20186
of course, I don't hear him saying anything about cutting defense spending. How about getting out stupid asses out of Afghanistan and Iraq? How about grilling Mr. Karzai about those lost 8.5 billion. Make a ton of cuts and stop screwing our veterans.
The article quotes him as saying "the Pentagon needs to cut back on spending."
+1,000,000,000
maybe he will be running for president in the next election against Obama.
... or maybe he'll bypass the election altogether?
That will be Gen. Petraeus. I think he is the next president and next puppet in line. Remember this name.
Our political leadership in Washington D.C. believe that we MUST allow the Ponzi to continue, lest we find our country hurled headlong into the jaws of a Jihadist-led national security extinction level event. Even those well-meaning men and women who, in their hearts, know that our monetary system is poisonous and who know that our current policies of obfuscation and fraud will eventually destroy the middle class---even these folks believe that supporting the continuation of current fiscal policies---while such policies may be anathema to their idealistic sense of fair-play and righteousness---amounts to promoting the lesser-of-two-evils. They know it's wrong, but they vote otherwise, because they are entangled in what amounts to the employment of a perverse variation of the "necessity defense".
Our leaders believe that we must sacrifice truth and law, and that we must allow for the destruction of a once-vibrant middle class, in exchange for the very survival of the nation. Our leaders in Washington believe that if we were to end the fraud and the extortion that exemplifies the work of our Wall Street moguls, if we were to close the risk-free derivatives gambling casinos, if we were to stop the bailouts and end the backstops and bring REAL risk back to our capital markets, we would experience severe economic contraction. And they are correct! We of course would have to experience such a contraction, because virtually ALL of our "growth" over the past decades has been created through the legitimization of our massive pyramid-scheme economy. Bring the Ponzi to justice, and the economy comes to a screeching halt.
And truth be known, there are individuals on Capitol Hill who might possibly be willing to support a return to sanity---thus tacitly acknowledging the inevitability of our having to go through the severe and ongoing economic contraction that would result from our "getting honest". But sadly, these few potentially honorable souls have had a powerful bug planted in their ever-burning ears---and that bug is this: If we allow a Depression to come, we risk literal annihilation at the hands of the Visigoths----errr, Muslims and Commies---who would not hesitate to take advantage of our weakness.
Our leaders in Washington believe that we cannot afford to be truth-seekers---that we cannot afford the luxury of bringing the usury to an end. We must, they think, support the Goldmans and the Citi's and the BofA's despite the fact that these corporations are nothing more than revenue-generating thief houses, and we must, they plot, pen utterly false legislation, legislation that pretends to create oversight of such things as OTC trading but that really (read the fine print) leaves the 'too-big-to-fails' totally unfettered in their ability to create trillions more in fraudulent profits for themselves whilst unemployment inches toward 20% and while the middle class suffocates under a toxic blanket of ever-increasing debt.
Our leaders in Washington believe that we must allow these crimes to continue, because without the "profits" created by the criminal syndicate, our nation would become vulnerable and weak, and our ability to prosecute all of our wars overseas would be fatally circumscribed.
well said. i agree and they are absolutely wrong and getting
"rich" being so. but it will fail for a million reasons, or perhaps
a billion, or more. they are just trading integrity for ... nothing.
.
http://maxkeiser.com/
.
[OTE70] On the Edge with Joern Berninger
August 28th, 2010 by stacyherbertRespond
Stacy Summary: Interview with Joern Berninger from yesterday’s On the Edge, air date 27 August 2010.
Blind man, thank you for the link. Read it this morning, hoping more folks see it. 3 weeks or less to prepare. Surprised we lasted this long.
Mystery future= great adventure, we are spirit more so then men and women and its time we reflect that by assuming the position, or not.
Good luck and best wishes to you all, no matter what happens it is and was a pleasure to share your/our thoughts over these last few months. As none of us know the day or time of the "end" i am saying my "good byes" now.
When it comes it will be unexpected.
This was interesting. Listened to it while cleaning today. Thanks.
This is what they call "wishful thinking."
Ever been to DC? Ever worked in politics?
They're eating steak, dude. They don't know, or are at best dimly aware.
And they don't care a bout anything but getting that paper.
He should take a look at this: ' Mass assassinations lie at the heart of America's military strategy in the Muslim world '
http://www.alternet.org/news/147944/mass_assassina...
If only it were true. But only a fool would believe that we have the actionable intelligence required by such a program. We hit a few here, a few there, beats risking American lives to capture them and send them to Club Gitmo.
That's the way we should conduct war. Without all the troops, mass bombing,etc. The only problem for our leaders is that eventually others will do the same.
If others conducted such a war against the US might we call the actions "terrorism?"
Also note that local law enforcement has established a tradition of adopting military regalia, equipment and tactics. Might it be possible that one day you or your loved ones might become targets for assassination? Obama has already asserted his right to assassinate American citizens overseas without trial. What groups have been labeled as being possible terrorists by the government since the closing months of the Bush administration? Right wing extremists, Ron Paul supporters and folks who often cite the US Constitution, that's who.
What comes around goes around. As you sow, so shall you reap.
That's the way we should conduct war. Without all the troops, mass bombing,etc. The only problem for our leaders is that eventually others will do the same.
“[T]he imminent increase in interest rates” will come after the Fed has cleaned out virtually every saver in town, using its below-inflation trump card to force retired and retirement savers to use up their principal for survival.
By keeping interest rates artificially below inflation, by discouraging normal thrift and saving and investment, the Fed can wipe out all competition for capital supply and become the lender of only resort. IE.,The End Game. IE, Money Monopoly!
“We may define savings and investment,” says the late Henry Hazlitt, “as constituting respectively the supply of and demand for new capital. And just as the supply of and demand for any other commodity are equalized by price, so the supply of and demand for capital are equalized by interest rates.”
“The interest rate,” says Hazlitt, “is merely the special name for the price of loaned capital. It it a price like any other."
But this is no longer a supply and demand economy; it is a banker planned economy.
In the second quarter, 11.1 percent of 401(k) savers who actively participate in their plan took out loans, the highest level in 10 years, according to data released Friday from Fidelity Investments.
Says the Denver Post, People facing financial struggles "are looking to their 401(k)s. For many people, this is their only option, because it's their only form of savings."
The average 401(k) account balance for the second quarter of 2010 was $61,800, according to the Post.
There is only one question as productivity and economic growth slow and shut down. Without accumulated capital in the hands of consumers/producers, how can they then buy?
Or do the bankers have another plan in mind.
I might as well state the one correct program for everyone of these 401k owners; cash out, never mind the penalties; they're are irrelevant and put everything in silver bullion. problem solved. you can locate the vaulting facilities via Google; bullionvault.com is an example. large purchasing power profits will result in the next 2-3 years which can be repatriated in whatever currency is amuzing at the moment.
I thought the biggest security risk in America was Obama, Benny B en Little Timmy...
Maybe this will result in another Civil War.
"have-nots" vs. working people? - Ned
Tea Party v. Unions?
Tea Party + Taxpayers vs. Unions + Electronic Benefit Transfer users?
http://www.ebtproject.ca.gov/
EBT users will riot when their casino privileges are canceled ;-)
- Ned
Baby Boomers vs Everyone else
Republicans vs Democrats
Pro abortion vs Anti abortion
Gay vs Straight
Pro war vs Anti war
Black vs White vs Hispanic
Fox News vs MSN
Homeowners vs Homeless
Employed vs unemployed
Tax payer vs tax taker
Liberal vs conservative
Public Employees vs Private Employees
Union vs Non union
City folk vs country folk
Haves vs have nots
Wall Street vs Main street
Green vs ?
Ron Paul vs Ben Bernanke
Democracy vs Republic
Socialism vs capitalism
Muslim vs Christian
Christian vs Jew
Israel vs Iran
School Prayer vs Separation of Church & State
I could do this all day...extreme caution is advised.
DIVIDE, meet CONQUER. CONQUER this is your new roommate, DIVIDE. Now, get busy boys!
whew, sure am glad that we elected the One to be the unifier. - Ned
"If anyone is destined for captivity, to captivity he goes; if anyone kills with the sword, with the sword he must be killed. Here is the perseverance and the faith of the saints."
Redheads vs. anybody who pisses them off.
+100, my wife agrees - Ned
I remember in high school, when I wouldn't say the pledge, and had to go talk to the vice principal: he said, with a very angry & blood-filled face, in a loud & [attempted] assertive voice, "YOU WILL SAY THE PLEDGE!"
...and I didn't.
Nothing but threats.
enjoy the crumbs dude
I hope so !!!!!!!! South needs another beat down !!!!!!!! usa can`t win a war with southerns in the army !!
You may well get your wish, many here look forward to an open season on northeastern and west coast types.
By the way- the southern states are the core of the miltary Sparky. You keep letting your kids be Xbox experts, we'll keep taking ours to the range starting at single digit ages.
http://www.nationalpriorities.org/militaryrecruiting2008/staterates2008
http://www.nationalpriorities.org/militaryrecruiting2008/Army2008region
I don't have the numbers handy, but the Marines skew even more heavily southern. But hey, you just keep running your mouth boy and pretend that you're anything but a pale weak shadow of a man.
Any lack of success in war is due to the spinelessness of the politicians from your areas, not the fighting quality of our troops (which is excellent). Should such a scenario occur it will be the northeast and left coast vs. the rest, and thats going to be very ugly for you ladies indeed. Not only do we have most of the military, we've got the bases and our bench is far deeper.