tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-74866928566423044442024-03-07T01:23:22.899-08:00Stop Islamic ConquestAn honest look at the violent spread of Islam (and related topics).Yankee Doodlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10359740268842861707noreply@blogger.comBlogger720125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7486692856642304444.post-42502268527513934692009-02-14T06:15:00.000-08:002009-02-14T14:40:33.488-08:00Blog Trek: Run Silent, Run Deep<small>CYBERSPACE, THE FINAL FRONTIER...<br /><br />THESE ARE THE VOYAGES OF THE <i>UCS WEBLOG</i>...<br /><br />ITS MULTIYEAR MISSION...<br /><br />TO EXPLORE STRANGE NEW SITES...<br /><br />TO SEEK OUT NEW FACTS AND NEW POINTS OF VIEW...<br /><br />TO BOLDLY GO WHERE NO BLOGGER HAS GONE BEFORE....</small><br /><br /><br />Aboard the <i>United Cybership (UCS) Weblog</i>...<br /><br /><br />Captain's Blog, Cyberdate 20090214<br /><br /><br />Deep in uncharted cyberspace, we have become aware of unique threats posed to the <i>UCS Weblog</i> by our enemy. Analyses by Intelligence and Tactical indicate that our vessel is being tracked based upon our identification transponder, the codes for which have been compromised. Although I will not go into the technical details in this blog entry, it is important to realize the gravity of the threat.<br /><br />The Federation is part of a broader alliance that now finds itself in the midst of a war -- a war which was begun by a terrorist attack. The information that we have uncovered makes that terrorist attack look more and more suspicious. Undoubtedly, the terrorists had help from deep inside the Federation, and undoubtedly, the enemy that we now face has access to Federation cybership transponder codes.<br /><br />To be sure, it takes resources to track a cybership, although the need for resources is mitigated by the fact that, once started, the process of tracking cyberships is highly automated.<br /><br />We had previously been aware of our enemy's ability to sense the wake of our vessel as we move through cyberspace, and of our enemy's attempt to track the leading edge of our wake, with an eye toward gaining a fire control solution against us. Now, however, the ante in this game has been upped by the enemy's ability to track us via our transponder code.<br /><br />It should be noted that other critical information is now known or assumed to be compromised, as well.<br /><br />As a consequence of this situation, the <i>UCS Weblog</i> has been forced to operate far more cautiously than previously.<br /><br />As I reflect on this, I am reminded of stories about submarine operations in past wars. These vessels, with the ability to slip into close proximity to enemy targets and fire on them while underwater, and thus unseen, were considered particularly dangerous in warfare. In a deadly game of cat-and-mouse -- an analogy I have used in a previous blog entry with reference to our own situation -- the answer to the threat posed by the submarine was for groups of ships to work together to hunt it down and destroy it; however, the game of cat-and-mouse was deadly precisely because the prey was so deadly, and, indeed, it was often difficult to tell who was the prey, and who was the hunter pursuing it, or, as I had phrased it, "who is the cat, and who is the mouse."<br /><br />Already with a reputation for mystery, the <i>UCS Weblog</i> now becomes even more mysterious, as we manipulate our transponder, and tie this through Tactical to our cloaking system, allowing us to move like a ghostship through the heart of enemy cyberspace. The enemy must now wonder where will we appear and in what form, what target will we fire upon and with what weapons -- all while I compare our current situation to that of submariners of old, as the <i>UCS Weblog</i> appears to "run silent, run deep".Yankee Doodlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10359740268842861707noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7486692856642304444.post-85362458099450843622008-12-13T04:30:00.000-08:002008-12-13T04:43:13.330-08:00The Avenger: PreludeShe looked at herself in the mirror.<br /><br />The bikini was a little more revealing than what she normally wore.<br /><br />Actually, it was a great deal more revealing; she was more far modest than that.<br /><br />Still, it would have been out-of-place to be haunting the grounds of a beach hotel in the tropics wearing clothes that she would have felt comfortable with.<br /><br />She smiled.<br /><br />Although it was certainly not her desire to exploit the fact -- indeed, as modest as she was, it was difficult for her to even admit the fact -- she did have a nice figure. Her constant athletic activity honed and developed a gift of nature that was hers: she was beautiful.<br /><br />Her ex-husband had commented on that many times. For all his faults -- and they had been many -- he was sweet at times, and there had also been a great deal to admire and appreciate about him.<br /><br />She sighed.<br /><br />Now she was here.<br /><br />She looked around the hotel.<br /><br />It was nice, but not the kind she was accustomed to when she was escorting him. People would have expected to have found him in a five-star hotel, renting the very best suite.<br /><br />Instead, he and she had adjoining rooms on the top floor of what was advertised as a four-star hotel, although she wondered if it really was more than a three-star hotel.<br /><br />He had not wanted adjoining rooms, as he was still trying to keep a certain professional distance from her, but she pointed out that adjoining rooms would permit one to help the other in the event of a problem.<br /><br />She had to phrase it like that, because, although she was his bodyguard, he had a very powerful chivalrous streak in him, and it would rub him wrong if she said it was so she could protect him, so she had to make it sound like it was a mutual thing; besides which, since he had taken her into his confidence and invited her to assist him on his missions, there had definitely developed a reciprocity in their interactions which transcended the official description of her job on file in the personnel office of Wayne Enterprises.<br /><br />She wrapped an article of clothing around her. She had no idea what it was called, it was like a dress -- half a dress, really, maybe only a third -- and it was mostly transparent, but it made her feel less immodest in her bikini. She then put on a wide hat to protect herself from the intense sun, which beat down from above and blasted in as reflected light off the sea and the surrounding white buildings, she put on her sunglasses, picked up a beach towel, and headed towards the door.<br /><br />Maria, with whom she shared the room, smiled and held the door for her.<br /><br />Maria was another employee of Wayne Enterprises, accompanying the team because, as a native speaker of Spanish, her skills were indispensable on this particular mission.<br /><br />She looked at Maria and nodded. "Thanks," she said, the smile half disappearing as she studied Maria again momentarily. With a dark complexion, black hair and dark brown eyes, and a tremendous figure, Maria was stunningly beautiful.<br /><br />Why, she wondered, were there so many beautiful women around him all the time? Did he plan it, or did it just happen that way? Or, maybe, somebody else planned it for him? Lucius? Surely not Alfred!<br /><br />She shook her head and hurried through the door.<br /><br />As she approached the elevator, one of the hotel employees smiled and greeted her.<br /><br /><i>"¡Buenos días! ¿Dónde está mi esposo?"</i> she asked, haltingly, trying her Spanish.<br /><br /><i>"Señor Malone está por la piscina,"</i> came the smiling response.<br /><br /><i>"'In the office'?"</i> She looked at him questioningly.<br /><br />"The pool," he said in English.<br /><br />She smiled, blushed, and hurried off.<br /><br /><br /><br /><i>Apparent confusion is the product of good order; apparent fear is the product of bravery; and apparent weakness is the product of strength.</i><br /><br />He considered the words, deep in thought, gazing out at the sea from his chair under the big umbrella.<br /><br />"Good morning, <i>Señor Malone!</i>", the waiter smiled at him, setting a glass of tangerine juice and a cup of coffee on the small table next to him.<br /><br />The large figure glanced up from the tropical sea, surprised, and nodded at the waiter, then looked back down at his book.<br /><br /><i>So, those skilled at making an enemy move do so by causing a situation to which he must conform; they entice him with something he is certain to take, and, holding the promise of tremendous profit, they await their enemy in strength.</i><br /><br /><br /><br />Lucius walked through the facility. It was Saturday morning, but in the high-security area of the Wayne Enterprises research facility, there was a full crew of personnel, and they were busy.<br /><br />Before leaving on vacation -- with quite a contingent of Wayne Enterprises personnel, including security people -- Bruce had asked for some special new equipment. In an off-handed way, right as he was leaving, he mentioned that it would be nice to have a Batsuit that could keep him alive in a furnace, then, after the briefest of pauses, he laughed and said that was probably impossible.<br /><br />Of course, the technicians took that as a challenge, and now, when Bruce got back from vacation, he would get his Christmas presents from the staff. They had set up a Christmas tree in the basement workshop of Wayne Enterprises, and, under it, there was a completely-redesigned Batmobile, a new Batbot, and not one but two new Batsuits, both of which had tested as impervious to multiple hits from grenade launchers and to extended attacks from flamethrowers.<br /><br /><br /><br />It was late evening already, but the fortune-teller and the master were deep in a conversation.<br /><br />For all his training, for all his knowledge and understanding, for all that he had and for all he had passed on to his disciple, his conversations with the fortune-teller filled a gap that needed to be filled<br /><br />"It was written anciently, '<i>Therefore, one able to achieve victory by modifying his tactics in accordance with the enemy situation may be said to be divine.</i>' Is this not among your teachings?"<br /><br />He looked at the fortune-teller. "Yes, it is," he answered, serving her some more tea. "'<i>Of the earth's elements,</i>'" he continued where she had left off, "'<i>none is always predominant; of the four seasons, none lasts forever; of the days, some are long and some are short, and the moon waxes and wanes.</i>'"<br /><br />These conversations with the fortune-teller reminded the master of who he had always been, and helped him to not worry -- because he knew something was up, and it was something worth worrying about.<br /><br /><br /><br />She approached him, but he was so caught up reading his book, he didn't even notice her; although he was on a beautiful tropical beach (surrounded by beautiful women, she noted), his book took him somewhere else, and she wondered where that was and why anyone would be so driven to be there and not here.<br /><br />"Good morning, Bruce!"<br /><br />Hurriedly, he looked up. "Good morning, Sasha." He smiled warmly at her, but just as quickly disappeared off into his distant place inside his book.<br /><br />She looked at it. She had heard of it before. It was a translation of a work by someone called Sun Tzu.<br /><br /><br /><br />There was no fixed date for the return, but Lucius knew it couldn't be much longer. Still, it had already lasted longer than anyone had anticipated, and Lucius was pleased and hoping it would last until the New Year.<br /><br />He looked around the facility where, in a scene reminiscent of Santa's workshop, Wayne Enterprises technicians, complete with red-and-white tassel hats, were busy fabricating and testing new "toys" for their employer and, looking around, he knew, sooner or later, it <i>would</i> end.<br /><br />Sooner or later, Bruce Wayne's long-needed vacation would end, Bruce would come back to Gotham City, and when he did, Batman would be back with a vengeance.<br /><br />And, Lucius thought, in his mind reviewing what he knew about the situation in Gotham City, when Batman came back, there would be hell to pay.Yankee Doodlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10359740268842861707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7486692856642304444.post-89928312635243968072008-11-03T01:30:00.000-08:002008-11-03T01:30:00.388-08:00Lipstick on a Pig, Part 3 of 3We pick up from where we left off in <a href="http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2008/11/lipstick-on-pig-part-2-of-3.html">Part 2</a>, considering the question of who reaps the political harvest of this economic crisis we are in; we continue reviewing <a href="http://www.aim.org/aim-column/whos-behind-the-economic-collapse/">Who's Behind the Economic Collapse?</a> by Cliff Kincaid, October 28, 2008:<br /><br /><blockquote>Information from the Center for Responsive Politics identifies Goldman Sachs as a "strongly Democratic" firm, having contributed 73 percent of their almost $5 million in 2008 election cycle contributions to Democrats.<br /><br />Some liberals understand the connection between Goldman Sachs and Obama. "Obama’s number one bundler is Goldman Sachs,” notes John R. MacArthur, publisher of Harper's Magazine, in a release from the "progressive" group calling itself the Institute for Public Accuracy. He was referring to how money from the firm is packaged for the Obama campaign.<br /><br />"In his book, '<i>The Audacity of Hope</i>,' Obama talks about how much he likes investment bankers, how bright and liberal they are," says MacArthur. He believes that Obama is a "socialist" only in the sense that he, like Bush and McCain, supports socialism for the rich through the Wall Street bailout.<br /><br />Socialist or not, Obama is clearly the firm's favorite in the presidential race.</blockquote><br /><br />And -- Surprise! Surprise! -- Obama benefits politically from this crisis, as people look to him to save them from the evil speculators.<br /><br /><blockquote>Lynn Sweet of the Chicago Tribune recently discovered that, on May 3, 2007, Obama had attended an event at the Museum of Modern Art in Manhattan "that was not on his public schedule and is only now surfacing ― a private dinner for Goldman Sachs traders with a discussion on issues moderated for the Wall Street firm by NBC's Tom Brokaw" ― the moderator of the second presidential debate.<br /><br />Her column notes other Obama campaign connections to Goldman Sachs and mentions that Bloomberg had reported that Obama addressed the Goldman's annual partners meeting 2006 in Chicago.<br /><br />It is not known, of course, what kind of illegal financial activities may have contributed to the current crisis. But based on what has been publicly said by the President and the SEC, the culprits could possibly include operators of the controversial, mysterious and secretive financial vehicles known as hedge funds.<br /><br />A hedge fund operator such as George Soros, who was convicted of insider trading in France, is known to make money from the collapse of national economies and currencies. Labeled "The Man who broke the Bank of England" because of his financial activities against the British currency, he is said to be on a witness list of hedge fund operators that will be called to testify before Congress next month―probably after the election.</blockquote><br /><br />Isn't it interesting how the candidate that Soros has been backing for years now, Senator Barack Obama, is the main political beneficiary of an economic crisis -- the kind of crisis Soros has been known to generate?<br /><br />And, isn't it interesting how Senator Obama led the charge in giving over $700 billion dollars of money, borrowed with an I.O.U. signed by the U.S. taxpayer, to financial speculators -- of which George Soros is a very successful example?<br /><br />Our financial regulatory system is a pig -- corrupt government regulators taking care of their dishonest cronies in the private sector.<br /><br />And, Barack Obama used his influence (and McCain went along with it, and Bush signed it) to put lipstick on that pig, and sell it to us in a poke. (For my foreign readers: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pig_in_a_poke">Pig in a poke</a>.)<br /><br />If Barack Obama wins on Tuesday, the biggest difference we will have beginning in January is that of whose friends will benefit from the corruption and cronyism in Washington, as one crooked regime takes over from another.<br /><br />Regime change? Change we can believe in!<br /><br /><br /><br />Please finish reading the originals that I quoted from: <a href="http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/treasury-secretary-looks-out-for-his-buddies-first/">Treasury Secretary Looks Out for His Buddies First</a> and <a href="http://www.aim.org/aim-column/whos-behind-the-economic-collapse/">Who's Behind the Economic Collapse?</a>Yankee Doodlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10359740268842861707noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7486692856642304444.post-56963780187361370032008-11-02T23:10:00.000-08:002008-11-02T23:10:00.188-08:00Lipstick on a Pig, Part 2 of 3We return now to <a href="http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/treasury-secretary-looks-out-for-his-buddies-first/">Treasury Secretary Looks Out for His Buddies First</a>, picking up where we left of in <a href="http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2008/11/lipstick-on-pig-part-1-of-3.html">Part 1</a> reviewing that article:<br /><br /><blockquote>There is no simple way to create markets for the collateralized debt obligations (CDOs) on the banks' books. Trade can only happen when you can discern a price and parties think they will benefit. The bank or hedge fund cannot value these assets correctly in the interbank market because they can't be sure the other party is not going to fail. This results in a price that is far away from where it normally would be quoted. A clearing house takes away much of the risk, leaving only the market risk of the CDO. Better pricing of these CDOs will save taxpayers billions of dollars, since in any auction you will be buying and selling at a more efficient market price.<br /><br />Who doesn't want the independent clearing house solution? Investment banks of New York. Over 30% of their revenue comes from proprietary trading. They reap massive profits in the over-the-counter (OTC) marketplace. They also would have to spend money to hold positions in the clearing house. This will limit their operations and profitability. Additionally, they are afraid because the clearing house would have access to all kinds of information that the banks deem sensitive. If that information were leaked, it could compromise a bank's competitive position. The New York banks will try to establish a clearing house that they control. They would keep the market fuzzy and to themselves. A bank-controlled clearing house would be a license to steal. This would be like the fox watching the hen house. It will be only a matter of time before we blow up again.</blockquote><br /><br />First of all, we already have an organization which, to a great extent, is supposed to be monitoring the financial sector, limiting the damage caused by bad moves there -- and despite that we had the Great Depression, other crises and scandals, and now this. So, now they propose more regulation and perhaps a reorganization -- a "new world economic order".<br /><br /><a href="http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2008/10/economic-9-11.html">Kind of like 9/11</a> -- we had government agencies that had information that something was up, including some surprising particulars, but despite that, the terrorist attack succeeded literally against all odds. No one was ever held accountable or punished, we just had more regulation -- that "Patriot Act" -- and a reorganization -- the Directorate of Central Intelligence became the Directorate of National Intelligence.<br /><br />We now return to <a href="http://www.aim.org/aim-column/whos-behind-the-economic-collapse/">Who's Behind the Economic Collapse?</a>; we repeat the last paragraph that was quoted in the previous post, and continue with the next two paragraphs:<br /><br /><blockquote>The growing suspicion that the financial meltdown is a "generated crisis" has been fed by statements from President Bush himself that illegal financial activities were taking place. On September 18, when he made a public statement about the growing economic problems, Bush announced that the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) was stepping up its enforcement actions "against illegal market manipulation."<br /><br />By whom or what? The President didn't say.<br /><br />The next day, September 19, Bush appeared in the Rose Garden with Paulson, SEC chairman Christopher Cox, and Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke. Bush declared, "The SEC is also requiring certain investors to disclose their short selling, and has launched rigorous enforcement actions to detect fraud and manipulation in the market. Anyone engaging in illegal financial transactions will be caught and persecuted [sic]." Again, what was Bush talking about?</blockquote><br /><br />The only ones who will be "persecuted" -- and for my usage, I am spelling it correctly -- will be those whistleblowers who come forward to tell us what is really going on; consider the Sibel Edmonds case in connection with 9/11 to see what I am talking about.<br /><br />Continuing with <a href="http://www.aim.org/aim-column/whos-behind-the-economic-collapse/">Who's Behind the Economic Collapse?</a>:<br /><br /><blockquote>For its part, on the same day, the SEC announced "a sweeping expansion of its ongoing investigation into possible market manipulation in the securities of certain financial institutions." The SEC declared, "Hedge fund managers, broker-dealers, and institutional investors with significant trading activity in financial issuers or positions in credit default swaps will be required, under oath, to disclose those positions to the Commission and provide certain other information."<br /><br />But no details were provided. Don't voters have the right to know whether these illegal activities were being conducted for political purposes? <br /><br />Almost as secretive were Treasury Secretary Paulson's maneuvers. He produced a quick three-page proposal to make himself a virtual financial dictator without judicial oversight or review. Then just as quickly it was secretly altered so that he would have the authority to bail out banks in China and other foreign countries.</blockquote><br /><br />A "financial dictator without judicial oversight or review" -- now surely we would not expect <em>that</em> from <em>this</em> White House?<br /><br /><blockquote>For those interested in some of the fascinating details about Paulson's extremely close relationship with China, which may have provoked the financial crisis and stands to benefit from it, the October issue of Bloomberg Markets is a good place to start. It notes that Paulson was sworn in as secretary in July 2006 and that by September he was announcing "creation of the first U.S.-China Strategic Economic Dialogue." Paulson, the magazine reports, has a relationship with Chinese leaders and has traveled to China at least 70 times in his career. It reports that he personally had $25 million worth of holdings in a Goldman Sachs fund whose sole asset was a stake in the Industrial & Commercial Bank of China.<br /><br />Goldman Sachs, a "full-service global investment banking and securities firm," is "the leading underwriter of Chinese equity securities and M&A [merger and acquisition] advisor in China," its website declares.<br /><br />"Managing the U.S. relationship with China is an increasingly important part of the Treasury secretary's job," Bloomberg Markets says. "During the Fannie and Freddie crisis, Paulson used his credibility with Chinese leaders to reassure them that the U.S. mortgage companies weren't in jeopardy." Paulson is quoted as saying that "I clearly talked with the Chinese through this. They've worked with me enough that they knew I wouldn't say it unless I believed it."<br /><br />Why was this necessary? Chinese institutions own more than $30 billion of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac paper, the magazine reports.<br /><br />On September 7, of course, the U.S. Government, under Paulson's direction, took control of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, putting the U.S. taxpayers on the hook for $5 trillion of mortgages. But Paulson's statement made no mention of the Chinese investments. Instead, he talked about protecting financial markets and U.S. taxpayers.<br /><br />About a week and a half later the demands came for more taxpayer money for Wall Street, and the national economic crisis was well underway.<br /><br />Rep. Scott Garrett, Republican of New Jersey, is leading the Congressional effort to find out how Paulson's proposal was developed and by whom. He wants to know what went on behind "closed conference room doors" in the U.S. Government.<br /><br />Equally significant, on September 23, Paulson's former firm, Goldman-Sachs, received an infusion of $5 billion from Warren Buffett, a major Obama financial backer and booster.<br /><br />The former Goldman Sachs CEO "does not act or sound much like a conservative Republican to the GOP remnant at the Treasury," noted Robert Novak in an October 2007 column. Novak reported that Paulson had "marched to his own drummer" by naming Eric Mindich, chairman of Eton Park Capital Management, to head the Asset Managers' Committee of the President's Working Group on Financial Markets. "A former Goldman Sachs colleague of Paulson's, Mindich is a top-level Democratic fundraiser," Novak noted. "He was in Sen. John Kerry's inner circle for the 2004 presidential campaign and backs Sen. Barack Obama for 2008."<br /><br />Then, during the current crisis, Paulson appointed another former Goldman Sachs banker, Neel Kashkari, to run the new "Office of Financial Stability" and buy bad loans and distressed securities. </blockquote><br /><br />Talk about a revolving door of cronyism....<br /><br />But, to whose political benefit does this happen?<br /><br />Stay tuned for <a href="http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2008/11/lipstick-on-pig-part-3-of-3.html">Part 3</a>.Yankee Doodlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10359740268842861707noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7486692856642304444.post-78455826787693701652008-11-02T16:00:00.000-08:002008-11-02T16:18:39.770-08:00Lipstick on a Pig, Part 1 of 3We begin with <a href="http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/treasury-secretary-looks-out-for-his-buddies-first/">Treasury Secretary Looks Out for His Buddies First</a>, by Jeffrey Carter, November 1, 2008; please see <a href="http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/treasury-secretary-looks-out-for-his-buddies-first/">the original</a> for links which I did not reproduce.<br /><br /><blockquote>Hank Paulson has acted like the secretary of Wall Street rather than the secretary of the Treasury. This economic crisis manifested itself in August 2007 and nothing that Paulson has done has been a remedy for the problem. His solutions have only propped up his cronies on Wall Street. He is sidestepping the real problem in the market: counterparty risk. Only an independent clearing house can solve this crisis.<br /><br />Secretary Paulson's bailout package does nothing for the problem. It injects money into bankrupt institutions by buying preferred stock, which only solves the easy part of the crisis. What if the stuff on the banks' books is worth less than they say? We will still have a problem. The crux of the problem is that there is so much counterparty risk that banks will not lend to each other. This has frozen what's called the interbank credit market. Banks do not trust each others' financial statements. This is why our credit system is clogged.<br /><br />There are only two ways to get rid of counterparty risk. One is don't trade with each other. This is not an option; it's what is happening today. The other is to trade through an independent "clearing house" that erases counterparty risk by guaranteeing each trader is solvent. Once we recertify trust, the credit market will unlock and trading can resume.</blockquote><br /><br />I thought we established in <a href="http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2008/10/economic-9-11.html">Economic 9-11?</a> that it was the job of the Federal Reserve to evaluate the general financial situations of its member banks.<br /><br />In other words, we already <em>have</em> a "clearing house" -- but, the clearing house hasn't been doing its job.<br /><br />The theory is that Federal Reserve -- which is not really a government entity, by the way -- is supposed to help police our financial sector.<br /><br />The reality is that the Federal Reserve has become a place for cronies of those in power to leverage their knowledge of what is happening in the financial industry into big profits for select players on the financial scene.<br /><br />We now consider <a href="http://www.aim.org/aim-column/whos-behind-the-economic-collapse/">Who's Behind the Economic Collapse?</a> by Cliff Kincaid, October 28, 2008; again, please see <a href="http://www.aim.org/aim-column/whos-behind-the-economic-collapse/">the original</a> for links that I did not reproduce.<br /><br /><blockquote>Joe Biden made headlines by talking about a "generated crisis" for a President Obama. But is the current financial meltdown another "generated crisis?" Considering the problems in the economy, including too much federal debt, too much spending and easy credit, which have been with us for years, why did this crisis suddenly occur only six weeks before the election?<br /><br />And is it just a coincidence that it occurred at a time when John McCain was leading in the national public opinion polls and appeared to be on his way to a November 4 election victory?<br /><br />The crisis was man-made. It is a fact that President Bush's Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, who worked for a Democratic firm, Goldman Sachs, and has very close ties to Communist China, is the one who convinced Bush to demand hundreds of billions of bailout dollars from Congress.</blockquote><br /><br />Let me interrupt this narrative to remind you all that Paulson is one of us rich, self-interested Republicans; Democrats, as we know, are all poor, or at the very least selflessly use their wealth for the benefit of all humanity, like George Soros does.<br /><br /><blockquote>This is when McCain began falling in the polls. That's apparently because McCain, like Bush, is a Republican, and he has been blamed by Obama and the Democrats for the Republican policies that are said to have produced this crisis. This charge is debatable, but it has proven to be effective, with the cooperation of the major media. <br /><br />Part of the problem, of course, was of McCain's own making. He voted for the $700-billion plan after flirting with the House conservatives opposing it. This was a major error on his part. He missed a critical opportunity to take on the incumbent President of his own party, Obama, the Democrats, and Wall Street interests.<br /><br />The timing was important. If you examine the polling trend (see page two of this PDF document from Karl Rove & Company), one can see that McCain was moving ahead of Obama by mid-September. One poll, the Rasmussen poll, had McCain over Obama every day from September 12-17. McCain evened up the race again on September 23, after Obama had taken a lead, but it has been Obama ever since.<br /><br />Clearly, the controversy over the legislative "bailout" or "rescue" for Wall Street, which emerged in a big way on September 18, changed the dynamics of the presidential race. It has hugely benefited Obama by making the economy take precedence over Obama's controversial associates, pro-socialist views, or lack of a background and security check. <br /><br />The growing suspicion that the financial meltdown is a "generated crisis" has been fed by statements from President Bush himself that illegal financial activities were taking place. On September 18, when he made a public statement about the growing economic problems, Bush announced that the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) was stepping up its enforcement actions "against illegal market manipulation."</blockquote><br /><br />Illegal market manipulation -- what have I written about in the few posts where I have addressed this crisis?<br /><br />Stay tuned for <a href="http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2008/11/lipstick-on-pig-part-2-of-3.html">Part 2</a>.Yankee Doodlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10359740268842861707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7486692856642304444.post-65393458098755715682008-11-02T03:30:00.000-08:002008-11-02T04:15:25.703-08:00Whole Lotta Trouble: IntermezzoFrom <a href="http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2008/10/two-plus-two-part-8.html">Two Plus Two, Part 8</a>, October 28, 2008; this passage begins with an excerpt from <a href="http://globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=10692">What "incredibly tough" foreign policy actions is Obama preparing?</a> by Patrick Martin, October 25, 2008:<br /><br /><blockquote><blockquote>Foreign policy journals and pundits linked to the Democratic Party have undoubtedly been discussing many such doomsday scenarios, and Biden's language suggests that the use of the US nuclear arsenal, the world's largest, is under consideration by those who are formulating the foreign and military policy of an Obama-Biden administration.</blockquote><br /><br />The expectation is that they will use nuclear weapons to show everybody how tough Obama is.</blockquote><br /><br /><br />From <a href="http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2007/02/nuclear-strike-on-us-imminent.html">Nuclear Strike on US Imminent?</a>, February 16, 2007:<br /><br /><blockquote>Bin Laden is believed to have bought some small nuclear weapons, possibly from organized crime figures in Chechnya.<i>[snip]</i><br /><br />It is vital to note that this isn't just a bunch of backwards tribesman running around in the mountains with something they may not be able to use. Bin Laden is anything but unintelligent and unsophisticated in his thinking.<i>[snip]</i><br /><br />Bin Laden contracted technicians and other personnel from the former Soviet Union to maintain his nuclear weapons and advise him regarding them. It would be quite foolish to assume that all these weapons are "duds" or that for some other reason Bin Laden can't pull this off. The 9/11 attack probably seemed quite unimaginable to many until it happend.</blockquote><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><p align="center"><big><i>Divertimento:</i></big></p><br /><br />From <a href="http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2008/10/gotham-city-teasers-i.html">Gotham City Teasers I</a>, October 26, 2008:<br /><br /><blockquote><a href="http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2007/09/detective-touch-sun-part-10-of-12.html">The Detective (Touch the Sun) Part 10 of 12</a>:<br /><br /><blockquote>"The danger is not past, Bruce," his mother's voice answered.</blockquote><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2007/09/detective-touch-sun-part-12-of-12.html">The Detective (Touch the Sun) Part 12 of 12</a>:<br /><br /><blockquote>But Ra's al Ghul knew something more; he knew that it would not end with the destruction of the Gotham Towers.</blockquote><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2008/01/eagle-and-butterfly.html">The Eagle and the Butterfly</a>:<br /><br /><blockquote>"To murder a man and to destroy an entire village are both crimes, but, as terrible as the one is, it pales in significance when compared to the other."</blockquote><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2007/02/late-at-night-in-batcave.html">Late at Night in the Batcave</a>:<br /><br /><blockquote>"You think this new crime syndicate, the Mujahideen, have nuclear weapons, don't you, sir?" It wasn't a question. "You think they have them here in Gotham."</blockquote></blockquote>Yankee Doodlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10359740268842861707noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7486692856642304444.post-69025327054154303762008-10-31T02:30:00.000-07:002008-10-31T02:30:01.155-07:00Whole Lotta Trouble, Part 2<p align="right"><span style='color:red'>And the angel said "Well you must have had a dream"</span></p><br /><br /><a href="http://globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=10529">Who is Behind the Financial Meltdown? - Market Manipulation and the Institutional Speculator</a><br /><br /><blockquote>The market is heavily manipulated. The driving force behind the meltdown is speculative trade. The system of "private regulation" serves the interests of the speculators.<br /><br />While most individual investors loose when the market falls, the institutional speculator makes money when there is a financial collapse.<br /><br />In fact, triggering market collapse can be a very profitable undertaking.<br /><br />There are indications that the Security Exchange Commission (SEC) regulators have created an environment which supports speculative transactions.</blockquote><br /><br /><p align="right"><span style='color:red'>And you remember it 'till the dream followed through</span></p><br /><br /><a href="http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2008/10/puppetmaster.html">Puppetmaster</a><br /><br /><blockquote>On top of that, when the system is being manipulated by those in power -- be they government regulators, the elected officials who appointed them, or the billionaire-patrons of the politicians -- honest people have nowhere to run. The result is not just the greed that our elites decry, but a greed enforced by fascistic government regulation.</blockquote><br /><br /><p align="right"><span style='color:red'>Till the end of the dream and the dream came true</span></p><br /><br /><a href="http://globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=10529">Who is Behind the Financial Meltdown? - Market Manipulation and the Institutional Speculator</a><br /><br /><blockquote>There are several instruments including futures, options, index funds, derivative securities, etc. used to make money when the stock market crumbles.<br /><br />The more it falls, the greater the gains.<br /><br />Those who make it fall are also speculating on its decline.<br /><br />With foreknowledge and inside information, a collapse in market values constitutes a lucrative and money-spinning opportunity, for a select category of powerful speculators who have the ability to manipulate the market in the appropriate direction at the appropriate time.</blockquote><br /><br /><p align="right"><span style='color:red'>When I want something I get it</span></p><br /><br /><a href="http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2008/10/economic-9-11.html">Economic 9-11?</a><br /><br /><blockquote>So, it is the job of the Federal Reserve to monitor the loans of its member banks, and, if they are "playing fast and loose", to report the matter and, ultimately, it is the job of the Board of Governors to suspend those banks from the Federal Reserve System if they continue with their irresponsible lending practices.<br /><br />Dare I point out that all of the current members of the Federal Reserve's Board of Governors were appointed by President George W. Bush? Ben Bernanke, Donald Kohn, Kevin Warsh, Randall Kroszner and Elizabeth A. Duke; by 2006, four of the five were in place on the Board of Governors.<br /><br />Now President Bush -- in reaction to this crisis that the people he appointed to the Federal Reserve's Board of Governors should have seen coming and should have avoided -- has given us a hard-sale on a 700 billion dollar (?) bailout package -- which we all know will cost much more by the time this plays out.</blockquote><br /><br /><p align="right"><span style='color:red'>You'd better go he says yes I think I better</span></p><br /><br /><a href="http://globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=10529">Who is Behind the Financial Meltdown? - Market Manipulation and the Institutional Speculator</a><br /><br /><blockquote>The effect of being on a "protected list" was to no avail. It was tantamount to putting those listed companies on a "hit list". If the SEC had implemented a complete and permanent ban on short selling coupled with a freeze on all forms of speculative trade, including index funds and options, this would have contributed to reducing market volatility and dampening the meltdown.<br /><br />The ban on short selling was applied with a view to establishing the protected list. It expired on Wednesday October 8 at midnight.<br /><br />The following morning, Thursday 9th of October, when the market opened up, those companies on the "protected list" became "unprotected" and were the first target of the speculative onslaught, leading to a dramatic collapse on of the Dow Jones on Thursday 9th and Friday 10th.<br /><br />The course of events was entirely predictable. The lifting of the ban on short selling contributed to accentuating the downfall in stock market values. The companies which were on the hit list were the first victims of the speculative onslaught.</blockquote><br /><br /><p align="right"><span style='color:red'>Stop for a moment I think you should think for a minute</span></p><br /><br /><a href="http://globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=10731">The New Kleptocracy: Biggest "Giveaway" in American History - Interview with Dr. Michael Hudson</a><br /><br /><blockquote>MH: Cash for trash is exactly what it was, and the emphasis should be placed on "Emergency" for Emergency Plan. It was rushed through without giving any opportunity to debate. Dennis Kucinich protested, for instance, that this was the first time a major plan that was going to create the equivalent of 700 billionaires, people who are going to become the next power elite to govern America for the next century --that this act was done without any hearings, without specialists--despite hundreds and hundreds of major economists throughout the world saying that it was a disaster and a giveaway. It is cash for trash. It will not resolve the problems.</blockquote><br /><br /><p align="right"><span style='color:red'>Would you change your mind, at the very last minute</span></p><br /><br /><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081028/ap_on_bi_ge/financial_meltdown;">White House to banks: Start lending now</a><br /><br /><blockquote>Under the authority of the $700 billion financial bailout plan approved by Congress and signed by President Bush earlier this month, the administration also plans to dole out $250 billion to banks in return for partial ownership. The Treasury Department, which is overseeing the massive capital injection program along with the rest of the bailout, will pour $125 billion into nine of the country's largest banks this week. Another $125 billion will go to other banks.</blockquote><br /><br /><p align="right"><span style='color:red'>When I want something I get it</span></p><br /><br /><a href="http://globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=10731">The New Kleptocracy: Biggest "Giveaway" in American History - Interview with Dr. Michael Hudson</a><br /><br /><blockquote>MH: The Secretary of the Treasury said that he really just picked the amount out of the air. There will be another $700 billion next month, another $700 billion after that. Trillion after trillion will go to create a financial elite of kleptocrats. What's happened here by Mr. Paulson of Goldman Sachs is almost a mirror image of what the other Goldman Sachs' Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin did in Russia: he's creating and endowing a class of kleptocrats by giving them liquid treasury securities in exchange for basically worthless junk. It’s actually called the "Worthless Assets Recovery Program, (WARP)".</blockquote><br /><br /><p align="right"><span style='color:red'>Whole lotta trouble</span></p><br /><br /><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081028/ap_on_bi_ge/financial_meltdown;">White House to banks: Start lending now</a><br /><br /><blockquote>Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson has said the money was aimed at rebuilding banks' reserves so that they would resume more normal lending practices. But reports then surfaced that bankers might instead use the money to buy other banks. Indeed, the government approved PNC Financial Services Group Inc. to receive $7.7 billion in return for company stock and, at the same time, PNC said it was acquiring National City Corp. for $5.58 billion.<br /><br />Officials have said that there are few strings attached to the capital-infusion program because too many rules would discourage financial institutions from participating.</blockquote><br /><br /><p align="right"><span style='color:red'>Whole lotta trouble</span></p><br /><br /><a href="http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2008/10/puppetmaster.html">Puppetmaster</a><br /><br /><blockquote>Yes, you may make a mistake with your money, but the alternative is to have guys with guns and badges take your money from you, and give it to the foxes who are guarding your henhouse.</blockquote><br /><br /><p align="right"><span style='color:red'>Whole lotta trouble for you</span></p><br /><br /><a href="http://globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=10731">The New Kleptocracy: Biggest "Giveaway" in American History - Interview with Dr. Michael Hudson</a><br /><br /><blockquote>"Mr. Obama is the man who is giving it all away to Wall Street and his major campaign contributors. Look at what's happening with Mr. Rubin, there's no difference at all between his financial advisor Robert Rubin and the Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson." Instead Mr. McCain shifted gears, reversed himself, gave in and said, "now I'm supporting the plan too".</blockquote><br /><br /><p align="right"><span style='color:red'>Well this could be a whole lotta trouble</span></p><br /><br /><a href="http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2008/10/puppetmaster.html">Puppetmaster</a><br /><br /><blockquote>Needless to say, they want the economy more regulated -- there is a call for "global macroeconomic coordination".<br /><br />That means taking more freedom from you, and giving it to our Washington elite.</blockquote><br /><br /><p align="right"><span style='color:red'>Whole lotta trouble, baby</span></p><br /><br /><a href="http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2008/10/worthless-assets-recovery-program.html">The "Worthless Assets Recovery Program"</a><br /><br /><blockquote>Our "maverick" John McCain -- but when it comes right down to it, he joins Senator Obama in giving taxpayer dollars to the rich elite of this country, allowing that elite to take over the competition.<br /><br />Senator Obama -- change we can believe in -- leading the charge in stealing tax dollars from the poor, giving to his rich cronies; McCain agrees with it, and Bush signs off on it. The only change was in control of our wealth -- and it wasn't Robin Hood Socialism, it was banana republic graft, enriching the elite.<br /><br />Now there's change we can believe in, right Senator Obama?</blockquote><br /><br /><p align="right"><span style='color:red'>Whole lotta trouble for you</span></p><br /><br /><a href="http://globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=10589">Financial Meltdown: The Greatest Transfer of Wealth in History</a><br /><br /><blockquote>That means the government and the Fed are now committing even more public money and taking on even more public risk. The taxpayers are already tapped out, so the Treasury’s "special deposit" will no doubt come from U.S. bonds, meaning more debt on which the taxpayers have to pay interest. The federal debt could wind up running so high that the government loses its own triple-A rating. The U.S. could be reduced to Third World status, with "austerity measures" being imposed as a condition for further loans, and hyperinflation running the dollar into oblivion. Rather than solving the problem, these "rescue" plans seem destined to make it worse.</blockquote>Yankee Doodlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10359740268842861707noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7486692856642304444.post-83767216409043411232008-10-30T15:15:00.000-07:002008-10-30T15:39:36.409-07:00Whole Lotta Trouble, Part 1<a href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/politico/20081030/pl_politico/15073;">McCain camp trying to scapegoat Palin</a><br /><br /><blockquote>John McCain's campaign is looking for a scapegoat. It is looking for someone to blame if McCain loses on Tuesday.<br /><br />And it has decided on Sarah Palin.</blockquote><br /><br /><p align="right"><span style='color:red'>Would you change your mind, at the very last moment?</span></p><br /><br /><a href="http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2008/02/mccains-ties-to-islamic-terrorists-and.html">McCain's Ties to Islamic Terrorists -- and Heroin Traffickers?</a><br /><br /><blockquote>Senator McCain has been on the wrong side of this all along, and as a Republican in the United States Senate, he must have known about this fact, as documented by Senate Republicans going back to 1997, one year before the date that ethnic Albanian groups claim <i>"McCain did everything that we asked of him to the benefit of the Albanian people, including arming the KLA".</i></blockquote><br /><br /><p align="right"><span style='color:red'>Would you say stop for a second I'll bet you could think for a minute</span></p><br /><br /><a href="http://www.antiwar.com/justin/j022500.html">McCAIN AND THE KLA CONNECTION</a><br /><br /><blockquote>As the great "reform" candidate who denounces the influence of "special interests" and the power of money in politics, McCain had better tell us exactly how much the Albanian lobby has thrown his way – and to what effect. Of all the lobbyists in Washington, it is the "special interests" represented by the agents of foreign powers that pose the greatest threat to the integrity of the Presidency.</blockquote><br /><br /><p align="right"><span style='color:red'>In the morning light he says when will I see you</span></p><br /><br /><a href="http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2008/02/mccains-ties-to-islamic-terrorists-and.html">McCain's Ties to Islamic Terrorists -- and Heroin Traffickers?</a><br /><br /><blockquote>Perhaps Senator John McCain, Republican from Arizona, decorated Navy veteran and war hero, and contender for the US Presidency, is another whose name needs to be added to the list of those who take bribes from foreign organized crime and terrorists?</blockquote><br /><br /><p align="right"><span style='color:red'>She says I don't think tomorrow, baby</span></p><br /><br /><a href="http://www.antiwar.com/justin/j022500.html">McCAIN AND THE KLA CONNECTION</a><br /><br /><blockquote>Joe DioGuardi, rabid Albanian nationalist and chief American apologist for the drug-connected totalitarians of the KLA, has spread the money from his political action committees far and wide, and no doubt McCain is also the recipient of his largess – but at what price to the American people? The McCain campaign must immediately release the figures, and give us some "straight talk" about the KLA-McCain connection: how much did they get-and in return for what? The American people have a right to know how many American soldiers will be put at risk in the Balkans in the service of paying off President McCain's political debts.</blockquote><br /><br /><p align="right"><span style='color:red'>Sometimes I wonder if things would change if we stayed together</span></p><br /><br /><a href="http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2008/10/two-plus-two-part-7.html">Two Plus Two, Part 7</a><br /><br /><blockquote>That was 2000 -- now it is 2008.<br /><br />If elected, McCain's foreign policy will be subservient to the interests of those who traffic in heroin, arms, women for forced prostitution, nuclear secrets, and any other contraband-du-jour -- McCain's foreign policy will mean supporting close allies of Osama bin Laden in the Balkans.</blockquote><br /><br /><p align="right"><span style='color:red'>Would you change your mind, at the very last minute</span></p><br /><br /><a href="http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/eyewitness-to-the-ayers-revolution/">Eyewitness to the Ayers Revolution</a><br /><br /><blockquote>When Bill Ayers and Bernadine Dohrn led the domestic terrorist group Weather Underground in 1969, a chance meeting led Army veteran Larry Grathwohl into joining the group. Grathwohl served as a courier, running messages between the group's leadership (called the "Weather Bureau") and individual cells that were to carry out attacks.<br /><br />Grathwohl was also an informant for the FBI.</blockquote><br /><br /><p align="right"><span style='color:red'>I think you should stop for a second think for a moment</span></p><br /><br /><a href="http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/eyewitness-to-the-ayers-revolution/2/">Eyewitness to the Ayers Revolution</a><br /><br /><blockquote><b>Larry Grathwohl:</b> The instructions I received from Billy Ayers was that the bombs to be used in Detroit must have shrapnel (fence staples, specifically) and fire potential (propane bottles). The intention was to kill police officers.</blockquote><br /><br /><p align="right"><span style='color:red'>This could be a whole lotta trouble</span></p><br /><br /><a href="http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/eyewitness-to-the-ayers-revolution/2/">Eyewitness to the Ayers Revolution</a><br /><br /><blockquote><b>Larry Grathwohl:</b> When I objected to Billy Ayers that more innocent people would be killed in the restaurant, he replied, "Innocent people have to die in a revolution." Billy also acknowledged during a criticism session in Buffalo that Bernadine placed the bomb at the Park Police Station which resulted in the death of Police Officer McDonnell.</blockquote><br /><br /><p align="right"><span style='color:red'>Whole lotta trouble</span></p><br /><br /><a href="http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/eyewitness-to-the-ayers-revolution/2/">Eyewitness to the Ayers Revolution</a><br /><br /><blockquote><b>Larry Grathwohl:</b> Has Billy changed? I hardly think so.</blockquote><br /><br /><p align="right"><span style='color:red'>Whole lotta trouble for you</span></p><br /><br /><a href="http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/eyewitness-to-the-ayers-revolution/2/">Eyewitness to the Ayers Revolution</a><br /><br /><blockquote><b>Larry Grathwohl:</b> As for Billy’s ideas on education, isn't it apparent? Reading, writing, and arithmetic aren't important! Radicalism is what's important. Fits right in with the Billy Ayers' view of creating mindless soldiers to follow his commands — where best to lay the foundations of a revolution than with the young?</blockquote><br /><br /><p align="right"><span style='color:red'>This could be a whole lotta trouble</span></p><br /><br /><a href="http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/eyewitness-to-the-ayers-revolution/2/">Eyewitness to the Ayers Revolution</a><br /><br /><blockquote><b>Larry Grathwohl:</b> If we are to believe Mr. Obama, he just didn't know Billy was as radical as he apparently is. Really? Just like he didn't know the Rev. Wright was as radical as he is? Obama is a politician and he wants me to believe that he never discussed politics with the Rev Wright or Billy Ayers?</blockquote><br /><br /><p align="right"><span style='color:red'>Well this could be a whole lotta trouble</span></p><br /><br /><a href="http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2008/03/heroin-lobby-part-10.html">The Heroin Lobby, Part 10</a><br /><br /><blockquote>As long as Albanian organized crime keeps laundering money to Senator Biden through AAPAC & Co., Senator Biden will keep doing the bidding of AAPAC's associated AACL.</blockquote><br /><br /><p align="right"><span style='color:red'>Whole lotta trouble</span></p><br /><br /><a href="http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2008/10/two-plus-two-part-8.html">Two Plus Two, Part 8</a><br /><br /><blockquote>It is important to keep this in mind, because we can assess that one main reason Senator Biden was recruited as Senator Obama's running mate was to give the junior senator from Illinois a little help in the foreign policy arena (<a href="http://www.washtimes.com/news/2008/may/30/bidens-strength-in-foreign-policy-recruited-by-oba/">Biden's strength in foreign policy recruited by Obama</a>).</blockquote><br /><br /><p align="right"><span style='color:red'>This could be a whole lotta trouble</span></p><br /><br /><a href="http://globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=10692">What "incredibly tough" foreign policy actions is Obama preparing?</a><br /><br /><blockquote>Foreign policy journals and pundits linked to the Democratic Party have undoubtedly been discussing many such doomsday scenarios, and Biden's language suggests that the use of the US nuclear arsenal, the world's largest, is under consideration by those who are formulating the foreign and military policy of an Obama-Biden administration.</blockquote><br /><br /><p align="right"><span style='color:red'>Whole lotta trouble for you</span></p><br /><br /><a href="http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2008/10/two-plus-two-part-8.html">Two Plus Two, Part 8</a><br /><br /><blockquote>The expectation is that they will use nuclear weapons to show everybody how tough Obama is.</blockquote>Yankee Doodlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10359740268842861707noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7486692856642304444.post-75318222225465261152008-10-30T15:00:00.000-07:002008-10-30T15:50:15.807-07:00"A Financial Stake in My Failure"From <a href="http://www.lassooftruth.com/my_weblog/2008/10/man-hating-is-an-industry.html">Man-hating is an industry</a>:<br /><br /><blockquote>Then one day, I came to a point where I realized the people who claimed they were trying to help me were part of a network of folks who make their living off the suffering of the victim class. They had a financial stake in my failure to get better. The improvement of my circumstances would have left them without purpose and for that reason, how could they be trusted to objectively provide me with the proper tools to do so?</blockquote><br /><br />Think about it and meditate on it.<br /><br /><br /><small>New label: <a href="http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/search/label/Cosmic%20Truths">Cosmic Truths</a></small>Yankee Doodlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10359740268842861707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7486692856642304444.post-3697773555299309262008-10-29T17:00:00.000-07:002008-10-29T17:09:53.579-07:00A Heavy HeartWhatever else is said or written about Senator John McCain, he is a war hero.<br /><br />If you haven't done so, please read <a href="http://www.usnews.com/articles/news/2008/01/28/john-mccain-prisoner-of-war-a-first-person-account.html">John McCain, Prisoner of War: A First-Person Account</a> -- all seventeen pages of it.<br /><br />It is amazing what we take for granted in this country, especially when you consider what some Americans go through in our defense.<br /><br />Another interesting article is the three-page interview, <a href="http://www.usnews.com/articles/news/2008/07/30/john-mccain-one-prisoner-of-wars-fresh-appraisal-of-us-in-1973.html">John McCain: One Prisoner of War's Fresh Appraisal of U.S. in 1973</a>. On <a href="http://www.usnews.com/articles/news/2008/07/30/john-mccain-one-prisoner-of-wars-fresh-appraisal-of-us-in-1973.html?PageNr=2">Page Two</a> we find the following:<br /><br /><blockquote><b>Since you've been back, has this Watergate business changed your opinion of the President?</b><br /><br />No, it hasn't changed my opinion. It has certainly made me sad that this situation should have arisen. However, I feel that in the context of history that Watergate will be a very minor item as compared with the other achievements of this Administration, particularly in the area of foreign affairs. I do hope that this country will get over Watergate and get going again on the very serious problems that we're facing today.</blockquote><br /><br /><br /><br />Senator McCain,<br /><br />It is very moving to read about <a href="http://www.usnews.com/articles/news/2008/01/28/john-mccain-prisoner-of-war-a-first-person-account.html">your experience as a POW in Vietnam</a>. It is incredible what you went through. It is beyond comprehension for most of us what you went through every day, every hour, every minute, during the more than five years you spent as a prisoner of war in North Vietnam.<br /><br />You probably don't consider yourself a hero -- most heroes don't -- but you are, and you always will be, a hero for what you have done. And, on the occasion of your campaign for the Presidency, I pause to think about all the others who have sacrificed and continue to sacrifice for our nation; I pause especially for those who have been taken from our freedom, and confined by a brutal enemy that seeks to destroy their faith and even their humanity. Your sacrifice, though immense, is but a small fraction of the sacrifices that are made on behalf of our nation, and I can't thank you and all the others enough for all that you have done.<br /><br />It pains me very deeply, sir, to report your obvious and wrongful <a href="http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2008/02/mccains-ties-to-islamic-terrorists-and.html">ties to Islamic terrorists and to Albanian organized crime</a>.<br /><br />No one, sir, is above the law -- not a fellow American, not a fellow Republican, not an esteemed public servant, not a President... and not even a war hero. To place anyone above the law is to dishonor and negate the sacrifice you made in Vietnam; to place anyone above the law is to do the work of Osama bin Laden, who seeks the destruction of our great nation.<br /><br />It is with a heavy heart that I call for an investigation which, if faithfully done, I am convinced will lead to your indictment for various high crimes and misdemeanors, including, but not limited to, influence-peddling, racketeering, and treason.<br /><br />Know, sir, that while I shall seek your prosecution, you shall not be dismissed from my gratitude for your past sacrifices to this nation, but rather, I shall pray to our Lord for you and yours.<br /><br />If I may now quote the words of a great American who once gave everything he had that I and others might live safely in the greatest country in the world...<br /><br /><em>"It has certainly made me sad that this situation should have arisen."</em>Yankee Doodlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10359740268842861707noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7486692856642304444.post-55470677289887091012008-10-29T03:45:00.000-07:002008-10-29T03:57:43.495-07:00The "Worthless Assets Recovery Program"We begin with <a href="http://globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=10731">The New Kleptocracy: Biggest "Giveaway" in American History -- Interview with Dr. Michael Hudson</a> by Bonnie Faulkner, October 28, 2008:<br /><br /><blockquote><i>BF: Secretary of the Treasury Hank Paulson's $700 billion so-called bailout, first called "The Plan", was defeated in the House. Then a modified version called "Troubled Asset Rescue Plan or (TARP)" was passed by Congress in it’s "Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008". Still others refer to this legislation as "Cash for Trash". What would you call it?</i> <br /><br />MH: Cash for trash is exactly what it was, and the emphasis should be placed on "Emergency" for Emergency Plan. It was rushed through without giving any opportunity to debate. Dennis Kucinich protested, for instance, that this was the first time a major plan that was going to create the equivalent of 700 billionaires, people who are going to become the next power elite to govern America for the next century --that this act was done without any hearings, without specialists--despite hundreds and hundreds of major economists throughout the world saying that it was a disaster and a giveaway. It is cash for trash. It will not resolve the problems.<br /><br />The dollar will plunge. The stock market already plunged.<br /><br />It is purely a giveaway to Mr. Paulson's colleagues on Wall Street and a giveaway to Mr. Obama's and Mr. McCain's campaign contributors. The Democrats were the major supporters of Mr. Paulson while even the Republicans sought to dissociate themselves from the plan so they couldn't get blamed when the inevitable failure of the plan shows that all that was done was a giveaway of $700 billion to Mr. Paulson's colleagues and pals on Wall Street.</blockquote><br /><br />It is important to note who was behind this.<br /><br />President Bush is the kind of Republican that the left loves to point fingers at, because they can't make up their mind whether he is so blatantly corrupt, or so completely incompetent. This doubt will help Bush, come the day when he is on trial for all of this, because the prosecution will need to prove beyond reasonable doubt that he has been corrupt and not stupid.<br /><br />So, we know that Bush is not a true Republican as we Republicans understand that word. He never had any attachment to the core principles of the Republican Party or to "his" Republican base, but only satisfied us as much as it was felt he needed to in order to win the election. He long ago abandoned us, and for the most part, we have only reluctantly begun to return the favor in recent years.<br /><br />But we need to understand that the same is true of our straight-talking standard-bearer, John McCain.<br /><br />Notice how Senator Obama's name came up here.<br /><br />How much money has Senator Obama raised for his campaign? In <a href="http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2008/10/change.html">a recent post</a>, I quoted the figure of $605 million dollars, and added the comment "That's obscene."<br /><br />Yeah, Senator Obama is change we can believe in, alright.<br /><br />But, Senator McCain got right in line with this giveaway of taxpayer dollars, and President Bush signed it into law.<br /><br />All three of them need to be investigated criminally for this.<br /><br /><blockquote><i>BF: Well, now what and who are being bailed out? People now are saying it's a $700 to an $850 billion revolving money fund.</i><br /><br />MH: The Secretary of the Treasury said that he really just picked the amount out of the air. There will be another $700 billion next month, another $700 billion after that. Trillion after trillion will go to create a financial elite of kleptocrats. What's happened here by Mr. Paulson of Goldman Sachs is almost a mirror image of what the other Goldman Sachs' Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin did in Russia: he's creating and endowing a class of kleptocrats by giving them liquid treasury securities in exchange for basically worthless junk. It’s actually called the "Worthless Assets Recovery Program, (WARP)".</blockquote><br /><br />The United States of America has become a banana republic.<br /><br /><blockquote>This is pretty much what was done in Russia to create Russian kleptocrats. In Russia’s case they gave State ownership of raw materials and fuels, oil, other assets to individuals who then diversified their portfolios by selling as much as they could to the West and taking their money out and putting them into dollars and sterling and euros. What’s happening here is that the Wall Street beneficiaries are going to take the money and run and put it in safe economies such as Russia, China and any other non-US economy they can find: the result will be a huge capital outflow, a capital flight that will put downward pressure on the dollar.</blockquote><br /><br />The final paragraphs from <a href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081028/ap_on_bi_ge/financial_meltdown;">White House tells banks to stop hoarding money</a> give us an insight into what is being done with this money:<br /><br /><blockquote>The Federal Reserve began a program Monday to purchase the short-term debt of businesses, known as commercial paper. This market has been frozen since the collapse of Lehman Brothers spooked credit markets last month.<br /><br />Under the authority of the $700 billion financial bailout plan approved by Congress and signed by President Bush earlier this month, the administration also plans to dole out $250 billion to banks in return for partial ownership. The Treasury Department, which is overseeing the massive capital injection program along with the rest of the bailout, will pour $125 billion into nine of the country's largest banks this week. Another $125 billion will go to other banks.<br /><br />Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson has said the money was aimed at rebuilding banks' reserves so that they would resume more normal lending practices. But reports then surfaced that bankers might instead use the money to buy other banks. Indeed, the government approved PNC Financial Services Group Inc. to receive $7.7 billion in return for company stock and, at the same time, PNC said it was acquiring National City Corp. for $5.58 billion.<br /><br />Officials have said that there are few strings attached to the capital-infusion program because too many rules would discourage financial institutions from participating.</blockquote><br /><br /><em>"But reports then surfaced that bankers might instead use the money to buy other banks. Indeed, the government approved PNC Financial Services Group Inc. to receive $7.7 billion in return for company stock and, at the same time, PNC said it was acquiring National City Corp. for $5.58 billion."</em><br /><br />They are using the money to take over the competition.<br /><br />Have I not written about this in recent weeks?<br /><br />I told you so.<br /><br />Back to <a href="http://globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=10731">The New Kleptocracy: Biggest "Giveaway" in American History -- Interview with Dr. Michael Hudson</a>:<br /><br /><blockquote><i>BF: You know Dr. Hudson, I was just about to ask you what the difference is between the Russian Kleptocrats and the American Crony Capitalists? Is there any difference at all that you see?</i><br /><br />MF: Only that the Russian Kleptocrats were supported by Clinton's Democratic Administration and the American's Kleptocrats are supported nominally under a Bush Administration but primarily by Mr. Obama and the Democrats led by Barney Frank in the Congress, and Nancy Pelosi and by Reid. These are Democrats that must go and if there is any sign of Mr. Obama keeping them on then you know that the Democratic Party has been firmly captured by the Democratic Leadership Committee, i.e. Wall Street's lobbying group within the Democratic Party.<br /><br /><i>BF: Well now, since you've brought up Barack Obama, he was the one that lobbied "for" the passage of this, isn't he?</i><br /><br />MF: That’s correct and the amazing thing was that McCain did too. Last Friday I was attending the American Monetary Institute Conference in Chicago and we had some of the smartest financial brains around at that. It was at Roosevelt University and we all went down to the Student Union to watch the debate. And let's take a look at what happened last Friday. The previous Thursday Mr. McCain had said there might not be a Friday debate because he was going to suspend the campaign until he could straighten out Washington regarding the bailout. So he went to the White House. There was reportedly not much very much that he said during the meeting but the Republican Congressional Leader Boehner made some very good suggestions. He suggested instead of the bailout the government use the money to set up a bank insurance fund of say anywhere from $250 billion to the $700 billion that was mentioned. <br /><br />The insurance fund would lend money to banks in exchange for their preferred stock. This fund would be financed by levying an insurance charge on the entire US banking system, just like the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation levies insurance rates on the banks. And the rates that would be levied, under the Republication proposal, would have reflected the actual risks involved. So that if the banks got together and lobbied politicians and supported the political campaigns of politicians who wanted to deregulate the industry that’s’ fair enough but let them pay the risks. Let them pay 1% or 2% or even 3% of their deposits for this because that’s what it would take the government to bail out policies that Alan Greenspan and others have supported. Instead of supporting this plan and instead of saying that he’d come to Washington to save American taxpayers from the giveaway, Mr. McCain did absolutely nothing. He was blamed by the media on Friday morning (Friday afternoon too) for saying, "Oh he's come to disrupt a done deal. Look what happened. He went to the White House. Now you have the Congressional Republicans opposing it." <br /><br />Mr. McCain could have said, "Absolutely," that's just what he's done because he's a maverick and he's going to protect American taxpayers from the bipartisan attempt to both reflect the campaign contributions of their largest contributors--Wall Street. And he's not going to let it happen. He could have jumped in front of the parade. Jumped in front of the opposition to the Act, that reportedly 90% of voters were supposed to oppose, and this would have put Mr. Obama on the defensive. McCain could have said, "I'm opposed on the giveway and supporting taxpayers." <br /><br />Mr. Obama is the man who is giving it all way to Wall Street and his major campaign contributors. Look at what's happening with Mr. Rubin, there's no difference at all between his financial advisor Robert Rubin and the Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson." Instead Mr. McCain shifted gears, reversed himself, gave in and said, "now I'm supporting the plan too". So the result of the Friday debate, if you remember the first half hour, Mr. Lehrer kept trying to press both presidential candidates on "how do you feel about the bailout, what do you think?" <br /><br />And they talked about anything else. Mr. Lehrer tried to be more polite and finally he was laughing, and he said, "Aren't either of you guys going to answer my question?" And they both of them said, "No." Now when they refused to give their position to the bailout to the American people. When they refused to take a position on a plan that most voters "overwhelmingly" opposed and then they support the plan this shows they're just in the hands of their financial backers.</blockquote><br /><br />Our "maverick" John McCain -- but when it comes right down to it, he joins Senator Obama in giving taxpayer dollars to the rich elite of this country, allowing that elite to take over the competition.<br /><br />Senator Obama -- change we can believe in -- leading the charge in stealing tax dollars from the poor, giving to his rich cronies; McCain agrees with it, and Bush signs off on it. The only change was in control of our wealth -- and it wasn't Robin Hood Socialism, it was banana republic graft, enriching the elite.<br /><br />Now <em>there's</em> change we can believe in, right Senator Obama?<br /><br />I now finish with a blurb from <a href="http://www.chroniclesmagazine.org/?p=761">The Lessons of Greed</a> by Thomas Fleming:<br /><br /><blockquote>Here is this question in a nutshell. If the government's leading economic advisers knew what was going on and allowed it to happen, they are criminals who should be locked up for a long time and have their possessions distributed among their victims; if they did not know, they are incompetent and should be fired and have their possessions distributed among their victims. But is good old Hank Paulson out on the street selling apples to unemployed money managers? No, he is too busy hiring his croneys from Goldman Sachs and giving them the power to cartelize the entire US economy as a wholly owned subsidiary of Goldman Sachs–or, rather, Government Sachs, as the firm is beginning to be called. Is he stupid or a criminal? Fortunately, that is a question to which the answer may be: "Both."<br /><br />Small wonder that so many people are pinning their hopes on the Democrats–who, unfortunately, were neither more prescient nor less corrupt than the Republicans. When Senator Obama blames John McCain for the crash, he proves what a liar he is. <i>[snip]</i></blockquote><br /><br />Obama -- a liar. Imagine that!<br /><br />There needs to be a criminal investigation into the graft, corruption, influence-peddling and other crimes that are obviously going on, and Senators Obama and McCain, together with President Bush and Treasury Secretary Paulson, need to answer some questions posed by criminal investigators.Yankee Doodlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10359740268842861707noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7486692856642304444.post-16723580999923046652008-10-28T02:30:00.000-07:002008-10-28T02:30:01.168-07:00Two Plus Two, Part 8We begin by considering the first several paragraphs of <a href="http://globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=10692">What "incredibly tough" foreign policy actions is Obama preparing?</a> by Patrick Martin, October 25, 2008:<br /><br /><blockquote>In remarks made over the weekend in Seattle, Democratic vice presidential candidate Joseph Biden warned that Barack Obama, if elected president, would be compelled to take deeply unpopular actions in both domestic and foreign policy within months of taking office.<br /><br />In closed-door gatherings with two audiences of Democratic Party insiders and fundraisers, Biden forecast a major international crisis in the first six months of an Obama administration.<br /><br />He compared Obama to John F. Kennedy, the last senator to be elected president. "It will not be six months before the world tests Barack Obama like they did John Kennedy," Biden said. "The world is looking. We're about to elect a brilliant 47-year-old senator president of the United States of America. Watch. We're going to have an international crisis, a generated crisis, to test the mettle of this guy."<br /><br />Biden mentioned the Middle East, Afghanistan, Pakistan, North Korea and Russia as potential points of conflict, but did not spell out the exact nature of such a crisis, observing, "I can give you at least four or five scenarios from where it might originate." He made it clear that Obama would respond forcefully: "They're going to want to test him. And they're going to find out this guy's got steel in his spine."<br /><br />The most politically significant portion of Biden's remarks came when he admitted that the decisions of an Obama-Biden administration were likely to be deeply unpopular, and he called on the Democratic Party regulars to stand behind the new president even when public opinion turned against him.<br /><br />"He's going to need help," Biden said. "He's going to need you—not financially to help him—we're going to need you to use your influence, your influence within the community, to stand with him. Because it's not going to be apparent initially, it's not going to be apparent that we're right."<br /><br />He continued, "There are going to be a lot of you who want to go, 'Whoa, wait a minute, yo, whoa, whoa, I don't know about that decision.' Because if you think the decision is sound when they're made, which I believe you will when they're made, they're not likely to be as popular as they are sound. Because if they're popular, they're probably not sound."<br /><br />Here is the voice of a longtime representative of the financial aristocracy, voicing his contempt for public opinion—"if decisions are popular, they're probably not sound"—and warning his wealthy audience that the new Obama-Biden administration will have to defy public opinion to carry out its policies. Biden's language suggests that the ferocity of the new administration's response will shock not only public opinion, but even its own supporters.</blockquote><br /><br />The words of our elite, preparing themselves for how they are going to run the country through the Presidency that they are buying.<br /><br /><blockquote>In that context, one must point out Biden's suggestions that nuclear weapons might play a role in one or more of the potential crises. A nuclear-armed Korean Peninsula could lead to "Japan as a nuclear power," he said, which could push China into expanding its nuclear weaponry. The Pakistan-Afghanistan border is "crawling with Al Qaeda" and "Pakistan is already bristling with nuclear weapons, all of which can hit Israel." Biden also noted Iran's alleged drive to build a nuclear weapon.<br /><br />Foreign policy journals and pundits linked to the Democratic Party have undoubtedly been discussing many such doomsday scenarios, and Biden's language suggests that the use of the US nuclear arsenal, the world's largest, is under consideration by those who are formulating the foreign and military policy of an Obama-Biden administration.</blockquote><br /><br />The expectation is that they will use nuclear weapons to show everybody how tough Obama is.<br /><br /><blockquote>Biden himself has been one of the most hawkish on foreign policy among leading congressional Democrats, backing the invasion and occupation of Afghanistan and Iraq and advocating a US-led military intervention in Darfur. During the Democratic presidential primary campaign, he was the most vociferous of all the candidates in denouncing antiwar protest groups seeking a cutoff of funds for the war in Iraq.</blockquote><br /><br />It wasn't just in Afghanistan and Iraq that Biden led the charge; Senator Biden has also been a vocal advocate of US actions in the Balkans.<br /><br />Here's an excerpt from <a href="http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/08/24/america/policy.php">In Biden, Obama chooses a foreign policy adherent of diplomacy before force</a> by Michael R. Gordon, August 24, 2008:<br /><br /><blockquote>Biden is widely seen as a liberal-minded internationalist. He has emphasized the need for diplomacy but has been prepared at times to back it with the threat of force. An early advocate of military action to quell the ethnic fighting in the Balkans, he has not been averse to American military intervention abroad. As the debates over Kosovo and later Iraq showed, he has been loath to give the United Nations a veto over American policy decisions. But he has also sought to ensure that the United States acted in concert with other nations.</blockquote><br /><br />U.S. actions in the Balkans have resulted in the establishment, in violation of international law, of a narcostate: Kosovo declared its independence from Serbia, the Serbs have been demonized, and Albanian organized crime with ties to Islamic extremists, including to Sheikh Osama bin Laden, now run the place.<br /><br />It goes without saying that some of the people who suffer the most are the ethnic Albanians of Kosovo, who have been handed over to this thugocracy. Organized crime and Islamic extremists have this in common -- they do the most damage to those nearest them.<br /><br />The connection that Senator Biden has to this thugocracy is a US Congressman turned lobbyist. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3OADgn9mQBC3N4Axrx1c5EIPgqrT7AmVrR0x9U8aFTqGKrvf7Gm7tKGVns3IWJ7lNa6jf9NKixx-RmeKGx9O8sZoR8Ge4QV51J6WwQkcx8t84xHmt2uUUdHkxVeiVL-wV0YEIwh1QJvs/s1600-h/DioGuardi+Arm+KLA.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3OADgn9mQBC3N4Axrx1c5EIPgqrT7AmVrR0x9U8aFTqGKrvf7Gm7tKGVns3IWJ7lNa6jf9NKixx-RmeKGx9O8sZoR8Ge4QV51J6WwQkcx8t84xHmt2uUUdHkxVeiVL-wV0YEIwh1QJvs/s320/DioGuardi+Arm+KLA.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5243441177265454690" /></a><br /><br />As I document <a href="http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2008/03/heroin-lobby-part-10.html">The Heroin Lobby, Part 10</a>, and elsewhere at this blog, Senator Biden has for quite some time been on the payroll of Albanian organized crime.<br /><br />It is important to keep this in mind, because we can assess that one main reason Senator Biden was recruited as Senator Obama's running mate was to give the junior senator from Illinois a little help in the foreign policy arena (<a href="http://www.washtimes.com/news/2008/may/30/bidens-strength-in-foreign-policy-recruited-by-oba/">Biden's strength in foreign policy recruited by Obama</a>).<br /><br />In fact, long before Senator Biden was named as Senator Obama's running mate, it was suggested that Biden was fishing for a cabinet position in an Obama or a new Clinton Administration (<a href="http://www.newsweek.com/id/138310">Secretary of State Biden?</a>).<br /><br />Take a good, hard look at this map, because if Senator Obama is elected, this map shows one place you can expect more US troops to be sent; it also shows one place that US nuclear weapons may be used -- in <em>support</em> of Albanian organized crime with ties to Al Qaeda... <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1-m2LgSZVFxCX5AeA-nCnCIOYL0qk3jpWDrcxMyym4QnMgSg6lKZ1XsHOw9ZmSSFu-VMEOgT7pOsxgs6B6BE51rjMkMXXsg4u9aBaDTN6-SdZkzJp_TQo7t02IZDuZ5YWi6lylqX0_Gc/s1600-h/GreaterAlbania.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5167720089659821250" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1-m2LgSZVFxCX5AeA-nCnCIOYL0qk3jpWDrcxMyym4QnMgSg6lKZ1XsHOw9ZmSSFu-VMEOgT7pOsxgs6B6BE51rjMkMXXsg4u9aBaDTN6-SdZkzJp_TQo7t02IZDuZ5YWi6lylqX0_Gc/s320/GreaterAlbania.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br />and this will be at the behest of Obama's expert on foreign affairs.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmR5V_vygB35EIDPbZ2NMO2YLPF9-w2SQvOf7dyXJPpI6Z9WJQ-ZhnAq7Exg-JGGwsziadMQ5_q9kP6BDoXCIpSKjmwxi1fLSCrcvkPbJxSxXsUC_jPVWfsuTMXdtfuDOZHiRZY0GjOug/s1600-h/Biden+2008.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmR5V_vygB35EIDPbZ2NMO2YLPF9-w2SQvOf7dyXJPpI6Z9WJQ-ZhnAq7Exg-JGGwsziadMQ5_q9kP6BDoXCIpSKjmwxi1fLSCrcvkPbJxSxXsUC_jPVWfsuTMXdtfuDOZHiRZY0GjOug/s320/Biden+2008.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5243441869933025362" /></a><br /><br />Clinton was <em>bad</em>.<br /><br />Bush-43 has been worse.<br /><br />But, under Obama, America would be a nuclear-armed thugocracy, coordinating its efforts with one of the worst organized crime cartels in modern times.Yankee Doodlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10359740268842861707noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7486692856642304444.post-47181613363582977142008-10-27T16:00:00.000-07:002008-11-02T04:36:54.778-08:00Gotham City Teasers V<a href="http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2008/03/inky-black.html">Inky Black</a>:<br /><br /><blockquote>Gordon stood up, and walked towards the window. Out there, in the inky blackness of Gotham's night, there were organized crime hitmen, corrupt GBI agents, Gotham Police officers – all looking for one man, all looking to collect a reward for finding him. Word on the street was that there would be no investigation into his death, and that no one would do time for killing him – Falcone would see to that.</blockquote><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2007/10/vasilissa-beauty-part-1-of-12.html">Vasilissa the Beauty (Part 1 of 12)</a>:<br /><br /><blockquote>"By the way, Bruce," Fox continued.<br /><br />"Yes?"<br /><br />"If you don't mind my asking... just who is it that you think is going to be chasing you?"<br /><br />The figure paused, and made eye contact with Fox, before turning away, his answer quietly drifting in the air. "Everybody."</blockquote><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2008/06/die-another-day-part-2.html">Die Another Day, Part 2</a>:<br /><br /><blockquote>"Are you planning to reprogram the criminal conspiracy, then, so you can win?"<br /><br />Casting a glance at Alfred, Wayne responded, "I just think some of Batman's capabilities exceed some people's expectations."</blockquote><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2008/06/demon-part-5-of-5.html">The Demon, Part 5 of 5</a>:<br /><br /><blockquote>Looking at Bruce Wayne, the master commented, "Some people run from their demons so far, so fast, and for so long, that they become demons themselves."</blockquote><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2007/06/rocking-boats.html">Rocking Boats</a>:<br /><br /><blockquote>Her hand couldn't quite find the file on the pavement at her feet. For a moment, she took her eyes off the phantom and looked at the envelope. In an instant she had it and was looking up again -- but the Dark Knight had disappeared back into the darkness of the earliest part of the morning.</blockquote><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2008/10/counterconspiracy-up-in-flames.html">The Counterconspiracy: Up in Flames</a>:<br /><br /><blockquote>Looking up, her eyes closed, the fortune-teller answered slowly.<br /><br />"The outcome will be as it was decided anciently: in defense of justice, the warrior will work magic, and he will execute the punishments ordained by Heaven."</blockquote><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2008/10/counterconspiracy-vigilante-part-2.html">The Counterconspiracy: "Vigilante" Part 2</a>:<br /><br /><blockquote>"I think Batman is painting a picture for us... I think he's showing us what this 'War on Crime' is really about. There's a trail that begins with Aladdin and the heroin he produces to fund his crime spree, and that trail leads through all the vices of Gotham City – guns, drugs, prostitutes – and it leads through Gotham's political and business elites, who themselves are dipped in smut and vice and the money that comes with it... it's a trail that leads from Aladdin on one end – " and here Inspector Gordon lowered his eyes, and looked right into the mayor's eyes " – and right through city hall to this office on the other end. It's a trail that leads to you and to the men running in this election cycle, one of whom hopes to take your place in January."</blockquote><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2008/10/counterconspiracy-witness.html">The Counterconspiracy: Witness</a>:<br /><br /><blockquote>"And where is Master Bruce?" Alfred inquired.<br /><br />"He said he had one more stop to make tonight."</blockquote><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2007/09/detective-touch-sun-part-1-of-12.html">The Detective (Touch the Sun) Part 1 of 12</a>:<br /><br /><blockquote>"Fear has a name," he added slowly, almost whispering now, quietly enunciating every word, "and its name... is 'Batman'."</blockquote><br /><br /><br /><p align="center">____________</p><br /><br /><li><a href='http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2008/10/gotham-city-teasers-i.html'>Gotham City Teasers I</a></li><br /><li><a href='http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2008/10/gotham-city-teasers-ii.html'>Gotham City Teasers II</a></li><br /><li><a href='http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2008/10/gotham-city-teasers-iii.html'>Gotham City Teasers III</a></li><br /><li><a href='http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2008/10/gotham-city-teasers-iv.html'>Gotham City Teasers IV</a></li><br /><li><a href='http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2008/10/gotham-city-teasers-v.html'>Gotham City Teasers V</a></li><br /><br /><br /><br />The complete <a href="http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2008/10/index-to-gotham-city-series.html">Index to the <i>Gotham City</i> Series</a> through October, 2008.<br /><br /><p align="center">____________</p><br /><br />From <a href="http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2008/09/dark-knight-part-5-of-5.html">The Dark Knight, Part 5 of 5</a>:<br /><br /><blockquote><i>pela68 said...<br />Now I will have to go over it again to decode the message.<br /><br />September 28, 2008 12:37 AM</i></blockquote>Yankee Doodlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10359740268842861707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7486692856642304444.post-15458705608674082362008-10-27T09:00:00.000-07:002008-11-02T04:38:36.616-08:00Gotham City Teasers IV<a href="http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2008/10/counterconspiracy-marked-with-blood.html">The Counterconspiracy: Marked with Blood</a>:<br /><br /><blockquote>Leaning forward toward Wayne, Nygma added, "In the pool full of sharks that is Gotham's financial world, the mayor's team marked their victims with blood."</blockquote><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2008/10/counterconspiracy-up-in-flames.html">The Counterconspiracy: Up in Flames</a>:<br /><br /><blockquote>"Here it is, Bruce. Now, pay attention, because it has a few new upgrades."</blockquote><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2008/09/attack-by-fire-pale-horse.html">Attack by Fire: The Pale Horse</a>:<br /><br /><blockquote>On the table, she placed the Magician and Fire....<br /><br />"There he works magic; using the eternal flame, he torments the devils," the fortune-teller explained, opening her eyes.</blockquote><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2008/10/counterconspiracy-witness.html">The Counterconspiracy: Witness</a>:<br /><br /><blockquote>"At that point, a large figure dressed in flowing black crashed down through the skylight, landing behind the assailants," the officer explained, referring to his notes, and proceeding rather matter-of-factly.<br /><br />"Batman," O'Hara said quietly.</blockquote><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2008/08/dark-knight-part-4-of-5.html">The Dark Knight, Part 4 of 5</a>:<br /><br /><blockquote>"It incorporates a great deal of stealth technology."<br /><br />"How does that work?" Sasha asked, looking at the Batmobile.</blockquote><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2007/08/mirror-mirror-part-8-of-8.html">Mirror, Mirror (Part 8 of 8)</a>:<br /><br /><blockquote>"The official story is that two girls escaped from the ring's custody, ran to the village, told the police, and the lieutenant went out with three or four truckloads of police and arrested everyone." The master looked around. "Unofficially, however, there are some details that seem to have been left out of the story."</blockquote><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2008/09/attack-by-fire-pale-horse.html">Attack by Fire: The Pale Horse</a>:<br /><br /><blockquote>Sasha winced. At a range of less than five meters from Falcone's men, the Batmobile's flamethrower was being discharged.</blockquote><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2008/08/dark-knight-part-2-of-5.html">The Dark Knight, Part 2 of 5</a>:<br /><br /><blockquote>In Polygon Delta, three large, armed men stood ready, as the giant figure approached them. Facing the referee, they bowed to him, then the three men and the giant figure exchanged quick bows. The referee stepped between them, raising his right hand. "Ready," he lowered his right hand and stepped back quickly as he said "Fight!"</blockquote><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2008/08/dark-knight-part-3-of-5.html">The Dark Knight, Part 3 of 5</a><br /><br /><blockquote>"He taught me things that transcend the mechanics of fighting."</blockquote><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2007/09/detective-touch-sun-part-12-of-12.html">The Detective (Touch the Sun) Part 12 of 12</a>:<br /><br /><blockquote>"If this indeed has happened, Talia," he thoughtfully said, "then your friend, Bruce Wayne, is the most dangerous man on earth."</blockquote><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2008/10/counterconspiracy-heavenly-fury.html">The Counterconspiracy: Heavenly Fury</a>:<br /><br /><blockquote>"Mr. Wayne, Mr. Fox. I am Special Agent DiViglio of the Gotham Bureau of Investigation. This is my partner, Special Agent Kyle."<br /><br />"How do you do?" Wayne smiled. "This is the head of my corporate legal department...."</blockquote><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2007/06/warrior-part-2.html">The Warrior, Part 2</a>:<br /><br /><blockquote>"You can battle the Mujahideen," Alfred began, "perhaps even corruption in the mayor's office, but if you battle corrupt elements in the GBI, you will be labeled as 'with the criminals'. <em>Those</em> corrupt elements are, after all, the GBI, and the GBI always gets its man!" Alfred looked at Wayne. "If you battle <em>them</em>, the price could be all of this," Alfred pointed around the Batcave.<br /><br />"If I don't try to defend Gotham, the price will be my soul."</blockquote><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2008/09/dark-knight-part-5-of-5.html">The Dark Knight, Part 5 of 5</a>:<br /><br /><blockquote>Sasha was now fully suited up in her body armor, armed with a variety of weapons, including small grenades which were remarkably similar to the Batbombs she had seen down below, in the Batcave.<br /><br />Her orders were to prevent anyone from moving from the Batcave up into Wayne Manor, and, if it became necessary, to coordinate with Alfred a counterattack to retake the Batcave, should it fall into enemy hands.</blockquote><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2007/09/detective-touch-sun-part-10-of-12.html">The Detective (Touch the Sun) Part 10 of 12</a>:<br /><br /><blockquote>"Gotham Bureau of Investigation," a voice announced in that same instant from behind, loudly, and with authority. "Nobody move!"<br /><br />"All right," the phantom quietly said to himself, "now I'm worried."</blockquote><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2007/09/detective-touch-sun-part-2-of-12.html">The Detective (Touch the Sun) Part 2 of 12</a>:<br /><br /><blockquote>"How did you escape?"<br /><br />"Alive."</blockquote><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2007/11/thanksgiving.html">Thanksgiving</a>:<br /><br /><blockquote>"No," Sasha answered quietly, "the analysis was that the Batsuit did its job against the submachinegun that the female had. It was the military-grade weapon in the hands of the sniper behind him that did it. The computer analysis shows that this was the lethal shot."</blockquote><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2007/06/warrior-part-3.html">The Warrior, Part 3</a>:<br /><br /><blockquote>The boss turned back from the window, and looked around at the people in the room, making eye contact with everyone. Then, he slowly looked upward and thoughtfully stared at the ceiling.<br /><br />"I have given a name to my problems," he announced with great deliberation, "and it is 'Batman'."</blockquote><br /><br /><br /><p align="center">____________</p><br /><br /><li><a href='http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2008/10/gotham-city-teasers-i.html'>Gotham City Teasers I</a></li><br /><li><a href='http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2008/10/gotham-city-teasers-ii.html'>Gotham City Teasers II</a></li><br /><li><a href='http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2008/10/gotham-city-teasers-iii.html'>Gotham City Teasers III</a></li><br /><li><a href='http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2008/10/gotham-city-teasers-iv.html'>Gotham City Teasers IV</a></li><br /><li><a href='http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2008/10/gotham-city-teasers-v.html'>Gotham City Teasers V</a></li><br /><br /><br /><br />The complete <a href="http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2008/10/index-to-gotham-city-series.html">Index to the <i>Gotham City</i> Series</a> through October, 2008.Yankee Doodlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10359740268842861707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7486692856642304444.post-957102757298667522008-10-27T06:00:00.000-07:002008-11-02T04:39:27.235-08:00Gotham City Teasers III<a href="http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2007/08/mirror-mirror-part-4-of-8.html">Mirror, Mirror (Part 4 or 8)</a>:<br /><br /><blockquote>The Ancient spoke some more, then the master continued translating. "You have a good heart, a heart of light, but it is wrapped in a dark, armored package. Today you will meet your opposite."</blockquote><br /><br /><br /><a href='http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2007/09/autumn-rain.html'>Autumn Rain</a>:<br /><br /><blockquote>The card inside had a picture of a cat which was attentively, even menacingly, staring at a hole in a wall, presumably the home of a mouse.<br /><br />The smile had disappeared from her face as she began to realize this was not some kind of note from Bruce Wayne, but was instead something far more sinister.<br /><br />She picked up the card again and reread the verse:<br /><br /><p align="center"><i>Blue is the water by which comes the green.<br />Tall is the lady; she's Gotham's queen.<br />Under her eyes, the Roman commands,<br />Fueling the vices of his empire's lands.<br />For wont of their vices they give freedom away;<br />High is the price for their habits they pay.<br />See the green lady, she is a slave,<br />See her blue knights, they are but knaves.<br />Powerful is the Roman, this land he does rule;<br />King takes queen on a knight for a fool.</i></p><br /><br />Suddenly, Sandra felt very much like a mouse.</blockquote><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2008/09/attack-by-fire-pale-horse.html">Attack by Fire: The Pale Horse</a>:<br /><br /><blockquote>The fortune-teller opened her eyes, looked at the cards, then looked at the master.<br /><br />"He has descended into the lower parts of the earth. There, he is surrounded by devils."</blockquote><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2007/06/meow.html">Meow!</a>:<br /><br /><blockquote>It was another riddle!<br /><br /><p align="center"><i>Detectives listened to an illegal bug,<br />But didn't report the criminal plan.<br />Crime covers up crime, swept under the rug,<br />All merely for wont of an honest man.<br />The truth is hidden by towers of lies,<br />But the crime of the towers is exposed in riddles.<br />What really happened is quite a surprise!<br />Dirty cops, a deal with the devil... the man in the middle.</i></p><br /><br />He looked again in the direction of the door, but the reddish-haired woman was long gone.</blockquote><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2007/06/belladonna.html">Belladonna</a>:<br /><br /><blockquote>She was assigned to work with an employee who himself had just started at Wayne Enterprises, a thirty-ish looking man named Edward Nygma. He seemed every bit as boring as this work that she needed.</blockquote><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2007/08/mirror-mirror-part-5-of-8.html">Mirror, Mirror (Part 5 of 8)</a>:<br /><br /><blockquote>Wayne looked at her. He wondered if it was just by accident that Talia rode up beside him.<br /><br />"And who is Ra's al Ghul?"<br /><br />"A man who has mastered himself."</blockquote><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2007/08/mirror-mirror-part-6-of-8.html">Mirror, Mirror (Part 6 of 8)</a>:<br /><br /><blockquote>"Look around you, Bruce. They're not winning this 'War on Crime', and they're not <em>going</em> to win it! The mayor and vice mayor have both said so, their senior staff tell us this every day -- it won't end anytime soon. And no wonder! While they are racking up arrest records bringing in common street thugs, no one is going after the real brains, the real decisionmakers, the real masterminds of the Mujahideen -- no one is going after Aladdin! Key players in the arena, key politicians and key businessmen, don't want the 'War on Crime' to be <em>won</em>, they just want it to be <em>fought</em>. It's a vote-getter and a money-maker."</blockquote><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2007/09/detective-touch-sun-part-10-of-12.html">The Detective (Touch the Sun) Part 10 of 12</a>:<br /><br /><blockquote>"Looking for someone?" a low, raspy whisper broke the silence.<br /><br />The smaller figure whirled around, startled, but just as quickly recovered her composure.<br /><br />"Difficult it is to sneak up on a cat," she purred. "Harder still to surprise a bat!"</blockquote><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2008/05/die-another-day-part-1.html">Die Another Day, Part 1</a>:<br /><br /><blockquote>"Batman's intervention in the situation led to an absolute disaster – only a tremendous amount of revision of the story could lead someone to think otherwise."<br /><br />Alfred looked at Wayne through his bifocals.<br /><br />"The situation was resolved with a minimal amount of violence, Alfred," Wayne answered, looking back down at the Batcomputer.<br /><br />"The use of fuel-air explosives in a hostage environment can hardly be considered a minimal amount of violence, sir," Alfred responded. "Three quarters of the hostages died, and the criminals who were holding them escaped."</blockquote><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2008/06/demon-part-5-of-5.html">The Demon, Part 5 of 5</a>:<br /><br /><blockquote>"What you offer is only more of the same – more pain, more suffering, more injustice, more revenge. By becoming judge, jury and executioner, you have become nothing more than a fool!"</blockquote><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2008/10/counterconspiracy-vigilante-part-2.html">The Counterconspiracy: "Vigilante" Part 2</a>:<br /><br /><blockquote>"Batman killed over two dozen people. Another dozen or so remain hospitalized. Some of them may still die. The remainder will be horribly scarred and disfigured for the rest of their lives," Bruce Wayne said quietly.</blockquote><br /><br /><a href="http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2007/06/meow.html">Meow!</a>:<br /><br /><blockquote>"What's the matter?" teased Vicki. "Cat got your tongue?"</blockquote><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2008/10/counterconspiracy-witness.html">The Counterconspiracy: Witness</a>:<br /><br /><blockquote>"It's called a 'Batsignal'," Vasilissa smiled. "Press the green button for a routine meeting; press the red button if you are in immediate, life-threatening danger. Once the button is pressed, Batman is summoned, and there is no way to cancel the meeting," she explained.</blockquote><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2007/08/mirror-mirror-part-4-of-8.html">Mirror, Mirror (Part 4 or 8)</a>:<br /><br /><blockquote>Returning to the present, Wayne looked away from the mirror and looked at his companion.<br /><br />"Have you ever done that before, Dr. Villanova?" Wayne asked. "Kill someone, that is?"</blockquote><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2008/10/counterconspiracy-witness.html">The Counterconspiracy: Witness</a>:<br /><br /><blockquote>"'Pivoted?'" O'Hara repeated, looking at the alleyway; there was not enough room for a vehicle to turn around behind the restaurant.<br /><br />"As in 'on a dime', Detective – those were the exact words of one witness."</blockquote><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2007/06/rocking-boats.html">Rocking Boats</a>:<br /><br /><blockquote>"Gotham Bureau of Investigation," the Dark Knight's voice was the kind of whisper that got someone's attention. "But those two agents are dirty." She studied him, as he continued. "And you're rocking their boat."<br /><br />"How did you know?" she asked.</blockquote><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2008/06/demon-part-5-of-5.html">The Demon, Part 5 of 5</a>:<br /><br /><blockquote>"Yes, he's a hero, but more than anything else, Batman is a detective. And he's a very good one. When he pieces enough of this together, and gets the information into the hands of the right people, this whole plan will fall apart."</blockquote><br /><br /><p align="center">____________</p><br /><br /><li><a href='http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2008/10/gotham-city-teasers-i.html'>Gotham City Teasers I</a></li><br /><li><a href='http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2008/10/gotham-city-teasers-ii.html'>Gotham City Teasers II</a></li><br /><li><a href='http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2008/10/gotham-city-teasers-iii.html'>Gotham City Teasers III</a></li><br /><li><a href='http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2008/10/gotham-city-teasers-iv.html'>Gotham City Teasers IV</a></li><br /><li><a href='http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2008/10/gotham-city-teasers-v.html'>Gotham City Teasers V</a></li><br /><br /><br /><br />The complete <a href="http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2008/10/index-to-gotham-city-series.html">Index to the <i>Gotham City</i> Series</a> through October, 2008.Yankee Doodlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10359740268842861707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7486692856642304444.post-84241614672033602872008-10-27T01:30:00.000-07:002008-11-02T04:40:14.847-08:00Gotham City Teasers II<a href="http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2007/06/warrior-part-3.html">The Warrior, Part 3</a>:<br /><br /><blockquote>"The Knights of the Round Table wore shining armor, but you shall be a dark knight and your armor shall be dark; you shall be a creature of the shadows and of the night. Your heart will be pure, and your works will be good, yet your existence and your reputation will strike terror in the hearts of those who do evil, and it is through this terror that you shall be victorious."</blockquote><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2008/03/inky-black.html">Inky Black</a>:<br /><br /><blockquote>"Is it fair to condemn Alfred? He should be living out the remaining years of his life in peace." The master gazed off into the distance. "They will come after him, you know. Even if he goes away, they will hunt him down, because he is important to you." The master looked back at Wayne. "That is how it works. You go after what is important to them, they come after what is important to you."<br /><br />Bruce Wayne stood on the brink of his destiny, peering into his future. It was an inky blackness, where he could clearly discern nothing except the worst of his fears.<br /><br />"What do you suggest?" he quietly asked.</blockquote><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2007/10/vasilissa-beauty-part-1-of-12.html">Vasilissa the Beauty (Part 1 of 12)</a>:<br /><br /><blockquote>"Remember, Bruce, if they can't see you, they don't know you're there," Lucius Fox had been explaining the first time the figure saw the vehicle.<br /><br />"That's the idea."</blockquote><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2007/09/detective-touch-sun-part-2-of-12.html">The Detective (Touch the Sun) Part 2 of 12</a>:<br /><br /><blockquote>"I didn't mean to startle you." The voice was a low, raspy whisper. It was the kind of voice that got someone's attention.</blockquote><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2007/10/vasilissa-beauty-part-10-of-12.html">Vasilissa the Beauty (Part 10 of 12)</a>:<br /><br /><blockquote>Unnerved now, she struggled to maintain her composure.<br /><br />Suddenly a popping sound could be heard, and some startled shrieks in the background, as electrical circuits short-circuited and several lights went out. The tall, dark figure did not so much as flinch.<br /><br />"Like I said, technical difficulties."<br /><br />Maybe this <em>wasn't</em> a set-up.<br /><br />"Who <em>are</em> you?"<br /><br />"I'm Batman."</blockquote><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2008/10/counterconspiracy-witness.html">The Counterconspiracy: Witness</a>:<br /><br /><blockquote>"If Batman was here fighting the assailants, who was driving the Batmobile?" O'Hara interrupted.<br /><br />"It appeared to be empty. Witnesses later got a look inside it, and there appeared to have been nobody inside until Batman got in the vehicle with one of the victims."</blockquote><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2007/09/autumn-rain.html">Autumn Rain</a>:<br /><br /><blockquote>"Where is he? I know he's nowhere in Wayne Manor," she answered. Alfred had grown fond of her accent.<br /><br />"It is his way, Sasha," Alfred reassured her. "He is well. Try not to worry."</blockquote><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2008/09/attack-by-fire-pale-horse.html">Attack by Fire: The Pale Horse</a>:<br /><br /><blockquote>Somebody next to him pointed at a dark vehicle between the warehouse and the utility building.<br /><br />"It's Batman!" the man yelled.</blockquote><br /><br /><p align="center">____________</p><br /><br /><li><a href='http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2008/10/gotham-city-teasers-i.html'>Gotham City Teasers I</a></li><br /><li><a href='http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2008/10/gotham-city-teasers-ii.html'>Gotham City Teasers II</a></li><br /><li><a href='http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2008/10/gotham-city-teasers-iii.html'>Gotham City Teasers III</a></li><br /><li><a href='http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2008/10/gotham-city-teasers-iv.html'>Gotham City Teasers IV</a></li><br /><li><a href='http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2008/10/gotham-city-teasers-v.html'>Gotham City Teasers V</a></li><br /><br /><br /><br />The complete <a href="http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2008/10/index-to-gotham-city-series.html">Index to the <i>Gotham City</i> Series</a> through October, 2008.Yankee Doodlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10359740268842861707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7486692856642304444.post-43882340274393025592008-10-26T13:30:00.000-07:002008-11-02T04:35:00.300-08:00Gotham City Teasers I<a href="http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2008/06/dark-knight-part-1-of-5.html">The Dark Knight, Part 1 of 5</a>:<br /><br /><blockquote>"This time, it started out as my parents that were falling, but suddenly... suddenly, it was these two tall buildings. They were tall, squarish, two nearly-identical buildings, and the smoke, instead of being the smoke from a revolver, was the smoke from a fire in these buildings. Then one fell, hitting the pavement below, then the other fell."</blockquote><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2007/09/detective-touch-sun-part-1-of-12.html">The Detective (Touch the Sun) Part 1 of 12</a>:<br /><br /><blockquote>"Tonight, I looked Fear in the eyes," he explained, drinking about half his Scotch. "Fear dresses in black," he said, "and it has a bloody face."</blockquote><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2007/08/mirror-mirror-part-4-of-8.html">Mirror, Mirror (Part 4 of 8)</a>:<br /><br /><blockquote>"They were taking young women off the streets, gang-raping them to break down their resistance, and getting them addicted to drugs, which they then supplied. All of this to force them into a life of prostitution, dependent on the pimps." She paused, a note of anger in her voice.</blockquote><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2008/10/counterconspiracy-heavenly-fury.html">The Counterconspiracy: Heavenly Fury</a>:<br /><br /><blockquote>"So what's that?"<br /><br />Inspector Gordon looked at the evidence bag being held up by the narcotics lieutenant.<br /><br />"Cigarettes laced with heroin."</blockquote><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2008/06/demon-part-2-of-5.html">The Demon, Part 2 of 5</a>:<br /><br /><blockquote>"Bruce, you're a prisoner of your past," she began, not sure how to proceed. "In six months, it will be a new millennium. You need to put it behind you."<br /><br />"What? My parents' death?"<br /><br />"Your fixation on the man who killed them." She slowed for a stop light. "He's in prison, Bruce."</blockquote><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2008/06/demon-part-3-of-5.html">The Demon, Part 3 of 5</a>:<br /><br /><blockquote>"That both you and Master Bruce are still quite young, and it would be a shame for either of you to allow impatience or frustration to rule you." Alfred sipped his tea. "Impatience and frustration are two demons, closely related; allow neither to drive your actions."</blockquote><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2008/09/attack-by-fire-three-in-morning.html">Attack by Fire: Three in the Morning</a>:<br /><br /><blockquote>He smiled. "The prison bars, the prison walls – it's all an illusion. You can walk away any time you want to."<br /><br />She thought about that, then looked at him. "And what about the prison <em>you</em> are in? Is <em>that</em> an illusion, too?"</blockquote><br /><br /><br /><a href='http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2008/08/dark-knight-part-3-of-5.html'>The Dark Knight, Part 3 of 5</a>:<br /><br /><blockquote>"No, hiding is for children. I mean he <em>disappeared</em>, right before their eyes."<br /><br />Captivated, Sasha's mouth opened.<br /><br />"As in 'Now you see him, now you don't,'" Wayne explained.</blockquote><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2007/09/detective-touch-sun-part-10-of-12.html">The Detective (Touch the Sun) Part 10 of 12</a>:<br /><br /><blockquote>"The city you love is in danger." It was a different voice, coming from Bruce Wayne's right.<br /><br />He looked, and saw Gotham City. It was a beautiful morning, the beginning of a work day, and the sky over Gotham was clean and clear, a deep blue. The day was warm and pleasant.</blockquote><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2007/05/interview.html">The Interview</a>:<br /><br /><blockquote>"Laundering money for organized crime..." Nygma continued, as Wayne looked back out the window, "...by the billions," Nygma whispered.</blockquote><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2007/09/detective-touch-sun-part-10-of-12.html">The Detective (Touch the Sun) Part 10 of 12</a>:<br /><br /><blockquote>"The danger is not past, Bruce," his mother's voice answered.</blockquote><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2007/09/detective-touch-sun-part-12-of-12.html">The Detective (Touch the Sun) Part 12 of 12</a>:<br /><br /><blockquote>But Ra's al Ghul knew something more; he knew that it would not end with the destruction of the Gotham Towers.</blockquote><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2008/01/eagle-and-butterfly.html">The Eagle and the Butterfly</a>:<br /><br /><blockquote>"To murder a man and to destroy an entire village are both crimes, but, as terrible as the one is, it pales in significance when compared to the other."</blockquote><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2007/02/late-at-night-in-batcave.html">Late at Night in the Batcave</a>:<br /><br /><blockquote>"You think this new crime syndicate, the Mujahideen, have nuclear weapons, don't you, sir?" It wasn't a question. "You think they have them here in Gotham."</blockquote><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2007/09/detective-touch-sun-part-12-of-12.html">The Detective (Touch the Sun) Part 12 of 12</a>:<br /><br /><blockquote>"And when they do not heed this latest warning? What then? Yet another?"<br /><br />"Patience," he repeated. "When the time is right, the people of Gotham City will come face-to-face with the power that makes the stars shine in the night sky."<br /><br />With great care, the bearded figure picked up a book and raised his eyes toward heaven. "When the time is right, Gotham City will touch the sun."</blockquote><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2007/06/warrior-part-3.html">The Warrior, Part 3</a>:<br /><br /><blockquote>"It says: 'In a world darkened by the overcast of evil, one man will emerge, a warrior, and in defense of justice, he will work magic.'"</blockquote><br /><br /><p align="center">____________</p><br /><br /><li><a href='http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2008/10/gotham-city-teasers-i.html'>Gotham City Teasers I</a></li><br /><li><a href='http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2008/10/gotham-city-teasers-ii.html'>Gotham City Teasers II</a></li><br /><li><a href='http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2008/10/gotham-city-teasers-iii.html'>Gotham City Teasers III</a></li><br /><li><a href='http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2008/10/gotham-city-teasers-iv.html'>Gotham City Teasers IV</a></li><br /><li><a href='http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2008/10/gotham-city-teasers-v.html'>Gotham City Teasers V</a></li><br /><br /><br /><br />The complete <a href="http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2008/10/index-to-gotham-city-series.html">Index to the <i>Gotham City</i> Series</a> through October, 2008.Yankee Doodlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10359740268842861707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7486692856642304444.post-42246746330234076672008-10-26T10:51:00.000-07:002008-10-27T05:40:26.885-07:00Foxes and the HenhouseWe begin with the first several paragraphs of <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/03/business/03sec.html">The Reckoning - Agency's '04 Rule Let Banks Pile Up New Debt</a> by STEPHEN LABATON, October 2, 2008:<br /><br /><blockquote><i>"We have a good deal of comfort about the capital cushions at these firms at the moment."</i> — Christopher Cox, chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission, March 11, 2008.<br /><br />As rumors swirled that Bear Stearns faced imminent collapse in early March, Christopher Cox was told by his staff that Bear Stearns had $17 billion in cash and other assets — more than enough to weather the storm.<br /><br />Drained of most of its cash three days later, Bear Stearns was forced into a hastily arranged marriage with JPMorgan Chase — backed by a $29 billion taxpayer dowry.<br /><br />Within six months, other lions of Wall Street would also either disappear or transform themselves to survive the financial maelstrom — Merrill Lynch sold itself to Bank of America, Lehman Brothers filed for bankruptcy protection, and Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley converted to commercial banks.<br /><br />How could Mr. Cox have been so wrong?<br /><br />Many events in Washington, on Wall Street and elsewhere around the country have led to what has been called the most serious financial crisis since the 1930s. But decisions made at a brief meeting on April 28, 2004, explain why the problems could spin out of control. The agency’s failure to follow through on those decisions also explains why Washington regulators did not see what was coming.<br /><br />On that bright spring afternoon, the five members of the Securities and Exchange Commission met in a basement hearing room to consider an urgent plea by the big investment banks.<br /><br />They wanted an exemption for their brokerage units from an old regulation that limited the amount of debt they could take on. The exemption would unshackle billions of dollars held in reserve as a cushion against losses on their investments. Those funds could then flow up to the parent company, enabling it to invest in the fast-growing but opaque world of mortgage-backed securities; credit derivatives, a form of insurance for bond holders; and other exotic instruments.<br /><br />The five investment banks led the charge, including Goldman Sachs, which was headed by Henry M. Paulson Jr. Two years later, he left to become Treasury secretary.</blockquote><br /><br />Our current Treasury Secretary, Henry M. Paulson, Jr., is now in charge (and with wide discretion) of spending $700 billion of taxpayer money to deal with this crisis; this same man "led the charge" in 2004 to create the environment which allowed the catastrophe which WE THE PEOPLE are now paying for.<br /><br /><big><em>The mouse is in charge of the cheese!</em></big><br /><br />And President George W. Bush, our 43rd President of the United States, a candidate for whom I proudly voted in the 2000 and 2004 general elections, is the man who put him there.<br /><br />As a Republican, I was so disgusted with the blatant "I'm-so-smart-and-they're-so-stupid" corruption of the Clinton Administration, that until I started researching what was going on in Washington these days, I missed the blatant "I-call-the-shots-and-I-can-do-whatever-I-want-to" corruption of the Bush-43 Administration.<br /><br />We need criminal investigations and criminal accountability in this economic "crisis" -- a "crisis" which looks to me like it was allowed to happen to destabilize the financial sector and provide cover for consolidating financial power in the hands of those who are pulling the strings.<br /><br />But, let's not get ahead of ourselves.<br /><br />We now continue by considering some excerpts from <a href="http://globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=10684">Unscrupulous Manipulation of the US Financial Architecture: The Failed Presidency of George W. Bush</a> by Prof. Rodrigue Tremblay, October 25, 2008:<br /><br /><blockquote>It is thus no accident that the Bush-Cheney administration has presided over one of the worst financial collapses and credit crises in U.S. history, by packing regulatory agencies with cronies whose mission it was to let rapacious speculators and market manipulators go wild. The result has been the creation of a casino-like speculative economy that is now crashing down before our very eyes.</blockquote><br /><br />"It is thus no accident" -- a little understated.<br /><br />This is criminal conspiracy, and it is especially obvious when we consider that the Federal Reserve's Board of Governors is populated exclusively by appointees of Bush-43.<br /><br />There's another layer of oversight that was put into place to look the other way.<br /><br /><blockquote>Under Bush-Cheney, financial markets became manipulated by unscrupulous bankers and by rapacious hedge funds, as public regulation was reduced to a minimum. Millions of Americans lost their homes through foreclosure and many more saw their working and pension incomes eroded and destroyed by inflation and plant closings. And as what could be a protracted recession proceeds, many more will lose their jobs in the coming months, while some older employees may have to postpone their retirement because of the disappearance of their pension money.</blockquote><br /><br />"Millions of Americans lost their homes through foreclosure" -- the blame for this belongs in the laps of our big-liberal Washington elite. They wanted affirmative action in housing, so they changed the rules to push mortgages for people who really didn't qualify -- including to illegal aliens.<br /><br />Like all other affirmative action programs, this pushed people who were not qualified into situations they weren't ready to handle.<br /><br />The resulting failure then just reaffirms the need for the big-liberal elite to interfere more, so we get more affirmative action.<br /><br />Funny how the only thing liberal programs do, other than cost money, is generate the need for more liberal programs.<br /><br />Do you suppose that is an accident?<br /><br />By the way -- how has the meaning of the word "liberal" changed over the past two centuries or so?<br /><br />Ah, are we off the subject? Back to corrupt cronyism...<br /><br /><blockquote>In a parody of President Abraham Lincoln, we can say this has been an administration that deserved to be dubbed "a government of the wealthy, by the wealthy and for the wealthy." Some would not hesitate to say, also in parody, that it has been "a government of Goldman Sachs, by Goldman Sachs and for Goldman Sachs," considering the ubiquitous political and economic role which that firm has played within the Bush-Cheney administration. President Bush's own Chief of Staff, Mr. Joshua Bolten, comes from Goldman Sachs. And these days, everybody pretends not see the real and potential conflicts of interests of other public servants who are now on the giving public side of things, at the U.S. Treasury, and who are going to be on the receiving private side of public money, in a scant few months. It is the same thing with a lot of what the U.S. Treasury does. —Even the Governor of the Bank of Canada, Mr. Mark Carney, is a former employee of Goldman Sachs!</blockquote><br /><br />This revolving door -- they come from the business they are supposed to regulate, and go into the government regulating that business, then back to that business, for which they have just written the rules.<br /><br />Consider this quote from the Sibel Edmonds case; from <a href="http://nswbc.org/Op%20Ed/Part2-FNL-Nov29-06.htm">The Highjacking of a Nation, Part 2: The Auctioning of Former Statesmen & Dime a Dozen Generals</a> by Sibel Edmonds, November 29, 2006:<br /><br /><blockquote>The foreign influence, the lobbyists, the current highly positioned civil servants who are determined future 'wanna be' lobbyists, and the fat cats of the Military Industrial Complex, operate successfully under the radar, with unlimited reach and power, with no scrutiny, while selling your interests, benefiting from your tax money, and serving the highest bidders regardless of what or who they may be. This deep state seems to operate at all levels of our government; from the President's office to Congress, from the military quarters to the civil servants' offices.</blockquote><br /><br />Edmonds makes this comment in the context of her own case, and refers to the "Military Industrial Complex" -- but, do you for a moment think this doesn't apply to the financial sector, as well?<br /><br />Continuing with <a href="http://globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=10684">Unscrupulous Manipulation of the US Financial Architecture: The Failed Presidency of George W. Bush</a>:<br /><br /><blockquote>In a related matter, for historical purposes, it will be remembered that, in the fall of 2008, the Bush-Cheney administration sponsored a huge rescue-plus-bailout of the largest speculative Wall Street investment banks (which the Bush SEC had deregulated on March 28, 2004) and of a host of other banking and insurance institutions which had engaged in alchemy or synthetic finance and made risky investments. To that effect, it is ready to place at risk close to $2.0 trillion of public money and let the public debt explode, with few conditions attached to protect the public interest. In fact, the Bush administration stood ready to advance hundreds of billions of dollars and only requested non-voting preferred shares in the troubled banks and insurance companies that it rescued from bankruptcy. As a consequence, contrary to what the Roosevelt administration did in the 1930s, the U.S. government has no direct say about the way the troubled financial institutions are managed and run, and thus, if the bail-out were to be successful, most of the benefits would go to bank owners and their executives; but, if things continue to deteriorate, taxpayers will be the ones left holding the bag.</blockquote><br /><br />Key quotes: "with few conditions attached to protect the public interest" and "thus, if the bail-out were to be successful, most of the benefits would go to bank owners and their executives; but, if things continue to deteriorate, taxpayers will be the ones left holding the bag."<br /><br /><blockquote>Some have said this is an example of corporate socialism for the rich. In fact, this has nothing to do with socialism per se, but everything to do with legal and unapologetical extortionism on a high level. For all these reasons, if the ongoing recession and financial crisis were to turn into a full-fledged economic depression, as it could possibly do, and as it did in 1873-1880 and 1929-1939, it would have to be dubbed by historians "the Bush-Cheney Grand Economic Depression" of 2008-20(?).</blockquote><br /><br />It's called "corruption" -- this is illegal.<br /><br />In this context, let me skip ahead to some more quotes from <a href="http://globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=10684">Unscrupulous Manipulation of the US Financial Architecture: The Failed Presidency of George W. Bush</a>. After a short rant regarding the Bush Administration's interactions with the media, Prof. Tremblay states:<br /><br /><blockquote>Never has American journalism and U.S. corporate media been so corrupt and complicit, and this is because the United States has never had such a corrupt administration, i.e. the 2001-2009 Bush-Cheney administration.</blockquote><br /><br />Considering how the media does <em>nothing</em> with regard to the Sibel Edmonds case, can I really argue with Prof. Tremblay on this issue?<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivsJ0yNVPxWahTZWE_P0IGx5reXIOvBUPrjt9crFCJenvbK7sfmMndOEMHoyKd8T4KE4gLJfwTdykQB4E804X0DbERpcp0jUu5zkmJH3TsH7EomDVXWlBnmKutTMcAC5Nfn_5ulimg2E4/s1600-h/SE+RTT.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivsJ0yNVPxWahTZWE_P0IGx5reXIOvBUPrjt9crFCJenvbK7sfmMndOEMHoyKd8T4KE4gLJfwTdykQB4E804X0DbERpcp0jUu5zkmJH3TsH7EomDVXWlBnmKutTMcAC5Nfn_5ulimg2E4/s320/SE+RTT.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5229991028779664018" /></a><br /><br />Prof. Tremblay then concludes:<br /><br /><blockquote>In its countless failures, the Bush-Cheney administration has been an unhealthy mixture, rarely seen in a democracy, of immorality, lawlessness and incompetence. —It won't be missed by most people, both in the U.S. and around the world.</blockquote><br /><br />No argument from me regarding that statement, either.<br /><br />So, here's the best part; from <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/27/business/27sec.html">S.E.C. Concedes Oversight Flaws Fueled Collapse</a> by STEPHEN LABATON, September 26, 2008:<br /><br /><blockquote>WASHINGTON — The chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission, a longtime proponent of deregulation, acknowledged on Friday that failures in a voluntary supervision program for Wall Street's largest investment banks had contributed to the global financial crisis, and he abruptly shut the program down.<br /><br />The S.E.C.'s oversight responsibilities will largely shift to the Federal Reserve, though the commission will continue to oversee the brokerage units of investment banks.</blockquote><br /><br />So now, Bush's five foxes on the Federal Reserve's Board of Governors will take over guarding the henhouse.<br /><br />Here now is another quote from the Sibel Edmonds case; though made in the context of her own case, it seems so applicable to this crisis as well, and this is another reason why I see this financial crisis we are in as just another... ah, but first the excerpt from <a href="http://antiwar.com/news/?articleid=2921">An Interview with Sibel Edmonds, Page Three</a> by Chris Deliso, July 1, 2004:<br /><br /><blockquote><b>CD:</b> What are they so afraid of?<br /><br /><b>SE:</b> They're afraid of information, of the truth coming out, and accountability -- the whole accountability issue that will arise. But it's not as complicated as it might seem. If they were to allow the whole picture to emerge, it would just boil down to a whole lot of money and illegal activities.<br /><br /><b>CD:</b> Hmm, well I know you can't name names, but can you tell me if any specific officials will suffer if your testimony comes out?<br /><br /><b>SE:</b> Yes. Certain elected officials will stand trial and go to prison.</blockquote><br /><br />There was a terrorist attack on 9/11, which snowballed into a War on Terror -- and there was a subprime mortgage crisis, which has ballooned into an economic crisis and even a financial meltdown.<br /><br />Different events, right?<br /><br />But, what is going on behind the scenes -- in <em>both</em> cases?<br /><br />Meanwhile, please read the two articles from the <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/">New York Times</a> in their entirety, as they are very informative.Yankee Doodlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10359740268842861707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7486692856642304444.post-67869136275578750872008-10-25T15:10:00.000-07:002008-10-26T13:52:18.091-07:00Index to the Gotham City Series<h2>Selected comments from the <i>Gotham City</i> series:</h2><br /><br />From <a href='http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2007/02/gotham-city-things-change.html'>Gotham City: "Things Change"</a>:<br /><br /><blockquote>Aurora said...<br />Wow, YD, you've really outdone yourself on this one. I'm going to weave some of this into a post I'm doing tonight.<br /><br />February 24, 2008 12:25 AM</blockquote><br /><br />From <a href='http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2007/06/rocking-boats.html'>Rocking Boats</a>:<br /><br /><blockquote>WomanHonorThyself said...<br />now THATS writing!<br /><br />June 7, 2007 9:08 PM</blockquote><br /><br />From <a href='http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2007/09/detective-prelude.html'>The Detective: Prelude</a>:<br /><br /><blockquote>pela68 said...<br />!<br /><br />You have outdone yourself...<br /><br />That was... Beautiful!<br /><br />September 1, 2007 6:18 AM</blockquote><br /><br />From <a href='http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2007/06/rocking-boats.html'>Rocking Boats</a>:<br /><br /><blockquote>defiant_infidel said...<br />What an excellent job, Mr. Boat Rocker!<br /><br />June 10, 2007 1:56 PM</blockquote><br /><br />From <a href='http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2007/06/belladonna.html'>Belladonna</a>:<br /><br /><blockquote>pela68 said...<br />I bow to you sir! Not in submission, but in awe and jealousy. I wish I had a pinpoint of your talent for writing. You do also make a case, a very compelling case as that. But if you are right, then it is time to get afraid- very afraid.<br /><br />June 21, 2007 2:12 PM</blockquote><br /><br /><br /><h2>The <i>Gotham City</i> Series (Newest On Top)</h2><br /><br /><li><a href='http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2008/10/remember-part-2.html'>Remember, Part 2</a></li><br /><li><a href='http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2008/10/remember-part-1.html'>Remember, Part 1</a></li><br /><li><a href='http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2008/10/counterconspiracy-heavenly-fury.html'>The Counterconspiracy: Heavenly Fury</a></li><br /><li><a href='http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2008/10/counterconspiracy-marked-with-blood.html'>The Counterconspiracy: Marked with Blood</a></li><br /><li><a href='http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2008/10/counterconspiracy-divine-skein.html'>The Counterconspiracy: Divine Skein</a></li><br /><li><a href='http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2008/10/counterconspiracy-witness.html'>The Counterconspiracy: Witness</a></li><br /><li><a href='http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2008/10/counterconspiracy-up-in-flames.html'>The Counterconspiracy: Up in Flames</a></li><br /><li><a href='http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2008/10/counterconspiracy-vigilante-part-2.html'>The Counterconspiracy: "Vigilante" Part 2</a></li><br /><li><a href='http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2008/10/counterconspiracy-vigilante-part-1.html'>The Counterconspiracy: "Vigilante" Part 1</a></li><br /><li><a href='http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2008/10/counterconspiracy-cowboy-justice.html'>The Counterconspiracy: "Cowboy Justice"</a></li><br /><li><a href='http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2008/09/attack-by-fire-pale-horse.html'>Attack by Fire: The Pale Horse</a></li><br /><li><a href='http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2008/09/attack-by-fire-three-in-morning.html'>Attack by Fire: Three in the Morning</a></li><br /><li><a href='http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2008/09/attack-by-fire-prelude.html'>Attack by Fire: Prelude</a></li><br /><li><a href='http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2008/09/dark-knight-part-5-of-5.html'>The Dark Knight, Part 5 of 5</a></li><br /><li><a href='http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2008/08/dark-knight-part-4-of-5.html'>The Dark Knight, Part 4 of 5</a></li><br /><li><a href='http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2008/08/dark-knight-part-3-of-5.html'>The Dark Knight, Part 3 of 5</a></li><br /><li><a href='http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2008/08/dark-knight-part-2-of-5.html'>The Dark Knight, Part 2 of 5</a></li><br /><li><a href='http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2008/06/dark-knight-part-1-of-5.html'>The Dark Knight, Part 1 of 5</a></li><br /><li><a href='http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2008/06/demon-part-5-of-5.html'>The Demon, Part 5 of 5</a></li><br /><li><a href='http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2008/06/demon-part-4-of-5.html'>The Demon, Part 4 of 5</a></li><br /><li><a href='http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2008/06/demon-part-3-of-5.html'>The Demon, Part 3 of 5</a></li><br /><li><a href='http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2008/06/demon-part-2-of-5.html'>The Demon, Part 2 of 5</a></li><br /><li><a href='http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2008/06/demon-part-1-of-5.html'>The Demon, Part 1 of 5</a></li><br /><li><a href='http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2008/06/die-another-day-part-2.html'>Die Another Day, Part 2</a></li><br /><li><a href='http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2008/05/die-another-day-part-1.html'>Die Another Day, Part 1</a></li><br /><li><a href='http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2008/04/plain-as-day.html'>Plain as Day</a></li><br /><li><a href='http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2008/03/inky-black.html'>Inky Black</a></li><br /><li><a href='http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2008/01/king-takes-queen.html'>King Takes Queen</a></li><br /><li><a href='http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2008/01/eagle-and-butterfly.html'>The Eagle and the Butterfly</a></li><br /><li><a href='http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2007/12/knight-for-fool.html'>A Knight for a Fool</a></li><br /><li><a href='http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2007/11/thanksgiving.html'>Thanksgiving</a></li><br /><li><a href='http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2007/11/vasilissa-beauty-part-12-of-12.html'>Vasilissa the Beauty (Part 12 of 12)</a></li><br /><li><a href='http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2007/11/vasilissa-beauty-part-11-of-12.html'>Vasilissa the Beauty (Part 11 of 12)</a></li><br /><li><a href='http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2007/10/vasilissa-beauty-part-10-of-12.html'>Vasilissa the Beauty (Part 10 of 12)</a></li><br /><li><a href='http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2007/10/vasilissa-beauty-part-9-of-12.html'>Vasilissa the Beauty (Part 9 of 12)</a></li><br /><li><a href='http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2007/10/vasilissa-beauty-part-8-of-12.html'>Vasilissa the Beauty (Part 8 of 12)</a></li><br /><li><a href='http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2007/10/vasilissa-beauty-part-7-of-12.html'>Vasilissa the Beauty (Part 7 of 12)</a></li><br /><li><a href='http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2007/10/vasilissa-beauty-part-6-of-12.html'>Vasilissa the Beauty (Part 6 of 12)</a></li><br /><li><a href='http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2007/10/vasilissa-beauty-part-5-of-12.html'>Vasilissa the Beauty (Part 5 of 12)</a></li><br /><li><a href='http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2007/10/vasilissa-beauty-part-4-of-12.html'>Vasilissa the Beauty (Part 4 of 12)</a></li><br /><li><a href='http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2007/10/vasilissa-beauty-part-3-of-12.html'>Vasilissa the Beauty (Part 3 of 12)</a></li><br /><li><a href='http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2007/10/vasilissa-beauty-part-2-of-12.html'>Vasilissa the Beauty (Part 2 of 12)</a></li><br /><li><a href='http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2007/10/vasilissa-beauty-part-1-of-12.html'>Vasilissa the Beauty (Part 1 of 12)</a></li><br /><li><a href='http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2007/09/autumn-rain.html'>Autumn Rain</a></li><br /><li><a href='http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2007/09/detective-touch-sun-part-12-of-12.html'>The Detective (Touch the Sun) Part 12 of 12</a></li><br /><li><a href='http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2007/09/detective-touch-sun-part-11-of-12.html'>The Detective (Touch the Sun) Part 11 of 12</a></li><br /><li><a href='http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2007/09/detective-touch-sun-part-10-of-12.html'>The Detective (Touch the Sun) Part 10 of 12</a></li><br /><li><a href='http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2007/09/detective-touch-sun-part-9-of-12.html'>The Detective (Touch the Sun) Part 9 of 12</a></li><br /><li><a href='http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2007/09/detective-touch-sun-part-8-of-12.html'>The Detective (Touch the Sun) Part 8 of 12</a></li><br /><li><a href='http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2007/09/detective-touch-sun-part-7-of-12.html'>The Detective (Touch the Sun) Part 7 of 12</a></li><br /><li><a href='http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2007/09/detective-touch-sun-part-6-of-12.html'>The Detective (Touch the Sun) Part 6 of 12</a></li><br /><li><a href='http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2007/09/detective-touch-sun-part-5-of-12.html'>The Detective (Touch the Sun) Part 5 of 12</a></li><br /><li><a href='http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2007/09/detective-touch-sun-part-4-of-12.html'>The Detective (Touch the Sun) Part 4 of 12</a></li><br /><li><a href='http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2007/09/detective-touch-sun-part-3-of-12.html'>The Detective (Touch the Sun) Part 3 of 12</a></li><br /><li><a href='http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2007/09/detective-touch-sun-part-2-of-12.html'>The Detective (Touch the Sun) Part 2 of 12</a></li><br /><li><a href='http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2007/09/detective-touch-sun-part-1-of-12.html'>The Detective (Touch the Sun) Part 1 of 12</a></li><br /><li><a href='http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2007/09/detective-prelude.html'>The Detective: Prelude</a></li><br /><li><a href='http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2007/08/mirror-mirror-part-8-of-8.html'>Mirror, Mirror (Part 8 of 8)</a></li><br /><li><a href='http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2007/08/mirror-mirror-part-7-of-8.html'>Mirror, Mirror (Part 7 of 8)</a></li><br /><li><a href='http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2007/08/mirror-mirror-part-6-of-8.html'>Mirror, Mirror (Part 6 of 8)</a></li><br /><li><a href='http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2007/08/mirror-mirror-part-5-of-8.html'>Mirror, Mirror (Part 5 of 8)</a></li><br /><li><a href='http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2007/08/mirror-mirror-part-4-of-8.html'>Mirror, Mirror (Part 4 or 8)</a></li><br /><li><a href='http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2007/07/mirror-mirror-part-3-of-8.html'>Mirror, Mirror (Part 3 of 8)</a></li><br /><li><a href='http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2007/07/mirror-mirror-part-2-of-8.html'>Mirror, Mirror (Part 2 of 8)</a></li><br /><li><a href='http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2007/07/mirror-mirror-part-1-of-8.html'>Mirror, Mirror (Part 1 of 8)</a></li><br /><li><a href='http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2007/06/warrior-part-3.html'>The Warrior, Part 3</a></li><br /><li><a href='http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2007/06/warrior-part-2.html'>The Warrior, Part 2</a></li><br /><li><a href='http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2007/06/warrior-part-1.html'>The Warrior, Part 1</a></li><br /><li><a href='http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2007/06/belladonna.html'>Belladonna</a></li><br /><li><a href='http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2007/06/legend.html'>The Legend</a></li><br /><li><a href='http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2007/06/rocking-boats.html'>Rocking Boats</a></li><br /><li><a href='http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2007/06/meow.html'>Meow!</a></li><br /><li><a href='http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2007/05/interview.html'>The Interview</a></li><br /><li><a href='http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2007/04/visitor-at-wayne-enterprises.html'>A Visitor at Wayne Enterprises</a></li><br /><li><a href='http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2007/04/riddle-at-wayne-enterprises.html'>Riddle at Wayne Enterprises</a></li><br /><li><a href='http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2007/04/in-gotham-park.html'>In Gotham Park</a></li><br /><li><a href='http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2007/03/another-riddle.html'>Another Riddle</a></li><br /><li><a href='http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2007/03/riddle-at-wayne-manor.html'>Riddle at Wayne Manor</a></li><br /><li><a href='http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2007/02/late-at-night-in-batcave.html'>Late at Night in the Batcave</a></li><br /><li><a href='http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2007/02/gotham-city-things-change.html'>Gotham City: "Things Change"</a></li><br /><li><a href='http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2007/02/gotham-city-and-overcast-of-evil.html'>Gotham City and the Overcast of Evil</a></li><br /><br /><br />From <a href="http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2008/09/dark-knight-part-5-of-5.html">The Dark Knight, Part 5 of 5</a>:<br /><br /><blockquote>pela68 said...<br />Now I will have to go over it again to decode the message.<br /><br />September 28, 2008 12:37 AM</blockquote>Yankee Doodlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10359740268842861707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7486692856642304444.post-71021722965439663992008-10-25T02:00:00.000-07:002008-10-25T02:00:00.594-07:00Remember, Part 2"What else is interesting regarding the Gotham Trade Center attack is the immense number of trades that were run through the computers in the brokerages housed in the Gotham Towers <em>during the attack</em>." Nygma looked, as his partner pulled out more graphs and charts. "While everyone was trying to escape death in those towering infernos, while Gotham firefighters were running up dozens of flights of stairs to save the people in the upper floors, the computers were unattended, with no one monitoring the trading."<br /><br />Gordon remembered that day. He had been on the scene, helping to establish a command post not far from the Gotham Trade Center.<br /><br /> "They were laundering money – by the <em>billions</em>," Nygma whispered. "Then, despite being over-engineered for just such a catastrophe, both the Gotham Towers collapsed, as did a third skyscraper in the Gotham Trade Center, later that day."<br /><br />"As you can see from these photos, the buildings were imploded, Inspector," Callahan picked up. "This destroyed the evidence of the money laundering, burying the computers that the trades had been run through in mountains of debris. The third building housed regulatory and enforcement agencies; destroying their offices ensured there would be no real investigation of the evidence buried in the rubble."<br /><br />With someone honest in the mayor's office, Bruce Wayne thought, Falcone would be brought down, Gotham City would be able to deal with Aladdin, and hundreds of thousands of people – perhaps millions – would live.<br /><br />He thought back to the financial and economic crisis Gotham City was now facing, and how Edward Nygma and Linda Callahan had traced it back... just as the attack on the Gotham Towers had been used as a cover for money-laundering and financial empire-building, so was this happening now under the cover of a different kind of crisis. On the surface, it looked so very different, but underneath, <em>it was the very same thing!</em><br /><br />"Batman! Hell, he's becoming a folk hero in Gotham," Nygma commented, as Dawes and Gordon exchanged glances.<br /><br />The remark caught Bruce Wayne's attention.<br /><br />"I bet if his name were on the ballot, he'd win by a landslide," Callahan agreed.<br /><br />Dawes and Gordon again exchanged glances. Bruce Wayne was not sure about Rachel, but he knew Jim Gordon agreed, deep inside. More than that....<br /><br />But, somewhere in the back of Bruce Wayne's mind, something lurked just beyond his consciousness....<br /><br /><br /><br /><i>They looked glorious and majestic, light-colored towers against the deep blue sky.<br /><br />Something was wrong.<br /><br />There was a fire.<br /><br />No, there were two fires, one in each tower, high up.<br /><br />People were trapped above the fires.<br /><br />"The fire department. Call the fire department," Wayne said urgently.<br /><br />"The fire department is already responding," a voice came from behind him. The voice was soothing, familiar -- it was his mother. Martha Wayne's voice continued, "Several companies of firefighters are on the scene, and more are on the way."<br /><br />Wayne felt a little reassured. There would be some deaths, but those buildings could withstand any fire, and the fire department would soon have the fires put out. Some people would die, but most would live and, in time, things would be okay again, and life in Gotham would go on.<br /><br />"Pull it."<br /><br />The cold, masculine voice came from behind him, and Wayne looked in horror as first one tower, then the other, collapsed. Hundreds of firefighters and emergency workers, plus thousands more innocent people, trapped....<br /><br />The buildings fell... they fell forever....<br /><br />The people fell... they fell forever....<br /><br />Giant clouds of pulverized concrete enveloped Gotham City in a thick blanket of dust as the Gotham Towers came down.<br /><br />"Pull the other one, too," the cold, masculine voice from behind him commanded, and another building, near the first two, but emptied of its people, collapsed as well.<br /><br />Bruce looked around... those grand, indestructible structures, the pride of Gotham, were now so much dust and rubble....<br /><br />The people that had been inside were dead, their fragile bodies broken, their blood running in the gutters of Gotham City.<br /><br />Bruce wanted to cry, but was unable. "Mom?" he gasped.<br /><br />"The danger is not past, Bruce," his mother's voice answered.<br /><br />Bruce looked. Some men had an object, and they were moving it into place in Gotham City.<br /><br />The object was a piece of equipment of some sort, some kind of container.<br /><br />"Now it's Gotham's turn to touch the sun," the cold voice came again from behind him.<br /><br />Bruce looked at the container... inside it was the power of the sun!<br /><br />"Bruce... don't be afraid."<br /><br />Bruce looked; it was his father, Dr. Thomas Wayne.</i> "This <i>disaster can still be prevented. Just don't be afraid."<br /><br />"What must I do?"<br /><br />"You can stay with me," came the answer from his left. Bruce looked. It was the Eurasian girl from the market they had passed through on their way to the train station. "I cannot ignore my earthly desires," she added, approaching him.<br /><br />He looked again at Gotham City. Whatever the men were doing, it was about to happen. They were about to unleash the power of the sun to destroy Gotham City!</i><br /><br /><br /><br />It was well after midnight, and Alfred had stopped in to the Batcave to see what could possibly be keeping Master Bruce.<br /><br />He peered into the shadows. <br /><br />Bruce Wayne was asleep in his chair in front of the Batcomputer.<br /><br />He looked comfortable, it was warm near the Batcomputer, and Master Bruce didn't sleep enough, Alfred reasoned. Better to leave him where he was.<br /><br /><br /><br /><i>Bruce ran to stop them, but he couldn't possibly get there fast enough.<br /><br />He had to fly!<br /><br />He flew.... His robes became wings.<br /><br />He looked at his wings -- they were black! His whole body was black and rubbery. Bruce Wayne was a bat!<br /><br />He flew at the men.<br /><br />Too late, the men noticed him. They looked up at him. They were terrified!<br /><br />Some ran away, others drew weapons. They fired at him, but to no effect.<br /><br />He swooped down on the men, again and again, and they panicked and ran. They turned upon each other, they killed each other, deliberately and accidentally; the survivors scattered, fleeing for their lives.<br /><br />Their plan had come to nothing; the sun was safely inside the box, and Gotham City was safe from the men.<br /><br />Bruce landed, satisfied.<br /><br />The giant, glorious city in front of him became a light, and a figure walked towards him out of the light.<br /><br />The figure was the Son of the Emperor of Heaven, and the light behind Him was His Father!<br /><br />Bruce fell to his knees before the figure, as the figure said to him, "When the time comes, you will remember this vision, and the men who seek to do this thing will learn of My Father's indignation."<br /><br />The figure stretched his hand forward towards Bruce. "You did not choose Me," the figure declared, "I chose you."</i><br /><br /><br /><br />The noise woke him up. He looked around the Batcave. It had to be the raccoons, he thought, as he settled back into his chair.<br /><br />Anyway, there was something there, in the back of his mind... just out of reach... what was it...? The Gotham Trade Center... a financial meltdown... Aladdin's ties to the mayor's office and to the city council... Falcone... heroin... Ra's al Ghul... forced prostitution... illegal arms sales....<br /><br />He turned again toward the noise, and saw The Ancient standing behind him.<br /><br />Standing up, he greeted The Ancient, but The Ancient just smiled.<br /><br />Then, The Ancient stretched his arm out toward him.<br /><br />Touching Bruce Wayne's forehead, he softly whispered, "Remember."Yankee Doodlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10359740268842861707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7486692856642304444.post-26634440639746543212008-10-24T17:06:00.001-07:002008-10-24T17:24:18.545-07:00Remember, Part 1The figure sat in the shadows, illuminated by the glow from the multifunction displays in front of him.<br /><br />It was quiet, and behind him, the faintest of noises could just be discerned.<br /><br />He turned and looked, catching a glimpse of a shadowy figure off behind some equipment.<br /><br />He smiled. The raccoons could be quite... what was the word he was looking for?<br /><br />It was now after midnight, and his thoughts drifted back to the events of what was now the previous day.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />"Inspector Gordon, good to see you again!" Rachel Dawes greeted the head of Gotham City's interagency task force to bring in Batman.<br /><br />"Hi, how you doing?" Gordon sounded somewhat tired.<br /><br />Rachel glanced at her watch; it was almost noon. She knew that often his response could be misunderstood by people, who thought him detached and at times a little gruff. Of course, she knew him a little better than most people. Both Rachel Dawes and Jim Gordon had been friends of Bruce Wayne since Rachel and Bruce were kids, and since Jim Gordon was just a patrolman in the Gotham Police Department. Rachel spent some time with Bruce in the wake of the deaths of Bruce's parents, and Officer Gordon had taken a special interest in young Bruce Wayne; Gordon was the first officer on the scene of the murders, and checked in on young Bruce periodically, especially in the first months after the deaths.<br /><br />"I'm not sure about the case against this Batman. Witnesses have him killing several people, but the witnesses are themselves thugs from Gotham's underworld. They have long police records, and the most interesting part is that they themselves admit that the people Batman killed were in the midst of committing multiple felonies when Batman killed them. Furthermore, for at least half the counts, the people Batman killed were trying to kill Batman...."<br /><br />"Justifiable homicide," interrupted Gordon.<br /><br />"We could get him on weapons charges...." Dawes said tentatively.<br /><br />"We could get him for speeding, too," interrupted Gordon, "but somehow, considering everything that is going on in Gotham City, I think our attention should be focused elsewhere."<br /><br />There was a pause, then the elevator door opened.<br /><br />"Right this way, Jim," Rachel began to address him by his first name. "Bruce is expecting us in the room at the end of the hallway. It has such a wonderful view of Gotham City," she added cheerfully.<br /><br />Gordon looked at her. Each of them had been there before, having lunch with Bruce Wayne; seldom, though, had they been there together.<br /><br /><br /><br />"This 'Riddler'," Alfred began, "had to have known something about this impending economic crisis."<br /><br />Bruce Wayne looked at Alfred.<br /><br />"He wasn't just helping us understand what had already happened; he was alerting us to what <em>would</em> happen."<br /><br />Alfred studied the look on Master Bruce's face. There were times when Bruce Wayne kept silent, and it was hard to tell if he heard and understood things, his mind racing ahead in leaps and bounds making connections that Alfred had not yet thought of, or if he was merely daydreaming.<br /><br />It was late, Alfred thought – Master Bruce had had a long day today, including an important lunch with Inspector Gordon and several others. Perhaps he was just tired.<br /><br /><br /><br />"Jim Gordon. It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Nygma, Miss Callahan."<br /><br />They shook hands and sat down.<br /><br />Bruce Wayne looked casually around the table. Edward Nygma, who had been an investigative reporter and had done so much research into the events surrounding the attack on the Gotham Trade Center, together with Linda Callahan, an independent investigative reporter who had been researching corruption in Gotham City's law enforcement community, were sitting down at a table with Inspector Jim Gordon of the Gotham Police Department, and with Assistant Deputy District Attorney Rachel Dawes.<br /><br />"If you remember your history," Nygma began, "something similar happened in 1873. There had been a boom in railroad construction, which turned out to be a bubble – too much investment in an industry yielding returns that were too long-term. A major Gotham financial institution had been a heavy investor in the Gotham Westward Railway, but when Gotham Westward's stock prices fell, its stock and corporate bonds were no longer worth as much. That financial institution was one of many that found itself in trouble. The stock market went down so far and so fast, that at the end of September and the beginning of October, the Gotham Stock Exchange actually closed for two weeks. Hundreds of businesses failed in Gotham, construction work lagged, there were layoffs, wages were cut...."<br /><br />Gordon and Dawes were captivated as Nygma explained, tag-teaming with Callahan, the history of economic crises in Gotham City.<br /><br />Wayne smiled. He knew that Special Agent Nicholas Kyle of the Gotham Bureau of Investigation, who was one of Falcone's key men inside Gotham's law enforcement community, was now an informant reporting to Inspector Gordon. He also knew that Detective Sergeant O'Hara, a very trusted member of Gordon's team, had been interviewing Vasilissa quite extensively – and Vasilissa had extensive knowledge about the inside workings of Gotham's underworld. The pieces of the puzzle were in place; the stage was set for Falcone's empire to come crashing down, and for Aladdin and his Mujahideen then to be dealt a terrible blow from which they would not soon recover.<br /><br />"The Crisis of 1893 was similar, and in many ways grew out of the 1873 crisis," Linda Callahan picked up. "There had been a 'railroad bubble', similar to the 'tech bubble' that Gotham City experienced in the last decade. Railroads had overbuilt, and in an effort to take over their competitors, they placed themselves in dangerous financial positions. The crisis with the railroads impacted not just investors who held stock and corporate bonds from the railroads, but it also impacted the economy, which was heavily dependent upon rail transport. A credit crunch rippled through the Gotham economy, and there were runs on banks, much like we see today...."<br /><br />True, Wayne thought – Ra's al Ghul would probably escape. But, based on Wayne's conversations with Talia, daughter of Ra's al Ghul, it seemed she now was leaning away from him. Ra's al Ghul had at first abandoned his other daughter, Nyssa Raatko, to her fate – abducted and raped, she was forced into prostitution in Gotham City, but now, as a high-class call-girl named "Vasilissa", she was giving valuable inside information that would disable the tentacles Ra's al Ghul was using to manipulate Gotham City and steer it on a course to its destruction. Moreover, Nyssa was winning over her half-sister, Talia, driving a wedge between Talia and their father. While he might escape, Ra's al Ghul would take a long time to rebuild his organization in Gotham City, and he would be doing so without some key players that would be hard to replace – including his very own daughter, Talia.<br /><br />"These financial crises happen periodically. What is different in more modern crises," Nygma explained, as Callahan pulled out files with graphs, statistics and illustrations, "is that, for the past century, Gotham City had a regulatory commission, whose board of governors is supposed to monitor the credit situation in Gotham City's financial circles, identify potential problems, and take action to isolate such problems before they can have a wider effect in Gotham City. Despite this, we continue to have more crises – the financial world develops faster than regulators can keep up with it, and, in any case, there is always a way around regulation."<br /><br />Linda Callahan nodded. "Legislation is reactive, not proactive," she added. "It will never keep up with new, inventive ways to game the system."<br /><br />"Exactly," Edward Nygma agreed. "What is interesting, though, are the parallels between the financial activity surrounding the attack on the Gotham Trade Center seven years ago, and the financial activity in the midst of our crisis today."<br /><br />Gordon and Dawes exchanged glances.<br /><br />"Law enforcement, especially the Gotham Bureau of Investigation, had general information that an attack was coming, that it would be arson, and so on. Despite this, Gotham authorities issued no warnings about the attack. Later, the mayor said no one had predicted an attack <em>that Tuesday morning</em>, and that statement was accurate only because he qualified it." Linda had them captivated. "Similarly, although many economists commented on the impending crisis we now face, the regulatory commission's board of governors took no effective action to prevent it."<br /><br />"The causes were different," Nygma picked up. "In one case, it was an arson attack; in the other, a banking bubble. But, the opportunity was the same: chaos in the financial sector, its impact on futures, options, short-selling – competition to be taken over or bankrupted, fortunes to be made. Now, in the case of the attack on the Gotham Trade Center, these graphs show stock trading that occurred before and after the attack. As you look long-term, spectacular profits were made by some who seemed to know, a year or more in advance, what sectors of Gotham's financial world would be impacted, and how – and this is happening again today."<br /><br />Linda Callahan looked at Inspector Jim Gordon and Assistant Deputy District Attorney Rachel Dawes. They were paying close attention, and seemed very interested as Edward Nygma reviewed the current crisis, drawing parallels to financial moves made at the time of the arson attack on the Gotham Trade Center just seven short years ago. She glanced at Bruce Wayne – he seemed to be off in his own little world.<br /><br />The only problem, Bruce Wayne thought, was the corruption in Gotham City's elected elite. The mayor and both of the men who wanted to replace him were deep in Falcone's pockets, whether they realized it or not. Gotham City needed an honest mayor. Aladdin wanted to destroy Gotham City, and had the means to do so, but Falcone's tentacles kept Gotham City from dealing with Aladdin. Ra's al Ghul was determined to manipulate Falcone, Aladdin and the mayor's office, so there would be no adequate response to the threat posed by Aladdin; Aladdin would devastate Gotham City with his nuclear weapons, and Ra's al Ghul would disappear back into the underworld, his mission accomplished.Yankee Doodlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10359740268842861707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7486692856642304444.post-16373889668261810662008-10-22T15:49:00.000-07:002008-10-22T16:13:44.442-07:00PuppetmasterWe review <a href="http://www.vanityfair.com/online/politics/2008/10/soros-and-sachs-on-saving-the-economy.html">Soros and Sachs on Saving the Economy</a> by Marnie Hanel, October 21, 2008, 4:54 PM:<br /><br /><blockquote>Yesterday, three economic individualists gathered at the Earth Institute at Columbia University to answer the question: Can We Save the World Economy?<br /><br />It was no small task for a Monday afternoon.<br /><br />The panel consisted of global financier George Soros (no friend of Thailand), economic professor Nouriel Roubini (foreshadower of the financial swirlie), and Earth Institute Director Jeffrey Sachs (CNN's favorite expert since the onset of this kerfuffle).<br /><br />Throughout the next hour and 45 minutes, the gentlemen clearly outlined the origins and implications of the financial crisis, offering a listener a chance to get one's footing even if, say, one barely skated by in Introduction to Economics.<br /><br />Each cited a systemic failure that led to the collapse of the financial system, pointing a collective finger (which one, you pick) at four mistakes made by Alan Greenspan's Fed: reckless deregulation, aggressive monetary policy, excessive risk taking, and reliance on internal risk-management structures.<br /><br />One of the fundamental flaws in this system, they said, is its basis on market fundamentalism—a theory that, for varying reasons, each expert said is hooey. As Soros pointed out, the market has never saved itself from failing without the heavy hand of interfering authorities. (Examples he's fond of citing include: The international banking crisis in 1982, the failure of Long-Term Capital Management in 1998.)</blockquote><br /><br />A big part of the reason the Federal Reserve System was established was to prevent the kinds of problems they had during the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panic_of_1907">Panic of 1907</a>. Despite that, we had the Great Depression, and other crises, and now we have this mess.<br /><br />In a market with only that regulation that is necessary and appropriate, people can make mistakes, but other people can do things correctly.<br /><br />Excessive regulation, however, forces everyone down the same path, and when that path is in error, the whole system has problems.<br /><br />On top of that, when the system is being manipulated by those in power -- be they government regulators, the elected officials who appointed them, or the billionaire-patrons of the politicians -- honest people have nowhere to run. The result is not just the greed that our elites decry, but a greed enforced by fascistic government regulation.<br /><br />The antidote to that is freedom -- the freedom to educate yourself and your children on matters of importance, including the economy and finances (hint: your children will not learn critical thinking about the economy in our socialistic government-run school system), and the freedom to act in your own economic best interests.<br /><br />Yes, you may make a mistake with your money, but the alternative is to have guys with guns and badges take your money from you, and give it to the foxes who are guarding your henhouse.<br /><br /><blockquote>Our credit-and-loan culture is also to blame, they said, as is an investment-banking system in which passing the risk is the order of the day. Our asset bubble has burst, they say. As a result, we will see a profound change in the way America functions in relation to the rest of the world.<br /><br />Soros warned that the impact on periphery countries has yet to be seen. Roubini followed up by recalling the phrase, "If the U.S. sneezes, the world gets a cold," and saying, "The U.S. is not just going to get a cold, it’s going to have a severe case of pneumonia." Sachs said the financial crisis would affect developing nations and harm the poor, and added that, if we don’t wake up to the "deep unreality" we've been living in, we will see similar crashes in the environmental and global-poverty spheres. <br /><br />Sachs argued that nothing short of global macroeconomic coordination can save us from a dismal, long-term financial fate, yet warned that we’re hamstrung until a new president is elected. Who that is will be the deciding factor in how we'll weather the recession.<br /><br />The gentlemen favor Obama.</blockquote><br /><br />They favor Obama.<br /><br />No surprise there.<br /><br />In my series <i>Proxy Fight</i> (<a href="http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2008/04/proxy-fight-part-1.html">Part 1</a>, <a href="http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2008/04/proxy-fight-part-2.html">Part 2</a>, <a href="http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2008/04/proxy-fight-part-3.html">Part 3</a>, <a href="http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2008/04/proxy-fight-part-4.html">Part 4</a>, <a href="http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2008/04/proxy-fight-part-5.html">Part 5</a>, <a href="http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2008/04/proxy-fight-part-6.html">Part 6</a>, <a href="http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2008/04/proxy-fight-part-7.html">Part 7</a>, <a href="http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2008/04/proxy-fight-part-8.html">Part 8</a>), I address the backing that Senator Obama receives from George Soros.<br /><br />What I don't address a great deal at this blog is how George Soros' bet is hedged by backing of Senator McCain, as well.<br /><br />Needless to say, they want the economy more regulated -- there is a call for "global macroeconomic coordination".<br /><br />That means taking more freedom from you, and giving it to our Washington elite.<br /><br /><br /><blockquote><em>Guard with jealous attention the public liberty. Suspect everyone who approaches that jewel. Unfortunately, nothing will preserve it but downright force. Whenever you give up that force, you are inevitably ruined.</em><br /><p align="right">-- Patrick Henry</p></blockquote><br /><br /><br />From <a href="http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2008/04/proxy-fight-part-8.html">Proxy Fight, Part 8</a>:<br /><br /><blockquote><em>There are many things at stake in any US Presidential election, and many issues that are influenced.</em><br /><br /><a href="http://antiwar.com/news/?articleid=2920">An Interview with Sibel Edmonds, Page Two</a> by Chris Deliso, July 1, 2004<br /><br /><blockquote><b>CD:</b> Such as?<br /><br /><b>SE:</b> Everything -- from drugs to money laundering to arms sales. And yes, there are certain convergences with all these activities and international terrorism.<br /><br /><b>CD:</b> So with these organizations we're talking about a lot of money --<br /><br /><b>SE:</b> Huge, just massive. They don't deal with 1 million or 5 million dollars, but with hundreds of millions.</blockquote><br /><br /><em>However, one important aspect of the 2008 elections...</em><br /><br /><a href="http://antiwar.com/news/?articleid=2920">An Interview with Sibel Edmonds, Page Two</a> by Chris Deliso, July 1, 2004<br /><br /><blockquote><b>CD:</b> But what do think, within departments such as the Pentagon and the State Department. Do you suspect certain high officials may be profiting from terrorist-linked organized crime?<br /><br /><b>SE:</b> I can't say anything specific with regards to these departments, because I didn't work for them. But as for the politicians, what I can say is that when you start talking about huge amounts of money, certain elected officials become automatically involved. And there are different kinds of campaign contributions -- legal and illegal, declared and undeclared.</blockquote><br /><br /><em>...is that the US Presidential race has become...</em><br /><br /><a href="http://www.antiwar.com/orig/horton.php?articleid=7032">Cracking the Case: An Interview With Sibel Edmonds</a> by Scott Horton, August 22, 2005<br /><br /><blockquote>SE: <em>[snip]</em> The American people have the right to know this. They are giving this grand illusion that there are some investigations, but there are none. You know, they are coming down on these charities as the finance of al-Qaeda. Well, if you were to talk about the financing of al-Qaeda, a very small percentage comes from these charity foundations. The vast majority of their financing comes from narcotics. Look, we had 4 to 6 percent of the narcotics coming from the East, coming from Pakistan, coming from Afghanistan via the Balkans to the United States. Today, three or four years after Sept. 11, that has reached over 15 percent. How is it getting here? Who are getting the proceedings from those big narcotics?</blockquote><br /><br /><em>...a proxy fight...</em><br /><br /><a href="http://antiwar.com/deliso/?articleid=6934">'The Stakes Are Too High for Us to Stop Fighting Now' An interview with FBI whistleblower Sibel Edmonds</a> by Christopher Deliso August 15, 2005<br /><br /><blockquote><b>CD:</b> But you can start from anywhere --<br /><br /><b>SE:</b> That's the beauty of it. You can start from the AIPAC angle. You can start from the Plame case. You can start from my case. They all end up going to the same place, and they revolve around the same nucleus of people. There may be a lot of them, but it is one group. And they are very dangerous for all of us.</blockquote><br /><br /><em>...for control of the heroin trade.</em></blockquote><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuVgpvKM3SoXnjWErvd0Xj1U2SgFHNRjWDNLHNRLz77_CSY6gpyxHt3uFLQnoAdecdvJ4S9wDGnGFeWmi6s7NxesJ8AgEv7KfcXsPJ-m1mRloEEoiCYCFzuv488VCWy-63iPnbd2ywNQY/s1600-h/Sibel_Edmonds.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuVgpvKM3SoXnjWErvd0Xj1U2SgFHNRjWDNLHNRLz77_CSY6gpyxHt3uFLQnoAdecdvJ4S9wDGnGFeWmi6s7NxesJ8AgEv7KfcXsPJ-m1mRloEEoiCYCFzuv488VCWy-63iPnbd2ywNQY/s320/Sibel_Edmonds.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5229990733901626786" /></a>Yankee Doodlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10359740268842861707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7486692856642304444.post-17817129984318607702008-10-21T16:00:00.000-07:002008-10-21T16:30:45.011-07:00Winners and LosersI review the first part of <a href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/bw/20081021/bs_bw/oct2008db20081020326680">How Will Paulson Pick Bank Winners and Losers?</a> by Jane Sasseen, Tuesday, October 21, 2008:<br /><br /><blockquote>U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson and other regulators went a bit further toward spelling out how troubled banks will go about securing a capital infusion from the Treasury's $250 billion rescue fund. However, at a press conference held on Monday, Oct. 20, Paulson continued to be mum on a core question: How exactly will regulators decide who does, or does not, get the money?</blockquote><br /><br />In other words, will it be a fair, impartial, objective bureaucratic process?<br /><br />Or, will this be subjective, with Mr. Paulson (or someone else) just making the decision? Based, of course, on that person's best judgment as to what is in the best interests of the American people.<br /><br /><blockquote>Banking industry sources say the government has little choice but to pick winners and losers among the struggling banks, now that the Treasury has spread half of its first batch of money -- $125 billion -- among nine large institutions. While those that are currently solvent but lack liquidity will likely get funding, others that are essentially insolvent will not, at least not if they remain on their own. "The key is the bank has to be viable," says Bob Litan, a senior fellow and specialist on financial issues at the Brookings Institution. "Regulators have got to make sure that if they put money in, the bank will survive."<br /><br />As to how they'll do that, exactly, regulators refuse to be specific. Nor will they release the names of any banks that apply and either get turned down by Treasury or withdraw their application -- information that, if it were to become public, would surely lead investors to flee a bank's stock. "Not releasing the criteria or the names of institutions who don't receive funds makes sense, to prevent investors and depositors from drawing negative inferences and acting on incomplete information," says Scott Talbott, a senior vice-president of the Financial Services Roundtable.<br /><br />Taxpayer Losses Not Expected<br /><br />Officials made clear Monday that not every bank that applies will necessarily get funding. In a brief speech, Paulson also stressed that the money spent will not lead to taxpayer losses. "This is an investment, not an expenditure, and there is no reason to expect this program will cost taxpayers anything," he said.</blockquote><br /><br />And, I <em>trust</em> Mr. Paulson <em>and</em> the Bush Administration. I <em>believe</em> everything they say, and I have no concerns at all about their honesty or integrity.<br /><br /><blockquote>Paulson said the Treasury has already received "indications of interest from a broad group of banks of all sizes." And he made clear that the money won't be doled out on a first-come, first-serve basis. "Sufficient capital has been allocated so that all qualifying banks can participate," he added.</blockquote><br /><br />How do we know that the money is adequate "so that all qualifying banks can participate" -- unless there was a list drawn up before the money was allocated?<br /><br />And, if a list was drawn up before the money was allocated, why can't we now see the criteria used to draw up that list?<br /><br />This was preplanned.<br /><br />They saw this coming, and did nothing to stop it.<br /><br />I already pointed this out in a previous post, <a href="http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2008/10/economic-9-11.html">Economic 9-11?</a><br /><br />It is the job of the Federal Reserve Board of Governors to monitor the loans being made by banks, identify areas of concern, anticipate the problems that might come up from those concerns, and act to minimize the impact of such problems on the broader financial community.<br /><br />And, they did not do that.<br /><br />All of the current members of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve were appointed by our current President, George W. Bush.<br /><br />There needs to be a criminal investigation of this.<br /><br />And, I don't care how late in Bush's term it is, impeachment must not be off the table. For Speaker of the House Pelosi to take impeachment off the table is dereliction of her duty. It makes me wonder what "Democrat" Pelosi is getting out of all the shady dealings going on in this "Republican" administration.<br /><br /><blockquote>Instead, the Treasury has worked with the primary regulators of the banking industry -- the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., the Federal Reserve, the Office of Thrift Supervision, and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency -- to come up with a uniform application and a standardized evaluation process for all the institutions who want access to new funds. The banks and other institutions will be required to apply by Nov. 14; various regulators will then make a recommendation based on standardized criteria. The final decision, however, will lie with Treasury.</blockquote><br /><br />But if that's the case, how do they know that "[s]ufficient capital has been allocated so that all qualifying banks can participate"?<br /><br /><blockquote>Mergers or Sales Possible<br /><br />Banking regulators insist they have plenty of insight into the institutions' financial state. "Obviously we're very familiar" with the health of the institutions we oversee, says one senior regulator. He argues that the decisions will be based on our "knowledge of management and the strength of individual business plans, as well as the known strengths and weaknesses" of each institution.</blockquote><br /><br />Then how come they didn't see this crisis coming, and take the action they were supposed to take to mitigate this early on?<br /><br /><blockquote>Other things may factor into their decisions as well. If a troubled institution may no longer be able to last on its own, banking regulators are more likely to push it toward a merger or a sale, as they've done with Bear Stearns and Wachovia (NYSE:WB - News). And in such cases -- or where an institution is able to find a merger partner on its own -- the new joint enterprise could get Treasury funds. Weak firms that can nevertheless do "a concurrent capital rise" will also have a better shot at getting funding, adds another official.</blockquote><br /><br />In other words, these regulators decide who sinks, who swims, who gets bought, who gets sold; they have full authority -- and capital -- to compel any reorganization of the financial sector that they deem fit.<br /><br />Yes, indeed, with that kind of authority, there <em>will</em> be winners and losers.<br /><br />Does this quote from the Sibel Edmonds case come to mind here? From <a href="http://nswbc.org/Op%20Ed/Part2-FNL-Nov29-06.htm">The Highjacking of a Nation, Part 2: The Auctioning of Former Statesmen & Dime a Dozen Generals</a> by Sibel Edmonds, November 29, 2006:<br /><br /><blockquote>The foreign influence, the lobbyists, the current highly positioned civil servants who are determined future 'wanna be' lobbyists <em>[snip]</em> operate successfully under the radar, with unlimited reach and power, with no scrutiny, while selling your interests, benefiting from your tax money, and serving the highest bidders regardless of what or who they may be. This deep state seems to operate at all levels of our government; from the President's office to Congress, from the military quarters to the civil servants' offices.</blockquote><br /><br />I leave you to read the rest of <a href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/bw/20081021/bs_bw/oct2008db20081020326680">How Will Paulson Pick Bank Winners and Losers?</a>; I've made my point.<br /><br /><i><p align="right"><span style="color: red">On the horizon<br />The landscape's burning red<br /><a href="http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2008/10/bushfire-revisited.html">Bushfire</a><br />Smoke in your eyes<br />Smoke in your eyes<br />If you feel something<br />That makes you warm all over<br />If you got a fire and you can't put it out<br />Got a <a href="http://stopislamicconquest.blogspot.com/2008/10/bushfire-revisited.html">bushfire</a></span></p></i>Yankee Doodlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10359740268842861707noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7486692856642304444.post-30000569836446452882008-10-21T01:22:00.000-07:002008-10-21T01:22:00.247-07:00The Counterconspiracy: Heavenly Fury"So what's that?"<br /><br />Inspector Gordon looked at the evidence bag being held up by the narcotics lieutenant.<br /><br />"Cigarettes laced with heroin."<br /><br />Gordon looked at the lieutenant, then back at the evidence bag, as the lieutenant continued.<br /><br />"It's the latest rage on the recreational drug scene in Gotham City. Teenagers are using this stuff, have been for over a year now that we've noticed. Read the advertising on the back of the package. It tells people they don't have to shoot-up... no more of the stigma associated with needles. Now they can use heroin and be suave and debonair – it's just like smoking, the package says." The lieutenant studied Gordon. "This heroin is very pure. Even experienced junkies aren't ready for it. Deaths by overdose have risen considerably."<br /><br />Gordon took the evidence bag and looked closely at it. It looked like an ordinary pack of cigarettes, except that there, on the package, it did indeed claim to have heroin inside it. And, it actually argued the "advantages" of smoking heroin instead of injecting it.<br /><br />Gordon looked back at the narcotics lieutenant.<br /><br />"What <em>is</em> this? Some kind of <em>joke</em>?"<br /><br />Gently, the lieutenant took the evidence bag from Gordon's hand, turned it around, and gave it back to him so Gordon could see the other side of the package.<br /><br />Gordon studied it for a moment, then looked again at the narcotics lieutenant.<br /><br />"<em>'Joker' brand?</em>" Inspector Gordon asked incredulously.<br /><br /><br /><br />The master was walking through the village. It was early evening, and, despite his many years of training, despite his years of experience, despite the years he had spent mentoring others – especially the time he had spent with his special student from Gotham City – the master felt on edge.<br /><br />He smiled to himself. Others he could teach to have patience, to be tranquil, but himself? How ironic he thought.<br /><br />Nearing the edge of the village, he thought about the fortune-teller's hut. He had been going there quite regularly lately, seeking updates on their friend in Gotham City. Ordinarily, he would not have needed to; he could, perhaps, have found what he needed to know by reading the news on-line, coupled with a few emails exchanged with friends around the world, capped off with his own modest ability to <em>perceive</em>...<br /><br />But, he thought, it takes still water to mirror that which is around it, and his own mind was anything but still these days.<br /><br />He <em>knew</em> Bruce Wayne was busy, to say the least.<br /><br />Resigning himself to his own imperfections, he glanced in the direction of the fortune-teller's hut.<br /><br />She was outside talking to someone.<br /><br />Was it...?<br /><br />Yes, it was!<br /><br />The master hurried over toward the fortune-teller's to greet her... and to greet The Ancient!<br /><br /><br /><br />The two men were in the main lobby. Around the large room were interactive displays showcasing the cutting edge of Wayne Enterprises' technology.<br /><br />Here and there in the lobby people hurried to an elevator or to the revolving doors at the front of the building.<br /><br />The receptionist watched the people walking by. Occasionally, the security officer at the front desk would look at someone with no ID badge, and send that person to the receptionist to sign in.<br /><br />Both the receptionist and the security officer glanced at the men looking at the interactive displays.<br /><br />Bruce Wayne, flanked by Lucius Fox and another man, came out of one of the elevators. A security officer quietly greeted him, and nodded toward the two men.<br /><br />As they approached the two men, the men turned to face them, pulling out their identification.<br /><br />"Mr. Wayne, Mr. Fox. I am Special Agent DiViglio of the Gotham Bureau of Investigation. This is my partner, Special Agent Kyle."<br /><br />"How do you do?" Wayne smiled. "This is the head of my corporate legal department...."<br /><br /><br /><br />Alfred gently pulled back a curtain and looked out the window at the unmarked police cruiser that was leaving Wayne Manor.<br /><br />He recalled the time he had gone down in the Batcave – it had been over a year before, in the spring of the previous year.<br /><br />He found Master Bruce deep in thought, studiously reviewing information about finances.<br /><br />"I see you are burning the midnight oil again, sir."<br /><br />"Just learning a little about money, Alfred."<br /><br />"Not about yours, I presume."<br /><br />"No, Alfred. About somebody else's."<br /><br />The riddles that had been arriving spoke of money – money and a connection to the attack on the Gotham Trade Center.<br /><br />Releasing the curtain, Alfred thought long and hard.<br /><br />The author of those riddles – the Riddler, they had come to call him – made the connection to the money laundering that had happened under cover of the arson in the Gotham Trade Center. This had all long since been confirmed by Master Bruce's investigation.<br /><br />But, there was something more.<br /><br />Even early last year, the Riddler had to have known that Gotham City was rushing headlong into a financial meltdown – and now, here it was.<br /><br /><em>"Just learning a little about money, Alfred,"</em> he again recalled Master Bruce's answer.<br /><br /><br /><br />It had been a very happy reunion, but, of course, The Ancient had had a reason to come to the village, and to talk with the fortune-teller who, like the master, was worried – though, <em>un</em>like the master, was able to focus and perceive... her gift from the Emperor of Heaven, she would explain.<br /><br />"But who are we, that the Emperor of Heaven should be mindful of us?" the master inquired of them both.<br /><br />There was a knowing pause, then The Ancient responded.<br /><br />"It is not because of who <em>we</em> are. The Emperor of Heaven is mindful of us because of Who <em>He</em> is."<br /><br /><br /><br />"Well, that's very interesting, Agent DiViglio," Fox commented.<br /><br />"Yes, indeed it is," Wayne agreed. "Wayne Enterprises holds the patents on all this equipment you see on display in our lobby, and on a great deal more that we don't display. If your investigation determines that this Batman, or anybody else, is using equipment similar to that produced by my company, I would be most appreciative if you would pass word of that to our corporate legal department," Wayne said, nodding in the direction of the man who accompanied him and Lucius Fox, "so we can file a lawsuit for patent infringement. Now, if you'll excuse us," Wayne continued, "we have an appointment for lunch."<br /><br />"This is official business, Mr. Wayne. We are investigating this 'Batman'," DiViglio countered Wayne's attempt to dismiss him.<br /><br />"I realize that, and I will be sure to bring your concerns up over lunch with my friend, Inspector Jim Gordon of the Gotham Police Department. If I understand correctly," Wayne smiled, "Inspector Gordon is in charge of the interagency task force investigating Batman." Wayne paused to let his words sink in. "Have a nice day, gentlemen, and thank you for stopping in," Wayne said, as he, Fox and their attorney turned and walked back toward the elevator.<br /><br /><br /><br />"And how is our friend doing?" the fortune-teller asked.<br /><br />Funny, thought the master – that was supposed to have been <em>his</em> question.<br /><br />"He is doing well," The Ancient responded. "Though he does not know it, I visit him often." The Ancient smiled a gentle smile. "I visit him especially when he is in his secret place under his house, and when he is on the streets, performing his mission."<br /><br />The master and the fortune-teller exchanged glances.<br /><br />"The Emperor of Heaven is furious with the hypocrites who rape Gotham City, then blame their victims and seek to destroy them." The Ancient paused. "Our friend is but an instrument of that Heavenly fury."<br /><br /><br /><br />Detective Sergeant O'Hara was driving away from Wayne Manor.<br /><br />Vasilissa was staying there – safe, her location unknown – and she was a treasure house of information. Much of what she had said was now checking out from other sources.<br /><br />She had identified two special agents of the GBI as being key players on Falcone's payroll – and the very next day, one of those agents walked in, and turned himself in to Inspector Gordon. Now, that agent was an informant.<br /><br />Vasilissa had also identified a senior GPD officer as a key man in Falcone's organization, key because of recruiting others to work for Falcone. Inspector Gordon had arranged for that officer to be transferred to the interagency task force that Gordon was in charge of – the same task force O'Hara himself was on. "Let's keep him close, and keep an eye on him," Gordon had explained. "And, when the time comes, we can use him to feed false information to Falcone."<br /><br />O'Hara smiled.<br /><br />When the time came, they would have a case that would bring Falcone's empire crashing down.<br /><br />The smile disappeared from O'Hara's face.<br /><br /><em>If</em> the time came, he thought.<br /><br />There needed to be the political willpower in Gotham City to prosecute the case, and that was not likely. Both the leading candidates had been compromised by Falcone, as had one of the candidates for vice mayor. The other candidate for vice mayor, a relatively unknown quantity in the citywide election, was a wild card, and may even be honest – but, the current mayor's people were already circling around her like a bunch of sharks. Assuming she was not corrupt, how long would she stay that way?<br /><br /><br /><br />During the conversation, the master could not help but notice that the fortune-teller had a card in her hand, and seemed somewhat distracted considering it.<br /><br />Finally, considering The Ancient's words, she placed the card down on the table, and the master caught a glimpse of it.<br /><br />A court jester... the Fool.Yankee Doodlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10359740268842861707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7486692856642304444.post-92133576085092849242008-10-20T15:15:00.000-07:002008-10-20T15:27:00.941-07:00That We May Be FreeFreedom, most precious of all jewels<br />May my love for you never grow cool<br />A nation founded with a burning desire<br />That we may be free<br /><br />In Boston they tricked us, taking our arms,<br />Then heard of a cache among our farms;<br />So out they marched to nearby towns,<br />Elite troops representing the crown:<br />Disarm us, then bring us to our knees<br />Our only desire: that we may be free<br /><br />Once disarmed, how could we resist?<br />How could we face an army in our midst?<br />Sent by a tyrant, for whom we did not vote,<br />His kingdom an island, the sea his moat...<br />The best of his army marching through our fields<br />Either we fight now, or forever we yield<br /><br />We stood our ground, this despite our fear;<br />If they mean to have war, let it begin here.<br />In the early spring morning we faced them down<br />But our world fell apart on hearing the next sound:<br />At the crown's soldiers we fired our shot;<br />Now it had begun, turn back we could not<br /><br />Freedom, most precious of all jewels<br />May my love for you never grow cool<br />A nation founded with a burning desire<br />That we may be free<br /><br />More of our men arrived as we exchanged our volleys<br />Far from their garrison, surrounded, they saw their folly<br />Hurrying back to town, shot followed them from the trees<br />Better to die on our feet, than beg tyranny's mercies<br /><br />The shots echoed around the world that day<br />An ancient world order crumbled away<br /><br />Freedom, most precious of all jewels<br />May my love for you never grow cool<br />A nation founded with a burning desire<br />That we may be free<br /><br />Difficult to be free, easy to be a slave<br />More comfortable to be herded than to be brave<br />So the freedom that was bought changed hands and was sold<br />A nation's love for liberty has turned ice cold<br /><br />Security and comfort, wealth and vice<br />Are these the demons that change men into mice?<br />So along with the herd we rush from bad to worse<br />"Change" is the slogan of those driving freedom's hearse<br /><br />And change it will be, but not the kind we need<br />Our Constitution written in blood, but we have forgotten to read<br />So we choose between two who seek to wear the crown<br />As each sends his people out into our town<br /><br />They disarm us with their words, and we question not their lies<br />Charmed, the snakes have us as we gaze into their eyes<br />Too many years gone by, we forgot what we learned<br />Our passion for freedom is cold, now we get burned<br /><br />Upon the graves of our dead, the ancient order is reborn<br />It seems freedom from tyranny is not history's norm<br />So back in Boston we are, with both asking for our arms<br />As each eyes the caches hidden among our farms<br />You can stand for nothing when they have you down on your knees<br />Our only desire: that we may be freeYankee Doodlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10359740268842861707noreply@blogger.com2