Since we’re talking about Obama. I couldn’t figure out why my spidey sense won’t let me accept this. I ask my self Xenophon, old boy, is this just hateration?? To which my self responds in true Chicago fashion, that motherfucker couldn’t beat Bobby Rush. And the number one law in Chicago is we can always take this shit to the streets. Capone, Daley, Washington, Hampton, Hoover, Fort, Jones, Rostenkowski, Emmanuelle all great Chicago politicians have a touch of the streets. Not Obama. Why couldn’t a Columbia, Harvard educated (He never mentions Charles Hamilton Houston, hmmm) law professor beat a mumble mouthed COINTELPRO refugee?  Read more 

This looks like the beginnig of a “Failures Report”  Read more 

I was going through the archive when I found an article about the shift in America’s views towards the abuse of police powers. Back in 2005 when a five year old girl was cuffed and arrested because she had a temper tantrum.  Read more 

As the Energy Fascist (Decepticons) rise to power the equation between criminality, terrorism and blackness are being formulated and slowly pressed into the mind of the populace.  Read more 

Where are we now? I’ve been trying to figure out if Obama voted for or against the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act – Senate Bill 3880. While I was scouring the net, I came across this article about the privatization of Iraq. A constitution so sweeping in deference to radical market fundamentalism that it destroys the very idea of a nation state and turns a country into some Borg-like, chop shop, refugee.  Read more 

Chicago Sun Time’s Laura Washington euphemistically calls Obama’s relationship with the African American community complex. A more accurate term would be tenuous, fresh, new, fledgling, uncertain — suspect.

I checked in with Michael Meyers, executive director of the New York Civil Rights Coalition, who specializes in keeping tabs on African-American leadership. ''I don't hear anything from regular black folks about Obama… . He's not a star in their orbit. They think he's young, attractive, well-spoken. But I don't know anybody who takes him seriously.'' Obama's not ready, he said.  Read more 

When was the last time anyone watched “Three Days of the Condor?” "Syriana?" "The World is Not Enough?" Just checking.  Read more 

In response to CD's question, I thought I dig up an oldie but goodie:  Read more 

So why control the horn of Africa?  Read more 

A great piece by the crew at Karmabanque. Broadcast on Al Jazeera and brought to you on You Tube.

Karmabanque.

Just call me Cassandra … I see a bad moon a rising …

A senior Asian Development Bank official said on Thursday that the dollar was likely to decline further, and he called for East Asian countries to make sure that their currencies rose in unison and did not gyrate.  Read more 

Imagine a 40% crash in housing prices . Seriously just run through the scenario in your head. How much of your net worth is accounted for in your house? How much of your retirement nest egg? How much have you drawn out of said house in equity? What would that wonderfully extended mortgage look like, you know the adjustable one with the interest only for the first five years or so; the mortgage that will last you a good fifty years – yeah that one. You in the service industry, the paper pusher who is about to be down sized, the data entry operator or phone jockey making more than you know you should – you. How would you like to be holding a mortgage on a property that is worth about half what you paid for it, making half of what you used to? Get the picture? I’ll buy it off you for transaction cost.  Read more 

That great big sucking sound is your income being siphoned off by one hell of a sleeper in the tax structure . Hidden right there in the open, waiting for all the pieces to fall into place. What ever will the uppermiddles do?  Read more 

What they don’t talk about is a dirty little secret everyone in Washington knows , or at least should. The vast majority of economists and budget analysts agree: The ship of state is on a disastrous course, and will founder on the reefs of economic disaster if nothing is done to correct it.

Yo! CD, what’s the skinny on this? Aside from we’re FUBAR. Where are the leverage points politically? How the hell do we conceive of politics at the bureaucratic level? None of these people are elected? This is starting to look a lot like the Donation of Constantine – the clerics are running the country. OK you were right.  Read more 

Given the nature of mass media in the USA is democracy possible in a Nash Equilibrium ?

In contrast to previous research, we find little evidence that citizens are mobilized by or learn from presidential advertisements, but strong evidence that they are persuaded by them. This research supports the contention that political communication is best conceived of as propaganda rather than a vehicle to enhance democratic accountability. We find that campaign advertisements are able to persuade voters to support one candidate over another.  Read more 

Its as if I went to sleep and woke up at the end of Capital . I found This article at karmabanque
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The widening chasm between rich and poor may well threaten our democracy. Yet if that banker’s lament staggers your brain as it did mine, you’re on your way to seeing why America’s income gap is arguably less likely to spark a retro fight between proletarians and capitalists than a war between what I call the “lower upper class” and the ultrarich.  Read more 

NY Times reports the fight is going to be in Missouri, Tennessee, and Virginia. Another stolen election?  Read more 

As the army gets ready for the second quarter, lower standards appears to be necessary to fill the ranks for the long haul coming. A recent change in advertising accompanies lower admission standards. Mad props to the McCann method – push, push, push. Army Strong is destined to go down in history with “Got Milk?” “Ford Tough.” “Pork – The Other White Meat.” “Did you Play together?” I thought the new Military recruiting trailers were good. Naw, this new mantra just sort of rattles around in your head like an under armor slogan or Homer Simpson longing for “Mmmm Donuts.” A sneaky little meme, like a semantic black hole, surrounded by two little words: Army – Strong. Exactly, how many troops do we need for China?

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