Weekday NEWS to Comfort the Disturbed and Disturb the Comfortable.
Wed 03.31.2010
G-8 Nations Press for New Sanctions on Iran, As China Resists By Matthew Lee, Associated Press Ottawa (AP) - Top diplomats from the world's leading economies are ramping up pressure on Iran to prove its nuclear ambitions are peaceful, renewing calls for the country to be hit with new international sanctions if it fails to comply. In meetings outside the Canadian capital on Tuesday, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and her fellow foreign ministers from the Group of Eight main industrialized nations will warn Iran again it faces fresh penalties if it doesn't come clean on its nuclear program.
Western Civilization and the Economic Crisis By: Andrew G Marshall - MarketOracle.co.uk The Impoverishment of the Middle Class The western nations of the world have built their great wealth and societies on the exploitation and plundering of the people and resources of the rest of the world. The wealth, freedom, and structures of our societies have been built on the starvation, robbery, deprivation and murder of millions upon millions of the world’s people, both historically and presently.
Healthcare and Economic Realities by Ron Paul - FinancialSense.com With passage of last week’s bill, the American people are now the unhappy recipients of Washington’s disastrous prescription for healthcare “reform.” Congressional leaders relied on highly dubious budget predictions, faulty market assumptions, and outright fantasy to convince a slim majority that this major expansion of government somehow will reduce federal spending. This legislation is just the next step towards universal, single payer healthcare, which many see as a human right. Of course, this “right” must be produced by the labor of other people, meaning theft and coercion by government is necessary to produce and distribute it.
Inflation raises the value of US coins: NIA NEW JERSEY(Commodity Online): Sustained inflation has rised the denomination values of US coins over the years, according to National Inflation Association which has launched 'Coin Melt Values' as a new feature in its website http://inflation.us/coins. It is updated daily with the latest melt values of U.S. coins that are currently in circulation or were previously in circulation. The purpose of NIA's new feature is to demonstrate how over time, inflation makes U.S. coins worth more than their denomination values, a NIA press release said.
Markets Set To Surprise by Captain Hook - FinancialSense.com Within the space of 24-hours we discover the Fed is still scared stiff (of deflation), the ECB is bailing out Greece (because deflation is already occurring), and the Japanese are doubling recent monetization efforts (because they have been deflating for decades), all pointing to a continuation of a highly accommodative stimulus disposition world wide. This is a large part of the reason stocks are enjoying a record advance, where now we also know why bonds look precarious moving forward, with US Treasuries center stage given a breakout from long-term resistance (see Figure 2) is in the making. Here, it appears the reason this will be occurring is not just due to exploding government deficits; but also, continued strength in stocks aided by bearish speculators who don’t seem to be able to get enough puts in their portfolios as well.
Three Breakouts That Could Break the Rally by Justice Litle - FinancialSense.com Three “breakouts” of recent days – interest rates, the U.S. dollar and China trade tensions – give ample reason to be cautious. . . . . . . . .
Breakout #1: Interest Rates. . . Because Uncle Sam borrows in his own currency, it is technically impossible for the U.S. government to default. It’s just a matter of printing more scrip. But if the U.S. government is forced to “monetize” its debt – i.e. pay it off by printing reams of fresh dollars – that could be a de facto default if not a de jure one. (“De facto” is a Latin expression that means “by the fact,” or “in practice.”) When a government monetizes beyond the point of no return, bad debt becomes bad currency. The value of the currency then plummets. . .
Breakout #2: The $USD. . .
Breakout #3: China Trade Tensions. . .
Gold Finds "Strong Physical Demand" Even as Dollar Rallies; Scrap Supplies Light By: Adrian Ash - GoldSeek.com THE PRICE OF GOLD gave back a 0.6% rise as New York trade began on Tuesday, slipping back to $1107 an ounce as world stock markets struggled near 18-month highs and the Dollar rose on the currency market. Silver Prices earlier rose to their best level since March 18, up 4.4% from last week's low, to hit $17.41 an ounce at the London Fix. German Bunds rose slightly, UK gilts fell, and US Treasury bonds held flat, with 10-year debt yielding 3.87%. Crude oil ticked below $82 per barrel. "Strong underlying physical demand for gold has continued," reports Walter de Wet at Standard Bank in London, "[and] in recent days has become even stronger.
Hoarding, Penny-Pinching And Buying Gold Karlyn Bowman - Forbes.com How Americans are coping with the recession. Fifty-four percent of Americans surveyed in the Pew Research Center's latest poll said there had been a time in the past year when they or someone in their household had been without a job or looking for work. A year ago 39% gave that response. That's a huge change--and only one of the many survey indicators revealing the widespread pain from the recession. In another question in the poll, only 10% said there were plenty of jobs available in their communities, while 85% said jobs were hard to find.
Gold Price Manipulation, Fact or Fantasy? By: Toby Connor - MarketOracle.co.uk If gold is being manipulated by the powers that be how then in the world did gold manage to rise from $250 to over $1200? I have to say if someone is manipulating the price of gold they are doing a damn poor job of it. I have to ask, when gold was rallying hard last November, where was the manipulation then? I didn't hear a peep from the conspiracy crowd all month. When gold was rocketing higher in late 2007 and early 2008 where, were the conspiracy buffs? Was there a conspiracy to raise the price of gold at that time?
Gold advances on euro gains SINGAPORE (Commodity Online) : Gold prices advanced in Asian trade Tuesday as the dollar eased against the euro ahead of the quarter end. Gold for immediate delivery was seen trading at $1110.39 an ounce at 11.30 a.m Singapore time while April delivery was at $ 1110.24 an ounce at the same time. However, other precious metals like Silver, platinum and palladium lost strength after rallying in the previous session on news that China's annual economic growth will reach 12 percent this quarter following strong industrial output growth last month.
Here’s What a Veteran Trader Sees for Gold Prices… By Adam Hewison, Guest Writer, Money Morning Gold has made some dramatic moves in the last 18 months and we expect it will undergo some equally dramatic moves in the future. But not right now. While I recognize that gold is one of the few "commodity" markets that people are really passionate about, the purpose of this article is not to take sides either with the gold bugs or those who reject the argument that gold is "forever." Rather, I want to discuss my interpretation of the market's cycle.
Is it the right time to buy gold? Stewart Thomson - CommodityOnline.com A wipeout may be coming. A stock market wipeout. To get a real wipeout, you need to have a convergence of a number of major fundamental events. The factors are not exactly in place for a wipeout, but they are moving quickly towards that scenario. Since price anticipates fundamentals, the situation may be even more dire. I want to take you back to Dow 6500, to gold 680. The theme at Dow 6500 and gold 680 was a major selling climax. Huge numbers of the investment world engaged in a maniacal “sell it all, short it all” frenzy.
‘Silver expected to have greater volatility’ From a U.S. perspective, we still see gold between $900 and $1,200 an ounce, and continue to believe that we could see gold at $1,500 by year end. Likewise for silver, $15 to $20 an ounce appears to be a reasonable trading range, and with silver we would expect to have greater volatility. The case has never been better for having a position in precious metals as a store of value. With the bailout of Greece or Portugal, the euro may be in trouble, and yet the U.S. is also becoming an increasingly uncertain place to do business.
Manipulation, Fact or Fantasy By: Toby Connor - GoldSeek.com Amazingly enough...or maybe it's not so amazing, every time gold corrects we see the conspiracy theories flying thick and heavy. I've questioned these theories I don't know how many times and I have yet to receive a logical answer. Now that I think about it, I don't believe I've ever received any answer. If gold is being manipulated by the powers that be how then in the world did gold manage to rise from $250 to over $1200? I have to say if someone is manipulating the price of gold they are doing a damn poor job of it. I have to ask, when gold was rallying hard last November, where was the manipulation then? I didn't hear a peep from the conspiracy crowd all month.
What Could Be the Largest Fraud in History Andrew Maguire & Adrian Douglas - KingWorldNews.com Andrew is an independent metals trader turned whistleblower at the center of a storm for exposing what could be the largest fraud in history involving countries, banks and government leaders. Adrian Douglas Board of Director from GATA, the man who Andrew reached out to joins in this interview where they discuss a fraud so extraordinary and so unimaginable that it is the kind of thing that only happens in Hollywood thrillers. They also discuss the CFTC sponsored meeting on metals which was an unmitigated disaster because it additionally exposed the fraud on a grander scale.
By Andrew Maguire - KingWorldNews.com From: Andrew Maguire Sent: Tuesday, January 26, 2010 12:51 PM To: Ramirez, Eliud [CFTC] Cc: Chilton, Bart [CFTC] Subject: Silver today
Dear Mr. Ramirez:
I thought you might be interested in looking into the silver trading today. It was a good example of how a single seller, when they hold such a concentrated position in the very small silver market, can instigate a selloff at will.
These events trade to a regular pattern and we see orchestrated selling occur 100% of the time at options expiry, contract rollover, non-farm payrolls (no matter if the news is bullish or bearish), and in a lesser way at the daily silver fix. I have attached a small presentation to illustrate some of these events. I have included gold, as the same traders to a lesser extent hold a controlling position there too. . . .
CFTC Hearing; Poised to Act! (CFTC aiming to regulate silver market!) by Jason Hommel I was pleasantly surprised by the CFTC meeting in Washington DC on March 25th, it was much better than I expected. I think the CFTC is likely to do something to help stop the excessive and concentrated short position in silver at the COMEX, and there are many reasons why, as I detail below. I was very impressed with the quality and intelligence of the questions asked by the CFTC commission members. CFTC chairman, Gary Gensler continually brought up issue of the large silver concentration as being a potential problem to deal with. The main questions seemed to be "how to deal with it", and "what would happen"? I don't think he would ask that, unless he knew there was a problem that needed to be fixed.
China May Let Yuan Strengthen Next Month, BlueGold’s Jen Says By Simon Kennedy March 30 (Bloomberg) -- China may allow its currency to trade freely next month, helping to counter criticism it’s giving its exporters an unfair advantage, said Stephen Jen of BlueGold Capital Management LLP. “I maintain the view that it is likely that China refloats the renminbi in April,” before a meeting of U.S. and Chinese officials in Beijing, Jen, a managing director at BlueGold in London, wrote in a report to clients today.
China Economists Urge Renewed Yuan Rise China should allow the yuan to resume its gradual appreciation, two new advisers to the central bank said on Tuesday, as Beijing faces intense U.S. pressure to let its currency rise. The clock is ticking down toward an April 15 ruling by the U.S. Treasury on whether China is deliberately manipulating its currency to keep its exports competitive and gain an unfair advantage in global markets. Beijing allowed the yuan to rise 21 percent against the dollar between July 2005 and July 2008 before effectively repegging the currency, also known as the renminbi, near 6.83 to the dollar to help its exporters ride out the global credit crunch.
China shows new divisions on yuan Victoria Bi and Kevin Yao, Reuters China displayed new divisions on Tuesday over how to respond to mounting U.S. pressure to let its exchange rate rise. Two new advisers to the central bank called for the yuan to resume its gradual appreciation, but they were slapped down by Commerce Minister Chen Deming, who said a stronger currency would not wipe out China's trade surplus with the United States.
G-20 Leaders Seek Cooperation on Currencies for Balanced Growth By Simon Kennedy -- March 30 (Bloomberg) -- President Barack Obama and four other Group of 20 leaders said currencies should be taken into account in efforts to deliver balanced global growth, a statement that may presage increased international pressure on China. “We need to design cooperative strategies and work together to ensure that our fiscal, monetary, foreign exchange, trade and structural policies are collectively consistent with strong, sustainable and balanced growth,” Obama, South Korean President Lee Myung Bak, U.K. Prime Minister Gordon Brown, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and French President Nicolas Sarkozy wrote to their G-20 counterparts in a letter.
Greece Isn’t Europe’s Only Problem By William Pfaff - truthdig.com The Greek crisis has precipitated the existing crisis of the European Union. The EU crisis began with the abortive attempt to write a European constitution that could find ratification, and with the expansion of the EU to 27 members. These two events effectively terminated postwar Europe’s attempt to establish a political federation. A monetary union, however, was successfully created, with its common currency, the euro, but the threat to its success, known from the start, was that national economic differences, dictating different policy choices, with consequent national budget discrepancies, would eventually undermine the euro.
Irish Banks’ ‘Appalling’ Lending Puts Them in $43 Billion Hole By Dara Doyle and Colm Heatley -- March 31 (Bloomberg) -- Ireland’s banks need $43 billion in new capital after “appalling” lending decisions left the country’s financial system on the brink of collapse. The fund-raising requirement was announced after the National Asset Management Agency said it will apply an average discount of 47 percent on the first block of loans it is buying from lenders as part of a plan to revive the financial system. The central bank set new capital buffers for Allied Irish Banks Plc and Bank of Ireland Plc and gave them 30 days to say how they will raise the funds.
Fraud on the Street Robert Reich The Securities and Exchange Commission announced Monday it had begun an inquiry into two dozen financial companies to determine whether they followed accounting practices similar to those recently disclosed in an investigation of Lehman Brothers. Where on earth has the SEC been? It’s now clear Lehman Brothers’ balance sheet was bogus before the bank collapsed in 2008, catapulting the Street and the world into the worse financial crisis since 1929. The Lehman bankruptcy examiner’s recent report details what just about everyone on the Street has known since the firm imploded – that Lehman defrauded its investors. Even Hank Paulson, in his recent memoir, referred to Lehman’s balance sheet as bogus.
Bill Gross May Be Predicting Bull Run in Stocks by David Pauly March 30 (Bloomberg) -- This may be the best news for stocks in a long time: Bill Gross, who manages the world’s biggest bond fund, says the 30-year bull market in fixed-income securities is ending. Though Gross, who runs Pacific Investment Management Co.’s $214 billion Pimco Total Return Fund, would never tell you to buy stocks, isn’t that what he means? Pimco, which Gross co-founded, more or less said as much in December. It announced the Pimco Global Opportunities Fund, which will invest in stocks, though it also will buy bank loans, junk bonds and distressed securities.
Banks: Time to Take Money Off the Table By MICHAEL PANZNER - DailyFinance.com Bank shares have been something of a one-way bullish bet for quite some time. But several developments suggest the sector, especially small and mid-size lenders, could come under significant pressure in the months ahead. For one thing, authorities have in recent days stepped up their warnings about looming problems in commercial real estate (CRE), which will almost certainly hurt the industry. Elizabeth Warren, chairperson of the TARP Congressional Oversight Panel, noted in a CNBC interview that there were nearly 3,000 banks that have "'dangerous concentrations in commercial real estate lending.'" As a result, she said, "the economy will face a 'very serious problem' that will have to be resolved over the next three years."
Fitch Downgrades Illinois and Warns of Further Actions as Budget Gap Widens JESSE'S CAFÉ AMÉRICAIN -- Illinois is financially the fifth largest US state with a 2008 GDP of approximately $633 Billion. To put this in perspective, the 2008 GDP for the nation of Greece was approximately $357 Billion. The largest state is California with $1.8 Trillion in 2008 GDP, roughly on a par with Russia, Spain, or Brazil. The US is also considering accounting rule changes that will require the states to more accurately reflect and more fully fund their pension obligations for government employees.
State Debt Woes Grow Too Big to Camouflage By MARY WILLIAMS WALSH - NYTimes.com California, New York and other states are showing many of the same signs of debt overload that recently took Greece to the brink — budgets that will not balance, accounting that masks debt, the use of derivatives to plug holes, and armies of retired public workers who are counting on benefits that are proving harder and harder to pay. And states are responding in sometimes desperate ways, raising concerns that they, too, could face a debt crisis.
States Rights… Bye, Bye! by David N. Vaughn - FinancialSense.com Good Morning Americans! It’s Friday…somewhere. What is the price of gold? Who cares? As long as those blue days of under 300 an ounce don’t return. Dear heaven forbid. I’ll never forget those days. Everyday you watched the gold price hoping it would at least climb over 280. And then one day it might hit 291 and you were ready to celebrate with a bottle of Champaign. And all during this time you watched exploration, production companies and even fair size companies you never thought would fail…go bankrupt. Bankruptcy was an every day event.
Congressman McFadden's Speech - 1934 On the Federal Reserve Corporation The Federal Reserve - A Corrupt Institution "Mr. Chairman, we have in this Country one of the most corrupt institutions the world has ever known. I refer to the Federal Reserve Board and the Federal Reserve Banks, hereinafter called the Fed. The Fed has cheated the Government of these United States and the people of the United States out of enough money to pay the Nation's debt. The depredations and iniquities of the Fed has cost enough money to pay the National debt several times over.
Marx or Mises by James Cook - FinancialSense.com Hatred of capitalism appears to be widespread among liberals these days. In fact, this animosity seems to be more virulent than ever. This worrisome trend needs to be confronted and neutralized lest it spread. If too many people begin to see capitalism as an evil they will vote for politicians who will destroy capitalism and the country will face certain ruin.
How Americans Have Coped With Decline By: Rick Ackerman - GoldSeek.com . . . . In order to cope with this development, meaning finding a way to keep that “normal” alive, Americans adopted coping mechanisms. First was the double-earner family, but when that failed to suffice, it was credit, credit, credit. Those that benefit(ted) from this were happy to oblige. Both changes had their costs, and they were not only financial. The loss of a stay-at-home parent (usually the Mom) had many non-economic costs as well. (To those women who chose to work instead of mother, this was not a loss; but many had no choice but to work).
Aging Boomers May Bring Fiscal Blessings Instead By Chris Farrell - BusinessWeek.com Older workers who can't retire comfortably are likely to be needed in the workplace as the economy grows, easing threats of an entitlement load In 1935, Harry Hopkins, head of the Federal Emergency Relief Administration, took a call at his home from U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Morganthau Jr. Both were on the New Deal committee whose work led to the creation of Social Security. At one point their conversation focused on the demographics of aging. Hopkins: "Well, there are going to be twice as many old people 30 years from now, Henry, than there are now." Morganthau: "Well, I've gotten a very good analysis of this thing…I'm simply going to point out the danger spots…I'm not trying to say what they should do—I want to show them the bad curves…." Hopkins: "That old age thing is a bad curve."
The Fannie May and Freddie Mac debacle by Sol Palha - FinancialSense.com When Geithner states that they will do everything to make sure these institutions have the capital they need to function, he is basically stating that they are willing to use tax payer’s money to fund two worthless entities, instead of dismantling them. Trying to keep these agencies floating is akin to pouring money into a bottomless pit. One of the old lines was that these two agencies helped make housing affordable by providing an avenue for individuals who would not normally qualify for a mortgage. The following quote was extracted their site.
U.S. housing market shifts from liar loans to hard cash Barrie McKenna - Globe and Mail About 27 per cent of home sales in March were made in cash Remember the NINJA mortgage? No income, no job, no assets. Exotic U.S. mortgages are disappearing in the Spartan post-meltdown era, supplanted by a decidedly old-school mode of financing – cash. In what experts say is a sign the battered U.S. housing market is cautiously finding a bottom, more Americans than ever are choosing to plunk down cold, hard cash to buy homes. Cash was the currency of choice in 27 per cent of all homes purchased in the United States in March, according a survey by the U.S. National Association of Realtors (NAR).
Almost Every Mortgage Written Last Year Underwritten by US Government By Bill Bonner - The DailyReckoning.com . . . . Congress passed a bill permitting the US government to take over the health sector...about 17% of US GDP. Let's see. The feds don't have any money, right? They've got the biggest deficits ever, and will have to borrow $2.4 trillion this year just to keep the lights on. And now comes news that Social Security has gone into deficit for the first time ever...and 7 years ahead of schedule. The feds took over the mortgage finance industry last year. Practically every single mortgage written last year was underwritten by the US government.
Home prices inch up, but analysts fear rebound is fading By Renae Merle - Washington Post Home prices rose modestly in January, according to a closely watched index released Tuesday, but some housing industry analysts remain concerned about the sustainability of the housing sector rebound. Home prices in 20 cities tracked by the Standard & Poor's/Case-Shiller home price index rose 0.3 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis in January compared with December. That was the eighth consecutive monthly increase in the index. Compared with the same period a year earlier, prices were down 0.7 percent.
Home price dip extends to 4th month By Les Christi - CNNMoney.com NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- The market seems to have pulled the rug out from under housing industry hopes for a sustained early recovery. After a five-month run-up in home prices starting last spring, prices have now fallen for four consecutive months, according to the S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Index of 20 cities, a gauge of market values, released Tuesday.
Federal Housing Finance Agency Reports Mortgage Interest Rates by FHFA - realestaterama.com -- Washington, DC - March 30, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) — The Federal Housing Finance Agency today reported that the average interest rate on conventional 30-year, fixed-rate, mortgage loans of $417,000 or less increased 3 basis points to 5.13 percent in February. The average interest rate on 15-year, fixed-rate loans of $417,000 increased 11 basis points to 4.65 percent in February.
Census Day Is Near, Carrying a Weight Far Beyond the Raw Numbers By KATE ZERNIKE and JIM RUTENBERG - NYTimes.com -- Thursday is Census Day — the date when Americans are urged to fill out their census forms if they want to avoid a visit from a federal worker — and the deadline will put to test a months-long campaign by antigovernment activists who are encouraging people not to complete the questionnaires. The census has been subject to boycott efforts before, but officials fear that participation rates will be particularly low this year, as a wave of sentiment against the establishment has been stoked by Tea Party groups and politicians who court them.
Census Numbers Uncensored by Vedran Vuk - FinancialSense.com The Census aims to be every man’s hero. It promises an economic stimulus, a reduction in unemployment, and greater funds for every community. Of course, the reality is much closer to a game of musical chairs with your money. And guess who will be left standing? The most immediate impact of the Census is that it distorts unemployment rates. With 1.2 million hired temporarily during the fall, the Census is already skewing the unemployment numbers in the government’s favor. Specifically, the fall data shows unemployment at 9.8% (Sept), 10.1% (Oct), and 10% (Nov).
IT Problems Put Accuracy of Census at Risk, Say Government Auditors By Edwin Mora - CNSNews.com -- Washington D.C. (CNSNews.com) – Information Technology (IT) problems at the U.S. Census Bureau could cause inaccuracies in this year's constitutionally mandated decennial tabulation of the U.S. population, according to government auditors. “IT problems place the efficiency and accuracy of Non-Response Follow-Up at risk and final decennial costs remain uncertain,” testified Judith Gordon, the principal assistant inspector general for Audit and Evaluation at the Department of Commerce, which runs the Census Bureau.
Obama: 'Tea party' features 'core group' against him By AP - WashingtonTimes.com WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Obama said Tuesday he believes the "tea party" is built around a "core group" of people who question whether he is a U.S. citizen and believe he is a socialist. But beyond that, Mr. Obama told NBC, he recognizes the movement involves "folks who have legitimate concerns" about the national debt and the government taking on too many difficult issues simultaneously.
Most Say Tea Party Has Better Understanding of Issues than Congress Rasmussen Reports -- In official Washington, some consider the Tea Party movement a fringe element in society, but voters across the nation feel closer to the Tea Party movement than they do to Congress. The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 52% of U.S. voters believe the average member of the Tea Party movement has a better understanding of the issues facing America today than the average member of Congress. Only 30% believe that those in Congress have a better understanding of the key issues facing the nation.
LaRouche Reiterates Danger of Assassination Attempt on Obama -- Mar. 29, 2010 (EIRNS) — This release was issued today by the Lyndon LaRouche Political Action Committee (LPAC). The proliferation of terrorist threats, such as that represented by the "Christian militia" arrests in Michigan, should be taken very seriously, said Lyndon LaRouche today. We're in an environment like that before JFK's assassination, and President Obama should cut his bravado out now. His ego is his biggest vulnerability, and if he wants to survive, he should restrict his activity, and keep himself safe. As in the run-up to the JFK assassination, many of these so-called militia and terrorist groups will be bogus," LaRouche continued. "Most of them will be nothing—but they will create a cover for a real operation to go ahead. Just as before 9/11, when the advertised threat was a terrorist incident through demonstrations in Washington, D.C., but the reality was the Saudi-assisted plane-bomb operations which occurred.
Militia Raids Part Of Government Effort to Provoke Violence, Purge Dissent Steve Watson & Paul Watson - Prisonplanet.com -- News of a bust on nine members of a militia group in Detroit who were planning to “levy war” against the United States and “oppose by force” the nation’s government, should be treated with extreme suspicion, given that every major terror bust in the U.S. in recent years has been contrived. According to an indictment (PDF) unsealed this morning in U.S. District Court in Detroit, eight men and one woman were training in modern combat techniques for a prophesized battle with the anti-Christ.
Feds: Militia plotted uprising against U.S. By John Seewer ASSOCIATED PRESS WHEATLAND TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) -- Members of a rural Michigan-based Christian militia who believed a battle with the Antichrist was coming were plotting to attack police officers in hopes of fomenting a violent uprising against the government, federal prosecutors allege. Seven men and one woman believed to be part of the group called Hutaree were arrested over the weekend after raids in Michigan, Indiana and Ohio. A ninth suspect was arrested Monday night after a search in southern Michigan and was expected to be arraigned Tuesday.
Militia arrests timed to prevent violence, official says By CNN.com Detroit, Michigan (CNN) -- Federal authorities decided to arrest members of the Hutaree militia group upon learning they were planning an exercise in April that might have included violence, a federal prosecutor said Tuesday. "They talked about doing a covert reconnaissance exercise," said Barbara McQuade, U.S. attorney for the eastern district of Michigan, in an interview with CNN's Drew Griffin. "And they did also say that, in connection with the exercise, if they came upon anyone from the public or law enforcement who kind of stumbled upon them in the midst of this exercise, they were prepared to kill them." That moved authorities to act, she said.
America I'm 63 and I'm Tired" By Robert A. Hall - GoldCoastChronicle.com I'm 63. Except for one semester in college when jobs were scarce and a six-month period when I was between jobs, but job-hunting every day, I've worked, hard, since I was 18. Despite some health challenges, I still put in 50-hour weeks, and haven't called in sick in seven or eight years. I make a good salary, but I didn't inherit my job or my income, and I worked to get where I am. Given the economy, there's no retirement in sight, and I'm tired. Very tired. I'm tired of being told that I have to "spread the wealth" to people who don't have my work ethic. I'm tired of being told the government will take the money I earned, by force if necessary, and give it to people too lazy to earn it.
Dollar stores have plenty of items made in America Marlene Alexander - walletpop.com If you're not a regular dollar store shopper, you might be surprised to learn that there are many items in store that were not made in China. In one short visit, I found many products that were made in America, passing over any item with the phrase "distributed by" prefacing a U.S. company and choosing only the ones that declared themselves to be manufactured by an American company in a U.S. state.
Secret Experiment Going on While You Sleep Did You Know? By A.J. Plourde - GCC/Staff Geneva, Switzerland is known as the place of the headquarters of the World Court in The Hague. It is also the home to the world's largest Atom Smasher, called the LHC. Last Friday, the LHC was once again started and a new experiment in Mass Matter separation and reorganization began. All this without any fan fare, or bally hoop, as a lead up to the most colossal experiment of this type to take place to date. The entire major Physicists' of the world are in Geneva observing the test.
CIA: Iran capable of producing nukes By Bill Gertz - WashingtonTimes.com Report finds Tehran keeping options open Iran is poised to begin producing nuclear weapons after its uranium program expansion in 2009, even though it has had problems with thousands of its centrifuges, according to a newly released CIA report. "Iran continues to develop a range of capabilities that could be applied to producing nuclear weapons, if a decision is made to do so," the annual report to Congress states. A U.S. official involved in countering weapons proliferation said the Iranians are "keeping the door open to the possibility of building a nuclear weapon."
China Said to Execute Thousands in ’09 By MARK McDONALD - NYTimes.com HONG KONG — China executed more people last year than the rest of the world combined, according to a report published Tuesday by Amnesty International. Amnesty said there were “thousands” of Chinese executions in 2009 — the precise number is considered a state secret — and the rights group called on Beijing to divulge how many it carries out. The report said that at least 714 people were executed in 17 other countries, led by Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia and the United States. Methods of execution included beheading, stoning, electrocution, hanging, firing squads and lethal injection.
China Hospital Dumps 21 Babies as Medical Waste into River The bodies of 21 babies, believed dumped by hospitals, have washed ashore on a riverbank in eastern China, state media reported Tuesday. Video footage showed that the bodies — stashed in yellow plastic bags, at least one of which was marked "medical waste" — included some infants several months old. Some wore identification tags with their mothers' names, birth dates, measurements and weights. The official Xinhua News Agency said there were also fetuses among the bodies.
Obama Says He Wants Tougher Iran Sanctions in Weeks By Julianna Goldman and Helene Fouquet March 30 (Bloomberg) -- President Barack Obama said he believes the United Nations will agree on new sanctions for Iran in a matter of weeks if the Islamic republic fails to comply with resolutions aimed at limiting its nuclear program. Obama said he and French President Nicolas Sarkozy agreed at their meeting today on the need for tougher steps. “The door remains open if the Iranians choose to walk through it,” Obama said at a joint news conference with Sarkozy at the White House. “In the interim we are going to move forcefully on a UN sanctions regime.” Sarkozy said France and other European nations will support stronger action at the UN.
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David Walker Comeback America: Turning the Country Around and Restoring Fiscal Responsibility David Walker, President, CEO, Peter G. Peterson Foundation; Former Comptroller General of the U.S.; Author, Comeback America: Turning the Country Around and Restoring Fiscal Responsibility One of Americas foremost independent financial experts, former comptroller general of the U.S. and head of the U.S. Government Accountability Office from 1998-2008, Walker will discuss a range of compelling ideas, including how to control spending, save Social Security, dramatically alter our health-care system, reform our tax system and re-engineer the base of the federal government all taking into account the Obama administrations efforts to-date to do the same. He will address a range of policies and operational and political reforms needed to ensure that Americas future will be better than its past.
BY OVERWHELMING REQUEST:
Kitty Werthmann Interview
Kitty Werthmann Part 2
Kitty Werthmann Part 3
America Truly is the Greatest Country in the World. Don't Let Freedom Slip Away Fort Worth Christianity & Culture ExaminerRene Girard By: Kitty Werthmann What I am about to tell you is something you've probably never heard or will ever read in history books. I believe that I am an eyewitness to history. I cannot tell you that Hitler took Austria by tanks and guns; it would distort history. We elected him by a landslide - 98% of the vote.. I've never read that in any American publications. Everyone thinks that Hitler just rolled in with his tanks and took Austria by force. . .
Freedoms can disappear in a hurry if we aren't careful Kitty Werthmann For the Argus Leader published: 3/11/2003 Kitty Werthmann, 77, of Pierre, is president of the South Dakota Eagle Forum. She lobbies the state Legislature on family issues. She has lived in the United States since 1950 and has been a U.S. citizen since 1962. Those of us who sailed past the Statue of Liberty came to a country of unbelievable freedom and opportunity. I lived in Austria under Adolf Hitler's regime for seven years. Dictatorship did not happen overnight. It was a gradual process starting with national identification cards, which we had to carry with us at all times. We could not board a bus or train without our ID card. Gun registration followed, with a lot of talk about gun safety and hunting accidents. Since the government already knew who owned firearms, confiscation followed under threat of capital punishment.
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