Monday Not the Blues

For some reason this has been one of the best Monday mornings for me in a while. This seems to have been true for at least one other person, too! Amdist all the suffering of our time, there is a growing sense of hope that maybe -- just maybe -- we are beginning to see our way to a new clearing in the dark, dark woods. I hope to have more on all this later today or soon. Please check back. And -- have a good Monday! -- TMP

Let It Not Be Said The Internet Cannot Be Used For Good

Quickly -- Business Week Online is reporting that an Internet-based, free money transfer service is being offerd by Expensify, a payroll reporting company, to small businesses trying to pay foreign workers. Bitcoin, the money transfer service, can transfer "money" anywhere in the world. Bitcoin is being offered as an alternative to PayPal which charges fees for such money transfers. Read more here: http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-03-29/expensify-brings-bitcoin-to-main-street#r=lr-fst

Attorney General to Pursue New Cases

Rush post -- The Wall Street Journal today is reporting that Attorney General Eric Holder plans to hold open the possibility of new prosecutions relating to the financial melt-down of 2008. This is essentially the most important news of the day! If these are real prosecutions we should begin to get at not only the guilty, but the true story of just what caused the panic of '08.

Should We Now Simply Ignore Shoplifting of Relatively Inexpensive Items?

Author advises N.S.A. spokesman to be honest Writer Thom Hartmann has compared DeLong, the N.S.A. spokesman, to a soft-on-crime puddin'-head in the article linked to below. (My words, by the way.) The analogy is fair, as you will see. Amidst all the controversy over the N.S.A. program, let us not forget that this kind of wide-spread program would have been unheard of prior to September 11, 2001. With promised new information about Building No.3 on September 11, coming next month, perhaps we will finally begin to get the truth about that day, the day which led to so much subsequent suffering and Constitutional violations.

Fed Up! Fired Up!

North Carolinians in the face of new Jim Crow voter suppression laws are "fed up; fired up!"

Thursday Whimsy

Just a few random thoughts -- Why is it that every group that wants money now is asking me to "chip in" instead of just "donate"? Have the golfers taken over charity fund-raising? Nevertheless, if and when I stop being teed off I will definitely "chip in." * Doesn't the term "homeland" as used in the United States today sound suspiciously similar to "Fatherland" as used by the Nazis? * On immigration reform: It used to be when a company moved to another computer software they "changed over" to a new program. Now if you move over to a new software you "migrate." And usually there are problems with the "migration!" Time for "migration" reform? * Last week our newspaper said our county government would now let us save our information in the cloud. That doesn't sound very good when the cloud starts to rain. * The vast infusion of money by the Federal Reserve is called "quantitative easing." I'm going to tell my creditors that I could use a little quantitive easing. Hey, it's government policy! * Oh, the strange times we live in. * Have a happy day. -- TMP

Court Says: "Stop Frisking"

Rush Post At the link below is the story of yesterday's important court ruling calling the New York Police Department's "stop and frisk" policy un-Constitutional. This is a heroic decision and one to be praised and lauded permanently. http://truth-out.org/video/item/18156-judge-rules-nypds-stop-and-frisk-unconstitutional-orders-federal-oversight

"Aftershock" is Electric

I continued reading the book Aftershock over the week-end. I began skipping around a bit; apparently I don't need as much convincing as some people that the economy is in dangerous territory. So I began learning about which areas of the economy were worse than others and what I might do to protect myself. Then I began learning of how I might change careers or at least strengthen myself in my current field. Fascinating reading, all. People can sense and even know that we are in strange times. What most people do not understand is that we are in a bubble economy, not just an ordinary "downturn." The latter term is merely cheer-leading, according to the authors, and I agree. My own research showed me a number of years ago that the economy has been largely financialized, meaning turned away from the making of traditional physical and useful products to investment "products," which are products of a very different kind.* Our job as Americans, or citizens of the world's countries, is to get the facts. In the U.S. we had a famous TV show called "Dragnet," which some may remember. In the show the detective was forever saying, "Just the facts, ma'am." This is where we must start. Aftershock is a big help in establishing the facts. Only with the facts can we make a plan. And only with a plan can we take effective action. With the facts, there is at least hope. *See The Financialization of Daily Life

Saturday Poetry: Horace

on Moderation He that holds fast the golden mean,/ And lives contentedly between/ The little and the great,/ Feels not the wants that pinch the poor,/ Nor plagues that haunt the rich man's door/ Embittering all his state// Horace, from Odes, Book II, translated by William Cowper

Live: President Obama Lashes Out Against Republicans

President Obama is slamming the Republican Party for having repeal of the new Health Care Act at the center of their program.

Live: President Obama Responds to Question About "Tweaking" the Health Care Act Implementation

President Obama is explaining why he agreed to a delay in the implementation of certain aspects of the new Health Care Act. He is talking about an open enrollment next March.

Live: President Obama Speaking from the White House

President Obama is speaking now on the intelligence issue. Unfortunately, this is a mixture of fear tactics, and normal political strategy. So far, that is....// http://www.nytimes.com/

Pres. Obama Changes Tack on Surveillance Issues

In a rather surprising move, President Obama has today called for a reform of the way surveillance issues are decided in a secret court, and has also called for greater transparency in the way intelligence is gathered. While welcome news, the suggested reforms may not go far enough. It could well be a situation of too little too late in a controversy that never should have arisen. Check back here for more news and views on this important issue. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324522504579002653564348842.html

Not Shocked

As I've spoken about the book "Aftershock" to friends over the last few days, no one has been shocked to hear America is in trouble. In my conversations I have not dwelt on the more dire aspects of the potential harm which could await us after the collapse of multiple financial bubbles. Instead I have spoken about the first chapters of the book which focus on some of the reasons we have gotten into this mess in the first place and how there is a coming general collapse of the economy based in large part on a failed financial system. The corruption which is now rampant in much of the international financial system can be seen in this book. An even better book for the corrupt and even criminal nature of the system can be found in Predator Nation which I have talked about here earlier (see previous post from last week). Americans are getting braver and bolder. Two examples: first an organization called Security Works has not only protested proposed cuts in Social Security but has been organizing for an expansion of Social Security! And in today's paper we learn that a secure e-mail business which had Edward Snowden, the patriotic former intelligence employee, as a customer has gone out of business rather than cooperate with the N.S.A.'s spying program. How all these events are tied together has not yet been seen by the world's people. For whatever reason, I have been granted the ability to see in outline how everything ties together. While the details will have to be filled in later, it has become clear that certain persons have gone to extraordinary lengths indeed to protect their wealth and power. But all is not lost; far from it. In coming weeks I plan to present some of these reasons for hope, such as the two examples above. I believe that God, if there is a God, does not want the world to suffer in this way indefinitely. We still have choices, and a certain amount of control -- perhaps more than we know -- for good. N. B. I am not on the staff of the publishing company.

Pre-shock

I continue to read Aftershock by David Wiedemer, Robert A. Wiedemer, and Cindy Spitzer (John Wiley & Sons). The title of the book refers to economic conditions after all the various economic bubbles have popped. Since we are not yet at that point, there is still time to prepare for the inevitable collapse, as predicted by these astute authors. The collapse predicted will be world-wide, and relatively long-lasting. In this important tome, the various bubbles are described in clear detail. Later, it is promised, I will be reading about how to survive the aftershock of the "bubblequake," and even profit from it. Although I am not interested in profiting from the pain of others, I am interested in surviving and even thriving in this most serious of all "downturns." This book -- so far -- is highly recommended.

New Design: Working Template

Welcome to the newly-redesigned Musical Patriot web log! Actually, the blogging program makes such changes easy. So, consider this a working trial. (I was beginning to have a technical problem with the old version, so this will be, in effect, a trial version. Comments are welcome.) Meanwhile -- the latest book on my reading shelf is "Aftershock" (Second Edition). I will have more to say about this book soon. For now, it certainly does seem to be an important and useful book for those who care about finance, whether national or personal. I will post again soon.

"Predator Nation"

The book linked to below contains an interesting, even shocking, unknown history of the economic collapse of 2008. For those who want to know the truth behind this cataclysmic event, and why it will likely happen again, this book is invaluable. Predator Nation:  The Book