Can You Hear Me Now?

It is so heartening to know that we are all thoroughly ensconced in our small, insignificant lives. Wondering who will be the next bachelor/bachelorette? Is Chaz Bono really dancing with the stars; who will his/her partner be? Is my favorite football team going to have a shot at the Stupor Bowl? Who’s going to be on Oparah tonight? Do we eat in, or go out for dinner tonight? What am I going to wear to work tomorrow?.......questions, questions, questions…..and so few answers!

Well, listen my friends. None of those questions will mean a hill of beans if this Country doesn’t get back on its feet. As stated previously, we are not in a recession; we are in a modern day depression. You simply cannot compare the economics of the 1920’s to those of today. Almost all the variables have changed significantly. The one that hasn’t is the avarice and greed of the super rich and their multi-national corporate behemoths. One recent estimate points to the Apple Corp. having more cash on hand than the U.S. Government. Be it truth, or fiction, the picture remarks like that paint is not a pretty one. If, indeed, it is fictitious, I’m afraid it isn’t so far from the truth as to be summarily dismissed.

One picture I cannot seem to get out of my head is that of Nero fiddling while Rome burned. If Congress equals Nero, then the Nation equals Rome. Take a serious look around around you. You will see and hear things you never thought would be evident in American Society. You will see folks in affluent neighborhoods using food stamps. You will, increasing, become aware of friends and family who are among the long term unemployed. You may have already seem the foreclosure (Bank owned) signs in your immediate area. Are you aware of the fact that Banks are now starting to demolish their home inventory to lower their tax burden? That’s right! They’re bulldozing houses to the ground because of their huge inventory of unsellable homes, and they don’t want to keep the properties on the full tax roles.

Take a short, little drive through what we used to call Industrial Parks. Notice anything odd? Empty builds are what is left of a once thriving Industrial and Manufacturing environment. What happened; where did everyone go? The jobs in those buildings were shipped overseas for cheaper labor. The people didn’t go anywhere. They’re all still here; either unemployed, or under employed, and living day to day wondering if they’ll have a roof over their heads tomorrow.

Throughout History, great Nations and Empires have risen and fallen. Their demise has been by their own hand, more so than any outside force. The question that haunts me every day is, “Are we going down that road and plunging into the dark, empty abyss?” More often than not, my answer is coming up, “Yes!”.

AN ACTUAL CRAIG'S LIST PERSONALS AD

To the Guy Who Tried to Mug Me in Downtown Savannah night before last.

Date: 2010-09-27, 1:43 a.m. E.S.T.

I was the guy wearing the black Burberry jacket that you demanded that I hand over, shortly after you pulled the knife on me and my girlfriend, threatening our lives. You also asked for my girlfriend's purse and earrings. I can only hope that you somehow come across this rather important message.

First, I'd like to apologize for your embarrassment; I didn't expect you to actually crap in your pants when I drew my pistol after you took my jacket.. The evening was not that cold, and I was wearing the jacket for a reason..my girlfriend was happy that I just returned safely from my 2nd tour as a Combat Marine in Afghanistan .. She had just bought me that Kimber Custom Model 1911 .45 ACP pistol for my birthday, and we had picked up a shoulder holster for it that very evening. Obviously you agree that it is a very intimidating weapon when pointed at your head ... isn't it?!

I know it probably wasn't fun walking back to wherever you'd come from with that brown sludge in your pants. I'm sure it was even worse walking bare-footed since I made you leave your shoes, cell phone, and wallet with me. [That prevented you from calling or running to your buddies to come help mug us again].

After I called your mother or "Momma" as you had her listed in your cell, I explained the entire episode of what you'd done. Then I went and filled up my gas tank as well as those of four other people in the gas station, -- on your credit card. The guy with the big motor home took 153 gallons and was extremely grateful! I gave your shoes to a homeless guy outside Vinnie Van Go Go's, along with all the cash in your wallet. [That made his day!] I then threw your wallet into the big pink "pimp mobile" that was parked at the curb .... after I broke the windshield and side window and keyed the entire driver's side of the car.

Later, I called a bunch of phone sex numbers from your cell phone. Ma Bell just now shut down the line, although I only used the phone for a little over a day now, so what 's going on with that? Earlier, I managed to get in two threatening phone calls to the DA's office and one to the FBI, while mentioning President Obama as my possible target.

The FBI guy seemed really intense and we had a nice long chat (I guess while he traced your number etc.).

In a way, perhaps I should apologize for not killing you ... but I feel this type of retribution is a far more appropriate punishment for your threatened crime. I wish you well as you try to sort through some of these rather immediate pressing issues, and can only hope that you have the opportunity to reflect upon, and perhaps reconsider, the career path you've chosen to pursue in life.. Remember, next time you might not be so lucky. Have a good day!

       Thoughtfully yours, Semper Fi,

                                                       Alex

The Edge of the Abyss, Part II

About a month ago, I wrote about our Economy being at the edge of an abyss. Was anybody listening?

[excerpt / to read the full article click on LINK, below]

"Even Goldman Sachs Secretly Believes That An Economic Collapse Is Coming

Goldman Sachs is doing it again. Goldman is telling the public that everything is going to be just fine, but meanwhile they are advising their top clients to bet on a huge financial collapse. On August 16th, a 54 page report authored by Goldman strategist Alan Brazil was distributed to institutional clients. The general public was not intended to see this report. Fortunately, some folks over at the Wall Street Journal got their hands on a copy and they have filled us in on some of the details. It turns out that Goldman Sachs secretly believes that an economic collapse is coming, and they have some very interesting ideas about how to make money in the turbulent financial environment that we will soon be entering. In the report, Brazil says that the U.S. debt problem cannot be solved with more debt, that the European sovereign debt crisis is going to get even worse and that there are large numbers of financial institutions in Europe that are on the verge of collapse. If this is what people at the highest levels of the financial world are talking about, perhaps we should all start paying attention.…………….."

Source Credit:

http://www.yolohub.com/featured/even-goldman-sachs-secretly-believes-that-an-economic-collapse-is-coming

General Electric does it again!

you might find the following article from snopes.com interesting: http://www.snopes.com/politics/business/ge.asp

General Electric is planning to move its 115-year-old X-ray division from Waukesha, Wis., to Beijing. In addition to moving the headquarters, the company will invest $2 billion in China and train more than 65 engineers and create six research centers. This is the same GE that made $5.1 billion in the United States last year, but paid no taxes-the same company that employs more people overseas than it does in the United States.
 
So let me get this straight. President Obama appointed GE Chairman Jeff Immelt to head his commission on job creation (job czar). Immelt is supposed to help create jobs.

I guess the President forgot to tell him in which country he was supposed to be creating those jobs.
AND, IT’S 1, 2 , 3…WHAT ARE WE FIGHTING 4?.........

New Math Quiz, 2011-12

Ran across this a few weeks ago. Wish they had made these quizzes more pertinent back in the day!

Michelle Rhee, Eat your heart out, baby!
Schools are finally starting to teach practical math that these kids can use in real-world situations!

TAG____________________
GANG/CREW NAME______________
CRIB_________________

1. Lajames has an AK-47 with a 200-round clip. He usually misses 6 of every 10 shots and he uses 13 rounds per drive- by shootin. How many mofos can Lajames ice on a drive- by before he gotta reload?

2. Leroy has 2 ounces of cocaine. If he sells an 8 ball to Antonio for $320 and 2 grams to Juan for $85 per gram, what be the street value of the rest of his shit?

3. Dwayne pimps 3 ho's. If the price is $85 per trick, how many tricks per day must each ho turn to support Dwayne's $800 per day Crack habit?

4. Raul wants to cut the pound of cocaine he bought for $40,000 to make 20% profit. How many ounce bags will he need to make to gets the 20% upside?

5. Ray-Ray gets $2000 for a stolen BMW, $1500 for stealing a Corvette, and $1000 for a 4 x 4. If he steals 1 BMW, 2 Corvettes and 3 4x4's, how many more Corvettes must he steal to make the 10k for his brother's bail?

6. Pedro got 6 years for murder. He also got $10,000 for the hit. If his common-law wife spends $100 of his hit money per month, how much money will be left when he gets out?

7. If an average can of spray paint covers 22 square feet and the average letter is 3 square feet, how many letters can be sprayed with three 8 oz. Cans of spray paint with 20% paint left over?

8. Tyrone knocked up 4 girls in the gang. There be 20 girls in his gang. What be the percentage of bitches Tyrone knocked up?

9. Lafawnda is a lookout for the gang. Lafawnda also has a Boa Constrictor that eats 5 rats per week and a cost of $5 per rat. If Lafawnda makes $700 a week as a lookout, how many weeks can she feed her snake with one week's income? 

Mo points:
10. Marvin steals Juan's skateboard. As Marvin skates away at 15mph, Juan loads his 357 Magnum piece. If it takes Juan 20 seconds to load his piece, how far away will Marvin be when he gets whacked?

Yo, wazzup wid da points________________

           

The VFW Magazine comes of age.

I think I can say with some certainty that the VFW Magazine has finally come of age. September’s issue is chock full of the type of reporting/articles that reflect accurately just what it is the U.S. Military is involved in (and has been for the past ten years).

The first notable section, “Washingtonwire”, contains an article citing Private sources of grant money to research PTSD & TBI. This is a monumental step in caring for our Veterans by getting the Private sector involved. On the second page of “Washingtonwire” is a disturbing, outrageous story that comes out of Texas. It seems that, once again Texas feels it is above the Constitution of the United States of America, and the VA Cemetery Director has banned the free use of religious prayer at all funerals. Only after review and approval can you quote from your chosen Religion when laying a loved one to rest. I will be interested in seeing how long it is before they change their tune on that one.

The second notable section, having to do with honoring the fallen from 9/11, aptly draws the line between Heroes and Victims. This has been a somewhat controversial subject in recent months. As a Nation, we need to recognize who are “Heroes”; who are “victims”, and who are innocent bystanders caught in the crossfire.

The third notable section all too briefly mentions our Women in Uniform and the vast varieties of roles they play in today’s Military. Old traditions die hard, but this is an area that begs for more exposure.

The fourth notable section is reasonably self-explanatory. The lineage of conflict listed here points directly to the fact that nobody wins in this God forsaken part of the World, ever!  As a Viet Nam Veteran, I know the consequences of engaging in Military actions such as this. Any definition of “Nation Building” must include the word “Colonialism” in it. I realize that we don’t necessarily see it that way, but the rest of the World does. Wouldn’t our Country be better off if our young were not constantly put in harm’s way to the point of being placed in an early grave? Wouldn’t we be better off if our young Soldiers could assimilate back into Society with all their body parts still attached, without the horror of PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) and TBI (traumatic brain injury)? This list goes on and on, unfortunately.

There certainly are wars and armed conflicts that need to be fought. With our National History being relatively gregarious, our Government should  by now know exactly when and where to take up arms in defense of Liberty and Justice.

Source credits:
VFW Magazine, September, 2011, vol. 99, no.1
http://digitaledition.qwinc.com/publication/?i=77175 
pages 10-11   « Washingtonwire » section
pages 12-14   Honoring Heroes & Victims, there is a difference
page   41        Female Engagement Teams, it’s about time
pages 44-45   Short History of Fighting in Afghanistan