Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Free money for everyone!

As long as you are a (big) banker.

Actually, it's better than free money, they (the central banks) are paying bankers (even more now) to borrow money from them. No wonder the markets are partying hard.

The farce is that this is nothing more than temporizing, once again. How many weeks will it last? My crystal ball says one to two.

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Spoils of war

The strange stuff you can find ransacking the British Embassy in Tehran

Credit: FarsNews/Getty Images
(h/t BagnewsNotes)

Monday, November 28, 2011

Enemy of the Week! VII

It's Monday once again, and time for Blog Simple's favorite, and lately just about only, feature:

Enemy of the Week!

And we have a new winner! Iran has been monopolizing the rankings for the last three weeks, but just over the weekend, Pakistan had the temerity to get its soldiers in the way of US bombs and missiles, and the results were not pretty:

Pakistani officials said on Saturday that NATO aircraft had killed at least 25 soldiers in strikes against two military posts at the northwestern border with Afghanistan, and the country’s supreme army commander called them unprovoked acts of aggression in a new flash point between the United States and Pakistan.
But the US will investigate:
A senior American military official said on Monday that Gen. James N. Mattis, head of the military’s Central Command, would appoint a senior-ranking officer to lead an inquiry into the NATO airstrike the killed at least two dozen Pakistani soldiers over the weekend.
Yes, for the New York Times, Pakistani soldiers, like eggs, come by the dozen.

Anyway, in response to what General Mattis will call either an unfortunate accident, or Pakistan's fault, Pakistan has closed their boarder crossings to NATO trucks and shut down a CIA base for drones.

Before this incident, Pakistan also recalled its ambassador to the US and fired him, evidently for forgetting which country he worked for. This is problem that affect other countries, the UK ambassador to Israel as well as their defense minister both seem to think they work for Israel.

This undeserved escalation of Pakistan's hostility towards the US makes Pakistan Blog Simple' Enemy of the Week!

Monday, November 21, 2011

Enemy of the Week! VI

Yes, it is Iran again. Push over the top by the WaPo's ridiculous story of chemical weapon shells to Libya and President Drone announcement of new sanctions, for money laundering!

Congratulations, Iran!

No shame

Seeing disgusting neo-liberal Mayor Bloomberg with his even more disgusting top cop and neo-fascist Kelly together 'breaking' the pathetic story of a 'lone wolf' terrorist suspect nearly made me toss by cookies yesterday eve.

The media, equally disgusting, parrots these absurd threats without ever pointing out any of the contradictions:
1. He was, like totally, a lone wolf, living with his mother.
2. He had been talking for years with an informant.
3. He was charged with conspiracy.

How does that fit together?

It's obvious the NYPD is now mimicking the FBI in finding half-wits and molding them into publicity stunts for the mayor and police chief.

The pattern is that of reality TV. We just need some celebrity guests to decide whose terrorists rate highest on the scare meter, and award prizes to their creators and enablers.

Monday, November 14, 2011

Enemy of the Week! V

Variety may be the spice of life, but we have to concede that this weeks EotW (Enemy of the Week) is the same as last week's: Iran!

Yes, the steady drumbeat of the press, joined by the fanatical Republican candidates and their peanut gallery have tipped the scales. There was also a dearth of respectable competition, though China and Russia have risen in the queue, if only for their support of Iran and their opposition to sanctions.

So congrats, Iran, two weeks in a row is new in our (admittedly fledgling) feature. See you again soon!

Wednesday, November 09, 2011

Perfect

No need for comment (h/t zero hedge):

Monday, November 07, 2011

Enemy of the Week! IV

One would have to live in a cave, cut off from all human contact, perhaps even that of mammals, not to know that the Iranian danger has reach new, unheard of, dangerous heights. Israel is ready to attack (hardly a surprise, Israel is always ready to attack just about anyone, anywhere), Britain is preparing an attack, the US, like Israel, is spoiling for a fight, especially since the nefarious plot to assassinate the Saudi ambassador was exposed, and Iraq handed them their walking papers.

So, where all that hostility and hatred is aimed, the Islamic Republic of Iran, is Blog Simple's Enemy of the Week! Iran has done everything in its power to gain the coveted award, continued its nuclear program, continued to be unabashedly Islamic, continued to have a scruffy president, as well as a turbaned Supreme Leader who is even more extreme than the scruffy president.

They continue not to reply to allegations that they cannot see, as reported by Iran Affairs:
Iran agreed as a "good faith" gesture to address these Alleged Studies upon receiving the documents that contain the allegations, but the IAEA has not provided them to Iran and refuses to do so because the US prevents it. Read here about them.
Those crafty fiends! Worthy to be Enemy of the Week!

Friday, November 04, 2011

On to Italy!

'On to Italy' was the conclusion of the last post, and it's there the banksters (IMF) are now going to 'supervise' the austerity measures that Berlusconi has agreed to, but not implemented.

Silvio Berlusconi cares more about himself than anything, including his country. This has been obvious from the beginning, but his egoism seemed to have charmed, rather than dismayed the Italians. To choose it as a feature, rather than a bug in a national leader shows how effective he and his media empire have been in degenerating the political scene in Italy.

This latest ploy to stay in office will be his most damaging, and have the most long term consequences. Both Greece and Italy, we know from the past, have a weakness for 'strong men'. The continuing degrading of national economies will make them more and more palatable to their country, especially as democratic forms are made clearly subservient to foreign and global interests.

Thursday, November 03, 2011

That was quick

The ink had almost dried on my post on Papandreou and his referendum, when he flip-flopped like Mitt Romney on steroids.

No referendum for Greece, a unity government united to screw their people and gratify the banksters and their lackeys, Merkel and Sarkozy. That amounts to folding like a bed spread.

Swallowing the deal that means his political death may allow Europe to kick the can down the road for a month, a week or a day, the vampire banks will only be satisfied with more blood.

Until the will to fight them takes over the political world, their rampage will continue unabated.

On to Italy!

Wednesday, November 02, 2011

Blame it on Cain

So, rumors of randiness have seemingly claimed the campaign of yet another pol.

The public Mr. Cain has always seemed a rather vile exemplar of the type, but no worse than the other Rethugs, excepting Ron Paul, who is much the same, but at least claims to want to stop murdering thousands of non-US people.

And none of them can match up, one on one, with the crimes and lies of President Drone, not until they take the oath of office and start up their own atrocities. Then we will see.

The denouement of Cain's campaign is a classic example of a press campaign. The steady beat of the leaks, comments, tweets, posts and old fashioned news articles have pinned him to the ropes, and are beating him to a bloody pulp.

When will someone in the corner throw in the towel? Please. Cain is dumb enough to keep going until he's chopped liver and run over by a steam roller.

Tuesday, November 01, 2011

Greek Eeek!

In a fitting coda to Halloween, Greek PM Papandreou’s call for a referendum for the 'bailout' terms that he had agreed to has terrorized the other European leaders.

His logic is clear, most Greeks are opposed to living in debt serfdom for the rest of their and their children's lives, and would probably have chopped Mr. Papandreou into a particularly unappetizing moussaka.

He's now off to meet with the comic duo of Merkel and Sarkozy, doubtlessly to be lectured on his responsibilities to obey his masters (the banksters), and the unsuitability of giving his lazy ungrateful people a voice in their impoverishment.

Will he bow to their will? Will he stick to his referendum guns?

In other words, in whose moussaka will he be the primary ingredient?