Month: February 2016

Fascism – Silence of the Lambs

Posted on by Helena

No one in the US seems to see the irony of the notion that a die-hard Socialist is running for President against a Progressive Socialist in the Democratic party while we continue to overthrow governments around the world in order to institute a capitalist society free of the tyranny of socialist/communist/dictatorship rule.

We ignore the fact that our own system is replete with corruption and fraud and stand on a soapbox demanding that other countries follow our example… And if they don’t, well, they risk being destroyed.

We watch the degrading university systems in our US where students are allowed tyrannical rule and yet we fail to consider – who taught them…?  Silence of the Lambs.

We listen to the rhetoric of liberal fanatics demanding free speech while they sue anyone who disagrees with their version of that free speech. And in a more recent instance, actually barricaded an auditorium from a conservative speaker and his followers, created chaos, trashed the hallways, attacked other students, and made a mockery of the freedom they exalted.  All without any repercussion or consequence whatsoever.  It is “freedom for me but not you!” that is reigning terror across the US. And it isn’t the ‘whites’, or the ‘entitled white males’, or the ‘Christians’, it is the Liberals – as in – capital L.

A generation completely gone astray. What happened?

When asked what Socialism is or what it stands for, most of our youth don’t even recognize the names Karl Marx, Lenin, Stalin, Hitler, Jaruzelski (Poland), or the host of communist leaders in Serbia, there is a lengthy list. But, instead of educating our college students about these atrocities, we educate them on the grandeurs of Islam and Socialism. We glorify Socialism as evidenced by the northern European countries of Sweden, Denmark, and The Netherlands.

Even more disturbing, as a result of the media drooling over the recent tweet by Trump that was supposedly aligned with Mussolini and fascism, I decided to do some henpecking research and found some interesting comparisons:

  1. Fascist education was the indoctrination of the youth into a singular belief and ideology. The idea was that the youth would once indoctrinated would be the most valuable assets of the government. Their reading was restricted and censored to advocate for the Fascist system keeping all other forms of government squelched from the mental sponges of the young and vulnerable.

    This would align with our current common core, our universities spewing out children who defend Socialism but have no idea what it means.

  2. Propaganda. The media was controlled and all information supported one ideology, one rule, one greatness within an illusion of Truth.

    This would align with our current mainstream media propagating a continuous venue of lies and disinformation.

  1. The political and economic ‘elite class’ were pampered, above the law, and given gifts and national resources in order to secure their continued support. The rich got vastly richer.

    This is fairly obvious.

  2. The Pope and the Catholic Church were integral in Mussolini’s rise. Although Mussolini was an atheist, his mother was a devout Catholic as was most of Italy. The Pope endorsed Mussolini as a strong leader able to defend Italy from the anarchists, the socialists and the communists. Vatican City was granted it’s statehood by Mussolini and thus a fortified bond was formed.

  3. The mainstay for fascism was control. Not of the corporations which were allowed freedom, or the elite, who were demurely pampered, but control was an absolute in being able to corral the People.

  4. Give the military discretionary power to invade and conquer and invoke regime change because colonizing to create the One World Order, is paramount. For Mussolini, it was the revival of the Roman Empire.

So while the media is busy deriding Trump for a quote they claim was from the Fascist dictator, Mussolini, despite the fact that he lifted it from Sister Elizabeth Kenny, the same media fails to recognize we are a Fascist state already. We just don’t know it. Because the media tells us so…

And that is how and why our university student youth have come to be –

The Silence of The Lambs

Trump’s Mussolini Quote – Not Mussolini’s…oops

Posted on by Helena

So Trump was conned and re-tweeted a Mussolini quote, “It is better to be a lion for one day than a sheep for a hundred days.”

Oh dear – I went on Brainy Quote and found the quote to be accredited to Sister Elizabeth Kenny, an Australian nurse born in 1880 who worked tirelessly her entire life helping polio victims.

OOPS!

I can’t imagine a Catholic Sister stealing a quote from Mussolini, however, it is quite possible that he might have lifted it from her.  It’s actually an honorable statement, despite it’s being attributed to Mussolini. So I decided to look up some other quotes attributed to Mussolini:

“Blood alone moves the wheels of history.”

“Socialism is a fraud, a comedy, a phantom, a blackmail.”

“The plow makes the furrow, but the sword defends it.”

“The best blood will at some time get into a fool or a mosquito.”

Of course, that doesn’t change who he was. But neither does it negate the notion that maybe these quotes were also lifted from a reputable source…and it does not negate the value of the quotes which I find quite fascinating and philosophical.

Here’s a Ronald Reagan quote that bears repeating, “Regimes planted by bayonets do not take root.” As in attempted regime changes… Just a thought.

Here’s a Kennedy quote worth repeating, “A wall is a hell of a lot better than a war.” Hmmm…

Here’s a spot on quote for Mr. Soros from the esteemed, Joseph Stalin, “It is enough that the people know there was an election. The people who cast the votes decide nothing. The people who count the votes decide everything.” Mr. Soros owns one of the worlds largest voting company’s, and many countries refuse to use this company because they declare it to be fraudulent. The US does use this company.

Speaking of Quotes:

Here’s a good one for Bernie from the esteemed communist, Lenin, “The goal of Socialism is Communism.”

Here’s one for Hillary, “A lie told often enough becomes the truth.” ~ Lenin.

And then there is Winston Churchill who managed a few good ones like, “The best argument against Democracy is a five minute conversation with the average voter.”

Or this one, “You can always count on Americans to do the right thing after they’ve tried e4verything else.”

And one more on ‘walls’ from Mr. Churchill, “IF the Almighty were to rebuild the world and asked for my advice, I would have English Channels around every country. And the atmosphere would be such that anything that attempted to fly would be set on fire.”

Just a thought…

FYI – and in the event someone wants to change BrainyQuote, I took a screenshot. Sorry.

Italy, The Mafia, and Refugees: A New Threat

Posted on by Helena

Hush, don’t tell anyone, but Italy claims that the influx of refugees bombarding their borders are from – Libya – not Syria and not Iraq. And nearly all are male.

Hush, don’t tell anyone, but the US and NATO have been bombing Libya for many months now in a bid to put in place a new government given that since ousting Gadaffi the country has been a chaotic mess and there have been five Prime Ministers – and counting. And while in June 2014, the elections were mired in violence, low turnout, and voter stations closed, the UN has declared it was fair and Democratic. What?

Apparently, most of the immigrants coming to Italy don’t want to stay. The reason? Italy has high unemployment, and benefits are only available to those who previously held a full time job… so mooching off the system indefinitely, isn’t viable. Still, they are given free room and board, medical care and a very small daily stipend, total cost to Italian taxpayers about 13,000 euros per year. As a result, most try to cross the border into Austria and France in a bid to make it to more lucrative socialist countries in the north; Germany, Denmark, The Netherlands, Sweden, etc…

Italy reports that at least 10% of the migrants are infested with scabies and carry Hepatitis C which is a highly contagious disease that spreads through sexual contact, or shared drugs and needles. Ultimately, Hep C can lead to liver cancer and cirrhosis. Hep C is now considered epidemic, infecting over 150 million worldwide, the largest prevalence of the disease is found in North Africa. In Canada, 35% of the Hep C cases are immigrants.

A Czech doctor working in Germany described the situation in the hospitals as near chaos. Infectious TB, AIDS, HIV, syphilis, diseases that are rampant in the migrant population and overwhelming the hospitals and staff. When an eight month old child died in a Rhine hospital, the migrants attacked the staff with knives. Two nurses were confined to ICU and one doctor had to undergo surgery. None of the migrants were punished. Another migrant threw his syphilis infected urine specimen in the face of a nurse.

These are the people we saved from the tyranny of Gadaffi and Hussein.

Private landlords in Italy are paid 35euros a day to provide shelter for an immigrant. Italy hosts far fewer migrants than most European countries at about 100,000 total. But the cost is slated to be 1.16 billion euros, a sum that impoverished Italy cannot absorb. So it is being handled by private enterprise, aka, the Italian Mafia, who claim that housing for asylum seekers is more profitable right now than drug trafficking.

And while the media seems to feel that it is unfair to house migrants in hotel rooms that normally cater to four people and now cater to 8 with bunkbeds, you have to kind of step back and say – what? Or for criminy sake, one media pundit was horrified by the fact that a farmer made the migrant actually – work for his room and board!

And while I certainly don’t condone ill treatment, the reality remains that Italy’s poverty rate – of it’s own citizens – is 16-17% with 2 million children living in poverty. What do they get? Absolute poverty, meaning individuals who do not obtain a monthly income, affects more than 6 million people in Italy. So while the migrants are getting free room and board, free medical care and a stipend, I imagine those Italians getting nothing is a bit difficult to handle. It is estimated that 1 in 10 Italians can not afford food or healthcare. So by comparison, the migrants are living large…

Most migrants are housed on the island of Sicily and in Naples, both areas ripe with Mafia lords. I suppose we can expect that particular ‘agency’ to see some growth as they expand their business model and recruitment… Unfortunately, they aren’t listed on the NY Stock Exchange or the Nasdaq.

Syria – Sick of Lies

Posted on by Helena

So the US and Russia have called for a Syrian cease-fire, but not everyone is going to comply – including most of the ‘bad guys’; ISIS, al-Nusra, and Turkey.

If I was part of the coalition sitting around ‘not’ firing and ISIS shelled my location, I think it is a fair assumption that I’d get my booty in gear and shell back! The choice – die or fight. Hmmm.

What a strange solution to think that the bad guys will be nice and wait until the talks are over in which the coalition agrees to bond together to fight – an agreed upon definition of who the bad guys are. And right now, Turkey has joined the ranks of the bad guys with indiscriminate shelling. Of course Saudi Arabia is also using the vast stash of weapons sold to them by the US and UK and France to bomb whomever they please in Syria as well.

What the heck good is a cease fire if only the good guys comply? It’s like telling all the WWII allies to stop doing any bombing while the Nazi’s gain ground and create Holocaust No. II!!  Imagine the Generals on the field?

The US has refused to give Russia coordinates of it’s ‘good guys’ because they think doing so will put them at risk. In the meantime there are now so many factions fighting in Syria, no one is sure who is who as every month or so another faction rises up from the dust. And as everyone might notice, ISIS continues to spread – we are supposedly now bombing Libya, Lebanon, Iraq, Syria, Yemen and Sudan – all in the fight against ISIS, and still the media would have us believe that Russia and China are the real bad guys… All of Europe is at high risk for ISIS attacks, the US is ‘ready’, and still we can not agree that this is even a pressing issue.

I just read an article about the woman, who as a girl in Vietnam suffered horrific napalm burns to most of her body, is teaching others the value of forgiveness.  During the war, her picture was plastered all over the magazine covers as she ran down the middle of the street naked, her clothes burned from her body, screaming in agony. She is grown now, but her life has been agonizing in that her wounds never healed and she has excruciating pain every day. This is what war is! It is excruciating pain.

We didn’t win Vietnam. We haven’t won our wars in a long time. And while arguments continue that we have a moral obligation to intercede, I am reminded of my father. Head of Defense Intelligence in Europe, a WWII veteran who headed a tank battalion, a lover of horses and art and me, he witnessed firsthand the daily trauma of war and the only way he could deal with it was to push it down so deep into his psyche that it would hopefully never surface – ever.

Meddling in countries that have a completely different culture than our own has proven catastrophic. Trying to make them into something they never can or want to be is – catastrophic. It is reminiscent of the missionaries who tried over and over to convert the ethnic tribes in Africa and South America to conversion, only to be slaughtered, their children raped, and their wives sliced into pieces. As gruesome as this sounds, this is the reality. And the Middle East is no different. It took Gaddafi to hold it together, as horrific as he was, it took Saddam to hold it together as disgusting as it was, because they understood the psyche of their countrymen.

We freaking goofed BIG TIME.

North Korea? China? Brazil? Leave them to their own ways and focus on helping people escape rather than annihilating countries and their populations. While ISIS continues to grow and expand, the idiocy of our bombing campaign is leaving most veterans crazed with wonder. Six drone strikes take out four trucks, seven drone strikes hit a building, eleven drone strikes cratered a ‘target’… Every veteran of military heritage knows the ridiculousness of these claims of ‘fighting the enemy’. When we can’t even agree on WHO IS THE ENEMY.

Everyone is sick of the lies. Everyone is sick of hearing military commanders who either don’t care, or who follow White House orders to circumvent the targets, spray worthless bombs, and blame other countries for indiscriminate attempts to rid this world of the enemy!

WWII – number of bombs dropped by the allies – 3.4 million tons.

Syria – number of bombs dropped – maybe 5,000 – or less.

It is NOT WORKING. Either just stop – or ramp up and create undergrounds for the civilians to find safety.

CHINA – The Next Soros Bad Boy!

Posted on by Helena

Soros has de-graced himself further by declaring a financial war on China. After heating up and then collapsing the economy in Brazil, over-throwing the government in Ukraine, prodding the Arab Spring, and instigating a personal vendetta against Russia, he has set his sights on China. A large task to be sure, however I would venture that President Xi Jinping is more than up to the task. Formidable opponents to be sure! And opponents have a tendency to gather strength in combining their efforts – a threat that could be even more worrisome as the lines of division are marked in red.

Having ‘ordered’ Merkel to take in 1 million refugees just months ago, he is now making media history stating the migrant crisis in Europe is the catalyst for the ultimate Fall of Europe – which he states is imminent. Having dumped most of his remaining oil and gas shares last December, I can’t imagine he made much gain on that slew of transactions – a bit too late? His biggest weights? Healthcare (that’s an easy one), Services and Technology. His biggest holding? Adecoagro SA, a farming company operating in Argentina, Uruguay, and Brazil… Since last August, it’s price has more than doubled. Coincidence? No. It is about perceived future food shortages and ethanol!

While Russia and Brazil have declared their desire to regain/remain allegiance with Europe and the US, Soros rumbles, roars and connives holding the puppets Obama, Hillary and Cameron on marionette strings. He lures war.

Having launched a media blitz attack on Putin and Russia, China is now the new bad boy and I imagine we will begin hearing frenzied reports of their actions, inactions, and potential escapades inciting war. Wiping his hands, he has declared Brazil dead, Russia nearly dead, and China, Taiwan, South Korea and Singapore the next victims. Quite a haul!

And while headlines declare China is rattling the world, is that really the indicator, or is Soros rattling the world? Headlines, unfortunately lie pathologically, indiscriminately. Various media outlets claim that the Chinese yuan is over valued, so a 10% drop is recommended – by those in competition, ie, the US and Europe.

Interestingly, China accuses Soros of attempting to devalue its currency in a bid to create a classic Soros bubble – aka, as in breaking the bank of England. So while the press would presuppose that China is misleading, China claims that Soros is playing parcheesie with their currency, and warns Soros to keep his dirty hands out of their pocket…

A threat not without consequences.

So what the heck is really going on?

Well, Soros is a currency speculator, creator of chaos, with a known vendetta against – well – the world. When other’s find great joy in hiking, biking, triathlons, making bread, or drinking Marguerita’s, Soros finds joy in destruction. That’s his thing. In his journey he has accumulated thousands upon thousands of NGO’s to do his bidding, including – the media. As such, there is a ‘slight’ deviance between reality and Soros.

While the drop in the yuan is a mere 5% since August 2015, the news would have us believe it is catastrophic. Interestingly, the Euro has dropped over 25% in the same time period and no one mentions a thing.

Meanwhile, China is boosting it’s military presence in the South China Sea, Obama urges ‘restraint’. Simultaneously, Obama is boosting military missile defense systems in Korea, pressing NATO to boost it’s military presence throughout Eastern Europe and the Baltics…, and announcing increased presence of the US military in Europe. It is a game of boost. Chests are pounding in a match for match tit-for-tat that is very likely to implode.

And as the media focuses on the US presidential run, the economy is wavering dangerously close to a new recession as cited by The Federal Reserve, IMF, JP Morgan, Deutsche Bank and The Fosler Group, LLC. While Japan and the Euro Zone have fudged into negative interest rate territory, the US may need to do a bit of reconnoitering.

APPLE vs The FBI

Posted on by Helena

The Apple vs FBI controversy is gaining momentum and deserves a better overview. It’s implications are not nearly as simplistic as the media is framing:

The San Bernardino case is being used as the catalyst to require that Apple provide a backdoor for the FBI on all iphones in order to combat terrorism. Apple is refusing, claiming that it would be a violation of privacy laws. The media is divided.

The iphone in question is ‘encrypted’. That means that unless you have the key or code you cannot access the data. The encryption protects your personal data, it protects you in the event of theft, and it protects the data on your phone from being hacked. Just as your computer has security features for hacking protection.

There is also available a security feature that erases the data on the phone if the password attempt is incorrect after so many tries. The FBI is demanding that Apple create software that will allow them to correctly guess the password within the range of tries before the security feature erases the data. This software would thus work on any and every iphone – everywhere.

What is interesting is the notion that this feature would only be available to the FBI when in fact, software hackers around the world would be then able to then duplicate – replicate the backdoor and have access to CIA agents, FBI agents, police, civilians and governments…

Given the NSA, cyberwarfare and a technology future, why wouldn’t the FBI simply write the software program themselves? Have other countries already developed the software themselves? While the FBI claims that it is only interested in this one specific iphone (the San Bernardino terrorist’s), Apple has offered to hack the phone for the FBI for free – and still the FBI refuses, because in reality, what they want is access to all.

While Apple continues to state that it will personally hack this one particular phone and the FBI continues to state that it doesn’t want an all inclusive ‘backdoor’, no one seems to be moving forward. If in fact the FBI is not looking for a backdoor then why wouldn’t they accept Apple’s compromise to specifically hack this one phone?

Because words are being played.

According to CEO, Tim Cook, Apple does not have the capability to hack the erase feature of its security. Thus, in essence the FBI is asking for Apple to create a new piece of software that would disable this feature. While the FBI adamantly denies that is their intent, it would be the outcome.

This is not the first time the FBI has requested greater access to privacy. Currently, the FBI is required to obtain a warrant to hack a computer, but they have been attempting to steamroll that security as well.

The argument being misapplied is, “if you don’t have anything to hide, why would you care?”.

I care because it is a violation of our Constitutional right to privacy… The IV Amendment to the Bill of Rights states:

“The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.”

This is the basis for obtaining and issuing a warrant. Apple has stated it will hack into this one phone on behalf of the FBI to the best of their ability, but abridging the rights of all persons could actually subject Apple to lawsuits as being in violation of the IV Amendment.

Software is like an A-bomb – once created, it can be used for good – and it can be used for evil.

Giving the government unprotected access to everyone’s privacy without a warrant, or probable cause, is Big Brother, and I already have one, his name is Bobby.

A HERO Story!

Posted on by Helena

HOW to be a HERO

I was in the midst of a nasty divorce. I had three children under the age of five, and a husband who wanted me – dead. My girlfriend flew in to Colorado to comfort me and we went on a few Thelma and Louise type journeys that proved to have – well, consequences.

On one such occasion we, I, decided to drive to Breckenridge, the back way, across the infamous – Kenosha Pass. We had the music blaring, the windows wide, and we were having a grand ole time and apparently I missed the scenic town of Alma. Well, I wasn’t exactly looking in the rear view mirror and so I was quite oblivious to the fact that I was being chased – by a cop.

According to the cop, it took me a full ten minutes to abide by the law.  Sigh.

I didn’t have ‘proof’ of updated insurance, the license plate was registered in my husbands name still, my Drivers License had expired, and apparently I was called out for doing 65 in a 30 mile zone. Not good. He was royally pissed, and no matter how much my girlfriend and I batted our eyes, he was not a takin.

So I got this ticket that was a mile long for nothin’. At least that’s what I thought at the time. Times passes and I get a summons. I have to appear in Alma Court! It’s mid September, I put on my prettiest Mormon dress and open sandals, kiss the kids and the babysitter good-bye and drive to Alma. Creeping up Kenosha, it started to rain, DANG! Then it poured! More Dang. Then I crept across the top of the pass and the rain suddenly transported into globs of snow, I mean fistfulls that came down in balls like baseballs. It was big stuff!

It wasn’t long before the ‘sport wheels’ on my super Audi began to groan and complain. The windshield wipers stuck and I peered through a small hole that was left in the middle of the windshield – about two inches in diameter. There was upwards of two feet of swift fresh powder and I was sitting in my Audi, in my cotton chemise and open sandals, crying. I couldn’t drive. I couldn’t even see the road at all. So I stopped where I was, and opened the door to brush off enough snow to see thru the dang windshield – when a truck blazed past me nearly taking my door and me into oblivion.  NOT COOL.

SHITake…

Whimpering, but with no other choice, I drove as straight as I could, head pierced to the windshield, eyes bugged. Suddenly I saw the outline of a building to my right, and a pathway of sorts that could be a drive. As it turned out it was a Sheriffs Station and I thought I was in luck! Tripping inside, I cried and asked please, please drive me home! They looked at me like I was insane and told me the storm was a freak of nature and had stranded dozens of hunters, cattle and horses. That was their priority and I needed to go across the street to the cafe and wait it out.

How long? I asked.

Maybe four days.

NO WAY. I had three kids at home to take care of!

SO I’m sitting in this cafe blubbering to the guys spilling coffee over my plate and this old man sits down next to me at the bar after a few hours passed. Maybe four. It was a while. Anyway, he is listening to me blubber to the bad coffee pourer and offers to help me out. I’m in my thirties, he’s in his late sixties or there about.

I’m not having any other luck so I say – well, sure. So, he’s got some errands he has to tend to first. You see, the man owns a ranch, come to find later – a big ranch, and he’s got supplies and things he needs to buy at the local hardware store that he happens to own, cause of the storm. He’s driving a big boat caddie type car, enormous, heavy as all shitake. So anyway, I say sure, I mean, it’s not like I hold a hand in this – he’s helping me. So we do his stuff, and then we go back and he tells me to get in my car and he’ll follow me up Kenosha Pass.

Well my little sportie Audi was a bruiser, but not quite up to this task. Still, I had no choice. So I’m creeping up the pass, holding the wheel in a death grip, wishing I was in la-la land, and knowing that death is putting on the brake. There are semis’ jacknifed across the road. There are cars diving perilously into abyss. There is mayhem like a classic snow highway and this is shitake mushrooms!  But I’ve got this guy tagging me, and he’s determined to help me out.

I’m creeping, I’m creeping and then suddenly a hard shift to the right and the car moves sideways. Spin. Spin. Spin. No go!  Dang!

My hero man rancher gets out of his car and tries everything he knows to help, to make it work, to save me. But to no avail.  And while we’re standing in the snow staring at my car, he’s scratching his head, and I’m thinking I am so in trouble, and then – out of nowhere – a sand truck appears and dumps a plot of sand directly in front of my wheels. Huh? True story.  Poof, just like that.  Sand!

I get in the car, and just that bit of traction was enough to get me moving. My hero jumps in his caddie behind me and follows. Slip sliding, I make it ever so slowly up the remaining part of Kenosha. And the second we begin the descent on the other side, all the snow is once again – rain. Just water. And we begin the descent.  And it’s like nothing.

He followed me to his turnoff and made a left at Pine Bluff waving me on. I don’t know his name.  But I know it was important.  I found my way home having missed my court appearance, scared, shaken, and yet – saved.  And I could see, in my minds eye, the smile that must have enshrouded his lips.

Later, as I thought about the journey, I realized it wasn’t about me at all, it was about giving the man the chance to be a HERO. The story wasn’t mine, I was simply a pawn, the story was about the man needing to have the breath of being a Hero. And it felt really good. Because – he truly was.  It was like I was a gift, an object, but a gift.  It had already been determined.  It was something very valuable and important for him in that moment to know.

Epilog: I called the county to report that I had missed my court appearance and was directed to a free county attorney. We spoke – and when he asked what speed I thought I might have been doing – I lied – 40mph – maybe. I provided all my proofs, and $60 later the entire debt was relieved. But the man – my hero – that was – forever.

Trump – A Gambling Man?

Posted on by Helena

So if Trump holds 33% and Rubio and Cruz split 22% each, what happens when/if Cruz or Rubio fold?

Either 44% goes to the Cruz-Rubio new camp, or one of them acknowledges the VP slot and gives their 22% to Trump.

On the other hand, if Trump were to pick Giuliani as his VP, then some Democrats would shift alliance and give their votes to Trump.

Of course the gambit is how much voter fraud will spill into the Hillary camp and push her falsified lead. Which is of course the Soros agenda of politics. And he does have a way of making happen what he wants to ‘happen’.

Adding to the fray of craziness is whether Trump is actually supported by Soros to decoy the votes away from the traditional GOP and give way to a clear Democrat win.

Bottom line, we don’t know. But we do know there is a large-in-charge contingent of powerhouses working behind the magic curtain to manufacture a false reality and create a manipulation like none other ever conceived. It is like figure skating. When I was a child what was competitive would be considered amateurish by today’s standards. It is a stage, it is a play and one actor will out play the other. And we will be stuck with the end product whether it is real, or not.

I have listened to friends claim they support Bernie because he will give them free college, free healthcare, free – everything will be free. There is no consideration of how, it is only the vacant words they hear. I have listened to people say they will vote for Hillary simply because she is female without any thought to what she supports. I have heard people say they support Trump for the exact same reason they voted for Obama – change. Cruz, because he is ultra conservative in his words, and Rubio because he is a good schmoozer. I have heard it all, but what I haven’t heard is anyone saying they will vote for any of the candidates because they BELIEVE in the person.

Imagine a saloon in the wild wild west. It’s noisy, people jabbering, clinking glasses, raised voices, and some irritating jingle music playing from a wind up gramaphone. There is some crazy old lady at a table playing poker with a four year old, and hot cards can be seen under the rolls of the old ladies leg, coming out of her hair, tucked up the sleeve of her bright red jumper… Suddenly she stands up and screams, “I WON, I WON!” The kid pouts and hands over her money. No one in the saloon pays attention. You see they are all waiting for “John Wayne” to smack through the batwing doors and save them from this madness. But instead, when the doors bang open – there stands Barnie Fife and Inspector Clouseau. The music stops. No one speaks. The old lady gets this hideous expression on her face as she realizes she is caught red-handed by the police! But instead, good ole Barnie ambles over, sets himself in the child chair, takes a gander at the cards tucked about the old lady and says, “Alrighty then! Deal em up…”. The old lady puts down her arms, looks around in disbelieve, and then cackles. Meanwhile, Inspector Clouseau has taken a seat at another table where he can be seen stroking the back of a black cat unaware that he is about to be turned into a toad. Everyone goes back to doing what they were doing, still waiting for John Wayne to show up – knowing sure enough that he never will – because he’s been dead for decades…

Cackle.

The Economy is Tanking? And we’re debating Trump?

Posted on by Helena

Ukraine is mired in corruption, fraud, strife, a failed economy, war, hatred and poverty. So what are they doing about it? They are passing a bill lickety split that says it is a crime to call Russia – Russia. The sanction? A fine of nearly $3000. With the average wage in Ukraine coming in at a measly $200 per month, the fine would not be remotely collectible and result in the creation of ‘debtors prison’. Remember the British? What an imbecilic waste of time and energy.

The media continues to blame Russia for all of Ukraine’s problems including their economic woes, their internal corruption, their inability to forge anything worthy of acknowledgment. Blame is the new agenda. It has blossomed into a global thorny bush that has no flower to soften its prick. It was the Obama agenda the moment he began his initial campaign. It is the GOP agenda, the Hillary agenda, the UK, the German, the Canadian fallback for all things less than wonderful.

Ukraine’s Poroschenko has asked for the resignation of the Prime Minister, Yatsenyuk, but he has apparently refused and powers forward with the cure all formula to the Ukraine crisis – make the word Russia – a criminal act.

In our own lands of freedom we see Obama hailing the heroine author of To Kill A Mockingbird, while simultaneously snubbing the funeral of one of our Chief Justices, Scalia.

We watch as Turkey invades Syria and say nothing. We give the Hillary corruption a green light as she forges forward in her bid to become President while knowingly falsifying information, data, records, taxes, Foundation policies, etc… and these boots they keep on walking – walkin’ all over you…

Obama has managed to create the worst cooperative atmosphere in the US in history, the worst foreign relations, the most rhetoric, and a division within the population reminiscent of the Civil War!

And within this midst of madness, we are not paying attention to the economy.

The demand for large and medium sized industrial and commercial loans has plunged into negative territory. Manufacturing is contracting and the wealthy are dumping their real estate. The outlook for growth in the EU is feeble and we still blame the fall on China. China propped us up!

So while we are distracted with rambling politics in the US, refugee crises in the EU, energy prices in the proverbial twalette, and fabled vaccine crises, we have failed to pay attention to the picture at large – the economy. In all, Germany, France, Canada, the US, the UK, Brazil, Italy and Japan have all had their economic outlook downgraded by the OECD for 2016.  That is not a good thing!

With zero interest rates, low inflation, a crumbling market, consumer confidence tanking, and faith taking a dive, insurance companies have quietly upped their cost for bank defaults implying that anticipation of more bailouts is rising.

Austerity programs have proven less than fruitful as they are continually adjusted and readjusted as countries slide and the mark is passed. Instead of informing us of our circumstances, the media is filled to the brim with stories about entertainers, who said what when, who showed a lot of skin, and a smörgåsbord of banal information to keep us in the dark.

In 2014 when oil began its perilistic descent, the Wall Street Journal was quick to claim that the trough would be good for the global economy. Obviously, that has not been the case.

What can be done?

The UN and OECD believe that greater government intervention into the economy is necessary in order to boost the stagnant to declining growth. They state that more investment in infrastructure, education and social sectors is the ticket. And while private equities did take advantage of the low interest rates, instead of using the funds to grow and expand, they used the money to buy back shares of stock, further contracting growth.

But does that work in actuality? The IMF approved over $15 billion in loans to Ukraine, and ‘forgave’ its debt to Russia. Nothing changed. In fact the economy of Ukraine is worse than ever. The IMF’s largest outstanding committed loans are for; Portugal, Greece, Ireland and Ukraine. Portugal and Greece remain in austerity with little positive change in their economic outlook and actually some expanding negative.

So maybe, just maybe the theory behind the OECD, the UN and the IMF is simply – wrong. From a simplistic standpoint if an individual were in debt and default and they went to a financial advisor, I doubt the advice would be to simply borrow a whole lot more…and that would solve the problem. The advice is and always has been – cut costs, reduce debt, create a budget that is balanced and attainable, and expand spending gradually commensurate with income. While it is simplistic, the incentive for individuals is high while the incentive for businesses and government to abide by these same rules is unfortunately low.

And so we are left with one word – incentivize. Providing incentives, as well as consequences. What is the carrot? Because right now – there is nothing.

Pope’s And Politics -a Power Play…

Posted on by Helena

Should a Pope be involved in endorsing a political candidate of any nation?

First, what is the job of being – Pope?

His role has muted over the centuries, from one of supreme power over all, including kings and rulers, to that of a spiritual guide for those within the Catholic faith. Their history is mired with political schisms, conquests, moral issues, and a failing prestige that ultimately split the church between the Orthodox and the West.

It wasn’t until the fifteen hundreds that the Papacy set about for a strident reform of the role of the Pope. As the Supreme Pontiff, his role became that of “Bridge Builder” as opposed to a regulator of power and doctrine. He was called to unite the people as one instead of act for the aristocracy of a few. And in so doing, the Pope became a servant rather than a ruler.

But in a country that is constantly decrying a separation of church and state, it would appear our esteemed Pope feels differently. Making statements regarding climate change, political candidates, and now even authorizing contraception in certain circumstances given the Zika virus, this Pope has immersed himself in a number of challenging political ideals that some feel crosses the line. When denouncing the political solution of a wall between the US and Mexico, the Pope apparently forgot that the Vatican is a ‘walled city’. And perhaps it is for this type of hiccup speech that the Pope should not involve himself in the everyday politics of a country and confine himself to the religious guardianship of souls.

While other recent Popes have taken a stance on various ‘human rights’ issues, they have maintained a respective distance before involving themselves in everyday politics. In the 80’s when Pope John II got involved in the political strife within Nicaragua, he was sanctioned and suspended. But again, this was leaning more toward ‘human rights’ than true politics. Chastising Bill Clinton for his stance on ‘pro-choice’ was even considered a bit tender.

But challenging a person’s Christian faith is more than a bit odd given the global atheist climate in Europe and Canada where nearly anything goes including extra-marital affairs, sanctioned abortions, living together outside of marriage, etc…and not just the general  population, built the leaders as well. So why would the Pope condemn Donald Trump? It crosses the religious protectorate of judgment.

Why would the Pope not chastise Clinton for her pro-abortion stance? Obama for gay marriage? The entertainment industry on – well – everything! Why not Hollande for his multiple affairs? Turkey’s Erdogan for ethnic cleansing? The political climate of this world is rife with hypocrisy when compared to the Gospel, and it is possibly for this reason alone that the Pontiff should be careful climbing into the shark tank and making judgmental statements about one.

The Pope making a ‘Congressional Address’ this past September was unnerving in that it signaled a potential desire to not just skirt US politics, but to revive power.  Power as defined by Pope’s centuries ago when their own interests were driven by wealth and control.  The move inspired guesses that the Pontiff would create support for capitalism, and the bargaining chips were played and replayed.  But others were more wary, questioning this interference in the political agenda.  Still others have trouble with the skirmishes, financial fraud, and sexual behavior within the church and feel those ‘human rights’ need more attention.  As in the Log in one’s own eye…

And while the Pope clearly supports charity and toward the poor, the Catholic Church holds vast resources at bay from the poor – estimates range from $15 billion – not including real estate holdings, artwork, jewelry etc – to $20 billion. Because the Vatican has no responsibility to divulge this information, it is only a guess, but the accumulation is definitely quite vast and hardly transparent.

It is for these reasons that the Pontiff needs to remain distant in the political structures of the globe, the hypocrisy can only become more self evident and create more distance than the main articulate of the church – to bring together, to bridge, not just the people, but the Vatican as well. And as for Trump, sometimes it is best to – pause.