Puppet Masters
It is ironic that corporate libertarians regularly pay homage to Adam Smith as their intellectual patron saint, since it is obvious to even the most casual reader of his epic work The Wealth of Nations that Smith would have vigorously opposed most of their claims and policy positions.
For example, corporate libertarians fervently oppose any restraint on corporate size or power. Smith, on the other hand, opposed any form of economic concentration on the ground that it distorts the market's natural ability to establish a price that provides a fair return on land, labor, and capital; to produce a satisfactory outcome for both buyers and sellers; and to optimally allocate society's resources.
Through trade agreements, corporate libertarians press governments to provide absolute protection for the intellectual property rights of corporations. Smith was strongly opposed to trade secrets as contrary to market principles and would have vigorously opposed governments enforcing a person or corporation's claim to the right to monopolize a lifesaving drug or device and to charge whatever the market would bear.
The one thing that's been proven is the absolute fear-mongering that's being used to drive us is false. I've seen members turn to each other and say if we don't pass this bill, we're going to have martial law in the United States. -- Rep. Brad Sherman, October 1, 2008We've had a bad feeling these past several years, as those of you who have read these pages may know, that the Iraq disaster wasn't so much a resource grab or to encircle Iran and Russia, nor just to protect Israel, but something more sinister: training soldiers to be mindless killers so that when they're brought back home they would have no problem killing their fellow citizens when martial law is declared and the cow pies really hit the fan.
The bailout plan is more than just a giveaway to the rich as represented by the big banks (although it is that). It probably is a panicked attempt to forestall the real potential crisis: a collapse of the huge, unregulated hedge funds based on derivatives and Credit Default Swaps (CDS).
Here's a provocative column from the New York Times' Frank Rich, who asks the question: Why is Sarah Palin acting like someone who believes she is going to be president very soon?
Omer Goldman, daughter of Natalin Granot, former deputy to the head of Mossad, was imprisoned on Tuesday after she, along with two other Israeli women, Miya Tamarin and Tamar Katz, refused to enter the army.
"I feel obligated morally, to refuse," Goldman said.
"I often traveled to the occupied territories, and saw with my own eyes, what the Israeli army is [doing] there are things [with] which I can not cooperate."
JFK tried to strip the power of the FED, abolish the Oil Depletion Allowance, and 'smash the CIA into a thousand pieces'. No President since has dared to piss off so many powerful and ruthless people. Qui bono?
According to the South China Morning Post on September 5, Hanoi has twice summoned senior Chinese diplomats to express concerns about the "war plans" that have been appearing on Chinese web sites since August. The plans supposedly outline a full-scale invasion of Vietnam, starting with five days of missile strikes. Following a naval blockade and electronic jamming of Vietnam's communications, 310,000 Chinese troops would sweep into northern Vietnam from the Chinese provinces of Yunnan and Guangxi and from the South China Sea.
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©Reuters |
Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni was set to be Israel's next prime minister after a comfortable victory on Wednesday in a party leadership election to choose a replacement for Ehud Olmert.
"The good guys won," the former corporate lawyer and one-time Mossad intelligence agent told supporters within the ruling centrist Kadima party after exit polls gave her a clear margin over retired general Shaul Mofaz, the transport minister.
Palestinian peace negotiators -- and possibly the sponsors of the peace process in Washington -- were among those applauding as official results began to confirm a win for Livni, who has led talks with the Palestinians this year.
Comment: Israel's answer to President Palin?
Comment: On the contrary, there is quite enough "paint on this canvas", for those who have eyes to see. The reader is encouraged to search SOTT page for articles related to Palin, dominionism and theocracy, to get a fair and extensive scoop on what she is about.