Archive for the Kleptocracy Category

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Plow Shares And Swords.  Oh, And Happy Memorial Day! (May 28, 2018)

Posted in Draft, Hypocrisy, Iran, Iraq, Kleptocracy, Perjury, Perjury/Dishonesty, Security State, Society, Syria, Terrorism, Vietnam, War on May 28, 2018 by e-commentary.org

. . .

K          “A sword in one hand, a plow share in the other.”

J          “On this planet, you cannot carry one without the other.”

. . .

K          “I’ll put down the plow and pick up the sword in defense of the village, but not based on a lie.”

J          “If not for lies, there would be far fewer wars.”

K          “They lied, kids died.”

J          “But not their kids.”

. . .

[See the e-ssay titled “The Flag (May 31, 2010)” and the e-commentary at “In Memoriam (May 26, 2014)” and “Reinstate The Draft; Reduce The Demand For War (Somewhat). Oh, And Happy Veterans Day! (November 6, 2017)”.]

Bumper stickers of the week:  [Big bumper]

When considering the reliability of information provided to you by the government of the United States of America, it is important that you recall and reflect:

They fibbed about Viet Nam.

They fibbed about Cambodia.

They fibbed about Laos.

They fibbed about Cuba.

They fibbed about El Salvador.

They fibbed about Nicaragua.

They fibbed about Guatemala.

They fibbed about Panama.

They fibbed about Honduras.                                                    

They fibbed about Venezuela.

They fibbed about Chile.

They fibbed about the Spanish American War.

They fibbed about the Mexican War.

They fibbed about Pearl Harbor.

They fibbed about 9/11.

They fibbed about Osama bin Laden.

They fibbed about Afghanistan.

They fibbed about Kuwait.

They fibbed about Iraq.

They fibbed about Saddam Hussein.

They fibbed about Libya.

They fibbed about Muammar Gaddafi.

They are fibbing about Yemen.

They are fibbing about Somalia.

They are fibbing about Sudan.

They are fibbing about Syria.

They are fibbing about Palestine.

They are fibbing about Iran.

They are fibbing about Ukraine.

They are fibbing about Niger.

They are fibbing about the War on Terror.

They are fibbing.

They do not seem to be telling the truth.

Things really did not turn out so super in Nicaragua, Grenada, Panama, Haiti, Bosnia, Serbia, Somalia, Afghanistan, Libya, Yemen, Pakistan, Iraq and Syria, but who is counting?

But who cares?

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The Taxonomy Of The American Economy (May 21, 2018)

Posted in Class, Economics, Kleptocracy, Race on May 21, 2018 by e-commentary.org

. . .

K          “The economic and political system exists for the benefit of the one one-thousandths of one percenters (.001 %) and the remaining members of the One Percenters (.999 %).  The Four Percenters (4 %) include the schooled servants squiring to the needs of the One Percenters.”

J          “The tax lawyers, obeisant judges, lecherous lobbyists, teeth whitening dentists, pliant politicians, public relations spin doctors, officious bureaucrats, tummy-tuck plastic surgeons, and their ilk.”

K          “As long as they obey and play, they get the pay.”

J          “They say.  The Fifteen Percenters (15 %) may stay a pay check or two ahead of calamity, yet many are never really economically secure or free of the nagging concerns that haunt them at three in the morning.”

K          “The butcher, the baker and the candle stick maker.  The good old Middle Class.  The good old Middle Class has been badly butchered, baked and left in the dark and the dirt.  Is it even as high as fifteen percent if you factor in the insecure position of so many of them?”

J          “Beneath them are the Eighty Percenters (80 %) who have desperately little chance of ever participating in the American dream.”

. . .

J          “The Dow and the Russell 5000 Index and such metrics measure the economic situation and security of the Five Percenters, not of the general public.  Assessing the real economy requires one to study metrics such as the U6 measure of unemployment of those who were making under $50,000 when they were fired or laid off, opioid use, child mortality rates, consumer debt loads, etc.”   

K          “The poor, the dispossessed, the downtrodden, the unwashed masses, [the] hoi polloi, the sheeple are summoned on election day for an hour to vote their fears and hopes and summarily disregarded the rest of the time.”

J          “Seems we could do better.”

. . .

[See “Shadow Stats” collected by John Williams and navigate the site and the sources.]

[See the e-commentary titled “The Microeconomics of Suburban Subsistence (February 7, 2005)”, “The Microeconomics of Suburban Subsistence: Three Years Later (February 4, 2008)” and “Justice Is a Middle Class Creation, Delusion and Aspiration (March 20, 2017)”.]

Bumper stickers of the week:

Feed the homeless to the hungry

The beatings will continue until morale improves

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Suing Law Schools; Suing Gun Makers.  Oh, And Happy Law Day! (April 30, 2018)

Posted in Courts, Education, Guns, Kleptocracy, MICAC, Schooling on April 30, 2018 by e-commentary.org

. . .

K          “It is about time.  Manufacturers are legally culpable for defective products that proximately cause damage.  Some folks are talking about holding gun manufacturers liable.  Now is the time to hold law schools liable for their defective products.”

J          “It is long overdue.  Law schools are profit-maximizing institutions pursuing a longer term financial strategy that drives, directs and dictates admission decisions.  They have enough information over the decades to calculate the rate of return in lucre and luster for each applicant over his or her lifetime and admit and deny accordingly.  And the statute of limitations does not expire until the lawyer expires, so there is still time.”

K          “When you study the process carefully, you realize that character is immaterial or maybe even an impediment to being admitted.  That is a business decision.  However, that is a business decision that should be challengeable in court.  A citizen should be able to sue Harvard Law School for any of Michael Pompeo’s abominations and Yale Law School for any of Johnnie Bolton’s desecrations and other criminal activities.”

J          “Absolutely.  Law Schools are full sustaining members of the MICAC (Military Industrial Congressional Academic Complex).  Moving down the path toward the adoption of the rule of law in the U.S. requires a first step.  Let’s take a first step by requiring law schools to adhere to the rule of law.”

K          “The problem is finding an honest court in America.  We need to support the creation of the Court Of Truth And Justice (CTJ).”

. . .

K          “Gun manufacturers are liable for defective guns.  A gun can maim or kill a few bodies; a lawyer can maim or kill the body politic.” 

. . .

J          “If they blow up the entire world to smithereens, the damages are going to get way, way up there.”

. . .

[See the e-commentary at “Johnnie Bolton:  The Triumph Of The Chickenhawks And Neo-Cons.  Join Fellow Patriots For The “April 14 Rally” And The Memorial Day “March For America”.  Oh, And Happy April Fool’s Day! (April 2, 2018)”, “Schooling The Apparatchiks For The Kleptocrats (December 7, 2015)”, “Clinton, Inc., Trump, Inc., Bush, Inc., Kennedy, Inc., O’Bama, Inc. (October 24, 2016)”, “The Court Of Truth And Justice (CTJ) (August 29, 2016)”, “Assigning Blame:  The Lawyers: 50 Percent; The Non-Lawyer Public: 50 Percent; The Judges: 100 Percent (December 3, 2012)” and “Perjury, the American Way (February 20, 2006)”.]

Bumper stickers of the week:

We live in a country with many, many, many rules and many, many, many laws, but we do not live in a country that believes in or adheres to the rule of law.

May 1 – Law Day

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Terrorized By Trumpi’s Tariffs (March 5, 2018)

Posted in Automobiles/Automobile Industry, Banks and Banking System, Blue States / Red States, Currency, Kleptocracy, South, Tariffs, Trumpi, War on March 5, 2018 by e-commentary.org

. . .

K          “In his latest Twitter tantrum, Trumpi announced that he is going to terrorize the world with tariffs.”

J          “He is a twit.  Everyone but Trumpi knows that tariffs are tarrible.”

. . .

K          “Trumpi may place tariffs on foreign cars.  The BMWs manufactured in the foreign country of South Carolina and the Volkswagens made in the foreign country of Tennessee and the Mercedes made in the foreign country of Alabama all will be tariffed.”

J          “The South is the New Germany.  Lindsay Graham is the Senator from South Carolina, New Germany.”

K          “The South is also the New Japan.  The Toyotas from the foreign country of Kentucky also will be tariffed.  Mitch McConnell is the Senator from Kentucky, New Japan.  Someone said that other countries may place a tariff on Kentucky bourbon.  That will get Mitch in a tither.”

J          “What if other nations boycott Harley-Davidson?  They are made in Paul Ryan country.”

. . .

K          “Makes you wonder if most of the Red States are actually foreign countries.  We may soon need a passport to visit and transit.”

. . .

J          “Tariffs are a toll that takes such a toll.”

. . .

K          “A boycott of Harley-Davidson . . . now them is fighin’ words.  And that’s the problem.  A trade war often becomes a war war.”

J          “Trade wars often become currency wars.  Currency wars often become trade wars.  A currency war combined with a trade war almost always becomes a war war.”

. . .

K          “Putin sent a message on March 1 to the U.S. that seems to have been lost in translation and buried in the cacophony of chaos.  If the U.S. attacks, Russia will respond.”

J          “No one is listening over the din.”

K          “No one is listening.  Too many hurricanes are hurling toward the house of cards.”

. . .

[March 8 – International Women’s Day]

[See the e-commentary at “Bankruptcy Auto Companies (December 8, 2008)” on the auto industry in the South.]

Bumper stickers of the week:

The chaos is getting even more chaotic.

Trade War -> Currency War; Currency War -> Trade War; Trade War + Currency War -> War War

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Bugging Out To N.Z.:  The Movie, Part 2.  Oh, And Happy Valentine’s Day! (February 12, 2018)

Posted in Aviation, Class, Climate, Collapse, Community, Contracts, Global Climate Change, Kleptocracy on February 12, 2018 by e-commentary.org

. . .

K          “Those who want to bug out to New Zealand seem to believe the island is ‘PLAN B’ on this planet.”

J          “And yet the thoughtful folks who think about it observe that ‘There is no PLANet B’ in our universe.”

K          “Not even Mars.” 

. . .

K          “When the funds run out to guard the compound, the guards will walk off the job.”

J          “I would clear the runway and clear the plane to land, visually if necessary.  The first aid kit, fire extinguisher and other supplies on the plane would come in useful.”

K          “The P.I.C. should pack a readily available t-shirt proclaiming ‘Don’t shoot me, I’m only the pilot’ to stand apart and then stand apart when they land.”

J          “When the kleptocrats deplane, they can be debriefed and disabused of their old ideas.  They need to know that the rules have changed.”

K          “The rules may be the same, just the participants will change.  They depart a land where ‘Might makes right’ and land in a land where ‘Might makes right’ also.  The difference is the group with the might has changed mightily.”

. . .

K          “If I were the pilot, I would let the Kleptocrats know that the manifest has changed and take my family and friends.” 

J          “The ‘theory of efficient breach’ provides the inconvenienced Kleptocrats with a cause of action against the pilot for their inconvenience.”

K          “That is a succulent use of a theory that was concocted to allow the wealthy to breach a contract that nuisances them and avoid punitive damages and the likelihood that the other party would be able to pony up the lucre in the ‘pay to play’ legal system.”

J          “I would cherish the opportunity to inform the Kleptocrat: ‘Sue me’ and then part with: ‘I’ll see you in court’ as we run up the engines and begin to head down the runway.”

. . .

K          “I asked him to forward the draft contract when they e-mail it to him.  Is he as pilot obligated to be ready to leave in four hours or six hours or eight hours?  How many family members is he allowed to take with him?  However, when the Collapse comes, all contracts are advisory and voidable.  The pilot can amend the manifest and take his family and friends to the promised land.  That could be the plot twist for the third plane that actually completes the flight.”

J          “We might ‘Immanentize the Eschaton’ in the new land, the New Z-land.”

K          “Perhaps the most prudent strategy for the locals is to bivouac next to the compound, befriend the guards and be ready for the transition.”

. . .

K          “Before takeoff, China will already have taken over both islands.”

J          “Unless an earthquake devastates and cracks the runway first.”

. . .

[Listen to this excerpt from Carl Sagan’s Pale Blue Dot (1994) ]

[See the e-commentary at “Bugging Out To N.Z.:  The Movie (June 26, 2017)” and “Immanentize the Eschaton.  Say What? (August 22, 2016)”.]

Bumper sticker of the week:

There is no PLANet B

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Going Forward With The “Reverse Stock Split” (February 5, 2018)

Posted in Crime/Punishment, Dow Jones, Federal Reserve, Kleptocracy, Rackets, Rule of Law, Stock Market on February 5, 2018 by e-commentary.org

. . .

K          “The Federal Reserve has purposely pursued a policy to punish citizens, including millions of hard working and God fearing Americans in their retirement, who merely seek a predictable and reasonable rate of return on their money.  If citizens want any real return on their money, the Fed forced them into the stock market racket.”

J          “Which is a crime and really should be punished as a crime.”

K          “Except we subsist in a country without the rule of law.”

. . .

K          “The Dow was at about 26,000 last week before today’s collapse, yet the real value of the underlying stocks measured by realistic price/earnings ratios is only about 13,000 to perhaps 15,000.”

J          “But that type of thinking undermines the consensus that all Americans are financial geniuses.”

K          “The ‘Wealth Effect’ is surreptitiously impoverishing many of those financial geniuses.  Too many investors/speculators are spending more money or, even worse, incurring more debt without realizing that their faux wealth will soon vaporize.”

J          “The ‘Poverty Effect’ will be a bodacious and stupendous bummer.”

. . .

K          “Check this out.  In a typical stock split, one share at $100 per share is split into two shares at $50 per share.  That thinking is so outmoded and outdated.  Everything in the stock market is hocus pocus.  I propose a reverse stock split where one share at $100 per share is split into two shares at $100 per share.  We need to create wealth.”

J          “Count me in.  The Dow at 52,000.  Just like that.  Twice as rich.  But with the absurdity, the insanity, the depravity and the irrationality that defines our reality, why not a three for one split and thus a Dow of 76,000.  Thrice as rich.  Just like that.  We need to concoct wealth.”

K          “Pocus hocus.  Count me in.”

. . .

[See the e-commentary at “The Dow Is The Canary (April 26, 2010)”.]

Bumper stickers of the week:

The Dow at 104,000!!!!!!!!!!!

Or not.

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Divas And Divos At Davos (January 29, 2018)

Posted in Antitrust, Banks and Banking System, Globalization, Kleptocracy, Rackets on January 29, 2018 by e-commentary.org

. . .

K          “I like their knife.”

J          “The common folk need a people’s Davos.”

. . .

K          “The world is not flat.  From afar, it is a mysterious big blue marble with swirling white clouds.  Up close, it is one long unlevel playing field with all the big players playing a game with the little players.”

J          “When you think about it, ‘globalization’ is an anagram derived from neo-colonialism and neo-imperialism and neo-capitalism and neo-consumerism.”

. . .

K          “When the one one-thousandths of one percent (.001 %) get together, you know they are up to no good.”

J          “They fix prices, but they do not fix problems.”

. . .

K          “They say that a conspiracy is two or more people working together for one end.”

J          “My theory is that they are conspiring to put the fix on us.”

. . .

[See the e-commentary at “Humanity’s Motto:  To Enslave And To Colonize (January 27, 2014)”, “The ‘Superfluous Consumer’ (July 27, 2015)” and “Is The American Consumer Irrelevant? (December 12, 2011)”.]

Bumper sticker of the week:

“Qu’ils mangent de la brioche”

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