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Blog Trek: Run Silent, Run Deep

2009-02-14T06:15:00.000-08:00

CYBERSPACE, THE FINAL FRONTIER...

THESE ARE THE VOYAGES OF THE UCS WEBLOG...

ITS MULTIYEAR MISSION...

TO EXPLORE STRANGE NEW SITES...

TO SEEK OUT NEW FACTS AND NEW POINTS OF VIEW...

TO BOLDLY GO WHERE NO BLOGGER HAS GONE BEFORE....

Aboard the United Cybership (UCS) Weblog...

Captain's Blog, Cyberdate 20090214

Deep in uncharted cyberspace, we have become aware of unique threats posed to the UCS Weblog 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.

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.

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.

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.

It should be noted that other critical information is now known or assumed to be compromised, as well.

As a consequence of this situation, the UCS Weblog has been forced to operate far more cautiously than previously.

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."

Already with a reputation for mystery, the UCS Weblog 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 UCS Weblog appears to "run silent, run deep".

The Avenger: Prelude

2008-12-13T04:30:00.000-08:00

She looked at herself in the mirror.

The bikini was a little more revealing than what she normally wore.

Actually, it was a great deal more revealing; she was more far modest than that.

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.

She smiled.

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.

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.

She sighed.

Now she was here.

She looked around the hotel.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Maria, with whom she shared the room, smiled and held the door for her.

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.

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.

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!

She shook her head and hurried through the door.

As she approached the elevator, one of the hotel employees smiled and greeted her.

"¡Buenos días! ¿Dónde está mi esposo?" she asked, haltingly, trying her Spanish.

"Señor Malone está por la piscina," came the smiling response.

"'In the office'?" She looked at him questioningly.

"The pool," he said in English.

She smiled, blushed, and hurried off.

Apparent confusion is the product of good order; apparent fear is the product of bravery; and apparent weakness is the product of strength.

He considered the words, deep in thought, gazing out at the sea from his chair under the big umbrella.

"Good morning, Señor Malone!", the waiter smiled at him, setting a glass of tangerine juice and a cup of coffee on the small table next to him.

The large figure glanced up from the tropical sea, surprised, and nodded at the waiter, then looked back down at his book.

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.

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.

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.

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.

It was late evening already, but the fortune-teller and the master were deep in a conversation.

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

"It was written anciently, 'Therefore, one able to achieve victory by modifying his tactics in accordance with the enemy situation may be said to be divine.' Is this not among your teachings?"

He looked at the fortune-teller. "Yes, it is," he answered, serving her some more tea. "'Of the earth's elements,'" he continued where she had left off, "'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.'"

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.

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.

"Good morning, Bruce!"

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.

She looked at it. She had heard of it before. It was a translation of a work by someone called Sun Tzu.

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.

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 would end.

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.

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.

Lipstick on a Pig, Part 3 of 3

2008-11-03T01:30:00.000-08:00

We pick up from where we left off in Part 2, considering the question of who reaps the political harvest of this economic crisis we are in; we continue reviewing Who's Behind the Economic Collapse? by Cliff Kincaid, October 28, 2008:

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.

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.

"In his book, 'The Audacity of Hope,' 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.

Socialist or not, Obama is clearly the firm's favorite in the presidential race.

And -- Surprise! Surprise! -- Obama benefits politically from this crisis, as people look to him to save them from the evil speculators.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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?

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?

Our financial regulatory system is a pig -- corrupt government regulators taking care of their dishonest cronies in the private sector.

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: Pig in a poke.)

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.

Regime change? Change we can believe in!

Please finish reading the originals that I quoted from: Treasury Secretary Looks Out for His Buddies First and Who's Behind the Economic Collapse?

Lipstick on a Pig, Part 2 of 3

2008-11-02T23:10:00.000-08:00

We return now to Treasury Secretary Looks Out for His Buddies First, picking up where we left of in Part 1 reviewing that article:

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.

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.

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".

Kind of like 9/11 -- 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.

We now return to Who's Behind the Economic Collapse?; we repeat the last paragraph that was quoted in the previous post, and continue with the next two paragraphs:

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."

By whom or what? The President didn't say.

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?

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.

Continuing with Who's Behind the Economic Collapse?:

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."

But no details were provided. Don't voters have the right to know whether these illegal activities were being conducted for political purposes?

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.

A "financial dictator without judicial oversight or review" -- now surely we would not expect that from this White House?

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.

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.

"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."

Why was this necessary? Chinese institutions own more than $30 billion of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac paper, the magazine reports.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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."

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.

Talk about a revolving door of cronyism....

But, to whose political benefit does this happen?

Stay tuned for Part 3.

Lipstick on a Pig, Part 1 of 3

2008-11-02T16:00:00.000-08:00

We begin with Treasury Secretary Looks Out for His Buddies First, by Jeffrey Carter, November 1, 2008; please see the original for links which I did not reproduce.

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.

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.

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.

I thought we established in Economic 9-11? that it was the job of the Federal Reserve to evaluate the general financial situations of its member banks.

In other words, we already have a "clearing house" -- but, the clearing house hasn't been doing its job.

The theory is that Federal Reserve -- which is not really a government entity, by the way -- is supposed to help police our financial sector.

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.

We now consider Who's Behind the Economic Collapse? by Cliff Kincaid, October 28, 2008; again, please see the original for links that I did not reproduce.

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?

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?

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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."

Illegal market manipulation -- what have I written about in the few posts where I have addressed this crisis?

Stay tuned for Part 2.

Whole Lotta Trouble: Intermezzo

2008-11-02T03:30:00.000-08:00

From Two Plus Two, Part 8, October 28, 2008; this passage begins with an excerpt from What "incredibly tough" foreign policy actions is Obama preparing? by Patrick Martin, October 25, 2008:

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.

The expectation is that they will use nuclear weapons to show everybody how tough Obama is.

From Nuclear Strike on US Imminent?, February 16, 2007:

Bin Laden is believed to have bought some small nuclear weapons, possibly from organized crime figures in Chechnya.[snip]

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.[snip]

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.

Divertimento:

From Gotham City Teasers I, October 26, 2008:

The Detective (Touch the Sun) Part 10 of 12:

"The danger is not past, Bruce," his mother's voice answered.

The Detective (Touch the Sun) Part 12 of 12:

But Ra's al Ghul knew something more; he knew that it would not end with the destruction of the Gotham Towers.

The Eagle and the Butterfly:

"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."

Late at Night in the Batcave:

"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."

Whole Lotta Trouble, Part 2

2008-10-31T02:30:00.000-07:00

And the angel said "Well you must have had a dream"

Who is Behind the Financial Meltdown? - Market Manipulation and the Institutional Speculator

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.

While most individual investors loose when the market falls, the institutional speculator makes money when there is a financial collapse.

In fact, triggering market collapse can be a very profitable undertaking.

There are indications that the Security Exchange Commission (SEC) regulators have created an environment which supports speculative transactions.

And you remember it 'till the dream followed through

Puppetmaster

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.

Till the end of the dream and the dream came true

Who is Behind the Financial Meltdown? - Market Manipulation and the Institutional Speculator

There are several instruments including futures, options, index funds, derivative securities, etc. used to make money when the stock market crumbles.

The more it falls, the greater the gains.

Those who make it fall are also speculating on its decline.

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.

When I want something I get it

Economic 9-11?

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.

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.

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.

You'd better go he says yes I think I better

Who is Behind the Financial Meltdown? - Market Manipulation and the Institutional Speculator

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.

The ban on short selling was applied with a view to establishing the protected list. It expired on Wednesday October 8 at midnight.

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.

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.

Stop for a moment I think you should think for a minute

The New Kleptocracy: Biggest "Giveaway" in American History - Interview with Dr. Michael Hudson

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.

Would you change your mind, at the very last minute

White House to banks: Start lending now

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.

When I want something I get it

The New Kleptocracy: Biggest "Giveaway" in American History - Interview with Dr. Michael Hudson

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)".

Whole lotta trouble

White House to banks: Start lending now

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.

Officials have said that there are few strings attached to the capital-infusion program because too many rules would discourage financial institutions from participating.

Whole lotta trouble

Puppetmaster

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.

Whole lotta trouble for you

The New Kleptocracy: Biggest "Giveaway" in American History - Interview with Dr. Michael Hudson

"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".

Well this could be a whole lotta trouble

Puppetmaster

Needless to say, they want the economy more regulated -- there is a call for "global macroeconomic coordination".

That means taking more freedom from you, and giving it to our Washington elite.

Whole lotta trouble, baby

The "Worthless Assets Recovery Program"

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.

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.

Now there's change we can believe in, right Senator Obama?

Whole lotta trouble for you

Financial Meltdown: The Greatest Transfer of Wealth in History

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.

Whole Lotta Trouble, Part 1

2008-10-30T15:15:00.000-07:00

McCain camp trying to scapegoat Palin

John McCain's campaign is looking for a scapegoat. It is looking for someone to blame if McCain loses on Tuesday.

And it has decided on Sarah Palin.

Would you change your mind, at the very last moment?

McCain's Ties to Islamic Terrorists -- and Heroin Traffickers?

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 "McCain did everything that we asked of him to the benefit of the Albanian people, including arming the KLA".

Would you say stop for a second I'll bet you could think for a minute

McCAIN AND THE KLA CONNECTION

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.

In the morning light he says when will I see you

McCain's Ties to Islamic Terrorists -- and Heroin Traffickers?

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?

She says I don't think tomorrow, baby

McCAIN AND THE KLA CONNECTION

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.

Sometimes I wonder if things would change if we stayed together

Two Plus Two, Part 7

That was 2000 -- now it is 2008.

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.

Would you change your mind, at the very last minute

Eyewitness to the Ayers Revolution

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.

Grathwohl was also an informant for the FBI.

I think you should stop for a second think for a moment

Eyewitness to the Ayers Revolution

Larry Grathwohl: 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.

This could be a whole lotta trouble

Eyewitness to the Ayers Revolution

Larry Grathwohl: 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.

Whole lotta trouble

Eyewitness to the Ayers Revolution

Larry Grathwohl: Has Billy changed? I hardly think so.

Whole lotta trouble for you

Eyewitness to the Ayers Revolution

Larry Grathwohl: 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?

This could be a whole lotta trouble

Eyewitness to the Ayers Revolution

Larry Grathwohl: 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?

Well this could be a whole lotta trouble

The Heroin Lobby, Part 10

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.

Whole lotta trouble

Two Plus Two, Part 8

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 (Biden's strength in foreign policy recruited by Obama).

This could be a whole lotta trouble

What "incredibly tough" foreign policy actions is Obama preparing?

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.

Whole lotta trouble for you

Two Plus Two, Part 8

The expectation is that they will use nuclear weapons to show everybody how tough Obama is.

"A Financial Stake in My Failure"

2008-10-30T15:00:00.000-07:00

From Man-hating is an industry:

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?

Think about it and meditate on it.

New label: Cosmic Truths

A Heavy Heart

2008-10-29T17:00:00.000-07:00

Whatever else is said or written about Senator John McCain, he is a war hero.

If you haven't done so, please read John McCain, Prisoner of War: A First-Person Account -- all seventeen pages of it.

It is amazing what we take for granted in this country, especially when you consider what some Americans go through in our defense.

Another interesting article is the three-page interview, John McCain: One Prisoner of War's Fresh Appraisal of U.S. in 1973. On Page Two we find the following:

Since you've been back, has this Watergate business changed your opinion of the President?

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.

Senator McCain,

It is very moving to read about your experience as a POW in Vietnam. 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.

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.

It pains me very deeply, sir, to report your obvious and wrongful ties to Islamic terrorists and to Albanian organized crime.

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.

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.

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.

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...

"It has certainly made me sad that this situation should have arisen."

The "Worthless Assets Recovery Program"

2008-10-29T03:45:00.000-07:00

We begin with The New Kleptocracy: Biggest "Giveaway" in American History -- Interview with Dr. Michael Hudson by Bonnie Faulkner, October 28, 2008:

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?

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.

The dollar will plunge. The stock market already plunged.

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.

It is important to note who was behind this.

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.

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.

But we need to understand that the same is true of our straight-talking standard-bearer, John McCain.

Notice how Senator Obama's name came up here.

How much money has Senator Obama raised for his campaign? In a recent post, I quoted the figure of $605 million dollars, and added the comment "That's obscene."

Yeah, Senator Obama is change we can believe in, alright.

But, Senator McCain got right in line with this giveaway of taxpayer dollars, and President Bush signed it into law.

All three of them need to be investigated criminally for this.

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.

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)".

The United States of America has become a banana republic.

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.

The final paragraphs from White House tells banks to stop hoarding money give us an insight into what is being done with this money:

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.

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.

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.

Officials have said that there are few strings attached to the capital-infusion program because too many rules would discourage financial institutions from participating.

"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."

They are using the money to take over the competition.

Have I not written about this in recent weeks?

I told you so.

Back to The New Kleptocracy: Biggest "Giveaway" in American History -- Interview with Dr. Michael Hudson:

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?

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.

BF: Well now, since you've brought up Barack Obama, he was the one that lobbied "for" the passage of this, isn't he?

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.

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."

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."

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?"

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.

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.

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.

Now there's change we can believe in, right Senator Obama?

I now finish with a blurb from The Lessons of Greed by Thomas Fleming:

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."

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. [snip]

Obama -- a liar. Imagine that!

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.

Two Plus Two, Part 8

2008-10-28T02:30:00.000-07:00

We begin by considering the first several paragraphs of What "incredibly tough" foreign policy actions is Obama preparing? by Patrick Martin, October 25, 2008:

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.

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.

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."

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."

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.

"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."

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."

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.

The words of our elite, preparing themselves for how they are going to run the country through the Presidency that they are buying.

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.

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.

The expectation is that they will use nuclear weapons to show everybody how tough Obama is.

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.

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.

Here's an excerpt from In Biden, Obama chooses a foreign policy adherent of diplomacy before force by Michael R. Gordon, August 24, 2008:

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.

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.

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.

The connection that Senator Biden has to this thugocracy is a US Congressman turned lobbyist.

As I document The Heroin Lobby, Part 10, and elsewhere at this blog, Senator Biden has for quite some time been on the payroll of Albanian organized crime.

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 (Biden's strength in foreign policy recruited by Obama).

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 (Secretary of State Biden?).

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 support of Albanian organized crime with ties to Al Qaeda...

and this will be at the behest of Obama's expert on foreign affairs.

Clinton was bad.

Bush-43 has been worse.

But, under Obama, America would be a nuclear-armed thugocracy, coordinating its efforts with one of the worst organized crime cartels in modern times.

Gotham City Teasers V

2008-10-27T16:00:00.000-07:00

Inky Black:

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.

Vasilissa the Beauty (Part 1 of 12):

"By the way, Bruce," Fox continued.

"Yes?"

"If you don't mind my asking... just who is it that you think is going to be chasing you?"

The figure paused, and made eye contact with Fox, before turning away, his answer quietly drifting in the air. "Everybody."

Die Another Day, Part 2:

"Are you planning to reprogram the criminal conspiracy, then, so you can win?"

Casting a glance at Alfred, Wayne responded, "I just think some of Batman's capabilities exceed some people's expectations."

The Demon, Part 5 of 5:

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."

Rocking Boats:

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.

The Counterconspiracy: Up in Flames:

Looking up, her eyes closed, the fortune-teller answered slowly.

"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."

The Counterconspiracy: "Vigilante" Part 2:

"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."

The Counterconspiracy: Witness:

"And where is Master Bruce?" Alfred inquired.

"He said he had one more stop to make tonight."

The Detective (Touch the Sun) Part 1 of 12:

"Fear has a name," he added slowly, almost whispering now, quietly enunciating every word, "and its name... is 'Batman'."

____________

Gotham City Teasers I

Gotham City Teasers II

Gotham City Teasers III

Gotham City Teasers IV

Gotham City Teasers V

The complete Index to the Gotham City Series through October, 2008.

____________

From The Dark Knight, Part 5 of 5:

pela68 said...
Now I will have to go over it again to decode the message.

September 28, 2008 12:37 AM

Gotham City Teasers IV

2008-10-27T09:00:00.000-07:00

The Counterconspiracy: Marked with Blood:

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."

The Counterconspiracy: Up in Flames:

"Here it is, Bruce. Now, pay attention, because it has a few new upgrades."

Attack by Fire: The Pale Horse:

On the table, she placed the Magician and Fire....

"There he works magic; using the eternal flame, he torments the devils," the fortune-teller explained, opening her eyes.

The Counterconspiracy: Witness:

"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.

"Batman," O'Hara said quietly.

The Dark Knight, Part 4 of 5:

"It incorporates a great deal of stealth technology."

"How does that work?" Sasha asked, looking at the Batmobile.

Mirror, Mirror (Part 8 of 8):

"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."

Attack by Fire: The Pale Horse:

Sasha winced. At a range of less than five meters from Falcone's men, the Batmobile's flamethrower was being discharged.

The Dark Knight, Part 2 of 5:

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!"

The Dark Knight, Part 3 of 5

"He taught me things that transcend the mechanics of fighting."

The Detective (Touch the Sun) Part 12 of 12:

"If this indeed has happened, Talia," he thoughtfully said, "then your friend, Bruce Wayne, is the most dangerous man on earth."

The Counterconspiracy: Heavenly Fury:

"Mr. Wayne, Mr. Fox. I am Special Agent DiViglio of the Gotham Bureau of Investigation. This is my partner, Special Agent Kyle."

"How do you do?" Wayne smiled. "This is the head of my corporate legal department...."

The Warrior, Part 2:

"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'. Those corrupt elements are, after all, the GBI, and the GBI always gets its man!" Alfred looked at Wayne. "If you battle them, the price could be all of this," Alfred pointed around the Batcave.

"If I don't try to defend Gotham, the price will be my soul."

The Dark Knight, Part 5 of 5:

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.

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.

The Detective (Touch the Sun) Part 10 of 12:

"Gotham Bureau of Investigation," a voice announced in that same instant from behind, loudly, and with authority. "Nobody move!"

"All right," the phantom quietly said to himself, "now I'm worried."

The Detective (Touch the Sun) Part 2 of 12:

"How did you escape?"

"Alive."

Thanksgiving:

"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."

The Warrior, Part 3:

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.

"I have given a name to my problems," he announced with great deliberation, "and it is 'Batman'."

____________

Gotham City Teasers I

Gotham City Teasers II

Gotham City Teasers III

Gotham City Teasers IV

Gotham City Teasers V

The complete Index to the Gotham City Series through October, 2008.

Gotham City Teasers III

2008-10-27T06:00:00.000-07:00

Mirror, Mirror (Part 4 or 8):

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."

Autumn Rain:

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.

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.

She picked up the card again and reread the verse:

Blue is the water by which comes the green.
Tall is the lady; she's Gotham's queen.
Under her eyes, the Roman commands,
Fueling the vices of his empire's lands.
For wont of their vices they give freedom away;
High is the price for their habits they pay.
See the green lady, she is a slave,
See her blue knights, they are but knaves.
Powerful is the Roman, this land he does rule;
King takes queen on a knight for a fool.

Suddenly, Sandra felt very much like a mouse.

Attack by Fire: The Pale Horse:

The fortune-teller opened her eyes, looked at the cards, then looked at the master.

"He has descended into the lower parts of the earth. There, he is surrounded by devils."

Meow!:

It was another riddle!

Detectives listened to an illegal bug,
But didn't report the criminal plan.
Crime covers up crime, swept under the rug,
All merely for wont of an honest man.
The truth is hidden by towers of lies,
But the crime of the towers is exposed in riddles.
What really happened is quite a surprise!
Dirty cops, a deal with the devil... the man in the middle.

He looked again in the direction of the door, but the reddish-haired woman was long gone.

Belladonna:

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.

Mirror, Mirror (Part 5 of 8):

Wayne looked at her. He wondered if it was just by accident that Talia rode up beside him.

"And who is Ra's al Ghul?"

"A man who has mastered himself."

Mirror, Mirror (Part 6 of 8):

"Look around you, Bruce. They're not winning this 'War on Crime', and they're not going 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 won, they just want it to be fought. It's a vote-getter and a money-maker."

The Detective (Touch the Sun) Part 10 of 12:

"Looking for someone?" a low, raspy whisper broke the silence.

The smaller figure whirled around, startled, but just as quickly recovered her composure.

"Difficult it is to sneak up on a cat," she purred. "Harder still to surprise a bat!"

Die Another Day, Part 1:

"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."

Alfred looked at Wayne through his bifocals.

"The situation was resolved with a minimal amount of violence, Alfred," Wayne answered, looking back down at the Batcomputer.

"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."

The Demon, Part 5 of 5:

"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!"

The Counterconspiracy: "Vigilante" Part 2:

"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.

Meow!:

"What's the matter?" teased Vicki. "Cat got your tongue?"

The Counterconspiracy: Witness:

"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.

Mirror, Mirror (Part 4 or 8):

Returning to the present, Wayne looked away from the mirror and looked at his companion.

"Have you ever done that before, Dr. Villanova?" Wayne asked. "Kill someone, that is?"

The Counterconspiracy: Witness:

"'Pivoted?'" O'Hara repeated, looking at the alleyway; there was not enough room for a vehicle to turn around behind the restaurant.

"As in 'on a dime', Detective – those were the exact words of one witness."

Rocking Boats:

"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."

"How did you know?" she asked.

The Demon, Part 5 of 5:

"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."

____________

Gotham City Teasers I

Gotham City Teasers II

Gotham City Teasers III

Gotham City Teasers IV

Gotham City Teasers V

The complete Index to the Gotham City Series through October, 2008.

Gotham City Teasers II

2008-10-27T01:30:00.000-07:00

The Warrior, Part 3:

"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."

Inky Black:

"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."

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.

"What do you suggest?" he quietly asked.

Vasilissa the Beauty (Part 1 of 12):

"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.

"That's the idea."

The Detective (Touch the Sun) Part 2 of 12:

"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.

Vasilissa the Beauty (Part 10 of 12):

Unnerved now, she struggled to maintain her composure.

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.

"Like I said, technical difficulties."

Maybe this wasn't a set-up.

"Who are you?"

"I'm Batman."

The Counterconspiracy: Witness:

"If Batman was here fighting the assailants, who was driving the Batmobile?" O'Hara interrupted.

"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."

Autumn Rain:

"Where is he? I know he's nowhere in Wayne Manor," she answered. Alfred had grown fond of her accent.

"It is his way, Sasha," Alfred reassured her. "He is well. Try not to worry."

Attack by Fire: The Pale Horse:

Somebody next to him pointed at a dark vehicle between the warehouse and the utility building.

"It's Batman!" the man yelled.

____________

Gotham City Teasers I

Gotham City Teasers II

Gotham City Teasers III

Gotham City Teasers IV

Gotham City Teasers V

The complete Index to the Gotham City Series through October, 2008.

Gotham City Teasers I

2008-10-26T13:30:00.000-07:00

The Dark Knight, Part 1 of 5:

"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."

The Detective (Touch the Sun) Part 1 of 12:

"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."

Mirror, Mirror (Part 4 of 8):

"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.

The Counterconspiracy: Heavenly Fury:

"So what's that?"

Inspector Gordon looked at the evidence bag being held up by the narcotics lieutenant.

"Cigarettes laced with heroin."

The Demon, Part 2 of 5:

"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."

"What? My parents' death?"

"Your fixation on the man who killed them." She slowed for a stop light. "He's in prison, Bruce."

The Demon, Part 3 of 5:

"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."

Attack by Fire: Three in the Morning:

He smiled. "The prison bars, the prison walls – it's all an illusion. You can walk away any time you want to."

She thought about that, then looked at him. "And what about the prison you are in? Is that an illusion, too?"

The Dark Knight, Part 3 of 5:

"No, hiding is for children. I mean he disappeared, right before their eyes."

Captivated, Sasha's mouth opened.

"As in 'Now you see him, now you don't,'" Wayne explained.

The Detective (Touch the Sun) Part 10 of 12:

"The city you love is in danger." It was a different voice, coming from Bruce Wayne's right.

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.

The Interview:

"Laundering money for organized crime..." Nygma continued, as Wayne looked back out the window, "...by the billions," Nygma whispered.

The Detective (Touch the Sun) Part 10 of 12:

"The danger is not past, Bruce," his mother's voice answered.

The Detective (Touch the Sun) Part 12 of 12:

But Ra's al Ghul knew something more; he knew that it would not end with the destruction of the Gotham Towers.

The Eagle and the Butterfly:

"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."

Late at Night in the Batcave:

"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."

The Detective (Touch the Sun) Part 12 of 12:

"And when they do not heed this latest warning? What then? Yet another?"

"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."

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."

The Warrior, Part 3:

"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.'"

____________

Gotham City Teasers I

Gotham City Teasers II

Gotham City Teasers III

Gotham City Teasers IV

Gotham City Teasers V

The complete Index to the Gotham City Series through October, 2008.

Foxes and the Henhouse

2008-10-26T10:51:00.000-07:00

We begin with the first several paragraphs of The Reckoning - Agency's '04 Rule Let Banks Pile Up New Debt by STEPHEN LABATON, October 2, 2008:

"We have a good deal of comfort about the capital cushions at these firms at the moment." — Christopher Cox, chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission, March 11, 2008.

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.

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.

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.

How could Mr. Cox have been so wrong?

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

The mouse is in charge of the cheese!

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.

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.

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.

But, let's not get ahead of ourselves.

We now continue by considering some excerpts from Unscrupulous Manipulation of the US Financial Architecture: The Failed Presidency of George W. Bush by Prof. Rodrigue Tremblay, October 25, 2008:

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.

"It is thus no accident" -- a little understated.

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.

There's another layer of oversight that was put into place to look the other way.

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.

"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.

Like all other affirmative action programs, this pushed people who were not qualified into situations they weren't ready to handle.

The resulting failure then just reaffirms the need for the big-liberal elite to interfere more, so we get more affirmative action.

Funny how the only thing liberal programs do, other than cost money, is generate the need for more liberal programs.

Do you suppose that is an accident?

By the way -- how has the meaning of the word "liberal" changed over the past two centuries or so?

Ah, are we off the subject? Back to corrupt cronyism...

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!

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.

Consider this quote from the Sibel Edmonds case; from The Highjacking of a Nation, Part 2: The Auctioning of Former Statesmen & Dime a Dozen Generals by Sibel Edmonds, November 29, 2006:

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.

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?

Continuing with Unscrupulous Manipulation of the US Financial Architecture: The Failed Presidency of George W. Bush:

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.

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."

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(?).

It's called "corruption" -- this is illegal.

In this context, let me skip ahead to some more quotes from Unscrupulous Manipulation of the US Financial Architecture: The Failed Presidency of George W. Bush. After a short rant regarding the Bush Administration's interactions with the media, Prof. Tremblay states:

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.

Considering how the media does nothing with regard to the Sibel Edmonds case, can I really argue with Prof. Tremblay on this issue?

Prof. Tremblay then concludes:

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.

No argument from me regarding that statement, either.

So, here's the best part; from S.E.C. Concedes Oversight Flaws Fueled Collapse by STEPHEN LABATON, September 26, 2008:

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.

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.

So now, Bush's five foxes on the Federal Reserve's Board of Governors will take over guarding the henhouse.

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 An Interview with Sibel Edmonds, Page Three by Chris Deliso, July 1, 2004:

CD: What are they so afraid of?

SE: 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.

CD: 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?

SE: Yes. Certain elected officials will stand trial and go to prison.

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.

Different events, right?

But, what is going on behind the scenes -- in both cases?

Meanwhile, please read the two articles from the New York Times in their entirety, as they are very informative.

Index to the Gotham City Series

2008-10-25T15:10:00.000-07:00

Selected comments from the Gotham City series:

From Gotham City: "Things Change":

Aurora said...
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.

February 24, 2008 12:25 AM

From Rocking Boats:

WomanHonorThyself said...
now THATS writing!

June 7, 2007 9:08 PM

From The Detective: Prelude:

pela68 said...
!

You have outdone yourself...

That was... Beautiful!

September 1, 2007 6:18 AM

From Rocking Boats:

defiant_infidel said...
What an excellent job, Mr. Boat Rocker!

June 10, 2007 1:56 PM

From Belladonna:

pela68 said...
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.

June 21, 2007 2:12 PM

The Gotham City Series (Newest On Top)

Remember, Part 2

Remember, Part 1

The Counterconspiracy: Heavenly Fury

The Counterconspiracy: Marked with Blood

The Counterconspiracy: Divine Skein

The Counterconspiracy: Witness

The Counterconspiracy: Up in Flames

The Counterconspiracy: "Vigilante" Part 2

The Counterconspiracy: "Vigilante" Part 1

The Counterconspiracy: "Cowboy Justice"

Attack by Fire: The Pale Horse

Attack by Fire: Three in the Morning

Attack by Fire: Prelude

The Dark Knight, Part 5 of 5

The Dark Knight, Part 4 of 5

The Dark Knight, Part 3 of 5

The Dark Knight, Part 2 of 5

The Dark Knight, Part 1 of 5

The Demon, Part 5 of 5

The Demon, Part 4 of 5

The Demon, Part 3 of 5

The Demon, Part 2 of 5

The Demon, Part 1 of 5

Die Another Day, Part 2

Die Another Day, Part 1

Plain as Day

Inky Black

King Takes Queen

The Eagle and the Butterfly

A Knight for a Fool

Thanksgiving

Vasilissa the Beauty (Part 12 of 12)

Vasilissa the Beauty (Part 11 of 12)

Vasilissa the Beauty (Part 10 of 12)

Vasilissa the Beauty (Part 9 of 12)

Vasilissa the Beauty (Part 8 of 12)

Vasilissa the Beauty (Part 7 of 12)

Vasilissa the Beauty (Part 6 of 12)

Vasilissa the Beauty (Part 5 of 12)

Vasilissa the Beauty (Part 4 of 12)

Vasilissa the Beauty (Part 3 of 12)

Vasilissa the Beauty (Part 2 of 12)

Vasilissa the Beauty (Part 1 of 12)

Autumn Rain

The Detective (Touch the Sun) Part 12 of 12

The Detective (Touch the Sun) Part 11 of 12

The Detective (Touch the Sun) Part 10 of 12

The Detective (Touch the Sun) Part 9 of 12

The Detective (Touch the Sun) Part 8 of 12

The Detective (Touch the Sun) Part 7 of 12

The Detective (Touch the Sun) Part 6 of 12

The Detective (Touch the Sun) Part 5 of 12

The Detective (Touch the Sun) Part 4 of 12

The Detective (Touch the Sun) Part 3 of 12

The Detective (Touch the Sun) Part 2 of 12

The Detective (Touch the Sun) Part 1 of 12

The Detective: Prelude

Mirror, Mirror (Part 8 of 8)

Mirror, Mirror (Part 7 of 8)

Mirror, Mirror (Part 6 of 8)

Mirror, Mirror (Part 5 of 8)

Mirror, Mirror (Part 4 or 8)

Mirror, Mirror (Part 3 of 8)

Mirror, Mirror (Part 2 of 8)

Mirror, Mirror (Part 1 of 8)

A Visitor at Wayne Enterprises

Riddle at Wayne Enterprises

In Gotham Park

Another Riddle

Riddle at Wayne Manor

Late at Night in the Batcave

Gotham City: "Things Change"

Gotham City and the Overcast of Evil

From The Dark Knight, Part 5 of 5:

pela68 said...
Now I will have to go over it again to decode the message.

September 28, 2008 12:37 AM

Remember, Part 2

2008-10-25T02:00:00.000-07:00

"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 during the attack." 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."

Gordon remembered that day. He had been on the scene, helping to establish a command post not far from the Gotham Trade Center.

"They were laundering money – by the billions," 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."

"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."

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.

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, it was the very same thing!

"Batman! Hell, he's becoming a folk hero in Gotham," Nygma commented, as Dawes and Gordon exchanged glances.

The remark caught Bruce Wayne's attention.

"I bet if his name were on the ballot, he'd win by a landslide," Callahan agreed.

Dawes and Gordon again exchanged glances. Bruce Wayne was not sure about Rachel, but he knew Jim Gordon agreed, deep inside. More than that....

But, somewhere in the back of Bruce Wayne's mind, something lurked just beyond his consciousness....

They looked glorious and majestic, light-colored towers against the deep blue sky.

Something was wrong.

There was a fire.

No, there were two fires, one in each tower, high up.

People were trapped above the fires.

"The fire department. Call the fire department," Wayne said urgently.

"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."

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.

"Pull it."

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....

The buildings fell... they fell forever....

The people fell... they fell forever....

Giant clouds of pulverized concrete enveloped Gotham City in a thick blanket of dust as the Gotham Towers came down.

"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.

Bruce looked around... those grand, indestructible structures, the pride of Gotham, were now so much dust and rubble....

The people that had been inside were dead, their fragile bodies broken, their blood running in the gutters of Gotham City.

Bruce wanted to cry, but was unable. "Mom?" he gasped.

"The danger is not past, Bruce," his mother's voice answered.

Bruce looked. Some men had an object, and they were moving it into place in Gotham City.

The object was a piece of equipment of some sort, some kind of container.

"Now it's Gotham's turn to touch the sun," the cold voice came again from behind him.

Bruce looked at the container... inside it was the power of the sun!

"Bruce... don't be afraid."

Bruce looked; it was his father, Dr. Thomas Wayne. "This disaster can still be prevented. Just don't be afraid."

"What must I do?"

"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.

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!

It was well after midnight, and Alfred had stopped in to the Batcave to see what could possibly be keeping Master Bruce.

He peered into the shadows.

Bruce Wayne was asleep in his chair in front of the Batcomputer.

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.

Bruce ran to stop them, but he couldn't possibly get there fast enough.

He had to fly!

He flew.... His robes became wings.

He looked at his wings -- they were black! His whole body was black and rubbery. Bruce Wayne was a bat!

He flew at the men.

Too late, the men noticed him. They looked up at him. They were terrified!

Some ran away, others drew weapons. They fired at him, but to no effect.

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.

Their plan had come to nothing; the sun was safely inside the box, and Gotham City was safe from the men.

Bruce landed, satisfied.

The giant, glorious city in front of him became a light, and a figure walked towards him out of the light.

The figure was the Son of the Emperor of Heaven, and the light behind Him was His Father!

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."

The figure stretched his hand forward towards Bruce. "You did not choose Me," the figure declared, "I chose you."

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.

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....

He turned again toward the noise, and saw The Ancient standing behind him.

Standing up, he greeted The Ancient, but The Ancient just smiled.

Then, The Ancient stretched his arm out toward him.

Touching Bruce Wayne's forehead, he softly whispered, "Remember."

Remember, Part 1

2008-10-24T17:06:00.001-07:00

The figure sat in the shadows, illuminated by the glow from the multifunction displays in front of him.

It was quiet, and behind him, the faintest of noises could just be discerned.

He turned and looked, catching a glimpse of a shadowy figure off behind some equipment.

He smiled. The raccoons could be quite... what was the word he was looking for?

It was now after midnight, and his thoughts drifted back to the events of what was now the previous day.

"Inspector Gordon, good to see you again!" Rachel Dawes greeted the head of Gotham City's interagency task force to bring in Batman.

"Hi, how you doing?" Gordon sounded somewhat tired.

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.

"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...."

"Justifiable homicide," interrupted Gordon.

"We could get him on weapons charges...." Dawes said tentatively.

"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."

There was a pause, then the elevator door opened.

"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.

Gordon looked at her. Each of them had been there before, having lunch with Bruce Wayne; seldom, though, had they been there together.

"This 'Riddler'," Alfred began, "had to have known something about this impending economic crisis."

Bruce Wayne looked at Alfred.

"He wasn't just helping us understand what had already happened; he was alerting us to what would happen."

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.

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.

"Jim Gordon. It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Nygma, Miss Callahan."

They shook hands and sat down.

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.

"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...."

Gordon and Dawes were captivated as Nygma explained, tag-teaming with Callahan, the history of economic crises in Gotham City.

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.

"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...."

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.

"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."

Linda Callahan nodded. "Legislation is reactive, not proactive," she added. "It will never keep up with new, inventive ways to game the system."

"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."

Gordon and Dawes exchanged glances.

"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 that Tuesday morning, 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."

"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."

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.

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.

Puppetmaster

2008-10-22T15:49:00.000-07:00

We review Soros and Sachs on Saving the Economy by Marnie Hanel, October 21, 2008, 4:54 PM:

Yesterday, three economic individualists gathered at the Earth Institute at Columbia University to answer the question: Can We Save the World Economy?

It was no small task for a Monday afternoon.

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).

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.

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.

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.)

A big part of the reason the Federal Reserve System was established was to prevent the kinds of problems they had during the Panic of 1907. Despite that, we had the Great Depression, and other crises, and now we have this mess.

In a market with only that regulation that is necessary and appropriate, people can make mistakes, but other people can do things correctly.

Excessive regulation, however, forces everyone down the same path, and when that path is in error, the whole system has problems.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

The gentlemen favor Obama.

They favor Obama.

No surprise there.

In my series Proxy Fight (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8), I address the backing that Senator Obama receives from George Soros.

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.

Needless to say, they want the economy more regulated -- there is a call for "global macroeconomic coordination".

That means taking more freedom from you, and giving it to our Washington elite.

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.
-- Patrick Henry

From Proxy Fight, Part 8:

There are many things at stake in any US Presidential election, and many issues that are influenced.

An Interview with Sibel Edmonds, Page Two by Chris Deliso, July 1, 2004

CD: Such as?

SE: Everything -- from drugs to money laundering to arms sales. And yes, there are certain convergences with all these activities and international terrorism.

CD: So with these organizations we're talking about a lot of money --

SE: Huge, just massive. They don't deal with 1 million or 5 million dollars, but with hundreds of millions.

However, one important aspect of the 2008 elections...

An Interview with Sibel Edmonds, Page Two by Chris Deliso, July 1, 2004

CD: 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?

SE: 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.

...is that the US Presidential race has become...

Cracking the Case: An Interview With Sibel Edmonds by Scott Horton, August 22, 2005

SE: [snip] 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?

...a proxy fight...

'The Stakes Are Too High for Us to Stop Fighting Now' An interview with FBI whistleblower Sibel Edmonds by Christopher Deliso August 15, 2005

CD: But you can start from anywhere --

SE: 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.

...for control of the heroin trade.

Winners and Losers

2008-10-21T16:00:00.000-07:00

I review the first part of How Will Paulson Pick Bank Winners and Losers? by Jane Sasseen, Tuesday, October 21, 2008:

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?

In other words, will it be a fair, impartial, objective bureaucratic process?

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.

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."

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.

Taxpayer Losses Not Expected

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.

And, I trust Mr. Paulson and the Bush Administration. I believe everything they say, and I have no concerns at all about their honesty or integrity.

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.

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?

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?

This was preplanned.

They saw this coming, and did nothing to stop it.

I already pointed this out in a previous post, Economic 9-11?

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.

And, they did not do that.

All of the current members of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve were appointed by our current President, George W. Bush.

There needs to be a criminal investigation of this.

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.

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.

But if that's the case, how do they know that "[s]ufficient capital has been allocated so that all qualifying banks can participate"?

Mergers or Sales Possible

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.

Then how come they didn't see this crisis coming, and take the action they were supposed to take to mitigate this early on?

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.

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.

Yes, indeed, with that kind of authority, there will be winners and losers.

Does this quote from the Sibel Edmonds case come to mind here? From The Highjacking of a Nation, Part 2: The Auctioning of Former Statesmen & Dime a Dozen Generals by Sibel Edmonds, November 29, 2006:

The foreign influence, the lobbyists, the current highly positioned civil servants who are determined future 'wanna be' lobbyists [snip] 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.

I leave you to read the rest of How Will Paulson Pick Bank Winners and Losers?; I've made my point.

On the horizon
The landscape's burning red
Bushfire
Smoke in your eyes
Smoke in your eyes
If you feel something
That makes you warm all over
If you got a fire and you can't put it out
Got a bushfire

The Counterconspiracy: Heavenly Fury

2008-10-21T01:22:00.000-07:00

"So what's that?"

Inspector Gordon looked at the evidence bag being held up by the narcotics lieutenant.

"Cigarettes laced with heroin."

Gordon looked at the lieutenant, then back at the evidence bag, as the lieutenant continued.

"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."

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.

Gordon looked back at the narcotics lieutenant.

"What is this? Some kind of joke?"

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.

Gordon studied it for a moment, then looked again at the narcotics lieutenant.

"'Joker' brand?" Inspector Gordon asked incredulously.

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.

He smiled to himself. Others he could teach to have patience, to be tranquil, but himself? How ironic he thought.

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 perceive...

But, he thought, it takes still water to mirror that which is around it, and his own mind was anything but still these days.

He knew Bruce Wayne was busy, to say the least.

Resigning himself to his own imperfections, he glanced in the direction of the fortune-teller's hut.

She was outside talking to someone.

Was it...?

Yes, it was!

The master hurried over toward the fortune-teller's to greet her... and to greet The Ancient!

The two men were in the main lobby. Around the large room were interactive displays showcasing the cutting edge of Wayne Enterprises' technology.

Here and there in the lobby people hurried to an elevator or to the revolving doors at the front of the building.

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.

Both the receptionist and the security officer glanced at the men looking at the interactive displays.

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.

As they approached the two men, the men turned to face them, pulling out their identification.

"Mr. Wayne, Mr. Fox. I am Special Agent DiViglio of the Gotham Bureau of Investigation. This is my partner, Special Agent Kyle."

"How do you do?" Wayne smiled. "This is the head of my corporate legal department...."

Alfred gently pulled back a curtain and looked out the window at the unmarked police cruiser that was leaving Wayne Manor.

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.

He found Master Bruce deep in thought, studiously reviewing information about finances.

"I see you are burning the midnight oil again, sir."

"Just learning a little about money, Alfred."

"Not about yours, I presume."

"No, Alfred. About somebody else's."

The riddles that had been arriving spoke of money – money and a connection to the attack on the Gotham Trade Center.

Releasing the curtain, Alfred thought long and hard.

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.

But, there was something more.

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.

"Just learning a little about money, Alfred," he again recalled Master Bruce's answer.

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, unlike the master, was able to focus and perceive... her gift from the Emperor of Heaven, she would explain.

"But who are we, that the Emperor of Heaven should be mindful of us?" the master inquired of them both.

There was a knowing pause, then The Ancient responded.

"It is not because of who we are. The Emperor of Heaven is mindful of us because of Who He is."

"Well, that's very interesting, Agent DiViglio," Fox commented.

"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."

"This is official business, Mr. Wayne. We are investigating this 'Batman'," DiViglio countered Wayne's attempt to dismiss him.

"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.

"And how is our friend doing?" the fortune-teller asked.

Funny, thought the master – that was supposed to have been his question.

"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."

The master and the fortune-teller exchanged glances.

"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."

Detective Sergeant O'Hara was driving away from Wayne Manor.

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.

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.

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."

O'Hara smiled.

When the time came, they would have a case that would bring Falcone's empire crashing down.

The smile disappeared from O'Hara's face.

If the time came, he thought.

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?

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.

Finally, considering The Ancient's words, she placed the card down on the table, and the master caught a glimpse of it.

A court jester... the Fool.

That We May Be Free

2008-10-20T15:15:00.000-07:00

Freedom, most precious of all jewels
May my love for you never grow cool
A nation founded with a burning desire
That we may be free

In Boston they tricked us, taking our arms,
Then heard of a cache among our farms;
So out they marched to nearby towns,
Elite troops representing the crown:
Disarm us, then bring us to our knees
Our only desire: that we may be free

Once disarmed, how could we resist?
How could we face an army in our midst?
Sent by a tyrant, for whom we did not vote,
His kingdom an island, the sea his moat...
The best of his army marching through our fields
Either we fight now, or forever we yield

We stood our ground, this despite our fear;
If they mean to have war, let it begin here.
In the early spring morning we faced them down
But our world fell apart on hearing the next sound:
At the crown's soldiers we fired our shot;
Now it had begun, turn back we could not

Freedom, most precious of all jewels
May my love for you never grow cool
A nation founded with a burning desire
That we may be free

More of our men arrived as we exchanged our volleys
Far from their garrison, surrounded, they saw their folly
Hurrying back to town, shot followed them from the trees
Better to die on our feet, than beg tyranny's mercies

The shots echoed around the world that day
An ancient world order crumbled away

Freedom, most precious of all jewels
May my love for you never grow cool
A nation founded with a burning desire
That we may be free

Difficult to be free, easy to be a slave
More comfortable to be herded than to be brave
So the freedom that was bought changed hands and was sold
A nation's love for liberty has turned ice cold

Security and comfort, wealth and vice
Are these the demons that change men into mice?
So along with the herd we rush from bad to worse
"Change" is the slogan of those driving freedom's hearse

And change it will be, but not the kind we need
Our Constitution written in blood, but we have forgotten to read
So we choose between two who seek to wear the crown
As each sends his people out into our town

They disarm us with their words, and we question not their lies
Charmed, the snakes have us as we gaze into their eyes
Too many years gone by, we forgot what we learned
Our passion for freedom is cold, now we get burned

Upon the graves of our dead, the ancient order is reborn
It seems freedom from tyranny is not history's norm
So back in Boston we are, with both asking for our arms
As each eyes the caches hidden among our farms
You can stand for nothing when they have you down on your knees
Our only desire: that we may be free

Dems, Lobbyists Blocked Oversight of Fannie, Freddie

2008-10-20T15:01:00.000-07:00

This is quality. From AP IMPACT: Mortgage firm arranged stealth campaign, dated October 20, 2008:

WASHINGTON – Freddie Mac secretly paid a Republican consulting firm $2 million to kill legislation that would have regulated and trimmed the mortgage finance giant and its sister company, Fannie Mae, three years before the government took control to prevent their collapse.

In the cross hairs of the campaign carried out by DCI of Washington were Republican senators and a regulatory overhaul bill sponsored by Sen. Chuck Hagel, R-Neb. DCI's chief executive is Doug Goodyear, whom John McCain's campaign later hired to manage the GOP convention in September.

Freddie Mac's payments to DCI began shortly after the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee sent Hagel's bill to the then GOP-run Senate on July 28, 2005. All GOP members of the committee supported it; all Democrats opposed it.

In the midst of DCI's yearlong effort, Hagel and 25 other Republican senators pleaded unsuccessfully with Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., to allow a vote.

"If effective regulatory reform legislation ... is not enacted this year, American taxpayers will continue to be exposed to the enormous risk that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac pose to the housing market, the overall financial system and the economy as a whole," the senators wrote in a letter that proved prescient.

So, Republicans in the Senate saw the shipwreck that was coming, and wanted to do something about it -- they were going to regulate Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, and trim them. And, what would have been the effect? Less probability that these two would go under, and less taxpayer exposure if they did?

Unknown to the senators, DCI was undermining support for the bill in a campaign targeting 17 Republican senators in 13 states, according to documents obtained by The Associated Press. The states and the senators targeted changed over time, but always stayed on the Republican side.

In the end, there was not enough Republican support for Hagel's bill to warrant bringing it up for a vote because Democrats also opposed it and the votes of some would be needed for passage. The measure died at the end of the 109th Congress.

Naturally, Democrats were opposed to trimming this quasi-governmental program, and they were opposed to limiting taxpayer exposure.

However, the Republicans are not off the hook! Skipping down....

Before 2004, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were Democratic strongholds. After 2004, Republicans ran their political operations. McLoughlin, who joined Freddie Mac in 2004 as chief of staff, has given $32,250 to Republican candidates over the years, including $2,800 to McCain, and has given none to Democrats, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, a nonpartisan group that tracks money in politics.

It's just that, while the Democrats were all against regulation of these quasi-governmental giants, so were some Republicans.

On Friday night, Hagel's chief of staff, Mike Buttry, said Hagel's legislation "was the last best chance to bring greater oversight and tighter regulation to Freddie and Fannie, and they used every means they could to defeat Sen. Hagel's legislation every step of the way."

"It is outrageous that a congressionally chartered government-sponsored enterprise would lobby against a member of Congress's bill that would strengthen the regulation and oversight of that institution," Buttry said in a statement. "America has paid an extremely high price for the reckless, and possibly criminal, actions of the leadership at Freddie and Fannie."

The result: "a congressionally chartered government-sponsored enterprise" (GSE) was playing fast and loose. Having a smaller fraction of reserves, they could make more money when times were good; if their system collapses, they don't care, because they could send the bill back to Congress, regardless of the fact that there was no explicit government guarantee of capital, because the Washington elite would not want to allow this GSE to fail.

So, Congress picks up the tab -- on the giant credit card we have given them.

1) There needs to be a criminal investigation of all of this.

2) The Constitution does not authorize the Federal Government to get involved in the mortgage market; these "government sponsored enterprises" are unconstitutional, and this economic disaster demonstrates why.

Last month, the concerns of the 26 Republican senators who signed Hagel's bill became a reality when the government seized control of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae amid their near financial collapse. Federal prosecutors are investigating accounting, disclosure and corporate governance issues at both companies, which own or guarantee more than $5 trillion in mortgages, roughly equivalent to half of the national debt.

[snip]

Democrats did not like the harshest provision, which would have given a new regulator a mandate to shrink Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae by forcing them to sell off part of their portfolios. That approach, the Democrats feared, would cut into the ability of low- and moderate-income families to buy houses.

That's a chunk of change -- all because the socialist elite Democrats want taxpayers to underwrite loans for people who can't really afford them.

It's an economic train-wreck; Senator McCain will do nothing to slow this down, and Senator Obama will do everything to speed this up.

Two Plus Two, Part 7

2008-10-19T16:04:00.000-07:00

We continue with our Two Plus Two series; previous installments are at these links:

We begin with an article entitled McCAIN AND THE KLA CONNECTION by Justin Raimondo -- from February 25, 2000. I have reproduced the text in its entirety, with much of its formatting but not its links, and interspersed my comments.

George W. Bush has been taken out to the woodshed by the liberals for appearing on the stage at Bob Jones University – in this day and age, to even appear on a platform provided by a politically incorrect group or institution is enough to condemn a candidate to perdition. And the McCain campaign was quick to capitalize on it. But why isn't McCain subjected to the same scrutiny? Please direct your attention to the photo below: the caption informs us that McCain is speaking at "a pro-Kosovo, pro-McCain rally across the street from his New York City hotel Friday morning, Feb. 11, 2000. McCain is in New York for the day to attend fundraisers and to talk to the press before returning to South Carolina Friday night." But who is the man on the right, with the colorful KLA scarf and his big mouth wide open? The caption-writer is mute on this point, but to anyone who knows anything about New York's ethnic politics, the face is all-too-familiar: it is none other than former Republican Congressman Joe DioGuardi, now the loquacious leader of the Albanian-American Civic League (AACL) – a group that not only actively represents the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) in America, but whose leader has become a spokesman for the most radical fringe elements of the KLA.

Here is an image from that article, showing the photo in question:

See also McCain's Ties to Islamic Terrorists -- and Heroin Traffickers?, Smuggler's Blues, Part 1, Smuggler's Blues, Part 2 and The Next Two Balkan Wars.

WHO IS JOE DIOGUARDI?

DioGuardi is an extremist who lost his seat in Congress because his growing preoccupation with creating a "Greater Albania" did not exactly fit in with the pothole-fixing skills that must be the first concern of New York City politicians. Most Albanian-Americans support independence for Kosovo, and look with disdain and bewilderment at the US government's official position that Kosovo is still an "autonomous" province of Yugoslavia. But DioGuardi goes one step – indeed, several steps – further, and envisions a "Greater Albania." Visitors to AACL's website are confronted with a map of this Albanian Empire, which, as Doug Bandow of the Cato Institute said in his testimony before Congress, illustrates "a breathtaking agenda," including as it does "Albania, Kosovo, western Macedonia (along with its capital, Skopje), southeastern Montenegro (along with its capital, Podgorica), northern Greece, and southern Serbia (north of Kosovo)." A comment found in Alexander Cockburn's Counterpunch newsletter on this outrageous map hit the nail on the head:

"When I first saw this map it struck a recollection of something I had seen before. It occurred to me that it is quite similar to one I have (printed by the State Department in 1947) of interim territorial arrangements during World War II. I can understand that there is an element of hyperbole in critics' calling NATO's air campaign "Nazi," but fail to see what interest the United States has in helping to restore the Nazi-imposed borders of 1943 or how this helps preserve European stability."

THE KLA: A SHORT HISTORY

It is well-known that the original straight-arm salute of the KLA was suppressed, by its CIA and German intelligence handlers, in favor of a less controversial American-style greeting. While one wing of the KLA looks to the old-fashioned Stalinism of Enver Hoxha, the Albanian Communist dictator who aided the early student organizations that made up the Albanian separatist movement, the other looks to the "Skanderberg Division" of the Nazi SS, Albanians recruited by the Germans to fight for Hitler's cause, for its political antecedents. DioGuardi has been a vigorous publicist on behalf of the KLA political commissar, Adem Demaci, a militant who spent years in Yugoslav prisons. Demaci denounced the Rambouillet agreement as a sellout and (along with DioGuardi) rejected all negotiations on principle. DioGuardi even wrote a letter congratulating his fellow extremist when Demaci was appointed chief of the KLA's political wing.

FOLLOW THAT GENIE!

Demaci, DioGuardi, and the KLA militants are now acting on their dream of a "Greater Albania": this is the meaning of recent events in Kosovo. Madeleine Albright is so frightened by the rising demands of the pan-Albanians that she made a special trip to Tirana to denounce the idea as "no more viable than that of a Greater Serbia." But the genie is already out of the bottle, and the question is: what will the next Administration do?

A GREATER ALBANIA

As the KLA conducts its reign of terror in Kosovo, driving out the Serbs and marching, in tens of thousands, on the northern city of Mitrovica in an effort to storm the last Serb bastion, John McCain is standing alongside a man who is the chief apologist, organizer, and fundraiser of the KLA in America, a man who once declared:

"It is unfortunate that misguided European politics, overly and unfairly influenced by Russia and Greece in the early part of the twentieth century, resulted in a partition of the Albanian nation so that more than half the Albanians in the Balkans live outside the state of Albania in hostile Slavic regimes, especially Serbia and Macedonia. . . . With UDBA in Belgrade and the Sigurimi in Tirana collaborating to buy, trick or kill those Albanians with democratic aspirations, it is no wonder that it has been extremely difficult for seven million. Albanians to organize themselves as a nation, or even politically within the five jurisdictions in which they reside. While there is some cooperation among political parties in certain areas and across borders, true democratic, independent-minded Albanian leadership has been lacking and this has contributed to the divisions, confusion, and betrayal of the Albanian cause in the Balkans and in America."

CONSPIRACY THEORY

How's that for a conspiracy theory? According to DioGuardi, all the nations of Europe conspired to keep his people disunited. Naturally it is assumed that every living ethnic Albanian must live in an Albanian state, since, in the neo-fascist ideology of the KLA, the State embodies the Race and must defend its interests irrespective of current national borders. And, oh yes, that's what we definitely need: more "cooperation among parties in certain areas and across borders," so as to spread the rabidly revanchist ideology of the KLA and set the Balkans aflame.

Here is Kosovo, populated mostly by ethnic Albanians, and now independent as of this year:

Greater Albania will mean a spread of the Balkan wars into nearby nations, specifically into those regions of neighboring nations populated by ethnic Albanians.

And, to be sure, ethnic Albanians are not the problem, any more than Americans are the problem because of criminals and terrorists in our midst. But, DioGuardi represents a violent, criminal element in ethnic Albanian circles, which, in turn, is closely tied in to Islamic extremists, including to Osama bin Laden -- I point this out frequently at posts on my blog.

THE DIOGUARDI-McCAIN CONNECTION

There they are, the two of them, DioGuardi and McCain, side by side: one who would carve an Albanian empire in the midst of the blood-soaked Balkans, and the other who would be President of the United States. It is a disturbing juxtaposition, to say the very least. For if we can accuse poor Dubya of endorsing the anti-Catholic rhetoric of the Bob Jones fundamentalists simply by speaking at their auditorium, then what are we to make of would-be President John McCain appearing with a radical Albanian nationalist who sees not only Belgrade but also Skopje and Athens as the enemy? After all, this is perhaps the wrong signal to the Macedonians, who have so far enjoyed a fragile peace, and no doubt the Greeks, our NATO allies, would be less than pleased. And what of the Montenegrins, whose capital city DioGuardi and the Albanian lobby covet, and whose independence we are pledged to defend against the alleged threat posed by Milosevic? If Bush must be called to account for supposedly aligning himself with the forces of intolerance in the US, for the sin of appearing at Bob Jones U, then should we not call McCain to account for sharing the platform with a radical Albanian extremist and endangering the peace of Europe.

TURNING THE TABLES

Although the McCain campaign piously denied it, it has since come out that they were responsible for phone calls during the Michigan primary, run ostensibly by a group called "Catholic Voter Alert," which demanded to know why Bush had not disavowed the rhetoric of Bob Jones and his flock about the church being "a Satanic cult'! This from the campaign McCain piously described to his followers as "one you can be proud of"! Well, then, is it not time to turn the tables, and send out a "Voter Alert" demanding to know why McCain hasn't repudiated the rhetoric of Joe DioGuardi and his KLA friends who want to ignite the Balkan tinderbox with their crazed scheme to create an Albanian empire? Indeed, this is a lot fairer than the alleged Bush-Jones connection, because Bush has no history of anti-Catholicism – the news of his sudden conversion to the Jonesian doctrine that the Church is "the great Whore" foretold in the Bible came as a bit of a surprise. But McCain's apparent conversion to the cause of pan-Albanian nationalism is far more credible. For McCain was the most militant and visible supporter of the Kosovo war, who demanded Clinton pull out all the stops and send in the ground troops – even going so far as to introduce a Senate resolution that went down to a well-deserved defeat at the hands of his Republican colleagues.

THE KLA CANDIDATE

As General Wesley Clark, the US commander of our troops in Kosovo, calls on NATO and Washington to send in more troops – and I see, as I write this, that the Marines are practically on the way – the crisis in the Balkans is approaching critical mass. The NATO-crats are cranking up the propaganda machine, as the KLA gets ready to complete the ethnic cleansing of Kosovo and proceed to the next stage of the ongoing struggle for a "Greater Albania." Ideologues like Adem Demaci, in Kosovo, and Joe Dioguardi, in America, want to drag the US into yet another Balkan war, to "finish the job" and completely dismember the remnants of Yugoslavia – using the US and NATO as both their sword and their shield. With a sympathetic President in the White House, who remembers how much money and political support was raised on that trip to New York at a crucial time in his campaign, DioGuardi and the KLA may yet see their expansionist dream realized. With Serbia finally subjugated, Albania would be free to expand, absorbing not only Kosovo but also destabilizing Macedonia and threatening Greece.

HOW MUCH?

The last GOP presidential candidate to cash in on the Albanian connection was Bob Dole: in May 1987, Dole and DioGuardi attended an Albanian-American fund-raiser in New York City that raised $1.2 million for Dole's campaign and $50,000 for DioGuardi's, according to journalist Diana Johnstone and researcher Benjamin Works. The caption accompanying the above photo says McCain was in New York doing some fundraising, and it is fair to ask: how much money did he get from the Albanian lobby? 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. 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.

ALBANIAN PANDERFEST

Republicans are screaming about the panderfest presided over by the Reverend Al Sharpton, at which Al Gore and Bill Bradley outdid each other in denouncing "white skin privilege," but what about McCain's panderfest with the Albanian warmongers, who want to drag the US even deeper into the Balkan quagmire? At least Sharpton isn't demanding that the lives of American soldiers be put at risk.

THE BUCHANAN FACTOR

Naturally the American media, which made itself into the willing instrument of the War Party during the Kosovo conflict, is reluctant to uncover the fact of McCain’s connection to Albanian extremists. The inability or unwillingness of the Bush campaign to call McCain to account on this question is due in large part to its own commitment to the Albanian lobby; their foreign policy advisor, Richard Perle, was also an advisor to the Bosnian Muslims, who enthusiastically supported the Kosovo war. The only major candidate who has made opposition to the Kosovo war – and opposition to the influence of foreign lobbyists – a campaign issue has been Patrick J. Buchanan, the likely Reform Party candidate. Buchanan is the specter that is haunting this primary season, with everyone and his brother claiming the mantle of "reform" – but scurrying away from the vital foreign policy issue, which only Buchanan has addressed. If McCain, the would-be conqueror of the Balkans, is the GOP nominee, then the Republicans, independents, and Democrats who opposed that war – and are horrified by its frightening results – will be driven into the Reform Party column. Combined with the general distaste for McCain among conservatives, this is the one factor that those who prate about the "electability" of the Warrior Candidate never discuss. Once again, the Bush people are constrained from making their best argument against McCain, this time for fear of breaking the embargo on all discussion of Buchanan and Reform as viable alternatives. The impotence of the Bush campaign in the face of the McCain insurgency is a function not only of the shortcomings of their candidate, but of the internationalism of his Establishment foreign policy advisors and their instinctive fear of the Right. And that, in the end, will be their undoing.

That was 2000 -- now it is 2008.

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.

We see McCain, because of his military experience and status as a war hero due to his time in captivity in Vietnam, as stronger in the "War on Terror" -- but long before there was a "War on Terror", McCain very knowingly sold his country out to the very terrorists against whom our troops now fight in Afghanistan and Iraq.

So, a vote for Obama is a vote for peace? Not exactly, and for a variety of reasons. As we have seen in previous posts in this series, and as we shall see again -- very soon, because the election is just over two weeks away! -- Obama's foreign policy will be steered by the very same organized crime faction that seeks to carve an organized crime and militant Islamic extremist empire in the Balkans.

Stay tuned, as we look again at Obama's running mate, Senator Biden.

"Change"

2008-10-19T05:03:00.000-07:00

This just breaking -- from Obama raises stunning $150 million in September:

WASHINGTON – Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama raised more than $150 million in September, a stunning and unprecedented eruption of political giving that has given him a wide spending advantage over rival John McCain.

The campaign released the figure on Sunday, one day before it must file a detailed report of its monthly finances with the Federal Election Commission.

Obama's money is fueling a vast campaign operation in an expanding field of competitive states. It also has underwritten a wave of both national and targeted video advertising unseen before in a presidential contest.

Campaign manager David Plouffe, in an e-mail to supporters Sunday morning, said the campaign had added 632,000 new donors in September, for a total of 3.1 million contributors to the campaign. He said the average donation was $86.

The Democratic National Committee, moments later, announced that it raised $49.9 million and had $27.5 million in the bank at the start of October. The party has been raising money through joint fundraising events with Obama and can use the money to assist his candidacy.

Obama's numbers are possible because he opted out of the public financing system for the fall campaign. McCain, the Republican nominee, chose to participate in the system, which limits him to $84 million for the September-October stretch before the election.

Obama's monthly figure pushed his total fundraising to $605 million. No presidential candidate has ever run such an expensive campaign. His campaign raised $65 million in August, his previous best.

That's obscene.

"The overall numbers obviously are impressive," Plouffe said in a campaign video. "But it's what's beneath the numbers in terms of average Americans who have had enough, who want a change and who are really fueling this campaign."

Yeah -- it's about "change".

Speaking of "change"...

Obama had initially promised to accept public financing if McCain did, but changed his mind after setting primary fundraising records. His extraordinary fundraising is bound to set a new standard in politics that could doom the taxpayer-paid system. Many Republicans have begun to second-guess McCain's decision to participate in the program.

Senator "Obama had initially promised to accept public financing if McCain did, but changed his mind after setting primary fundraising records."

I'm not sure what specifically Senator Obama has promised to do as President that has people excited about him, other than promising "change", but whatever it is, it is important to understand what he means by "change" -- because when political opportunity knocks, change is what he will deliver. He will change his mind, and go back on his promise, and do what is expedient.

But, don't take Yankee Doodle's word for it.

From Obama's Risky Denunciation Of Rev. Wright, April 29, 2008:

After days of largely ignoring the media blitz his former pastor has waged, Barack Obama reversed course and denounced the Rev. Jeremiah Wright in the strongest and most direct terms yet on Tuesday. It was a decision that may help him reclaim some of the initiative in a tight presidential primary contest, but it is not without risks.

The decision to specifically address Wright’s controversial statements came after the campaign maintained for days that Obama had said all he had to say on the subject - a sign that there has been growing concern that the controversy was damaging his candidacy. The result was not just a denunciation of Wright’s comments, but of the man who attracted Obama into the Trinity United Church of Christ, married him and baptized his children.

Reverend Wright -- the pastor about whom Senator Obama had said, "I could no more disown him than I can disown my white grandmother."

You who support Senator Obama -- right now, he wants your vote, but what will he do to you when he judges you to be a liability instead of an asset?

From Obama backs away from Wright, April 29, 2008:

Obama has been campaigning as a new kind of politician, and Wright potentially damaged Obama when he said that Obama "had to distance himself, because he's a politician," implying that perhaps Obama did not mean what he said.

Reverend Wright didn't damage the Obama campaign -- Senator Obama damaged the Obama campaign.

"Obama's monthly figure pushed his total fundraising to $605 million. No presidential candidate has ever run such an expensive campaign."

Bushfire Revisited

2008-10-18T07:03:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted a great deal lately, because I find the information I am learning to be so captivating that I haven't been able to tear myself away from reading and researching long enough to write!

Mostly what intrigues me is researching the current financial crisis, and considering the information I encounter as viewed under the light of the Sibel Edmonds investigation.

May I ask you to consider carefully the following selection of quotes from the Sibel Edmonds case, and to pay particular attention to references to money and financial institutions, and consider these in the context of our financial crisis?

From Former FBI Translator Sibel Edmonds Calls Current 9/11 Investigation Inadequate by Jim Hogue, May 07, 2004:

JH: Can you explain more about what money you are talking about?

SE: The most significant information that we were receiving did not come from counter-terrorism investigations, and I want to emphasize this. It came from counter-intelligence, and certain criminal investigations, and issues that have to do with money laundering operations.

You get to a point where it gets very complex, where you have money laundering activities, drug related activities, and terrorist support activities converging at certain points and becoming one. In certain points -- and they [the intelligence community] are separating those portions from just the terrorist activities. And, as I said, they are citing "foreign relations" which is not the case, because we are not talking about only governmental levels. And I keep underlining semi-legit organizations and following the money. When you do that the picture gets grim. It gets really ugly.

From Former FBI Translator Sibel Edmonds Calls Current 9/11 Investigation Inadequate by Jim Hogue, May 07, 2004:

JH: Here's a question that you might be able to answer: What is al-Qaeda?

SE: This is a very interesting and complex question. When you think of al-Qaeda, you are not thinking of al-Qaeda in terms of one particular country, or one particular organization. You are looking at this massive movement that stretches to tens and tens of countries. And it involves a lot of sub-organizations and sub-sub-organizations and branches and it's extremely complicated. So to just narrow it down and say al-Qaeda and the Saudis, or to say it's what they had at the camp in Afghanistan, is extremely misleading. And we don't hear the extent of the penetration that this organization and the sub-organizations have throughout the world, throughout their networks and throughout their various activities. It's extremely sophisticated. And then you involve a significant amount of money into this equation. Then things start getting a lot of overlap -- money laundering, and drugs and terrorist activities and their support networks converging in several points. That's what I'm trying to convey without being too specific. And this money travels. And you start trying to go to the root of it and it's getting into somebody's political campaign, and somebody's lobbying. And people don't want to be traced back to this money.

From Cracking the Case: An Interview With Sibel Edmonds by Scott Horton, August 22, 2005:

SH: Okay, and you mention when you talk about criminal activity, drug-running, money-laundering, weapons-smuggling...

SE: And these activities overlap. It's not like okay, you have certain criminal entities that are involved in nuclear black market, and then you have certain entities bringing narcotics from the East. You have the same players when you look into these activities at high-levels you come across the same players, they are the same people.

SH: Well, when we're talking about those kind of levels of liquid cash money we probably also have to include major banks too, right?

SE: Financial institutions, yes.

From 'The Stakes Are Too High for Us to Stop Fighting Now' An interview with FBI whistleblower Sibel Edmonds by Christopher Deliso August 15, 2005:

SE: Look, I think that that [the AIPAC investigation] ultimately involves more than just Israelis -- I am talking about countries, not a single country here. Because despite however it may appear, this is not just a simple matter of state espionage. If Fitzgerald and his team keep pulling, really pulling, they are going to reel in much more than just a few guys spying for Israel.

CD: A monster, 600-pound catfish, huh? So the Turkish and Israeli investigations had some overlap?

SE: Essentially, there is only one investigation -- a very big one, an all-inclusive one. Completely by chance, I, a lowly translator, stumbled over one piece of it.

But I can tell you there are a lot of people involved, a lot of ranking officials, and a lot of illegal activities that include multi-billion-dollar drug-smuggling operations, black-market nuclear sales to terrorists and unsavory regimes, you name it. And of course a lot of people from abroad are involved. It's massive. So to do this investigation, to really do it, they will have to look into everything.

CD: But you can start from anywhere --

SE: 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.

You can also start from our financial crisis, and our bailout plan.

Meanwhile, may I suggest you review my Bushfire series, which I now have listed under "Important Posts" in the sidebar? Because what I show in that series is exactly what is going on in the financial world today.

Bushfire, Part 1

Bushfire, Part 2

Bushfire, Part 3

Bushfire, Part 4

Also, in light of the current financial crisis, you may wish to review 363.

The Counterconspiracy: Marked with Blood

2008-10-14T18:01:00.000-07:00

"It's the same pattern we saw before!"

The man was quite excited, and perhaps even a bit agitated; his companion, a woman about his age, was obviously quite captivated by the discovery, but managed to control her reaction a little better.

His back to them, their listener considered the meaning of the information he had been given, as he stared off into the distance at the Gotham Trade Center. Reconstruction there had made tremendous progress, and only the tallest building – the building which would replace the twin Gotham Towers – remained unfinished.

Turning around, he walked back over near his guests, and sat down in an armchair.

He smiled.

"Ed, I'm not sure I'm following what you're saying. Could you and Linda please go over your findings again?"

Smiling, Ed nodded, and took a breath in preparation to begin speaking. Linda, too, mustered a smile, though inwardly she was rolling her eyes: What a shallow playboy! she thought.

"In the wake of the attack on the Gotham Towers, it became apparent that there had been some short-term fortunes made. People who obviously knew exactly which stocks would climb and which would fall made some uncannily precise trades, and made millions – though that was small potatoes compared to what was at stake that day. Aware of this discovery made right after the attack, Linda and I looked into it working here at Wayne Enterprises. We started looking longer- and longer-term, and finally found something else that was even more uncanny: in the long term, people associated with Carmine Falcone benefited from the turbulence in Gotham City's stock market that was associated with the attack on the Gotham Towers and the mayor's declaration of a War on Crime. It was as if this whole thing – the arson in the Gotham Trade Center, and the War on Crime itself – were being steered to make money for Falcone's friends."

Bruce Wayne looked at Edward, who paused to catch his breath.

With a glance at Edward, Linda picked up where her colleague had left off, attracting Wayne's gaze.

"In this latest crisis, we are seeing this pattern again. Granted, it won't be fully apparent until months, perhaps years after the crisis ends," Linda admitted, "but it is nonetheless very apparent, even now." She glanced at Edward, then looked back at Wayne. "You just have to know where to look."

Edward nodded his agreement.

"The other parallel we are noticing is the conduct of Gotham City's official watchdogs."

Wayne directed his look at Edward Nygma again, as Linda Callahan pulled out another stack of papers and started quietly shuffling through them.

"Prior to the attack on the Gotham Trade Center, the arson that resulted in the collapse of the skyscrapers, Gotham's law enforcement had information that something was up. Though it may have lacked some important specifics, they knew skyscrapers were going to be targeted with arson, and they knew it would happen late that summer or early that fall. Yet, they issued no public warnings, did nothing to augment security in Gotham's skyscrapers, they did not put Gotham's firefighters or police on alert – they only issued a few quiet warnings to certain select VIPs, vague yet effective. Later on, we found out that official investigations into peripheral activities had been ordered closed by high-ranking people in City Hall."

"And what are we seeing this time?" Wayne asked.

Wayne recalled an occasion with the master. Talia had been in the village, and had accompanied them for a while, but was just leaving. It was as if her departure triggered a thought in the master's mind, a thought the master considered important to share.

"Generally, in battle, the best outcome is to capture your opponent's force intact and in good condition; destroying him is inferior to this."

As usual, Wayne contemplated the meaning of the master's words, but, more importantly, he considered what might have prompted the master to begin this lesson just as Talia was taking leave of them.

"To win a thousand victories in a thousand battles is not the acme of skill; for the skilled warrior overcomes his opponent without fighting him. Therefore, what is most important is to attack your opponent's strategy, and disrupt his plans. Following that, what is important is to disrupt his alliances. Of far less utility is fighting him directly, especially in a battle of attrition. Therefore, the skilled warrior overcomes his opponent without prolonged operations; having mastered the art of offensive strategy, he takes all his objectives intact."

"The regulatory commission's job is to identify the risky lending practices that ultimately sparked this crisis, and sanction them, distancing the institutions involved from Gotham's financial circles, so a collapse due to their bad lending would not cause wider damage in Gotham's finances. Yet," Edward continued, as Linda produced several short biographies of Gotham officials, "the regulatory commission failed to do that, though this had been building for years now."

Linda jumped into the explanation. "All five of the current members of the regulatory commission were appointed by the current mayor. The last one began work on the commission this year, but the other four were all in place two years ago, about the time the first rumblings of the current crisis could be identified in Gotham's financial institutions."

"What do you make of the mayor's initiatives to deal with the crisis?" Wayne asked, looking at Linda, then at Edward.

"Ingenuous, to say the least," Linda commented with an air of disdain. "His people temporarily banned certain speculative financial dealings, going so far as to publish a list of which institutions could not be targeted by such dealings. Of course, the very day after their temporary ban ended, the institutions on that list were heavily targeted by the very speculative deals which had been prohibited. By the second day after the ban, the stock of those institutions had fallen by tens of percentage points, almost fifty in some cases."

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."

"Therefore," the master continued, "the skilled warrior is a skilled leader as well, and his victories can be predicted. Knowing when he is able to fight, and when unable, he will be victorious. Knowing how to use his forces, both large and small, both regular and irregular, he will be victorious. Uniting his ranks in purpose, he will be victorious. Being prudent, and awaiting the opportunity presented by an enemy who is not, he will be victorious. Having able generals, and not interfering with them, he will be victorious."

Looking at Wayne, he concluded.

"Knowing his enemy as he knows himself, though he may face a thousand battles, the skilled warrior needs never face danger. But the unskilled warrior, ignorant of his enemy and ignorant of himself, is in continuous danger." His gaze drifting away from Wayne, he added. "Such people are called 'mad bandits' – what can they expect, if not defeat?"

For once, the master's words made perfect sense.

But, had there been something about Talia that had prompted him to express his thoughts?

"Then, in response to the crisis, the mayor proposed a very expensive bailout plan, funded by Gotham City's taxpayers. The residents of Gotham howled, and the first time around the measure failed, but then the mayor modified it a little, twisted some arms, pushed it through the city council and signed it." Linda Callahan looked at Bruce Wayne; he seemed to understand the money aspects of this very well, she thought.

Edward Nygma picked up where Linda had left off. "Now, the mayor's administration, armed with taxpayer money provided by Gotham municipal debt, is 'infusing liquidity' into Gotham's financial institutions – but, the mayor's administration is completely at its own discretion as to which institutions to help, and which to abandon, and how much to help institutions that they try to bail out. Any institution can be overlooked, either because it is deemed too sick to cure, or not sick enough to worry about. It is completely subjective, with no oversight at all."

"And all on the taxpayer's dime," Linda nodded in agreement.

"Through this administration, Falcone is either taking over or destroying Gotham's financial institutions, just as he sees fit," Edward summarized.

Extraordinary Fidelity

2008-10-13T16:29:00.000-07:00

Life in Communist China's gulags....

"We Felt We Had Been Buried Alive" by Yu Shan:

The living hell that I would know as home for 18 years was set up in 1950. Camp No. 8, part of the Xingkai Lake Prison Farm in the vast swampy wasteland along the Ke'ercha River in Heilongjiang province, was initially stocked with 80,000 Nationalist prisoners of war plus countless Chinese who had collaborated with Japan's occupation of Manchuria. A few years later, 300,000 "rightists" and "counterrevolutionaries" were sent to refill slots at the camp vacated by the dead.

In August 1962 cavalry troops escorted 8,000 of us to the camp. To get there, we had to march through 400 km of wilderness. The camp's 12-sq-m prison cells were squalid dens, set 6 m into the ground. The ceilings, just 2 m above the floor, were made from a mixture of wood, grass and mud. From a distance, the compound looked like a cemetery. On each "grave mound" stood a pole bearing just a number. We felt as if we had been buried alive.

My relatives, landholders in Sichuan province, were accustomed to suffering. Soon after the communists prevailed in 1949, 27 of my family were persecuted in the Land Reform Movement. Fifteen were sent to labor camps, while eight died of starvation in the "natural disaster" caused by Mao's misguided economic policies. In 1949 my mother was forced to perform supervised labor. She died in 1984, one year after she was freed from that task.

I was arrested in 1955. While serving as an officer in China's army, I was accused of being a counterrevolutionary and correctly unmasked as an intelligence officer for the kmt [Kuomintang, the Nationalist Chinese who fled to Taiwan following the victory of the communists on the mainland in 1949 -- YD]. I was interrogated at a detention house outside Beijing's Desheng Gate and thrown in jail. On June 23, 1958, I was taken to an execution ground with others condemned to death.

Please read the rest of "We Felt We Had Been Buried Alive".

For a story that will make you proud to be an American, read Two CIA Prisoners in China, 1952–73, a story about two CIA officers on a mission that led them into a trap in China during the Korean War.

Smackdown, Part 1

2008-10-12T15:36:00.000-07:00

I begin with an article on a subject that an email tipster alerted me to, NATO agrees on Afghan drug role for military, from October 10, 2008:

BUDAPEST, Hungary - NATO defense ministers Friday authorized their troops in Afghanistan to attack drug barons blamed for pumping up to US$100 million (euro74 million) a year into the coffers of resurgent Taliban fighters.

Sound promising?

Ah, but longtime readers of my blog are aware of the importance of heroin in Afghanistan -- and thus, they know that this is not the beginning of the story, and neither will it be the end.

Before we continue with this, perhaps we should review some history. Though I have written extensively about this in the past, I will nevertheless paint the picture again in this series of posts.

I present material from an article that appeared on October 9, 2008, entitled U.S. Study Warns of Crisis in Afghanistan:

WASHINGTON -- A draft report by U.S. intelligence agencies concludes that Afghanistan is in a downward spiral and casts serious doubt on the ability of the Afghan government to stem the rise in the Taliban's influence there, the New York Times reported on Wednesday.

The classified report finds that the breakdown in central authority in Afghanistan has been accelerated by corruption within President Hamid Karzai's government and by an increase in attacks by militants operating from Pakistan, the Times said, citing U.S. officials familiar with the document.

There are two problems. One is that Pakistan is a sanctuary for the militants; the other is that of corruption in the Kabul government.

In reviewing my Genesis series, it is not surprising that Pakistan is a sanctuary for the militants; indeed, as I often pointed out during the Genesis posts, it sure looked like Pakistan was behind the rise of the Taliban. No wonder the Taliban would flee to the border area between Afghanistan and Pakistan, and no wonder Islamabad has been unable to root them out, and unwilling to give the US permission to enter Pakistani territory to do so.

Is it not interesting that one thing Benazir Bhutto was proposing was to get the militants out of the border area, without US help if possible, but with US help if necessary? And, of course, look what happened to her!

Then, there's the corruption in the Kabul government.

The report, a nearly completed version of a National Intelligence Estimate (NIE), is set to be finished after the November elections and will be the most comprehensive U.S. assessment in years on the situation in Afghanistan, the paper said.

Beyond the cross-border attacks launched by militants from neighboring Pakistan, the intelligence report asserts that many of Afghanistan's most vexing problems are of the country's own making, the officials said.

The report cites gains in the building of Afghanistan's national army. But officials said it also laid out in stark terms what it described as the destabilizing impact of the booming heroin trade, which by some estimates accounts for 50 percent of Afghanistan's economy.

Back now to NATO agrees on Afghan drug role for military from October 10, 2008:

"With regard to counter-narcotics ... ISAF can act in concert with the Afghans against facilities and facilitators supporting the insurgency," said NATO spokesman James Appathurai, referring to the NATO force.

The United States has pushed for NATO's 50,000 troops to take on a counter-narcotics role to hit back at the Taliban, whose increasing attacks have cast doubt on the prospects of a Western military victory in Afghanistan.

However, Germany, Spain and others were wary and their doubts led to NATO imposing conditions on the anti-drug mandate for the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force.

Troops will only be able to act against drug facilities if authorized by their own governments; only drug producers deemed to be supporting the insurgency will be targeted; and the operation must be designed to be temporary — lasting only until the Afghan security forces are deemed able to take on the task.

So, what is going on here?

We now begin with a translation by Ferghana.Ru of an article that originally appeared in Russian, entitled US AF serving Afghani drug dealers, from November, 2007; keep in mind that, as a translation by a non-native speaker of English, it reads just a little rough in places:

Afghani drugs are as much a pressing problem of the international community as the global warming is. Existence of the problem is recognized by everybody but a solution to it is not known. An international conference on the subject took place in Kabul in late October. According to the UN report presented there, Afghani opium reaching the international market accounts 93% of the global production. Fifty percent of Afghani drugs is produced in Gilmand on the border with Pakistan, a province where British troops are quartered.

Persuading the House of Commons to send British troops to Helmand last year [as this is a 2007 article, that would be 2006 -- YD], Premier Tony Blair capitalized on the danger to Great Britain posed by Afghani heroin. Paradoxically as it is, British servicemen and their American colleagues have found themselves now dragged into the international mafia that buys drugs made in Afghanistan and smuggles them abroad.

The information this publication is based on came from various Afghani sources that cannot be identified for quite understandable reasons. All the same, indirect evidence indicates that the Western military is involved in traffic. An operation against poppy plantations was to take place in several southern and southeastern provinces of Afghanistan this May (they were to be sprayed with defoliants). Sources in administration of Kandahar and Jalalabad say, however, that commanders of the US and British contingents in these provinces made a pact with the Afghanis and cancelled the operation.

Did you catch that? "[I]ndirect evidence indicates that the Western military is involved in traffic."

Of course, since then, there has been more of an outcry on the part of the Russian Federation regarding the involvement of the US military in the heroin trade.

Sources point out that interests of the Western military involved in trafficking out of Afghanistan (usually by US military aviation) coincide with interests of Afghani chieftains who control poppy fields. Afghani officials say that 85% of all drugs produced in southern and southeastern provinces are shipped abroad by US aviation.

Again, that was a report from a year ago: "Afghani officials say that 85% of all drugs produced in southern and southeastern provinces are shipped abroad by US aviation."

There are several ways of shipping drugs abroad. Some sources maintain that the chain begins with civilian salesmen - usually Americans acting under the cover of all sorts of non-governmental organizations and security firms. They buy "goods" from Afghani wholesale dealers and take them to military bases (usually the airfield in Kandahar). A well-informed source in Afghani security structures claims in the meantime that the American military never deals with Western civilian structures and works with local Afghani officials directly. It is these officials who deal with field commanders, from Taliban more often than not, who are in charge of drug production. The Talibs control bank accounts money is transacted to in all sorts of devious ways via the Afghanis living in the United States and West Europe.

As a matter of fact, money is not the only commodity drugs are paid with. Weapons will do too. Afghani sources claim that drugs-for-weapons barter deals with the Talibs are widely used. (One cannot help recalling the "deals" between our servicemen and the mujahedin during Soviet occupation of Afghanistan in the 1980s.) It may be added that the mujahedin nowadays get weapons from the northern provinces to which the merchandise is smuggled in the first place from Asian states. Insiders say that a great deal of merchandise passes via Shurtepa, a settlement on the Afghani-Turkmen border. Insiders say that weapons and munitions are ferried to the Taliban-controlled provinces of Afghanistan by American or British armored vehicles.

Does this ring any bells?

From 'The Stakes Are Too High for Us to Stop Fighting Now' An interview with FBI whistleblower Sibel Edmonds by Christopher Deliso August 15, 2005:

CD: Can you elaborate here on what countries you mean?

SE: It's interesting, in one of my interviews, they say "Turkish countries," but I believe they meant Turkic countries – that is, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and all the 'Stans, including Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, and [non-Turkic countries like] Afghanistan and Pakistan. All of these countries play a big part in the sort of things I have been talking about.

CD: What, you mean drug-smuggling?

SE: Among other things. Yes, that is a major part of it. It's amazing that in this whole "war on terror" thing, no one ever talks about these issues. No one asks questions about these countries – questions like, "OK, how much of their GDP depends on drugs?"

CD: But of course, you're not implying...

SE: And then to compare that little survey with what countries we've been putting military bases in --

And, it's not just today's fight in Afghanistan against the Taliban; the same connections to corrupt US officials permitted 9/11 to occur (so it could be used as cover for a bigger crime).

From State Dept. Quashed 9/11 Links To Global Drug Trade -- FBI Whistleblower by Fintan Dunne, June 7, 2004:

Because of a provisional gag order issued by Judge Reggie B. Walton which prohibits revealing specific details, Edmonds can only paint a picture in the broadest of brush strokes.

But her measured words hint at politically explosive connections between criminal drug/intelligence networks, and the 9/11 attacks.

"You have [a] network of people who obtain certain information and they take it out and sell it to... whomever would be the highest bidder. Then you have people who would be bringing into the country narcotics from the East, and their connections. [It] is only then that you really see the big picture."

"And you see certain semi-legitimate organizations that may very well have a legit front, but with very criminal illegitimate activities -- who start coming at you from these investigations."

"And the picture becomes, actually, very clear. Crystal clear."

From 'I Saw Papers That Show US Knew al-Qa'ida Would Attack Cities With Airplanes' by Andrew Buncombe; published on Friday, April 2, 2004 by the Independent/UK:

Sibel Edmonds said she spent more than three hours in a closed session with the commission's investigators providing information that was circulating within the FBI in the spring and summer of 2001 suggesting that an attack using aircraft was just months away and the terrorists were in place. The Bush administration, meanwhile, has sought to silence her and has obtained a gagging order from a court by citing the rarely used "state secrets privilege".

She told The Independent yesterday: "I gave [the commission] details of specific investigation files, the specific dates, specific target information, specific managers in charge of the investigation. I gave them everything so that they could go back and follow up. This is not hearsay. These are things that are documented. These things can be established very easily."

She added: "There was general information about the time-frame, about methods to be used -- but not specifically about how they would be used and about people being in place and who was ordering these sorts of terror attacks. There were other cities that were mentioned. Major cities -- with skyscrapers."

[snip]

She said said it was clear there was sufficient information during the spring and summer of 2001 to indicate terrorists were planning an attack. "Most of what I told the commission -- 90 per cent of it -- related to the investigations that I was involved in or just from working in the department. Two hundred translators side by side, you get to see and hear a lot of other things as well."

"President Bush said they had no specific information about 11 September and that is accurate but only because he said 11 September," she said. There was, however, general information about the use of airplanes and that an attack was just months away.

For a wild ride, stay tuned to Stop Islamic Conquest as this series continues!

Index to the Genesis Series

2008-10-12T13:30:00.000-07:00

The Genesis series examines the rise of the Taliban, as viewed through declassified US State Department cable traffic and other official US Government documents. Here is an index of links to its 34 parts:

The last part ends as the US Government is preparing to engage the new Taliban government diplomatically, in the wake of Taliban seizure of Kabul and execution of the previous president, Najibullah.

The saga of Afghanistan under the Taliban, as viewed through declassified US Government documents, will be picked up in the series Exodus.

Genesis, Part 34

2008-10-12T13:20:00.000-07:00

We continue reviewing declassified State Department cables addressing the rise of the Taliban. This is a September 28, 1996, cable from the US Secretary of State's office to the American Embassy in Islamabad; its subject is DEALING WITH THE TALIBAN IN KABUL. The abbreviation USG in the cable stands for United States Government.

Notice in Paragraph 2, we again encounter the "TALL BAN" where we expect to see "Taliban".

1. (U) CLASSIFIED BY ROBIN L. RAPHEL, ASSISTANT SECRETARY, BUREAU OF SOUTH ASIAN AFFAIRS, DEPARTMENT OF STATE. REASON: 1.5(B) AND (D).

2. (C) SUMMARY. IN OUR INITIAL CONTACTS WITH THE NEW AUTHORITIES IN KABUL, WE WILL SEEK INFORMATION ABOUT THE NEW GOVERNMENT AND ITS INTENTIONS, AND REITERATE OUR KEY CONCERNS -- THE IMPORTANCE OF A BROAD-BASED GOVERNMENT AND THE NEED TO ADDRESS QUICKLY THE TWIN PROBLEMS OF NARCOTICS AND TERRORISM. WE WILL CONTINUE TO SUPPORT THE UN AS A MECHANISM TO PROMOTE NATIONAL RECONCILIATION. WE WILL INFORM THE TALL BAN AUTHORITIES THAT WE ARE MOVING TO ADDRESS THEIR PUBLICLY-STATED CONCERNS ABOUT THE SECURITY OF THEIR MISSIONS IN THE UNITED STATES. IF THE TALIBAN RAISE THE QUESTION OF REOPENING OUR MISSION IN KABUL, WE WILL SAY THAT ACTION IS UNDER REVIEW, SUBJECT TO SECURITY CONCERNS. END SUMMARY.

3. (C) WE WISH TO ENGAGE THE NEW TALIBAN "INTERIM GOVERNMENT" AT AN EARLY STAGE TO:

--DEMONSTRATE USG WILLINGNESS TO DEAL WITH THEM AS THE NEW AUTHORITIES IN KABUL;
--SEEK INFORMATION ABOUT THEIR PLANS, PROGRAMS, AND POLICIES; AND
--EXPRESS USG VIEWS ON AREAS OF KEY CONCERN TO US -- STABILITY, HUMAN RIGHTS, NARCOTICS AND TERRORISM.

Some of this sounds like it could be so contemporary!

4. (C) EMBASSY ISLAMABAD IS AUTHORIZED TO SEND REPRESENTATIVES TO KABUL, WHENEVER FEASIBLE AND SAFE, TO MAKE INITIAL CONTACT WITH THE TALIBAN INTERIM GOVERNMENT. THEY SHOULD MAKE THE POINTS BELOW:

5. (SBU)

-- THE UNITED STATES HAS HAD A LONG HISTORY OF FRIENDSHIP WITH THE AFGHAN PEOPLE, AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO A FUTURE OF THE SAME. WE RECOGNIZE THAT THE TALIBAN NOW CONTROL KABUL AND MUCH OF THE COUNTRY.

-- WE HAVE NOTED THE INITIAL ANNOUNCEMENT ABOUT THE NEW INTERIM GOVERNMENT. WE HOPE YOU WILL PROPOSE SOON AN ENVOY TO REPRESENT YOUR GOVERNMENT IN WASHINGTON. WE ARE NOT RENEWING VISAS OF AFGHAN DIPLOMATS CURRENTLY IN THE U.S. WE ARE TAKING STEPS TO ENSURE THE SECURITY OF THE AFGHAN MISSIONS IN WASHINGTON AND NEW YORK.

-- WE WISH TO HAVE A DIALOGUE WITH YOUR GOVERNMENT, AND WE WANT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT YOUR PLANS AND POLICIES.

-- WE CONSISTENTLY TOLD THE FORMER GOVERNMENT THAT WE WANT TO SEE A PEACEFUL AND STABLE AFGHANISTAN, WITH A GOVERNMENT REPRESENTATIVE OF AFGHANS OF ALL ETHNIC AND RELIGIOUS GROUPS.

-- WE WERE ENCOURAGED BY YOUR STATEMENT THAT AFGHANISTAN IS THE COMMON HOME OF ALL AFGHANS, AND THAT NO SINGLE GROUP CAN GOVERN THE COUNTRY. WE SHARE THIS SENTIMENT, AND WOULD BE INTERESTED IN LEARNING MORE ABOUT YOUR PLANS TO BRING IN REPRESENTATIVES OF ETHNIC AND RELIGIOUS MINORITIES.

HUMANITARIAN ISSUES

-- AS YOU KNOW, WE HAVE ASSISTED THE PEOPLE OF AFGHANISTAN WITH FUNDS FOR FOOD, DISASTER RELIEF, AND DE-MINING. WE WANT TO CONTINUE WITH THIS ASSISTANCE.

-- WE HAVE ALSO PROVIDED HEALTH AND EDUCATION ASSISTANCE TO THE REFUGEES IN PAKISTAN. WE HOPE THAT THE NEW SITUATION IN THE COUNTRY WILL ALLOW THE REFUGEES CURRENTLY THERE AND IN IRAN TO RETURN.

-- WE BELIEVE THE UN HAS AN IMPORTANT CONTINUING ROLE IN AFGHANISTAN. IT HAS MADE A MAJOR CONTRIBUTION IN HUMANITARIAN RELIEF, DE-MINING, AND OTHER AREAS. WE URGE YOU TO CONTINUE TO WORK CLOSELY WITH THEM.

-- WE WERE DISMAYED BY THE VIOLATION OF UN PREMISES WHEN YOUR FORCES ENTERED KABUL AND BY THE SUMMARY EXECUTION OF FORMER PRESIDENT NAJIBULLAH.

-- THE UN SPECIAL MISSION CAN ALSO PLAY A ROLE IN ASSISTING YOUR TASK OF NATIONAL RECONCILIATION. HOW DO YOU SEE THEIR ROLE AT THIS TIME?

Now we get to an interesting part.

NARCOTICS

-- WE HAVE DISCUSSED WITH YOUR REPRESENTATIVES OUR CONCERN ABOUT INCREASING NARCOTICS CULTIVATION AND TRAFFICKING IN AFGHANISTAN. WE HAVE WELCOMED YOUR REASSURANCES THAT THE TALIBAN CONDEMN NARCOTICS AS UN-ISLAMIC.

-- HOWEVER, WE NOTE THAT CULTIVATION IN HELMAND HAS INCREASED BY OVER 30 2.666863E-78ACH [typo in message -- YD] YEAR SINCE 1993. THERE ARE INDICATIONS THAT HEROIN PROCESSING IN KANDAHAR HAS ALSO INCREASED DRAMATICALLY.

Some things never change.

-- WE HOPE THAT THE TALIBAN WILL MAKE ONE OF ITS FIRST TASKS THE PUBLIC CONDEMNATION IN CLEAR TERMS OF NARCOTICS GROWING AND TRAFFICKING. WE HOPE YOU WILL TAKE FIRM STEPS TO ENSURE THAT THOSE NOW CULTIVATING OPIUM WILL TURN TO OTHER CROPS.

-- WE HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO COUNTER-NARCOTICS PROGRAMS IN HELMAND AND OTHER AREAS IN CROP SUBSTITUTION. WE HAVE PLEDGED USDOLS 1.6 MILLION THRU UNDCP OVER THE LAST 2 YEARS FOR THEIR WORK IN AFGHANISTAN. WE WISH TO CONTINUE TO CONTRIBUTE TO NGOS WORKING IN AFGHANISTAN AND TO UNDCP TO HELP PROVIDE AFGHANS PRACTICAL ALTERNATIVES TO GROWING OPIUM.

TERRORISM

-- WE WELCOMED YOUR ASSURANCES THAT YOU WERE CLOSING THE TERRORIST AND MILITANT TRAINING CAMPS FORMERLY RUN BY HEKMATYAR, SAYYAR OR ARAB GROUPS. CAN YOU TELL US THE CURRENT STATUS OF THOSE CAMPS?

-- DO YOU KNOW THE LOCATION OF EX-SAUDI FINANCIER AND RADICAL ISLAMIST OSAMA BIN LADEN? WE HAD HEARD PREVIOUSLY THAT HE WAS IN THE EASTERN PROVINCES. HIS CONTINUED PRESENCE HERE WOULD NOT, WE BELIEVE, SERVE AFGHANISTAN'S INTERESTS.

To say the least!

OUR MISSION IN AFGHANISTAN (ONLY IF ASKED)

-- WE HAVE EMBASSY PROPERTY IN KABUL, FOR WHICH WE SEEK YOUR PROTECTION. WE WOULD LIKE TO RE-OPEN OUR EMBASSY HERE, WHEN SECURITY PERMITS. WE ARE CONSIDERING WHEN WE COULD TAKE THIS STEP. IN THE MEANTIME, WE WOULD LIKE TO MAKE FREQUENT TRIPS TO KABUL TO STAY IN CONTACT WITH YOUR GOVERNMENT.
CHRISTOPHER

Complete with an interest in Osama bin Laden!

If the West grows tired of the war in Afghanistan and withdraws US and NATO troops, they could wait a couple of months, and then retransmit this very same cable, and it would be right on the money!

This concludes the Genesis series; next up in our review of Afghanistan through State Department cable traffic is the series Exodus.

The Counterconspiracy: Divine Skein

2008-10-12T09:04:00.000-07:00

It was now after sunrise. The master was walking slowly around the village.

Although the fortune-teller had led him to understand that no gift was anticipated in return for having told him what was going on in Gotham City this morning, the master still had a very strong desire to express his gratitude.

He finally convinced the fortune-teller to accept an invitation to breakfast in the market. The master convinced her to bring her mother and her daughter along with. She agreed, but explained they would need some time to get ready. So much the better, as the market was only just opening, agreed the master. He would leave and then return to pick them up. He glanced at the sun – another fifteen or twenty minutes.

He thought back to one of the last lessons he had given to young Mr. Wayne before the latter left on his trip to Russia with Talia.

"The warrior who confronts his enemy for great periods of time, struggling amidst destruction to achieve victory, yet who makes no effort to learn of his enemy's situation, is not skilled. The skilled warrior will wage his campaign based on foreknowledge of the enemy situation."

Mr. Wayne had looked at the master, wondering where the master's words were leading.

Special Agent Nicholas Kyle of the Gotham Bureau of Investigation was home.

It was late at night, about midnight.

His wife, Selena, had gotten a new job with an important company in Gotham City – she was now a security officer with Wayne Enterprises Corporate Security, and had been assigned to the Executive Security detail. She was very happy, and enjoyed her work greatly, although it meant that she was now often away from home at odd hours, and tonight was one of those occasions; she was expecting to get off work some time after midnight, but had left a message on the answering machine a little earlier that she might be delayed tonight.

Nick Kyle poured himself a second glass of Scotch, and stepped outside onto his patio. It was chilly outside, but refreshing and, since he had only gotten home an hour ago himself, he still was not fully undressed. In fact, he had taken off his coat and his shoes, and loosened his tie, but was otherwise still fully clothed, right down to the holster under his left arm with his pistol in it.

Soon it would be Halloween. Selena enjoyed decorating the house for Halloween, and she enjoyed giving out candy to the neighborhood children.

Cleaning the house one weekend about a month ago, Nick had found a vinyl cat-costume and asked her about it. She looked a little upset, then finally explained that it was supposed to be a surprise for Halloween; she was looking forward to dressing up in it to hand out the candy this year, and she was hoping to surprise him when he came home from work that night.

Looking around his back yard, he smiled at the thought of his wife in skin-tight vinyl.

It was kind of chilly, he thought; he set his drink down on the table on the patio, and turned to go back inside. He would go get his coat and maybe slip on his shoes again, he thought.

Reaching for the door, he froze: in the reflection on the glass, he could see a large figure standing behind him.

"Foreknowledge," continued the master, "does not come from inquiring of spirits or from other occult practices, nor from analogy with past events; it is obtained from those who know the enemy intimately."

Wayne pondered the meaning of the master's words.

"There are different kinds of people who have such knowledge; they include doubled agents, inside agents, expendable agents, and living agents. When working together, this network of agents is the skilled warrior's 'Divine Skein', and is key to an overwhelming victory, and to the utter collapse of the enemy."

Slowly, he turned back around.

The giant figure, dressed in flowing black, towered several inches over him.

"I'm tired of this," he sighed to the figure. "I've already got my pistol, and haven't reached for it. Do you mind if I get my coat and shoes? It's kind of chilly out here."

"It was especially chilly for the girls down at the warehouse the other night, as they were waiting for the party to start."

Opening his door, he reached inside and grabbed his coat, which was on a chair near the patio door. He then reached down, and picked up a pair of shoes that he liked to wear outside when he was working in the backyard, and dropped them on the patio. He then slid the door closed again, as he slipped his feet into his shoes and put his coat on.

"I had nothing to do with that," Nick said to the tall figure.

"You help the cartel that traffics them – you had something to do with it," the figure answered.

"Yeah, I suppose you're right," Nick said, reaching down for his drink again.

He took a sip, then looked at the figure.

"Where did it go wrong?" he asked. "I always wanted to be a hero. Now you're the hero, and how many times have I tried to kill you?"

"You've made some mistakes, just like we all do," the figure answered. "As long as you're alive, it's never too late to change."

Nick finished his drink. "I don't suppose I could offer you a Scotch?"

The figure looked at him.

"I suppose that's probably part of what's going wrong in my life," he confessed, looking at his empty glass.

"Why did you join the GBI?"

Inspector Gordon hadn't had a great deal of time. He had promised Detective Sergeant O'Hara he would be at the crime scene shortly, but here he already had had to make a detour – all the way to Wayne Manor – with his passenger.

Now he was racing down the Gotham Expressway.

In the short time they had shared as they rode out to Wayne Manor, Vasilissa had already been a treasure of information. She confirmed much of what Batman had told him, and had insights into much of the documentation that Batman had provided him.

Vasilissa had given him names; it seemed Donovan was a key man in Falcone's organization, keeping tabs on the Gotham Police Department, and DiViglio was another key man, keeping tabs on the Gotham Bureau of Investigation. Each of them helped recruit new people to work for Falcone, and each of them helped shore up Falcone's men when they started getting cold feet about what was going on.

And, there was much, much more.

Gordon knew that Vasilissa would be safe at Wayne Manor. Gordon had known Bruce Wayne ever since the night young Bruce's parents had been killed; Patrolman Jim Gordon was the first on the scene, and they had been friends ever since.

Bruce Wayne had a reputation as a shallow playboy, and it was true that he could be distant at times, but there was much, much more to him than met the eye.

It was heartening to know that Vasilissa felt comfortable at Wayne Manor; it seems she and Wayne's security officer, a young lady named Sasha, had known each other previously, and liked each other. In the car on the way over to Wayne Manor, Vasilissa had offered Gordon the names of two people that she felt could be trusted: Rachel Dawes in the DA's office, and Dr. Sandra Villanova, a professor at Gotham University. Gordon appreciated that, because he was working with Dawes already – in fact, she was his contact on the case they were supposed to be putting together against Batman – and Gordon felt he could trust her boss, Harvey Dent, too. Dr. Villanova was a relatively new acquaintance of Inspector Gordon, but he knew she was close to Bruce Wayne, and she, too, was a treasure of information.

Gordon smiled. He now had evidence, he now had witnesses, he now had experts helping him analyze the case, and he now had honest prosecutors who would file charges and prosecute the case.

Falcone's Roman Empire was in his hands.

The smile disappeared as he thought of one major problem.

"Because I wanted to be a hero," came the answer. "Somehow, I found myself working for Falcone, when I always imagined myself working against the criminals."

"But what about the Nicholas Kyle that dreamed about joining the GBI to fight the bad guys? Is that Nicholas Kyle still around?"

Nick thought about that long and hard.

The figure watched him as he turned to the door, opened it and entered his house, leaving the door open, and walked over to his bar. He poured himself another Scotch, then came back outside, closing the door behind himself again.

"Falcone floods our streets with drugs and crime. He takes young women from their homes, and forces them into prostitution, getting them hooked on drugs and having them raped so they'll be compliant. It could just as easily have been your wife that he did that to. Even now, Falcone is manipulating Gotham City's finances, wiping out the retirement plans of tens of thousands of families, while he benefits from the tax dollars being pumped into Gotham's financial institutions to relieve the crisis. You have investments, you pay taxes; Falcone is stealing from you, stealing the future you plan to have with your wife."

There was a pause as Nick sipped his Scotch, considering the whispered words from the dark figure.

"Aladdin has nuclear weapons in place here in Gotham City; just as he destroyed the Gotham Towers, he plans to destroy all of Gotham City. Falcone has such a tight stranglehold on Gotham, the authorities are unable to deal with Aladdin and his Mujahideen."

There was another pause, as Nick turned and looked at the bushes he and Selena had planted in their backyard.

"We all make mistakes – all of us, even Special Agents with the Gotham Bureau of Investigation. But you can still be a hero – you can still make a difference. You can still redeem yourself from your mistake."

"How?"

"It is important to know who the enemy agents are that are among you. You must care for them. This is how they may be recruited and used by you. In turn, such doubled agents can help you recruit agents among the enemy; such are inside agents. Then there are those of your own agents who have been doubled; these are given false information, and take it back to mislead the enemy. This is how to use doubled agents who are in fact not doubled, or who may be tripled; such agents are expendable."

The master recalled the look Mr. Wayne had given him.

"Finally, there are those agents who are sent into the enemy camp to spy the enemy out, and who return with useful information. These are living agents."

"Why do I need to know about the use of spies and agents?"

To this question, the master had merely smiled.

"Tell what you know to the authorities, so they can bring Falcone down."

Nick laughed out loud. "Falcone would kill me – even assuming I could find an honest cop to talk to, Falcone would kill me – and Selena."

The figure stepped closer. "Falcone has already killed the two of you. Think about it. Is your life together the way you wanted it to be?" The figure paused, while Nick looked at him. "Only by turning on him can you live again – you and your wife, even if it is only for a short time. And, there are others ready to come forward. You can lead the way. You can be a hero. You can bring down the bad guys, and save Gotham City. The GBI can get its man once again, and Gotham City will have a chance."

Nick took another sip of his Scotch, thinking it over.

"I know that the Nick Kyle who joined the Gotham Police, then joined the Gotham Bureau of Investigation, graduating from both academies with honors – I know he is in there, ready to make up for his mistakes, ready to be a hero once again."

There was another pause, then the figure added, "Please, Nick – will you help save Gotham City?"

Nick gazed again at the bushes, then downed his whiskey quickly. Turning back to the dark figure, he whispered, "Okay, Mr. Batman, I'll help. What do I have to do? Who do I talk to?"

Inspector Gordon thought more about the situation.

There needed to be the political will in Gotham City for this to move forward, and he knew the mayor was deep in Falcone's pocket. So were the two teams of candidates running to replace the mayor. On one team, there were Salama and Lidden, who were ahead in the polls – Salama was implicated with one organized crime faction, and with a tycoon who wanted to legalize narcotics, while Lidden had for years been on the payroll of another organized crime faction tied in to the heroin trade. Then there was McMullen, whom the current mayor had endorsed; he was deep in the pockets of the same faction that Lidden was in.

Signaling for the off-ramp from the Gotham Expressway, Gordon sighed – they needed an honest mayor. With an honest mayor, Gordon could clean up Gotham, but an honest mayor seemed so far away.

And, Gordon was worried about the glance that he saw Vasilissa give to the other young lady on Bruce Wayne's security detail – what was her name? Selena Lyon. Why did that name ring a bell?

The Counterconspiracy: Witness

2008-10-11T14:41:00.000-07:00

Detective Sergeant O'Hara walked into the building and looked around.

O'Hara's eyes scanned the interior of the restaurant. There was a hole in the ceiling where the skylight had been; the place had obviously had a fire, but it looked as if the fire had been quickly extinguished. His eyes running farther back in the dining area, he noticed a big hole in the wall leading in from the kitchen and, stepping to one side and looking through the hole, he saw a similar hole in the outer wall leading into the kitchen from the alleyway out back. The equipment in the kitchen had been knocked out of the way, making a path from the alleyway out back all the way into the dining room.

"Looks like somebody wanted drive-through service," O'Hara commented. "So what happened?"

"Several armed, masked men entered via the back door," one officer answered, his notebook open, "and they told everyone to keep quiet and not to move. They then immobilized the people with heavy tape," the officer explained, pointing to tape on the arm of a chair. "Witnesses said that at first it looked like an armed robbery, but then the intruders placed several cans of gasoline around the dining room, and started spilling gas around the whole building."

O'Hara looked at the officer closely, who led O'Hara through the hole in the dining room wall and into the kitchen.

"It was at that point that a large, black vehicle crashed through the back wall from the alleyway into the kitchen, then drove through the kitchen, then crashed through this wall into the dining room and stopped."

Studying the gaping hole in the wall, O'Hara asked the officer, "What did this vehicle look like?"

"It was a large, black vehicle, a very unusual but sporty design, with appendages on the back."

"The Batmobile?" O'Hara looked up.

The officer nodded. "The assailants were apparently surprised by this, and a panic ensued. They started firing at the Batmobile, and their shots ignited the gasoline, and the fire began to spread rapidly." The officer looked at O'Hara. "The good news is that the perps hadn't yet had time to really douse the place down."

O'Hara looked at the fire damage, then his eyes wandered back to the broken skylight.

"What happened then?"

"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.

"Batman," O'Hara said quietly.

The officer looked up from his notes. "He surprised them. The witnesses disagree on how many were right there when Batman hit the floor, but it was at least four, with another couple back in the kitchen area." Looking up, the officer became a little animated. "Batman cleaned their clocks, Detective; I mean, he really took these guys apart, and fast." Looking back down, he continued. "Meanwhile, a big fire extinguisher in the front of the Batmobile was putting out the fire...."

"If Batman was here fighting the assailants, who was driving the Batmobile?" O'Hara interrupted.

"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."

O'Hara looked at the officer. "Please continue with your narrative," he said, shaking his head.

"Batman grabbed a butter knife off one of the tables, and cut the tape, releasing a couple of the victims. He told them to release the others, exit out front, and call 9-1-1. He pulled a canister out of his belt, and sprayed it on the assailants; it was some kind of foam of some sort, it hardened and dried fast, and left the men immobilized. Then he hurried in the backroom. By this time, it seems the remaining assailants were leaving the scene, as the witnesses recalled hearing several vehicles' wheels squealing in the alleyway."

As the narrative progressed, the officer led O'Hara toward the back of the restaurant.

"One witness said that Batman came out carrying a woman, another said she was walking on her own." Looking up, the officer added, "Both commented on how beautiful she was."

At this, O'Hara looked hard at the officer who was narrating this; the officer looked back and shrugged.

"The Batmobile's top opened, and Batman strapped the woman into the passenger's seat, then himself got into the driver's seat, and was strapping himself in as the top came back down; the vehicle then backed out into the alleyway."

With these words, the officer led O'Hara through the hole in the wall and out into the alleyway.

O'Hara looked around. Off to the right, about fifty feet away, a vehicle was completely destroyed, and about ten or twelve firefighters, ambulance workers and police officers were surrounding the vehicle. Back to the left, several officers were combing the alleyway looking for evidence.

Inspector Gordon stepped out of the elevator, and began to walk across the parking garage to his unmarked police cruiser.

It was late, after ten, and he had been hoping to be asleep already, but watching the coverage on Gotham's television of the financial meltdown in Gotham City had his interest – and, it had him thinking.

The phone rang – it was Detective O'Hara. He was on the scene of an incident at a restaurant, and he had asked Gordon to come down and look the scene over. No details had been discussed over the phone; in fact very little had been said, but Gordon knew: it was a fire, and Batman was involved.

"I'm on my way," he said, then hung up and began to change.

Now he was hurrying across the parking garage beneath the apartment building where he lived.

As he approached his car, his eyes caught something in the back corner of the garage. Gordon stopped, as the unusual-looking vehicle approached silently.

Its top opened, and a large figure dressed in flowing black climbed out, then helped a woman out of the vehicle. Despite himself, Gordon did a double-take – she was one of the most beautiful women he had ever seen, and she looked a little familiar.

"Inspector Jim Gordon, this is Nyssa Raatko."

Gordon smiled a half-smile. "How do you do?"

"Nyssa has, until tonight, been in the employ of one Mr. Carmine Falcone," the figure explained.

"Vasilissa," Gordon interrupted. That's where he knew her from. He had seen pictures of her at Falcone's parties.

Nyssa nodded.

"Tonight, Falcone tried to kill her. His plan was to torch an entire restaurant full of innocent people in order to cover up his assassination of Vasilissa."

Gordon thought about that for a moment. That was undoubtedly the crime scene he was being called to. But, why was Vasilissa so important?

"She is ready to provide evidence to the prosecution that will break up Falcone's empire, and put a great many people behind bars. And, her testimony is just the tip of the iceberg. She will give you more names of people who will testify, and there are others I know of who are also willing to come forward."

"If I can keep her alive," Gordon commented.

"A recent client of mine, a man by the name of Malone, had a suggestion as to where I could stay," Vasilissa interjected.

Gordon nodded; Gordon had an idea, too.

The dark figure produced a small device, and handed it to Inspector Gordon.

"What's this?"

"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.

"Perhaps you need this more than I do," Gordon suggested, offering the Batsignal to Vasilissa.

"She already has one," the dark figure said, as Vasilissa held up a similar device.

"By the way, Batman," Gordon turned to the figure, "this financial crisis that has developed in Gotham City over the past few days...."

"It could have been prevented by the regulatory commission, all of whose members were appointed by the current mayor."

"So the mayor is pulling the strings on this?" Gordon asked.

"At one level, yes. But, the mayor is just a front man, and is being manipulated, as well."

Gordon thought about that comment, and remembered the figure's words from a previous meeting, where Batman had described the relationship among the mayor, Falcone, Aladdin, and an organization known as "The Demon".

"My father is Ra's al Ghul," Vasilissa added. "I don't know much about him, hardly anything at all, but I will tell you everything I know."

"And just who is Ra's al Ghul?" Inspector Gordon asked.

"'The Head of the Demon' – that's how his name translates," the dark figure answered.

Gordon looked at Vasilissa. Clicking the button on the keyless entry system to his unmarked police cruiser, he motioned to Vasilissa. "If you'll please get in my car, we need to get you to some place safe," he said, turning toward his car.

Stopping, he turned around. "One more thing, Batman," he began, but it was too late; the dark figure was inside the dark vehicle, and the top was already coming down.

"As these cars were attempting to make their escape, their occupants fired automatic weapons at the Batmobile. It seems the Batmobile fired a missile, and the missile destroyed that car there," the officer pointed to the right, "then the Batmobile somehow pivoted and faced in that direction," the officer pointed to the left, "and took off after one of the other cars, which Batman apparently caught on the Gotham Expressway about two miles from here. I heard they counted over one hundred bullet holes in that vehicle."

"'Pivoted?'" O'Hara repeated, looking at the alleyway; there was not enough room for a vehicle to turn around behind the restaurant.

"As in 'on a dime', Detective – those were the exact words of one witness."

O'Hara looked at the officer, as he finished his report. "At this point, we have four dead and seven hospitalized, three of them in intensive care – all perpetrators. None of the victims received significant injuries."

Sasha looked at Alfred, who was on the phone.

"Yes, sir. All is ready." Alfred paused. "I shall tell him, sir. Have a good evening, sir."

Alfred looked at Sasha. "My dear, would you be so kind as to go to the gatehouse? We have a guest who will be arriving. Please escort her to the main house. It is important that we take especially good care of her," Alfred explained.

Sasha nodded. "Bruce told me we might be expecting someone."

"And where is Master Bruce?" Alfred inquired.

"He said he had one more stop to make tonight."

Mexican Cartels Now Grow Marijuana in US

2008-10-11T14:22:00.001-07:00

An interesting story appeared in today's news, entitled Mexican marijuana cartels sully US forests, parks:

PORTERVILLE, Calif. - National forests and parks — long popular with Mexican marijuana-growing cartels — have become home to some of the most polluted pockets of wilderness in America because of the toxic chemicals needed to eke lucrative harvests from rocky mountainsides, federal officials said.

The grow sites have taken hold from the West Coast's Cascade Mountains, as well as on federal lands in Kentucky, Tennessee and West Virginia.

Seven hundred grow sites were discovered on U.S. Forest Service land in California alone in 2007 and 2008 — and authorities say the 1,800-square-mile Sequoia National Forest is the hardest hit.

Weed and bug sprays, some long banned in the U.S., have been smuggled to the marijuana farms. Plant growth hormones have been dumped into streams, and the water has then been diverted for miles in PVC pipes.

Rat poison has been sprinkled over the landscape to keep animals away from tender plants. And many sites are strewn with the carcasses of deer and bears poached by workers during the five-month growing season that is now ending.

"What's going on on public lands is a crisis at every level," said Forest Service agent Ron Pugh. "These are America's most precious resources, and they are being devastated by an unprecedented commercial enterprise conducted by armed foreign nationals. It is a huge mess."

This isn't just destroying our environment, our national parks and forests -- this problem destroys lives and families, too, and brings all the associated crime into communities all across America, as rival gangs fight for the money to be made by controlling the distribution of drugs in America.

The first documented marijuana cartels were discovered in Sequoia National Park in 1998. Then, officials say, tighter border controls after Sept. 11, 2001, forced industrial-scale growers to move their operations into the United States.

Millions of dollars are spent every year to find and uproot marijuana-growing operations on state and federal lands, but federal officials say no money is budgeted to clean up the environmental mess left behind after helicopters carry off the plants. They are encouraged that Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., who last year secured funding for eradication, has inquired about the pollution problems.

In the meantime, the only cleanup is done by volunteers. On Tuesday, the nonprofit High Sierra Trail Crew, founded to improve access to public lands, plans to take 30 people deep into the Sequoia National Forest to carry out miles of drip irrigation pipe, tons of human garbage, volatile propane canisters, and bags and bottles of herbicides and pesticides.

"If the people of California knew what was going on out there, they'd be up in arms about this," said Shane Krogen, the nonprofit's executive director. "Helicopters full of dope are like body counts in the Vietnam War. What does it really mean?"

Tighter border controls would help, but there needs to be a presence in the forests and parks, as well: more rangers, and clean-up crews for when sites are discovered.

Last year, law enforcement agents uprooted nearly five million plants in California, nearly a half million in Kentucky and 276,000 in Washington state as the development of hybrid plants has expanded the range of climates marijuana can tolerate.

"People light up a joint, and they have no idea the amount of environmental damage associated with it," said Cicely Muldoon, deputy regional director of the Pacific West Region of the National Park Service.

As of Sept. 2, more than 2.2 million plants had been uprooted statewide. The largest single bust in the nation this year netted 482,000 plants in the remote Sierra of Tulare County, the forest service said.

Some popular parks also have suffered damage. In 2007, rangers found more than 20,000 plants in Yosemite National Park and 43,000 plants in Sequoia Kings Canyon National Park, where 159 grow sites have been discovered over the past 10 years.

Agent Patrick Foy of the California Department of Fish and Game estimated that 1.5 pounds of fertilizers and pesticides is used for every 11.5 plants.

"I've seen the pesticide residue on the plants," Foy said. "You ain't just smoking pot, bud. You're smoking some heavy-duty pesticides from Mexico."

People don't seem to realize that there is no quality-control here. People have died from the rat poison that contaminates heroin, and so on....

Scott Wanek, the western regional chief ranger for the National Park Service, said he believes the eradication efforts have touched only a small portion of the marijuana farms and that the environmental impact is much greater than anyone knows.

"Think about Sequoia," Wanek said. "The impact goes well beyond the acreage planted. They create huge networks of trail systems, and the chemicals that get into watersheds are potentially very far-reaching — all the way to drinking water for the downstream communities. We are trying to study that now."

And it comes into our homes, it comes into the schools where our children gulp down cool water after physical education....

And, the drug culture calls marijuana "the good dope". I guess that's relative to rat-poison-laced heroin?

Economic 9-11?

2008-10-10T15:59:00.000-07:00

First of all, in light of the ongoing global financial crisis, I have updated my sidebar by adding links to BusinessWeek and The Economist.

But, what about this crisis? What can we non-experts understand about it?

Wikipedia has this to say about the the ongoing global financial crisis:

The global financial crisis of September–October 2008 is a developing financial crisis with roots in the subprime mortgage crisis.

So, we go to Wikipedia's article on the subprime mortgage crisis:

The subprime mortgage crisis is an ongoing economic problem that became more apparent during 2007 and 2008, and is characterized by contracted liquidity in the global credit markets and banking system. The downturn in the U.S. housing market, risky lending and borrowing practices, and excessive individual and corporate debt levels have caused multiple adverse effects on the world economy. The crisis has passed through various stages, exposing pervasive weaknesses in the global financial system and regulatory framework.

The crisis began with the bursting of the United States housing bubble^[1][2] and high default rates on "subprime" and adjustable rate mortgages (ARM), beginning in approximately 2005–2006. For a number of years prior to that, declining lending standards, an increase in loan incentives such as easy initial terms, and a long-term trend of rising housing prices had encouraged borrowers to assume difficult mortgages in the belief they would be able to quickly refinance at more favorable terms. However, once interest rates began to rise and housing prices started to drop moderately in 2006–2007 in many parts of the U.S., refinancing became more difficult. Defaults and foreclosure activity increased dramatically as easy initial terms expired, home prices failed to go up as anticipated, and ARM interest rates reset higher. Foreclosures accelerated in the United States in late 2006 and triggered a global financial crisis through 2007 and 2008. During 2007, nearly 1.3 million U.S. housing properties were subject to foreclosure activity, up 79% from 2006.^[3]

So, this whole mess grew because of "declining lending standards" that led to loans being made to people who should not have qualified.

Farther down, we see some details:

The Center for Responsible Lending, in its report on IndyMac, related testimony that the bank actually made efforts to avoid having income information about some borrowers.^[44] The Associated Press has reported that a federal grand jury is investigating subprime lenders Countrywide Financial Corp., New Century Financial Corp. and IndyMac Bancorp Inc. and reports also that the FBI is investigating IndyMac for possible fraud.^[45] The question, then, is whether banks and other private mortgage originators of subprime and other "nonprime" loans might deliberately have profited or attempted to profit - in moneys, economic benefit or even fraudulent gain - through reducing the amount of information they collected from borrowers.

Notice that last sentence: "The question, then, is whether banks and other private mortgage originators of subprime and other 'nonprime' loans might deliberately have profited or attempted to profit - in moneys, economic benefit or even fraudulent gain - through reducing the amount of information they collected from borrowers."

Judge Leslie Tchaikovsky of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of California, found on 25 May 2008 that even though a pair of borrowers had, indeed, misrepresented their incomes on a "stated income" home equity loan, National City Bank's "reliance" on these statements of income "was not reasonable based on an objective standard".^[46]

The banking industry provided home loans to undocumented immigrants, viewing it as an untapped resource for growing their own revenue stream.^[47][48] Pro-immigrant expert Tim Ready at the University of Notre Dame argued that "It's really important to the economy as a whole and to the real estate market in particular that Latinos be able to purchase a home."^[49] Banks, including some major institutions, offered home-mortgage loans to people who don't have Social Security numbers.^[50]

But, who is supposed to police these banks?

In Wikipedia's article on the Federal Reserve System, we find the following excerpt from TITLE 12 > CHAPTER 3 > SUBCHAPTER VII > § 301 of the US Code: 301. Powers and duties of board of directors; suspension of member bank for undue use of bank credit:

Each Federal reserve bank shall keep itself informed of the general character and amount of the loans and investments of its member banks with a view to ascertaining whether undue use is being made of bank credit for the speculative carrying of or trading in securities, real estate, or commodities, or for any other purpose inconsistent with the maintenance of sound credit conditions; and, in determining whether to grant or refuse advances, rediscounts, or other credit accommodations, the Federal reserve bank shall give consideration to such information. The chairman of the Federal reserve bank shall report to the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System any such undue use of bank credit by any member bank, together with his recommendation. Whenever, in the judgment of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, any member bank is making such undue use of bank credit, the Board may, in its discretion, after reasonable notice and an opportunity for a hearing, suspend such bank from the use of the credit facilities of the Federal Reserve System and may terminate such suspension or may renew it from time to time.

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.

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.

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.

Why do I have the feeling we have been stampeded again?

As Bush's Presidency draws to a close, why do I recall the following quote from the Sibel Edmonds case?

From The Highjacking of a Nation, Part 2: The Auctioning of Former Statesmen & Dime a Dozen Generals by Sibel Edmonds, November 29, 2006:

Long gone are the days when generals were content to retire and go back home where they held their heads high as honorable patriots and heroes who had served their nation; where they marched in their towns' parades as proud distinguished men and women who had fulfilled their duty to the people. Today, as we clearly see, they perceive themselves and their authority as a commodity; they go about marketing their worth (nationally and internationally; foreign and domestic) long before they leave their positions as public servants.

[snip]

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.

New label: Stampede.

The Counterconspiracy: Up in Flames

2008-10-07T16:54:00.000-07:00

Vasilissa looked around, trying to maintain her composure.

Mr. Falcone had called asking for some time with her -- on short notice. Though apprehensive, she agreed to get ready, as Carmine explained his driver would pick her up.

After the phone call, in her room by the closet, she looked around, then pulled the device she had been given from her pocket. She looked at it. This was it, she thought. She had been around long enough to know. They were going to dinner at a nice, upscale restaurant; Falcone only took her to places he controlled, and she knew he didn't control this place. Very unusual... this was definitely it. He was on to her, and her time was up.

She firmly pressed the red button on the Batsignal, knowing that now, nothing would stop the meeting -- Batman would know she was in trouble, and would be on his way.

He casually looked at his watch -- a light lit up in one corner of it indicating the Batsignal. It was an emergency, and it had to be from Vasilissa.

Come on, Sasha, he thought.

Looking up at Sandra, he resumed the conversation.

"They deserved a trial."

"What about the families of the heroin addicts? What about the people who are victimized as the addicts commit robberies, muggings and carjackings to raise money to support their habits? What about the girls who get trafficked in, injected with drugs, beaten into submission, and raped, all as preparation to make them prostitutes? What about all these people, Bruce? Don't they deserve a trial?"

"Well, believe me, I see your point, Sandra," Bruce Wayne answered.

"I think of all people, Bruce sees your point," Rachel interjected with a smile, trying to soften the moment.

Just then, Lucius Fox took his cell phone out and looked at it. "Excuse me, please, I have to take this call," he explained, as he answered the phone.

An alarmed look came across his face.

"Yes, I understand. We're on our way. Thanks!"

The call ended, and he urgently looked across the table.

"Bruce, there has been an emergency at Wayne Enterprises. You are needed there immediately. May I suggest that your driver take our companions home when they are done with dinner, and I can drive you to the office?"

Perfect, thought Wayne. Way to go, Sasha! And, that will give Sandra and Rachel a chance to compare notes!

Standing up, he looked around the table. "Ladies, I hope you'll excuse us. If it looks like we'll be able to make it back, we'll call you. Meanwhile, please stay and enjoy your dinner – my treat." Pausing, he added with a smile, "We'll have to continue this conversation later."

Before the ladies could protest, Lucius Fox and Bruce Wayne were already walking toward the door. The woman who was Wayne's driver and bodyguard met them by the host's station near the door.

Silently, Rachel Dawes and Sandra Villanova watched as Bruce Wayne gave some quiet instructions to his driver, who returned to her station near the bar, and to the host and headwaiter, who nodded reassuringly, smiling in the direction of the table where the ladies were.

With that, both Fox and Wayne were out the door, walking quickly.

Turning to Sandra, Rachel wondered aloud, "What do you suppose that is all about?"

The fortune-teller looked at the crystals on the table.

"He is having some doubts about himself and his mission, but angels minister to him."

The fortune-teller looked a little more closely.

"He is surrounded by women," she explained, as the master, hearing this, rolled his eyes, wondering if things would ever change. "Some of the women are torn between him and his enemies, but there is one in his midst who will betray him."

Worried, the master asked, "And what will happen?"

Looking up, her eyes closed, the fortune-teller answered slowly.

"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."

"Here it is, Bruce. Now, pay attention, because it has a few new upgrades."

The dark figure, dressed in flowing black, paid close attention to the man who had always been his friend, and much more.

"The laser rangefinder has been completely redesigned. It now duplicates much of the capability of the infrared search and track system. It is tied in to an experimental version of the WomBat, which has a laser beamrider guidance scheme -- just point and shoot."

"How does that work?" the figure asked.

"The laser beam rapidly sweeps out a grid, tracking the target and keeping the target inside the grid."

"Then the system has an autonomous target acquisition capability?"

"Yes. The WomBat has sensors in the back of the missile, detecting the energy from the laser. They will keep the missile in the middle of the grid; it is fire-and-forget, invulnerable to conventional countermeasures -- but watch out for excessive smoke or steam in the air!"

The figure nodded.

"There is now a 5.56mm Gatling gun with 1000 rounds of ammunition. Heads-up! It takes a moment after you depress the trigger to get up to full RPM, so there is a slight delay before it actually begins to fire; the same is true as you release the trigger, there will be a moment when it is still firing."

"So one long burst would be better than several short bursts?"

"Exactly. And, at full RPM, you have ten seconds of Gatling gun."

"Did you take out the fuel-air munition system, and the flamethrower?"

"That's the best part. It was difficult, and it isn't exactly like you wanted it, but here's how the replacement system works...."

Rick shook his head.

The boss had not been happy tonight, and he had looked like he wanted to kill someone.

Donovan was there at the meeting -- he had been especially requested, and Donovan looked a little scared.

The boss began to accuse Donovan of not doing his job.

"This is all leaking out in the alternative news media," the boss pounded his desk, looking at Donovan.

Of course, Falcone had strings he could pull with all of Gotham's mainstream media, so they wouldn't print anything too explosive. But, the alternative media was alive with stories about Batman's recent attacks on Falcone's "Roman Empire", with a great deal of analysis. Some of it was paranoid, but some of it was right on the money, and it was the analysis that was right on the money that was resounding the most in Gotham City's cybersphere.

"It's not coming from GPD, boss. I've got connections, a good network, thanks to you -- you give me plenty of favors to spread around. If it were coming from GPD, I'd know."

Truth was, if it was coming from GPD, the boss would know, too, thought Rick -- Donovan wasn't Falcone's only man at the Gotham Police Department, and Donovan never knew when he was dealing with somebody who also reported back to Mr. Falcone.

Frustrated, the boss asked where all the information about the crime scenes was coming from? Who was the leak passing this to the alternative media? And, there had to be more than one leak.

After a long, ominous silence, Rick -- who did not like speaking at these meetings -- asked the simple question.

"Boss, how many Gotham Firefighters are on your payroll?"

It got deadly silent in the room, as everyone realized -- that was why Batman had been torching Falcone's establishments! It meant firemen were on the scene of every attack, and obviously, nobody had thought to bribe firemen to keep them quiet about what they saw at the crime scene!

Inspector Gordon paced the balcony at his apartment.

The hurried phone call from Rachel Dawes, who was his contact at the DA's office to prosecute this Batman, had been very interesting.

Gordon knew that she was honest. She was perhaps a little naïve at times, but she was hard-working, reliable, and above all, honest.

Gordon had been wondering how, in the midst of a "War on Crime", with law enforcement watching everyone and everything -- especially with the new powers that the mayor had appropriated for law enforcement -- how could all the heroin be moving around Gotham City?

Rachel suddenly had an outrageous idea, but, of course, it was the only explanation that made sense.

The heroin was being transported to Gotham City in official law enforcement vehicles!

The more he thought about it, the more Gordon saw how it was the only explanation that made sense, and it had the advantage of explaining many other observations Gordon had made.

And, if that was true, then it made sense that it wasn't Batman who was the pyro, torching all of these establishments that connected Falcone to the Mujahideen!

The dark vehicle approached the restaurant, moving very slowly and silently down the alleyway behind it. The vehicle was still far enough away that people near the restaurant couldn't see it.

The vehicle's operator engaged the infrared search and track system, bringing its information up on a multifunction display, then correlated that with the location of the Batsignal. Vasilissa was in a room in the back of the building, and it looked like there was one other person in the room with her.

Inspector Gordon thought long and hard.

It wasn't Batman at all -- it was Falcone!

Falcone was trying to kill all the witnesses and destroy all the evidence connecting him to Aladdin. Not only that, but Gordon now knew -- thanks to Batman -- that Falcone had been in on the attack that destroyed the Gotham Towers. Falcone was connected to the heroin trafficking, the corruption in city hall, the mayor, the two candidates running to replace the mayor in the election that was four weeks away... Falcone was connected to all of it.

And now, Falcone was trying to erase it all, by burning down the buildings, killing the witnesses and destroying the evidence in the fires.

And, Batman kept showing up in the nick of time, saving the witnesses and keeping them alive, and saving the paperwork and computers that held the information tying Falcone in to everything, and keeping it all from going up in flames.

That was why the mayor was so adamant that Batman needed to be stopped. The mayor accused Batman of being a pyro, and wanted him locked up, but the truth is, Batman was saving the evidence that connected Falcone to Aladdin in one direction, and Falcone to the mayor and to a whole bunch of others in the other direction.

The dark figure looked at the multifunction displays.

"Bruce..." a feminine voice cut in.

"I see it. I'm getting good coverage from the Batbot."

In addition to Vasilissa, who Falcone now wanted dead, the restaurant was full of innocent people, and Falcone's men were outside it, locking the fire exits from the outside, while three men hurried inside, obviously to torch the place -- and obviously planning to blame it all on Batman!

Principle, not Politics: Rights for the Accused

2008-10-07T16:28:00.000-07:00

I have an excerpt of an article that just appeared at Yahoo News, entitle AP Exclusive: Documents say detainee near insanity:

WASHINGTON - A U.S. military officer warned Pentagon officials that an American detainee was being driven nearly insane by months of punishing isolation and sensory deprivation in a U.S. military brig, according to documents obtained by The Associated Press.

While the treatment of prisoners at detention facilities at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and in Afghanistan and Iraq have long been the subject of human rights complaints and court scrutiny, the documents shed new light on how two American citizens and a legal U.S. resident were treated in military jails inside the United States.

Two American citizens, inside the United States....

The Bush administration ordered the men to be held in military jails as "enemy combatants" for years of interrogations without criminal charges, which would not have been allowed in civilian jails.

If Bush can do this to them, Bush can do this to you.

All he has to do is declare you to be an "enemy combatant".

You may protest your innocence, but who will stick up for you?

Who will insist that your civil rights not be violated?

Who will insist that your Constitutional safeguards against self-incrimination not be violated?

Though you only be accused, and not even convicted of anything, the treatment you receive will be both cruel and unusual -- it will include acts which US courts have on previous occasions declared to be war crimes.

And, who will stick up for you?

After all, nobody wants to be seen as being soft on terrorists.

And, we all know that if you weren't a terrorist, the Bush Administration wouldn't accuse you and take you into custody....

The men were interrogated by the CIA and Defense Intelligence Agency, repeatedly denied access to attorneys and mail from home and contact with anyone other than guards and their interrogators. They were deprived of natural light for months and for years were forbidden even minor distractions such as a soccer ball or a dictionary.

"I will continue to do what I can to help this individual maintain his sanity, but in my opinion we're working with borrowed time," an unidentified Navy brig official wrote of prisoner Yaser Esam Hamdi in 2002. "I would like to have some form of an incentive program in place to reward him for his continued good behavior, but more so, to keep him from whacking out on me."

Yale Law School's Lowenstein International Human Rights Clinic received the documents through a Freedom of Information Act request filed by two attorneys Jonathan Freiman and Tahlia Townsend, representing another detainee, Jose Padilla. The Lowenstein group and the American Civil Liberties Union said the papers were evidence that the Bush administration violated the 5th Amendment's protections against cruel treatment. The U.S. military was ordered to treat the American prisoners the same way prisoners at Guantanamo were treated, according to the documents.

However, the Guantanamo jail was created by the Bush administration specifically to avoid allowing detainees any constitutional rights. Administration lawyers contended the Constitution did not apply outside the country.

Our great decider -- for whom I was happy and proud to vote after eight years of Bill Clinton -- esteems the Constitution about as much as his predecessor did.

The ethical question: "Can I get away with it?"

And how many will justify this, pointing out the exigencies and the dangers of possible terrorist acts, and saying that safeguarding some terrorist's rights is nothing compared to the large number of deaths and the vast destruction that might result from a terrorist act.

Osama bin Laden can kill people, Osama bin Laden can destroy property, but Osama bin Laden is unable to destroy America -- only Americans can do that, by forgetting what America is really about.

Our dear leader, our Führer, leads us in the War on Terror, destroying the very reasons that make America worth fighting for -- worth dying for -- and how many go mindlessly, blindly goose-stepping along behind him?

Mr. President: I voted for you in 2000, and I voted for you again in 2004.

I am an American and a Republican; you, sir, are a criminal, and I hereby call for your impeachment.

It may not mean a great deal practically at this point, but there is a principle involved, and I, sir, stand on principle, not on politics.

Madam Speaker of the House: By taking impeachment off the table, you have abrogated your duties to this country. This is not about politics, this is about principle. You fail to do your Constitutional duty, that of standing up to a President who is in violation of our most important laws. Madam Speaker, you are a disgrace to America.

And to anyone who abandons me because of my viewpoint on this matter, know that I would rather stand alone than in bad company.

The Counterconspiracy: "Vigilante" Part 2

2008-10-06T18:09:00.000-07:00

"What about this 'Batman'?"

Dr. Sandra Villanova repeated Bruce Wayne's question, then looked around thoughtfully.

"I..." she began, then stopped.

"I was about to begin by saying that I don't condone vigilantism, but, damn it, I will not begin by apologizing for how I feel."

She smiled and looked at Rachel and Lucius, then continued.

"His most recent exploit disrupted a major operation. Gotham's elite was giving arms, cocaine and money to Aladdin's Mujahideen, and apparently receiving heroin and sex slaves for forced prostitution in return. Batman broke that up, destroying the drugs, money and guns, and releasing the women." She looked straight at Bruce Wayne. "I think it's great! If Gotham's authorities can't – or won't – stop this type of activity, then someone has to, and I think what Batman did is great!"

Rachel Dawes keyed in on Dr. Villanova's words, questioning whether Gotham's authorities might be able to do more than they are doing.

That was strange, she thought, shuddering as she recalled what had transpired that morning.

Dawes had been outside the mayor's office, talking to one of the mayor's staff. The staff member stepped away, as Inspector Gordon went in to speak to the mayor. It was quiet enough where she was sitting that she could just overhear most of the conversation.

"That's not the way I read it at all, Mr. Mayor."

Inspector Gordon looked at the mayor, then walked across the mayor's office to look out the window at Gotham City.

"How do you read it, then, Inspector?"

"He torches a warehouse full of heroin belonging to Aladdin. Then he torches a cathouse, releasing the hookers who, it turns out, were being held there against their will, many of them addicted to heroin – he even gives them the money from the place which, after all, they had been forced to earn. Next, he torches the cars of two underworld hitmen, then a few hours later, he broke into the backroom of a club frequented by the staffers of Gotham's politicians; by the time we got there, the shady types running the place had been roughed up, left in the alley with their drugs and guns, and the place was on fire. Finally he breaks up a drug deal, destroying another warehouse full of heroin, cocaine, synthetic drugs, arms and money."

Inspector Gordon paused, his back to the mayor.

"That's my point. This 'Batman' is a loose cannon, and now he's gone pyro. He's a menace to everyone, regardless of which side of the law they're on. And he needs to be stopped."

"Like I said, that's not the way I read it, Mr. Mayor." Gordon turned around. "He's not a loose cannon."

"Then what's the connection?" The mayor looked at Gordon.

"In each case, except for the hitmen, heroin was found on the scene, often times with other drugs – cocaine, designer drugs – but always hard narcotics, good-quality heroin – the kind Aladdin is known to supply to finance his operations." Gordon paused. "Those two hitmen, of course, didn't have any heroin on them, but they've been known to do work for narcotics-traffickers."

Gordon studied the ceiling thoughtfully. "In each case, the guys he was fighting were roughed up, then left there for the police, except for the last case, where many of them were killed or very seriously injured. In each case, police-grade weapons were found – weapons that had been illegally procured."

Gordon's gaze lowered from the ceiling to the wall above the mayor.

"In the first two cases, important papers were brought out of the buildings and left near the guys he had fought, in a place where the cops would find them. In the last case, instead of papers connecting different parts of Gotham's underworld, it was corpses – the dead men found at the scene came from two different organized crime factions, which, thanks to Batman, we now know are working together."

Gordon paused. "Whether papers or corpses, the ties they show are between these operations on the one hand, and, on the other, businesses that are somehow connected to Mr. Carmine Falcone."

Inspector Gordon enunciated Falcone's name slowly and carefully, and at mention of his name, the mayor froze – it was almost imperceptible, but Gordon caught it in his peripheral vision.

"In each case, more evidence was found connecting the operations to front organizations, including to political action committees – including political action committees that have donated money to Councilman McMullen, the man you have endorsed to replace you, and to the running mate of Councilman McMullen's opposite number."

"Lidden? As in 'Salama and Lidden'?" the mayor asked, attempting to feign disinterest.

"Yep," Gordon answered.

"I don't like Lidden's politics, or Salama's for that matter, but I have worked with Lidden for years now."

"Well, it appears that for years now, both Lidden and McMullen have been endorsed by the same organization – an organization that held its meetings in that nightclub that Batman torched. The organization is run by a former alderman, now a lobbyist." Gordon paused, then added, "And on the wall there were pictures of him with McMullen, of him with Lidden – and of him with you and your vice-mayor."

The mayor smiled. "Inspector Gordon, I don't know what your political agenda is this election cycle, but you have a job to do..." the mayor began.

"And I'm doing it," Gordon interrupted. "I was placed in charge of this interagency task force to bring in Batman, and I've been at the crime scenes, examining the evidence, trying to get inside him, trying to figure out where he's coming from, and where he's going."

"I'll tell you where he's coming from. He's a pyro." The mayor leaned forward and looked at Gordon. "And I want him behind bars."

"Not so much a pyro as a vigilante, Mr. Mayor." Gordon's eyes were still surveying the wall above the mayor's head. "Maybe even a detective," Gordon added thoughtfully. "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."

The silence was short, but deafening.

"You have quite an imagination, Jim," the mayor smiled.

"I hope I do, Mr. Mayor," Gordon answered, standing up. "But we'll see where the evidence leads," Gordon smiled. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a pyro to catch."

Rachel snapped back to the present, and looked at Bruce Wayne, sitting on her right.

Wayne took a sip of his wine, then looked at the wine bottle, staring at its label.

"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.

"I saw the video. I watched it several times. I read the reports. Those men were in the process of committing multiple felonies – arms-, narcotics- and human-trafficking. Batman interrupted them in the very act. They were about to commit more felonies, including rape and kidnapping. Those drugs would have hit Gotham's streets and destroyed the lives of countless addicts, fueling street crime as the addicts resorted to robberies and thefts to get money to buy their fixes. Many of the heroin addicts die from the unexpected high quality of Aladdin's heroin, heroin which Batman kept off the streets the other night," Sandra added. "And, who knows what Aladdin would have done with the weapons he had bought?"

Sandra paused, and looked at Bruce.

"And, the men that got killed were trying to kill Batman."

The Counterconspiracy: "Vigilante" Part 1

2008-10-04T06:56:00.000-07:00

Dr. Sandra Villanova hurried into the restaurant. It was less than five minutes after eight. For business appointments, Dr. Villanova was usually five to ten minutes early; however, for social gatherings, she liked to be just a few minutes after the appointed time, what was, to her way of thinking, "fashionably late".

She stood for a moment looking for Bruce Wayne's table. She knew what kind of places in a restaurant Bruce liked – semi-secluded places, not easily visible from the door, but with a good view of the door area. She also liked spotting Bruce's table before the host or hostess could come to help seat her. Tonight, though, it was tough – the restaurant was nearly full and very animated.

She frowned, and began looking for Sasha, who, Sandra knew, would be keeping an eye on Bruce from a discrete distance. No Sasha, either. Was she in the right place? There was a beautiful, athletic-looking woman sitting near the bar, alone, looking at her. The woman then glanced over toward a table in the corner. There, behind the plants! That was Bruce! So, Sandra thought as the host approached, Bruce had a new bodyguard – and a very attractive one!

She frowned a little more.

"Good evening. Dr. Sandra Villanova. Bruce Wayne is expecting me," she announced, looking again at the woman by the bar.

"Of course," the host answered, and, in that moment, Bruce Wayne stood up and waved at Sandra, who walked over and greeted him warmly. Images of Bruce Wayne hugging Dr. Sandra Villanova would be on Gotham's tabloid websites before midnight, she thought.

Sandra turned to the other guests at the table. "Lucius, good to see you again!"

"Hello, Sandra," Lucius Fox greeted her.

"And Sandra, this is Rachel – Rachel Dawes. She's the one I told you about, who works in the DA's office," Bruce explained, as Rachel held out her hand.

"How do you do," Sandra smiled.

"Hi! It's a pleasure to meet you," Rachel smiled back.

Once again, the master was walking by the fortune-teller's hut. It was very early in the morning, still quite dark. The only people out were the merchants at the market, getting ready for the day's business.

The master looked – incredibly, the fortune-teller, too, was up. A light was on inside her hut.

The master was very curious for more news from Gotham City – reliable news, the kind the fortune-teller provided, about their mutual friend.

But, he thought, there is no way he could bother her at this hour, even if she is up!

He had just decided to stroll through the market, when the fortune-teller's door opened, and she stepped outside.

She looked right at him. "Good morning," she smiled.

"Good morning," he answered. "You are up very early."

"Yes," she answered. "I have been expecting you."

"Even walking over to your table, I overheard the guests at one table near the door talking about this Batman," Sandra commented, as Lucius poured her a glass of wine.

"Yes, Batman and the election," Lucius added. "Right now, they seem to be running neck-and-neck."

"Who? McMullen and Salama?" asked Rachel.

"No," answered Lucius, "the election and Batman."

Everyone except Bruce smiled.

The fortune-teller usually set her table outside somewhere between eight and ten in the morning, then went about her daily routine, which included sewing clothes and making tiny objects of art. She often sold these to supplement her income, but also often gave them as gifts to her clients. She felt as if her talent was a gift from Heaven, so she would not want to charge for "counseling" people, as she described it, though, since it took much of her time, and she had to support not just herself, but her mother and daughter as well, she accepted the gifts that people offered her. Often it was money, but often a farmer would offer her a bag of his produce, or a villager would offer her an article of clothing or something else.

Though she usually received them outside, it would occasionally happen that she would receive guests who needed counseling in her house, and, rarely, this would happen at an odd hour. This morning was such an occasion.

The master sat down quietly, aware that in the next room, behind a curtain, the woman's mother and daughter were sleeping.

"You are concerned about our friend," the fortune-teller said. "So am I. Please, do not stand on formalities," she added – her way of getting down to business, and of letting him know that no gift was anticipated for her services this morning.

"That was terrible, what Councilman McMullen did to his running mate," Rachel opined.

"Wasn't it, though?" agreed Sandra.

"What was that?" asked Bruce, somewhat distractedly.

"Oh, really, Bruce," Rachel began. "While she was preparing for a debate with Councilman Lidden, McMullen decided to stop campaigning in one of Gotham City's northern wards. He didn't consult with her, he didn't even tell her – she found out about it after the debate, through the media."

Sandra shook her head. "It just shows how much he really thinks of her. She's a pretty face for his campaign, and that's it." Sandra sipped her wine, then added, "It's too bad, too, because she is the only one of the three I like. I don't agree with all of her politics, and I wonder how ready she would be to lead Gotham City in an emergency, but at least she's sincere, and of the four – her, McMullen, Salama and Lidden – she's the only one that I think might be honest."

Rachel looked up at Sandra – that was an odd comment. Not many people were questioning the honesty of any of the candidates, though she had just that morning overheard a very key person doing just that, and in a very key place.

Sandra, for her part, feigned interest in the menu, but noticed Rachel's glance.

By the dim light of a small light bulb, the fortune-teller lit some candles, and she lit some incense as well.

This was good, as the mosquito-proofing of her hut left something to be desired, and the smoke from the incense would help drive away the mosquitoes that had made it inside.

The master looked, and made a mental note – it looked like the fortune-teller might need some more incense, and perhaps some more candles.

"But, what about this 'Batman'?" Sandra asked, hoping to steer the conversation a little.

Rachel, being from the DA's office, had some thoughts on the laws that Batman had broken. As a person living in Gotham, she would have to admit being somewhat torn – she did not approve of vigilantism, assuming that was what it was about (there was still concern in Gotham's law enforcement community that Batman might be an organized crime hit man) but, more importantly, she was interested in hearing Bruce Wayne's thoughts. Bruce had in the past expressed a great deal of anger towards Gotham's criminal element, which was not surprising, all things considered, so Rachel wanted to hear how he felt about Batman, before she might offer her own thoughts.

"Did I say something wrong?" Sandra smiled, noticing the silence, and noticing how Lucius looked at Bruce.

"Not at all," Bruce said, with a suddenly charming smile. "It's just that...."

"I think crime and violent deaths are often a little touchy as subjects for Bruce, even though Bruce himself may not realize it," Lucius interjected.

Sandra nodded, smiling at Bruce. "This is very good wine," she began an attempt at changing the subject.

Bruce smiled again. "It's okay, Sandra," he interrupted. There was a pause. "What about this 'Batman'?"

The Counterconspiracy: "Cowboy Justice"

2008-10-03T03:34:00.000-07:00

He got out of his car and just stood there, looking around, and shaking his head.

"Good morning, Inspector Gordon," the patrolman greeted him.

"Is it, really? Is it morning? And, is it good?" Gordon looked at him.

Immediately, Gordon regretted his response. He was, in his own way, being friendly and frank to the patrolman, but the patrolman did not know Gordon very well, and had no way of knowing this. Consequently, the patrolman was wondering what the problem was, and whether Gordon was just in a bad mood.

"What do we got?" Gordon asked, looking around.

A warehouse had been destroyed, a yacht had been sunk, there was debris everywhere... on top of that, there were bags of drugs, there were weapons, and there was money. Gotham police had sealed off the area, and firefighters and paramedics were on the scene; the fires had been put out and most of the injured had already been evacuated, over a dozen of them to intensive care wards around Gotham City. Gordon could see nearly a dozen tarps covering people who were dead on the scene.

Seeing Inspector Gordon's gaze pause on the tarps, the patrolman began. "There are several more dead in the warehouse. We haven't been able to really get in there yet."

"Were there any witnesses?"

"Mainly some women. Hookers, scantily clad. They don't speak a lot of English. From what we can make out, they didn't see much. Some kind of a covering had been thrown over them right as all this began."

"Where are they now?" Gordon asked.

"Over there, in the crime scene vans." The officer pointed off beyond the utility shed, and Gordon looked and saw two vans. Inside the vans, he could see some women huddled in blankets.

"Hookers? They were trafficked in for a party. They're not here because they want to be. Has anyone offered them some hot coffee or something?"

"I'm not sure, sir."

"Let's do that. And make sure we get some interpreters down here, pronto!"

"Yes, sir!" With that, the patrolman hurried off toward the crime scene vans, as Inspector Gordon stood and looked around some more, shaking his head.

Dr. Sandra Villanova sat at her desk, staring at her computer, and shook her head.

"What a creep!" she said aloud, even though she was alone in her apartment.

It had now been two full days since the news broke about Batman's latest exploit, an attack that broke up a drug deal and left dozens of people dead. Gotham's media were not giving many details, only emphasizing the violence of what was being portrayed, more than likely correctly, as a vigilante act. The alternative media, however, had more factual reporting and substantial analysis.

Dr. Villanova looked at the clock on her computer – it was almost 7:00. In order to meet Bruce Wayne for dinner, she had to leave by 7:15. It promised to be an interesting evening, as there would be three of them. At first Sandra was hesitant, as the third person was a woman, but then she found out that it was an old friend of Bruce's who worked in the district attorney's office, and not one of the many "lady-friends" Bruce was said by the tabloids to have. Since she was just a friend (which, actually, Sandra herself was, as well), she agreed to meet them, just to get out for a while. Hearing, though, that this friend worked in the DA's office just sweetened the deal, as Sandra was hoping to hear some of the inside story about the investigation into this "Batman", with whom Sandra also was acquainted.

Meanwhile, Sandra still had several minutes to browse the Internet, so she looked again at the page she was on.

Within several hours of the attack on the riverfront, a video appeared on-line. It had been taken with someone's cell phone, and the picture quality was not very good, but the last half of the attack was visible.

As the video began, by the light of the burning warehouse, a dark shape could be seen moving. Strangely, no light reflected off the dark shape, but rather, the dark shape could be seen against the dim light reflecting off objects behind it. The first time she saw the video, Dr. Villanova missed the dark shape completely, until....

A shiver went down her spine. And to think she knew this Batman!

In front of the dark shape, there were some men firing automatic weapons at it. Suddenly, from the dark shape erupted a stream of fire. She found out later on by reading the comments to the video that this was the vehicle's flamethrower. The flamethrower set on fire the men who had a moment before been firing at what was now being called the "Batmobile".

It was a particularly gruesome scene, as the men were seen in the video burning. In fact, more than anything, it was because of this scene that the video was taken off the website, but by then it was too late, and the video had been copied and was already reappearing periodically at other websites, and being emailed around Gotham City.

From there, again seen against a backdrop of reflected light – and now burning napalm – the dark shape could be seen approaching a yacht. Men on the yacht were shooting at the Batmobile, but as the Batmobile approached the yacht, more and more of the men were dropping their weapons and jumping in the river.

A rocket could be seen being launched from the vehicle, and the rocket hit right in the middle of the yacht. The yacht blew up, and its burning halves could be seen sinking and drifting away from each other. At this point, there was no more shooting visible in the video, and the Batmobile moved past some small building that was still intact, then the Batmobile disappeared. The video ended showing the rapidly sinking yacht, then the burning warehouse, and all the debris strewn about.

In all, it was only several seconds of video, but it was quite graphic.

Though the video had been taken down from the site, the commentary remained, and there were now a couple thousand comments.

As it was by now obvious that these were narcotraffickers whose deal Batman had spoiled, there was broad general support for Batman, especially as it was now apparent the only people who had died were underworld thugs. The commentary was tempered somewhat by concern about vigilantism, and whether such "Cowboy Justice" (as one commentator had called it) would lead to a breakdown of law-and-order, and a general digression into the law of the jungle.

Another commentator, however, fired back, asking whether the law of the jungle would really be "that much worse than what we have right now in Gotham?"

Later on it came out that some women who had been trafficked into Gotham City to work in forced prostitution were at the scene, and that the Batman had made a special effort to protect them, preventing them from being raped and abused on the yacht in the aftermath of the drug deal.

Since this particular plight of women in Gotham City was a concern that Dr. Villanova herself followed, and about which she felt especially strong, that detail tipped the scales for her – and apparently for much of Gotham City – in favor of the Batman and his "Cowboy Justice", and against Gotham's authorities which, despite the heroic efforts of many, were considered impotent due to a combination of corruption and political correctness.

Furthermore, all of this made particular sense to Dr. Villanova, in light of her expertise in studying organized crime, plus the information she had shared in several secret meetings with Batman. Now, she was eager to meet with Bruce and his friend from the DA's office, and see what she could find out, and perhaps even offer some observations of her own to the young lady from the DA.

She looked again at the time – 7:14.

She glanced back to the computer, and looked again at a comment she had noticed a little while ago. One of the commentators had commented, apparently not without sarcasm, that the video was better than a Bigfoot video, to which another commentator answered, only a couple of hours ago:

Better than Bigfoot! Yes it is. LOL! I know. I was there! I saw it with my own two eyes. You people of Gotham think those burning goons deserved to die? Well, don't we all? And, you like the Batman, you think he makes quite an impression? Just wait til you get a load of me!

There was something in that comment that sent a shiver down Dr. Villanova's spine. Getting up to leave for her dinner with Bruce and his friend from the DA's office, she looked one last time at the computer screen. That last comment was left by someone posting as "The Joker".

"What a creep!" she thought, hurrying to the door.

To The Enemy We Called "Friend"

2008-10-01T15:43:00.000-07:00

Wine, women and song:
For these pirates spend money;
But what in a terrorist's mouth
Tastes far sweeter than honey?

A president was bought,
And so was his successor;
Election time again,
Of evils we seek the lesser.

Bin Laden hates America,
But rushes to his own demise,
As business in Washington
Is built on the same lies.

Pirates and terrorists,
But who gives us straight talk?
Listen not to their words,
Rather see how they walk.

Terrorists or politicians,
The deal remains the same:
Focus on the narcotics,
For they fuel the common game.

More honest is the pirate,
Who steals a means to his end,
Than a politician who sold his country,
To the enemy we called "friend".

Attack by Fire: The Pale Horse

2008-09-30T17:14:00.001-07:00

It was going to be a terrific night – Johnny just knew it was going to be a night to remember.

Mr. Falcone had a big deal going down with Aladdin, and he had entrusted Johnny to supervise the deal.

It was in a warehouse area along a tributary to the West River which, in turn, wound past Gotham Island into the Gotham River.

There had been a great deal of business lately, with barges loading and unloading; some places in the area were working two and even three shifts. It was not unusual for activity to be occurring after midnight around here, so the deal wouldn't attract too much suspicion. Besides, Mr. Falcone had enough of law enforcement on his payroll to make sure the cops didn't come snooping around.

The only concern was whether Batman might show up, but they were ready for him. As a precaution, Mr. Falcone had made sure there were forty guys to guard the deal – with automatic rifles, grenade and rocket launchers – and that was in addition to the couple of boys that Johnny had with him to help watch things.

There was a yacht tied up at the dock. After the deal went down, Johnny was invited to make use of the yacht for a party that would last until dawn. He and his boys would party, while Falcone's men kept watch over everything.

Mr. Falcone had provided the girls, too. They were new in town, and he wanted Johnny and his boys to break them in tonight. Johnny smiled. Two of his men were keeping an eye on them now.

The only thing now was to wait for Aladdin's men to show up, they would check things out, make the swap, Aladdin's men would leave with their stuff, and it would be party time.

Johnny smiled some more. Mr. Falcone trusted Johnny, and Johnny was loyal to Mr. Falcone.

The master picked up his laptop computer, and started for the door. It was mid-morning in the village, which meant that it was after midnight in Gotham City. He had heard about what was happening in Gotham City, and he wanted to hear some news. There was a cybercafé in the village, and he could take his laptop there, go online, and learn what was going on.

Then he paused, reconsidering.

He needed a better source of information.

Looking around, he grabbed a package of his best tea, and a package of cookies, placed these in a bag and, with his bag in one hand and the carrying case for his laptop in the other, he started out for the fortune-teller's hut on the other side of the village.

Sasha's heart was beating rapidly; it felt as if her heart were in her throat.

Since becoming Bruce's partner, this was the first time she was out on a mission with him.

Bruce was in the Batmobile; the vehicle Sasha was in looked more like a sportscar, and wouldn't draw much attention. It lacked the stealth technology and the jet engine, but it had more armor, and a great deal more firepower.

Alfred was in the Batcave, monitoring. Bruce, Alfred and Sasha were sharing information via the Batlink, which was a frequency-hopping digital datalink transmitting and receiving data in coded burst transmissions. Anything that could be known by any one of them – or by the Batbot that was scouting the grounds – would be known by them all, immediately.

Sasha's job was as a backup – if sent in, either by Bruce or by Alfred, she would go in and get everyone's attention long enough for Bruce to regain the initiative. Then, Sasha would withdraw first, and Bruce, in the faster, stealthier vehicle, would make his escape.

The Batbot, too, could be used to create a substantial diversion, if needed.

Sasha looked at the multifunction displays – she was able to confirm the presence of the girls that had been trafficked in for the party near a small building on the corner of the property. She could also confirm the presence of the cocaine, high-tech arms and cash that were in the warehouse; Falcone was using this to pay for the heroin. There were pallets full of weapons, drugs and money, and when Aladdin's men got there, there would be several pallets full of high-quality heroin.

Sasha squinted into the screen. "Bruce," she whispered into the microphone, "the guards seem to be backing away from the girls a little. And there are some vehicles pulling up to the warehouse, too."

She immediately rethought her transmission. It probably was not necessary, as Bruce could see everything that she could see. Still, it might make everyone more comfortable to know exactly where the girls were. Above all else, they had to protect the girls this evening.

The master was nearing the fortune-teller's hut.

She was just coming outside, setting up her table.

Approaching, he smiled and bowed to her. She smiled and bowed back.

He offered her the tea and cookies, bowing slightly. Bowing again, she smiled and accepted them, and gave them to her daughter, who stepped inside to prepare the tea and serve the cookies.

"It's a beautiful day outside," the master said in the fortune-teller's language.

"Yes, it is," she smiled again. "It is a good day to be alive," she added, smiling.

It was awkward, as the master was eager to find out what was going on, and the fortune-teller of course knew what he was there for, but neither wanted to appear rude by beginning to speak about the business before them.

Happily, the fortune-teller's daughter brought out some of the cookies served on a plate.

"Our friend sent them to me, from Gotham City. They are made by a bakery that he owns. They are very good. Please, try one," he smiled, as the girl offered the cookies to him.

He took a cookie from the plate, and offered it with both hands to the woman. She took it with both hands, nodding and smiling, and tasted it. He was relieved to see that she seemed to enjoy it. She took a cookie and offered it to him in a similar manner, but he nodded in the direction of her daughter.

"You are too polite," she smiled at him. Relenting, she gave that cookie to her daughter, then offered another to the master.

Smiling, he accepted, and took a bite. Meanwhile, the girl hurried inside to prepare the tea, and just as quickly returned carrying a tray with a teapot and two cups on it.

"Speaking of our friend, how is he?" she asked.

Thankfully, she had brought the topic up first.

"I have not heard any news lately," he answered. "I am worried, and hoping that you can tell me how he is doing," he smiled back.

The deal was done. Aladdin's men were hurriedly preparing to leave with their merchandise, and Falcone's men were securing theirs. Johnny looked over at the girls, then glanced to the yacht, and thought about the party that was about to start.

Johnny did anything Mr. Falcone asked, and did it well, and, in return, Mr. Falcone took care of Johnny. It was like Rick had said that one time to the boss: "Your problems are our problems."

Johnny smiled.

One of his men came up to him with some kind of an envelope.

Likely a little something extra from the boss, he thought.

He looked at the girls again, dressed in their skimpy outfits and huddled near the utility shack, trying to stay out of the wind.

It was quite chilly, and, aside from looking nice, dressing them like that helped deter anyone from getting any ideas about running away in the cold.

He smiled – they would be happy to get inside the yacht, he thought.

He looked down at the envelope and opened it up.

It was a card.

He took it out.

On the front was some kind of a strange shape.

It was an oval shape, with a black outline, and a yellow background inside the outline. Against the background was a black shape – it looked like some kind of creature, some kind of winged creature.

Johnny's heart skipped a beat.

It looked like a bat.

Hurriedly, he opened the card and read what it said.

Regret to inform you,
the girls will be unable
to attend tonight's event.

– Batman

The fortune-teller pulled out her deck and handled the cards, first smiling at her guest, then losing herself staring out into space ahead of and above her. Slowly, the smile disappeared as she handled her deck of cards.

Her daughter served them tea, then withdrew with another cookie.

The master smiled at the girl, then looked at the fortune-teller. Despite his years of training, there were times when he found it difficult to control his impatience.

She placed some cards down on the table in front of her.

Trying to not appear too anxious, the master leaned over casually and looked. He could make out the King, Heaven, the Sword and Justice among the cards on the table before her.

Alfred was studying the displays – it appeared the Batshield had been deployed around the girls near the building.

Those guards stepped a little too far away from the girls, and at the wrong moment, Alfred thought. Now they were about to regret it.

Johnny looked up from the card, in the direction of the girls, but he could no longer see them. There was something covering them, kind of like a giant parachute or something – and it had the same insignia on it that the card in his hand had on it.

Somebody next to him pointed at a dark vehicle between the warehouse and the utility building.

"It's Batman!" the man yelled.

"Powerful is the Emperor of Heaven, and fierce is His righteous wrath," the fortune-teller said. "Sharp is the sword of His Son, Who executes His Father's judgment."

It was all happening in slow-motion.

Johnny saw dozens of men simultaneously open fire on Batman's car.

Johnny looked behind him to the shooter, but the shooter was running away as fast as he could.

Sasha looked at her display. The Batmobile's master-arm switch was on, and Bruce was employing the fuel-air munitions.

The fortune-teller looked up, and the master smiled and asked her, "And where is our friend right now?"

Johnny's thought went to the warehouse. He looked at it, and, in that moment, orange fire leapt from every opening, orange fire leapt out the windows, and the walls suddenly came apart at the seams, large panels of steel flying every which way, large panels of steel flying directly toward Johnny!

The fortune-teller placed more cards on the table. The master looked: the Warrior, Hades, and the Devil.

Suddenly, Johnny realized he was no longer standing, but was on his back, hurt, several yards from where he had been. He looked around, and other men had been knocked down, several were firing automatic weapons at the dark vehicle, and many were just running as fast as they could.

He looked up.

Bits and pieces of the warehouse were raining down – the weapons that now belonged to Aladdin's Mujahideen were raining down, too.

It was raining big bags of heroin and cocaine, most of the bags broken open.

It was raining money – bundles of cash, burning, smoldering. Individual bills were floating in the air, twirling, falling toward earth.

Intent on her screen, Sasha could see the Batmobile advancing toward several men in front of the vehicle. Bruce was now arming the flamethrower.

The fortune-teller opened her eyes, looked at the cards, then looked at the master.

"He has descended into the lower parts of the earth. There, he is surrounded by devils."

They were motioning to Johnny to run for the yacht. Several of his men were on it already, and others were covering him, firing at the dark car.

He started running toward the yacht – it was only yards away, but it was taking forever.

He looked toward the dark car, which was approaching his men.

Suddenly, it belched fire!

"What is he doing?" the master asked.

The fortune-teller closed her eyes, handled her deck, and began to place more cards on the table.

Sasha winced. At a range of less than five meters from Falcone's men, the Batmobile's flamethrower was being discharged.

He made it to the yacht, and turned and looked. Men were on fire, rolling, running, screaming... and still, burning debris was floating in the sky.

He looked again. It was raining money!

It was raining money, and nobody cared!

The yacht's motor was running, and the yacht was pulling away from the pier, amid a rain of smoldering money, and by the light of human torches.

He looked at the dark vehicle. It had approached the end of the dock, and it was pointed right at the side of the yacht.

Men were shooting at the vehicle, but most had given up; they were starting to jump off the yacht into the water.

Alfred was looking at the display from the Batmobile, with an eye on the image from the Batbot's camera. The Batmobile's missiles were armed, and – fire one!

The Batbot's camera was directed at the yacht.

The yacht disappeared in a blinding light.

The camera quickly corrected the infrared gain, and the image could again be seen. Direct hit! Amidships, below the bridge, right above the waterline! The yacht was burning furiously, broken in two large pieces, which were settling fast.

On the table, she placed the Magician and Fire....

"There he works magic; using the eternal flame, he torments the devils," the fortune-teller explained, opening her eyes.

From behind some crates about a football-field away, the shooter looked at the scene, unaware of his own furious and heavy breathing.

From deep in the back of his mind, he recalled something his great-grandmother used to say to him when he was a young child, and had been misbehaving:

"And I looked, and behold a pale horse:
and his name that sat on him was Death,
and Hell followed with him."

Happy Rosh Hashanah

2008-09-30T03:58:00.000-07:00

As Ramadan comes to an end in the Islamic World, I would like to wish a Happy Rosh Hashanah to those who celebrate the Jewish New Year.

--------

While you're out and about in cyberspace today, may I suggest you check out the following blogs:

Stilettos in the Sand is written by an American expat living in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Sabra has a variety of articles on her daily life and miscellaneous subjects. If you are interested in the humor in daily life, this is a good place to find it; it also gives you a glimpse at life for a foreigner in the Sandbox; and, it is a nice break from the ideology, politics and corruption that I write about. :)

Red.eVolution is a relatively new blog, blogging in the counterjihad and for Israel. You may wish to see yesterday's post, related to content I write about often, entitled Kosovo nine years later, and the KLA's legacy.

The Xeriscapist is another relatively new -- and somewhat occasional -- counterjihad blog, but with some promise.

The Faithful Remnant offers some political insights from a Christian perspective.

Newcomer to the blogosphere Claudia offers us Blogging for a Free World, just started so far this September, but with an apparent great deal of enthusiasm.

If you are new to the counterjihad, you may find Great Satan's Girlfriend (GSGF) humorously inspiring, and The Gates of Vienna (GOV) always has well-researched and insightful articles.

Please note that I am not endorsing all the things said at these blogs, merely suggesting you have a look.

Stay tuned to Stop Islamic Conquest as several series continue, including the latest installments in the Gotham City series (see bottom of sidebar), under the title Attack by Fire.

Enjoy!

Attack by Fire: Three in the Morning

2008-09-29T16:14:00.000-07:00

Vasilissa stepped out onto her balcony, and took a deep breath of the cool, fresh air. It was the beginning of autumn, and, while the days were still warm and sunny, in the evenings it cooled off dramatically, with fresh air blowing in from the north. By this time, well after midnight, it could be quite chilly.

She thought back to her days as a girl in the country – back before her innocence was taken from her, before she was forced into a life of prostitution.

In recent months, she was permitting herself to think more and more about her childhood.

It was as if she could sense that soon she would be back there, a kid again, and not here, as a high-class call girl in Gotham City.

A small rustle could be heard on the balcony behind her.

She smiled.

"Aren't you taking a chance? How many times have they tried to kill you, right outside my apartment?"

She turned around, and saw the giant, looming figure, towering over her, and smiled a little more.

"They're pretty busy right now," he answered matter-of-factly.

His low, raspy voice had a way of getting her attention.

"Your attack last night hurt Falcone."

She thought about it, and smiled some more. Somehow, he had broken into that place where girls were being introduced to their lives as prostitutes.

The new girls had been brought in from all over the globe, and from all over Gotham City and Gotham's suburbs. She knew the drill – they were beaten, forced to take drugs, raped – all to get them compliant, all to get them dependent on drugs and ready to do anything to pay for them, all to get them used to sex with strange men – all to break their will.

But last night was different. A giant man dressed in flowing black broke into this one place, released the girls, turning them out into the streets with clothes, blankets -- and the money from the establishment. The men who ran the place were found beaten, tied and hung on the wall outside, with the drugs they use on the girls – mostly narcotics – stuffed in their pockets and in the alleyway at their feet. The computers in which they kept the records of the establishment, as well as assorted files and incriminating paperwork, were there in the alleyway, too. The inside of the building was burning furiously, and the rats and cockroaches were climbing out of the building, some of them scurrying over the beaten and bruised men who had run the place. It was quite a scene the Gotham police and firefighters found when they arrived.

The paperwork implicated Mr. Falcone in narcotics- and arms-trafficking, trafficking of women for forced prostitution... the paperwork tied in several of Gotham's elected officials to the prostitution network, with some surprising names on the list of clients seeking the newest, most beautiful girls Falcone had to offer.

Of course, Falcone's men in the Gotham Police Department were keeping the lid on it, for the most part, but word was leaking out.

"I think he does business with Falcone, because he came here today to ask what I know about you," she commented, turning back to look at the Gotham City skyline, the smile disappearing from her face.

"It is because of your father that you're here," the low, raspy whisper answered from behind her. "He does business with the same cartel that trafficked you – they also traffic in heroin. They are also instrumental in paying off Gotham's politicians. In fact, Councilman McMullen and Councilman Lidden are both on their payroll." He paused, imaging the recognition in her eyes of the names – one a candidate for mayor, the other a candidate for vice-mayor, the running mate of the first man's opponent – both promising change, each blaming the politics of the other's faction for Gotham City's problems.

"The cartel that trafficked you is key to supplying Falcone with the heroin he distributes here in Gotham," he continued, "and Falcone supplies them with cocaine, marijuana and synthetic drugs, which they traffic in the eastern suburbs. Your father does business with all of them."

"Why?"

"His stated goal is to allow Gotham City to become so corrupt that it collapses of its own weight."

"And what about what happened to me?"

"As far as I can tell, he is not happy about that, but he writes you off as a casualty of his version of a war on crime – a war that is very profitable for him, since he has become a criminal himself."

Vasilissa – Nyssa – thought of her father, Ra's al Ghul. She had only the vaguest of memories of him, from when she was very young. "How convenient," she commented disgustedly. "I know about the mayor's 'War on Crime', but what about his?"

"He was misled, and has become part of the problem, and now he makes money by furthering the problem, justifying his actions as necessary to end the problem – just as he justifies what happened to you as martyrdom for his cause."

"Just like Aladdin," she added.

"Just like Aladdin," he repeated.

She turned to him. "So what is your story?" she asked.

He looked at her, as she stepped closer.

"I want to leave this life, I want to escape..." she began. She paused, and for the first time in many years, she felt like a little girl, and was at a loss for words speaking to a man – for the first time since she had been a teenager, she found a man thoroughly attractive. "I would like to help you, and I know you don't spend all your time in that outfit," she explained, eyeing the Batsuit. "I...."

She stopped, and turned away, covering her face.

"You probably wouldn't want anything to do with a prostitute, would you?"

There was a pause as Vasilissa – Nyssa – turned back and looked, not at the giant figure, but into the eyes of the man who was Batman.

"Nyssa, what you have gone through is terrible, it is more than anyone should ever have to go through..." he began.

"Oh, spare me," she interrupted with a smile.

"You have received 'three in the morning'," he continued, undeterred.

Again there was a pause.

"'Three in the morning' – what's that?"

Bruce Wayne looked at the master.

"Yes," the master commented. "It must have been very traumatic. Far more than a little boy should have to face."

"I can still see it all, like it was yesterday – every detail, in slow motion: how he shot my mom, and she fell to the ground, her blood pouring out into the gutter; how the pearl necklace that my father and I had given her that day broke, and the pearls fell into the gutter beside her; how he leveled the gun at my forehead, and would have shot me, too, had his partner not called him away. When I turned around, I saw that my father had been shot, too, but he was still alive...."

The master turned away, as Bruce Wayne wiped his eyes.

"You have received 'three in the morning'."

"What does that mean?" Wayne asked, clearing his throat.

"A man kept monkeys," began the master. "On the morning of the first day that he had them, he went to their cage, and said to them: 'You each get three bananas in the morning, and four in the afternoon.' Of course, this made the monkeys irate, and they protested loudly. The man then said, 'Okay, okay, you get four bananas in the morning, and three in the afternoon.' Hearing this the monkeys quieted down, and were quite content again as the man gave them their four bananas."

"I don't get it," Wayne commented, intrigued by the story.

"Don't you? Three plus four, or four plus three – either way, each monkey gets seven bananas each day, but one arrangement made them very angry, while the other arrangement made them content."

"Well, they're monkeys, what do you expect? But, we are people, not monkeys, and we don't think like that."

"I would hope not, Mr. Wayne," the master smiled.

"That's an interesting way of looking at things, Mr. Batman," Nyssa commented thoughtfully, turning back to him.

"It's not at all that you were forced into a life as a prostitute, Nyssa," he said, stepping closer to her. "Even if you had chosen this life, that wouldn't be it," he continued. "Everyone knows how beautiful you are on the outside, but what is a secret is how beautiful you are on the inside." He paused. "You have had to experience some things that no one should ever have to experience, and this has left you a little cynical, but inside, you have never given up hope, and the experience in a way has made you a very warm, tender, caring person. On top of that, you are intelligent and witty, you have educated yourself, you are polite and have excellent manners.... You have the best part of your life ahead of you – you will get five, or maybe even six bananas in the afternoon," he added with a smile, as she smiled, and even blushed a little. "In so many ways, you're so very special...."

"But..." she continued his thought.

"But there are more girls like you out there right now, and there is still time to save many of them from having to go through what you went through. And beyond that, all of Gotham City is in danger now because of Aladdin and your father, and their mutual desire to destroy it."

She nodded, her smile disappearing slowly. "And you can't let anything – or anyone – distract you."

"Situation reversed, would you?"

She turned back to look at Gotham City, thinking about it for a moment, then, mustering a renewed smile, she answered, "No, I don't suppose I would." Turning back to him, she added, "But I still want out of this prison I am in."

He smiled. "The prison bars, the prison walls – it's all an illusion. You can walk away any time you want to."

She thought about that, then looked at him. "And what about the prison you are in? Is that an illusion, too?"

The smile disappeared from his face for a moment, and more than ever, his face seemed to be the mask of the dark outfit he wore.

"I, like you, have received three in the morning," he answered slowly.

It was quiet for a moment, then, suddenly, he ran and jumped off the balcony, his cape opening wide as he began his descent.

She stepped over to the rail and looked down, but already Batman had vanished.