Weekend Update, No. 13

America's Impending Master Class Dictatorship, by Stewart Dougherty
The mother of all 'America is Screwed' articles.  Forget all the rest, this is the one to read.  Explicitly lays it all out for you to see in one sweeping vista.  Another proponent of Daily Bell-style power elite (here "master class") analysis.

One stark and sobering way to frame the crisis is this: if the United States government were to nationalize (in other words, steal) every penny of private wealth accumulated by America’s citizens since the nation’s founding 235 years ago, the government would remain totally bankrupt.

 Don't think they won't try.

The interests and mindset of the Master Class are so totally divorced from those of the average American citizen that it is utterly tone deaf and blind to the justifiable rage sweeping the nation. Its guiding ethics of greed, plunder, power, control and violence are so alien to mainstream American culture and thought that the Master Class might as well be an enemy invader from Mars. But the Master Class here, it is real and it is laying waste to America. To the members of the Master Class, the people are not fellow-citizens; they are instruments of labor, servitude and profit.

These are your politicians, corporate executives, and various other sociopaths wealthy beyond your wildest imaginations.  And their message to ordinary Americans is "simple and clear: 'We Defy You.'"  Read another observer's similar conclusions with more detailed financial analysis and pretty charts and graphs here.

Thomas Woods, Jr. on Popularizing Freedom, and Why Real Libertarian Conservatives are Anti-State and Anti-War
A Daily Bell interview with one of the brightest stars of the freedom movement and author of the bestseller Meltdown.  Particularly illuminating is his account of how he snapped out of his neocon war-zombie trance, a procedure replicated with some difficulty by yours truly.  I am eagerly awaiting the release of his new book, which "goes for the jugular."  I don't expect him to disappoint.  As always, read Mr. Smith's post-interview analysis.  TDB has recently allowed commenting on their articles, and reply personally to nearly every one.  I found the following particularly interesting:

Posted by Gunter on 1/17/2010 2:50:26 PM

It's frustrating to learn that for 32 years of my life, I've been lied to. The only way to fight back is to get three people from my immediate surroundings to read The Daily Bell. I would seriously encourage all readers of The Bell to do the same, and to ask the same from every person you can convince. It's a force the power elite will never be able to stop. Thank you Daily Bell.

Reply from the Daily Bell:

Well, thank you for the kind words. As we have tried to figure this out, we have had exactly the same emotions that you are experiencing. It is not pleasant, but it is "life."

Brown: 'It’s Important for Everyone to Get Some Form of Health Care' by David Wiegel
Did you really think Senator-elect Brown was going to ride in on his white horse, save the GOP, and remake the USA into the land of liberty?  Nah.  After all, he's a proponent of Romneycare (see here also).  I hereby recommend no further use of the term RINO (Republican in name only).  Mainstream Republicans are a party of big government (McCain, Romney, Giuliani, etc.).  Those for Constitutional government are the exception, not the rule.  Democrats = Socialist Party Major, Republicans = Socialist Party Minor.  Don't believe it?  See the video yourself.

The Horrors of Socialized Medicine in Austria, by Alfred Scharinger
Lest we forget where RomneyCare and ObamaCare lead, read this article from an Austrian immigrant who formerly worked in the belly of the beast.

Prayer for a Tea Party Nation, by The Daily Bell
The Daily Bell hates to break it to you, but the Tea Party movement may not be just exactly what you think it is.  Particularly when they pick the pro-war, pro-surveillance state Palin as their keynote speaker.  Watch for it to be ever more co-opted by mainstream Republicans.

Feeds the Rich, Buries the Poor, by James Quinn
After a significant absence from these pages, Quinn returns with his unique analysis of current events through the lens of popular culture.  Here he weaves Cool Hand Luke and Guns N Roses into the tapestry of corruption and total war.  Pay close attention to his chart illustrating the exploding profits of Lockheed, Boeing, Northrup Grumman, Raytheon, and General Dynamics post-9/11, all in a decade which was the worst ever for stocks.  Meanwhile, "we are left a hollowed out economy with a middle class that hasn’t seen their real wages increase in 30 years."

Just War, by Murray Rothbard
Lest readers get the notion PB stands for "pacifist babies" with our primarily anti-war message, note that we toe the Rothbard line on such matters.  Not so bad to follow a man commonly acknowledged as the greatest libertarian thinker, and considered by some the greatest economist ever.  And what is the message of this Jewish man from New York?  That there have been only two just wars in American history, one of which was lost.  Southerners will find themselves reading his final paragraph more than once, first making sure their eyes haven't deceived them, then returning periodically to re-energize.

What Good Can a Handgun Do Against an Army.....? by Mike Vanderboegh
Now that we've established that there does come a time to fight, it becomes essential to learn the lessons of history and prepare ourselves even against overwhelming odds.  As he uses the Pixar children's movie A Bug's Life to illustrate, we ants vastly outnumber our government grasshopper overlords.  And they didn't even have the benefit of firearms.

No Military Occupation of Haiti, by Ron Paul
The courageous Constitutional defender Dr. No stands alone yet again, 411-1.

Haiti: An Unwelcome Katrina Redux, by Cynthia McKinney
Ron Paul is not the only one questioning why we are sending our military to Haiti.  To the first person who screams "security," what do naval destroyers have to do with it?  I'll bet Doctors Without Borders aren't arriving with M-16s and rocket launchers, that is, if they are even allowed to arrive.  While I don't share all the views of the author, her article is a worthy read.  She also questions the construction of our 5th largest embassy in a half-island nation of less than 10 million, then proceeds to suggest intriguing answers more fully explored here.

Haiti's Avoidable Death Toll, by Walter Williams
The true tragedy is Haiti's poverty.  Williams explains the cause.  Densely populated Northern California's 1989 earthquake was more powerful, with only 63 deaths vs. more than 200,000.  Economic reform is the answer to Haiti's problems, but the Haitians first must realize that fact for themselves.

Big Government, Big Business, Big Rip-off, by Michael Brendan Dougherty

A great book review of Obamanomics: How Barack Obama Is Bankrupting You and Enriching His Wall Street Friends, Corporate Lobbyists, and Union Bosses, by Timothy P. Carney.  After reading, you'll more fully understand why GE now stands for "Government Everywhere."

Obama and the Global Police: More Friendly Fascism? by John W. Whitehead
Our president issues an executive order (12425) giving complete immunity to an international police organization to operate outside the already shredded bounds of our Constitution, and few even so much as notice.  Click the link to have a look, but don't worry if you don't get it.  After all, it's "so shrouded in a legal parsing of semicolons and redactions that it is barely comprehensible to the average citizen."  Not to worry, Whitehead has done the work for us.

Property and assets of international organizations, wherever located and by whomsoever held, shall be immune from search, unless such immunity be expressly waived, and from confiscation. The archives of international organizations shall be inviolable.

It doesn't take much imagination to understand where this is going.  As he puts it,

the rule of law breaks down completely. American intelligence and police agencies, when and if they share information, would also be above the law.

I feel safer already.

Obama Confidant's Spine-Chilling Proposal, by Glenn Greenwald

Namely, the execrable Cass Sunstein, head of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, and his advocacy of paid, covert government propaganda to discredit "false conspiracy theories" to increase popular trust of his god the State.  While he admits many conspiracy theories eventually prove true, the measures are justified if "social welfare is improved by doing so."  As decided by whom?  This discussion is particularly interesting given the recent admission by the Obama administration that it secretly paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to an MIT professor to advocate its health plan.  Fellow uber-progressive economist Paul Krugman, from his pulpit at the NY Times, has come to the defense of his beloved regime.  Not to worry, Greenwald takes him on as well.  Has anyone out there read about any of this in our dinosaur media?

No Taxes, Please, We're Democrats, by Michael Tanner
Obama's $55 billion exclusive gift to union members.  The rest of us will be slapped with a 40% "Cadillac tax" on our private insurance plans.  Not a bad return on union donations to Democrats of only $68 million in 2008.

Dodd and Gregg Block Audit-The-Fed Amendment, Frank Tells Committee, by Ryan Grim

Bank whores defy the overwhelming desire of their constituents, right and left.  The most amazing thing about the article are the comments.  Even at the liberal Huffington Post, nearly every single comment supports End The Fed.

Student: ‘Beating So Bad Thought I Was Going To Die’
Honor student and violinist brutally beaten by plainclothes police officers over suspicious bottle of Mountain Dew.  The photos will disgust you nearly as much as his story.

Oath Keepers Orders We Will Not Obey

Amidst all of the official corruption and violence, a growing number of police and military have had enough, recognizing that their loyalty is not with the government.  Here is where they draw the line.

The Establishment in Crisis, by Butler Shaffer
The skilled writer reminds us that "the state is the institutionalization of violence....  It makes life be what it does not choose to be."  Which is the core reason for the collapse of America.

The Government Bubble Heads for a Blow-Off Top, by Tom Mullen
After the top comes the crash.

Has Obama Lost White America? by Patrick J. Buchanan
Examines the evidence from recent elections, then explains it.  The perhaps unpleasant truth?  Part of the blame is due to Obama's own racism.

Google No Like! by Steve Sailer
The unbelievable ways in which the search giant seeks to obscure Pat Buchanan.  Yet another mega-corporation who doesn't want us serfs reading anything other than their party line.  The "don't be evil" evil Google stores our search terms in near perpetuity.  Keep your government dossier at least somewhat thinner with Scroogle.

Moscow’s Stray Dogs, by Susanne Sternthal
We'll come to a close this week outside the realm of the political, and with perhaps the single most interesting article.  Read how some of the strays have taught themselves to ride the subway, getting off at the proper stop each day.

Free Bird: Conan Flies Coop, Seeks New Perch, by James Poniewozik

Like their government partner always does, GE holding NBC's bureaucracy has completely screwed it up in late night.  This article details Conan's last episode, where he kept it classy and went out on a high note.  Check out the "Free Bird" cowbell redux, and just in case you are one of the three individuals on earth who missed the inspiration, look here.

Conan Says What We Wish We Could, by Susan Reimer
Not to worry.  Before his last night, Conan didn't pass up the opportunity to skewer his bosses at NBC.  Didn't they screw things up with Letterman, too?  Now they've lost the two funniest men in late night.  Here's to hoping that he's back on the air soon.  Thankfully there's the "Best of Triumph" DVD to keep us entertained in his absence.