Iran and inflation of currency

Story: "In a rare gesture, Ahmadinejad admitted last week that inflation existed but blamed it on his predecessors, the conservative-dominated parliament, state-run media and bank managers who misused their power and printed too many bank notes.

"Inflation has its roots in the past," Ahmadinejad said in a televised speech.
...
Ahmadinejad's critics point out that more than 80 percent of Iran's government revenues come from crude exports and that inflation has risen under him despite sharp increases in oil prices to near $100 per barrel currently.
...
Central Bank of Iran figures for November showed prices of basic commodities and services rising at a 19 percent while overall inflation is running at a 16.8 percent rate annually — double the pace it was when Ahmadinejad took office in 2005. But independent economists and experts put the inflation rate well above 30 percent.

No official figures are available for specific items but over the past month, the price of basic commodities has clearly jumped in many places. In some shops visited by an Associated Press reporter in the capital, Tehran, about 2 pounds of chicken has increased 35 percent to $2.44, and rice is up 43 percent at about $2.12 for 2 pounds.

Prices for fruit and vegetables have almost tripled in the past year in many shops, and housing prices in many neighborhoods have more than doubled since last summer.

Hossein Alavi, a Tehran real estate agent, said he is selling houses at more than twice the price he asked for last year.

A prominent economist, Mohammad Sattarifar, said Ahmadinejad is to blame for flooding the market with too many newly printed bank notes, relying too much on imported goods — including basic commodities — and using oil revenues to pay for the government's day-to-day expenses instead of distributing it to the people as he promised to do in his election campaign.""

Such are the failures of oil fed socialism. I expect to see similar issues with Venezula in the coming years.

Unto us, a child is born

Merry Christmas!

If your in the mood to send a Christmas card, send one to the ALCU.

In other news, I don't remember politics encroaching on christmas this much in the past... I can say with a large degree of certainty I don't like this new primary schedule.

And I have a question for ya'll. Anybody else doing 'White Elephant' gift exchanges this year?
It's where everybody brings a gift, and then everybody draws a number. Number 1 picks a present, then 2, and 3, and so on. But every time you go, there is a chance to 'steal' somebody else's gift, and they pick a new one.

So far, I've received 2 pumpkins and some kool-aid.

Bush issues 29 pardons, at least two missing.

Associated Press Story regarding Bush's pardons.

I can think of two missing pardons.
Ignacio Ramos and Jose Alonso.

Who?
The two border agents who were tossed into prison earlier this year.
I covered that on January 18, and then on Febuary 6, the story where Ramos was assulting and brutally beaten in prison by a mexican gang.

Bush's response was to do nothing.


Apparently, that policy still exists today.

A tour of the Islamic world

In light of the flurry of important news coming from the Muslim world, I'm putting short shots of the more important ones.

We'll start with Sudan, and this absolutely ridiculous reaction to a British Teacher, living in the country to teach children. Gillian Gibbons is a mother of two children. While in Sudan, her class gave her a teddy bear, and the popular vote for the name was Mohammed. In a civilized society, this wouldn't be an issue, yet in the stone age mentality of Sudan, this was blasphemy of the first order.

Moving on, I'll jump to an older story from Saudi Arabia. It is hard to conceive of a news story that greater exemplifies the abject lack of respect for women, and the effect of an Islamic judicial system.
A girl had sent a picture of herself to a teenage boy when they were both 16, three years ago. Earlier this year, she was married, and in order to protect the 'honor' of her family, she sought out the guy and asked for the picture back. When she went to get it, 7 other men took them both away into a different area of the town. The men proceeded to sexual assault them both for several hours, and returned the woman to her house the next morning. Her husband was outraged, but had to complain to the police 4 times before anything was done.
The verdict was reached in what does not deserve to be called a trial, with among other things, the husband being barred from the court proceedings. The final verdict was 1-5 years for each of the assailants, and 80-1000 lashes. Hardly appropriate for the crime, but what followed is even more disturbing.
""He [judge] said: 'You get 90 lashes. You should thank God you're not in prison.'
"I asked him why and he said: "You know why. Because mingling begets evil.' ""
So she complained to Human rights watch and the media, only to be sentenced to 6 months in prison and 200 lashes. The gang's sentenced was bumped up to a minimum of 2 years, which is still a far cry from what justice demands.

After 'our friends the Saudis' actions, there is, on the surface at least, good news regarding Iran.
According to a recent NIE report, Iran stopped its nuclear program back in 2003. (When did we invade Iraq, again?) While my gut tells me there is nothing true to this report, the Neo-Hitler said ""a declaration of victory for the Iranian nation against the world powers over the nuclear issue."""
Also involving Iran, is an issue that was covered on this blog some time ago, when Iran was discover providing IEDs to Shiite terrorists in Iraq. In recent weeks, Iran has been discovered providing even more aid.

Concerning Iraq, however, we do have positive news, coming even from the liberal outlets.
So, how 'bout that surge, huh?

Iraqi citizens that fled the country when the war began are returning from neighboring nations, most notably Syria. Not only is this an indication of results, but results that have been around long enough for people to feel confident and move back in.
Looks like Iraq will not be the forefront issue this election cycle, at least not in the same light as in the 2006 elections.

Victor David Hansen, a historian who's works I have enjoyed, sums up the middle east well with this thought.
"Remember that the fanatic waving his age-old sword in the Khartoum street over a teddy bear shows the same dangerous derangement as the nut in Tehran who may one day want his hand on the Bomb."

Lenin rolls over in his grave, Chavez looses Communist referendum

Story: " Humbled by his first electoral defeat ever, President Hugo Chavez said Monday he may have been too ambitious in asking voters to let him stand indefinitely for re-election and endorse a huge leap to a socialist state.

"I understand and accept that the proposal I made was quite profound and intense," he said after voters narrowly rejected the sweeping constitutional reforms by 51 percent to 49 percent.

Opposition activists were ecstatic as the results were announced shortly after midnight - with 88 percent of the vote counted, the trend was declared irreversible by elections council chief Tibisay Lucena.

...The defeated reform package would have created new types of communal property, let Chavez handpick local leaders under a redrawn political map and suspended civil liberties during extended states of emergency.

Other changes would have shortened the workday from eight hours to six, created a social security fund for millions of informal laborers and promoted communal councils where residents decide how to spend government funds."

Several things to note here:

• Communism was held at bay in Venezuela, if only for a short time. While the margin of victory was concerning, as this election was only of a 2 point differential, it is a victory for liberty nonetheless.
• Chavez has thrown down the gauntlet to the west on numerous occasions, and in essence, has done so again. We shall see just how long he allows pestering little things like elections get in the way of his power grabs.
• More then 50% of the country voted. What's wrong with the US?

UPDATE: Lenin is probably rejoicing with the results of the Russian, or should I say, Soviet, elections.
Putin pretty much just jigged his election to ensure a victory, with democracies in both the US and Europe crying foul. Gary Karaspov was harassed throughout the campaign, and his party was not allowed to run for parliament. Sore news indeed in what is once again becoming the land of Lenin.

Wanted: Intelligence at CBS News

CBS news job posting on JournalismJobs.com:
" CBS is expanding its coverage of the environment. We seek a talented reporter/host for Internet video broadcast. We are looking for smart, creative, hard working up and comers, who can bring great energy, creativity and a dash of humor to our coverage. A deep interest in the environment and sustainability issues will serve you well.

You are wicked smart, funny, irreverent and hip, oozing enthusiasm and creative energy. This position requires strong people, reporting, story telling and writing skills. Managing tight deadlines should be second nature. Knowledge of the enviro beat is a big plus, but not a requirement.

Responsibilities include reporting and hosting two to three news packages per week plus daily writing for our blog. You should be comfortable using a video camera and the Internet. Be prepared to see America. Heavy domestic travel."

No knowledge of the enviroment required, and must have story telling abilities.
Pretty much sums up what the news agencys already have, but when you throw the part about being funny, hip, and irreverent, thats where the difficulties are encountered.

It's just darned hard to be cheerful when talking about the presumed destruction of the world by the hands of man.





------------------------->>>
The extent of editorial intelligence at CBS News right now.

Basic explanation of the US tax system

Full disclosure: I got this in an email. It's a fantastically simple explanation of the United States Tax system, and deserves to be read.
And if nothing else, it is my first post ever involving alcohol on this blog.

Bar Stool Economics

Suppose that every day, ten men go out for beer and the bill for all
ten comes to $100. If they paid their bill the way we pay our taxes,
it would go something like this:

The first four men (the poorest) would pay nothing.
The fifth would pay $1.
The sixth would pay $3.
The seventh would pay $7.
The eighth would pay $12.
The ninth would pay $18.
The tenth man (the richest) would pay $59.

So, that's what they decided to do.

The ten men drank in the bar every day and seemed quite happy with
the arrangement, until one day, the owner threw them a curve. "Since
you are all such good customers," he said, "I'm going to reduce the
cost of your daily beer by $20." Drinks for the ten now cost just $80.

The group still wanted to pay their bill the way we pay our taxes so
the first four men were unaffected. They would still drink for free.
But what about the other six men - the paying customers? How could
they divide the $20 windfall so that everyone would get his 'fair
share?' They realized that $20 divided by six is $3.33. But if they
subtracted that from everybody's share, then the fifth man and the
sixth man would each end up being paid to drink his beer. So, the bar
owner suggested that it would be fair to reduce each man's bill by
roughly the same amount, and he proceeded to work out the amounts
each should pay.

And so:
The fifth man, like the first four, now paid nothing (100% savings).
The sixth now paid $2 instead of $3 (33%savings).
The seventh now paid $5 instead of $7 (28%savings).
The eighth now paid $9 instead of $12 (25% savings).
The ninth now paid $14 instead of $18 (22% savings).
The tenth now paid $49 instead of $59 (16% savings).

Each of the six was better off than before. And the first four
continued to drink for free. But once outside the restaurant, the men
began to compare their savings.

"I only got a dollar out of the $20,"declared the sixth man. He
pointed to the tenth man," but he got $10!" "Yeah, that's right,"
exclaimed the fifth man. "I only saved a dollar, too. It's unfair
that he got ten times more than I!" "That's true!!" shouted the
seventh man. "Why should he get $10 back when I got only two? The
wealthy get all the breaks!" "Wait a minute," yelled the first four
men in unison. "We didn't get anything at all. The system exploits the poor!"

The nine men surrounded the tenth and beat him up.

The next night the tenth man didn't show up for drinks, so the nine
sat down and had beers without him. But when it came time to pay the
bill, they discovered something important. They didn't have enough
money between all of them for even half of the bill!

And that, ladies and gentlemen, journalists and college professors,
is how our tax system works. The people who pay the highest taxes get
the most benefit from a tax reduction. Tax them too much, attack them
for being wealthy, and they just may not show up anymore. In fact,
they might start drinking overseas where the atmosphere is somewhat
friendlier.

French railroad strike waves a white flag, Sarkozy the Victor

Story: "...Yesterday, the strike of rail and subway workers that has crippled France for nine days was clearly crumbling, as workers began returning to work in large numbers and union branches conceded that support for the dispute is collapsing.

"We think a dynamic of return to work has begun," Julie Vion, a spokeswoman for France's state-owned railroad network, SNCF, said.

Union leaders began to concede defeat yesterday. "We have to face reality. Since yesterday's negotiations, things have changed. The strike is no longer the solution. The strike strategy is no longer winning,"...

Managers for SNCF announced yesterday that 42 out of 45 rail union committees have voted to abandon the national strike that has frozen the country's economy, and will return to work without delay."

Good to see socialsm take a hit, even in France.
This Sarkozy President really seems to have it together, and having the political backbone to both start this reform, and successfully pull the first stage off, is something incredible.

American Hegemon

Mark Steyn:
"...But on this Thanksgiving the rest of the world ought to give thanks to American national sovereignty, too. When something terrible and destructive happens – a tsunami hits Indonesia, an earthquake devastates Pakistan – the United States can project itself anywhere on the planet within hours and start saving lives, setting up hospitals and restoring the water supply.

Aside from Britain and France, the Europeans cannot project power in any meaningful way anywhere. When they sign on to an enterprise they claim to believe in – shoring up Afghanistan's fledgling post-Taliban democracy – most of them send token forces under constrained rules of engagement that prevent them doing anything more than manning the photocopier back at the base.

If America were to follow the Europeans and maintain only shriveled attenuated residual military capacity, the world would very quickly be nastier and bloodier, and far more unstable. It's not just Americans and Iraqis and Afghans who owe a debt of thanks to the U.S. soldier but all the Europeans grown plump and prosperous in a globalized economy guaranteed by the most benign hegemon in history.

That said, Thanksgiving isn't about the big geopolitical picture, but about the blessings closer to home. Last week, the state of Oklahoma celebrated its centennial, accompanied by rousing performances of Rodgers and Hammerstein's eponymous anthem:

"We know we belong to the land

And the land we belong to is grand!"

Which isn't a bad theme song for the first Thanksgiving, either.

Three hundred and 86 years ago, the Pilgrims thanked God because there was a place for them in this land, and it was indeed grand. The land is grander today, and that, too, is remarkable: France has lurched from Second Empires to Fifth Republics struggling to devise a lasting constitutional settlement for the same smallish chunk of real estate, but the principles that united a baker's dozen of East Coast colonies were resilient enough to expand across a continent and halfway around the globe to Hawaii."

Absolute brilliance in this column. To often do we forget what the United States has done for the world.
Or perhaps a better way to term it:
What would this world be like without the United States?
How would this world be different without a peaceful empire of liberty stretching from the foamy shores of the Atlantic to the shining coast of the Pacific, with Texas in the middle?


Happy thanksgiving ya'll.

A gap in the space/time blogger-tinium

Ok, so life has become very busy for me in the last few weeks, and as I look forward, I do not see a break in the near future. As I look over my priorities, I'm realizing that as much as I love this blog, it has to fall below 'senior stuff' this year before I graduate.
As such, I'm taking a break for the time being, and I don't know when I shall return. I'll be gone to mexico from Nov. 4-11, so I'll probably leave a report here from the aftermath.

Otherwise, I'm temporarily departing with nothing but happy memories. Thank ya'll.






In the mean time, I would like to recommend some other great blogs, run by people far better at this task then myself.
Matt's Cult of Christ
The Far Wright
Seventh Sola
Mercy Now
Young Dead Elms

That's My King

The greatest man ever to walk the earth...

Couple cleans up house with gun

Story: " My husband Adrian caught the thief red-handed in our home," she said. "And what is even crazier, the man even had my husband's hat sitting right on his head."

Adrian McKinnon held the suspect, 33-year-old Tajuan Bullock, at gunpoint and told him to sit on the floor until he decided what to do.

"We made this man clean up all the mess he made, piles of stuff, he had thrown out of my drawers and cabinets onto the floor," Tiffany McKinnon said.

When police arrived, Bullock complained about being forced to clean the home at gunpoint.

"This man had the nerve to raise sand about us making him clean up the mess he made in my house," she said. "The police officer laughed at him when he complained and said anybody else would have shot him dead."

Brilliant. :D

Stark raving mad on the floor of the House

Iran, Soviets, er, Russians in league for nukes

Story: "Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday that the delay in completion of Bushehr power plant has no political reason and Russia is seriously working to complete it as soon as possible.

He told IRNA and the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) that there are issues which should be settled between the two parties.

"Experts from Iran and Russia are currently working to resolve the issue," he said.

Asked about the delivery of fuel by Russia, he said that fuel should be delivered three months ahead of putting the reactor into operation."

So the good 'ol boys over in Russia are working with the Iranians, and no longer in supposed secrecy.
I think it's funny they blame busted equipment, fortunately it gives us more time to sit and watch, as apparently neither party has the intestinal fortitude to act on this looming world threat.

Pack's Back, 5-1

Stuck it to the Redskins

Introducing: The Terrorists choice for President

Story: ""I hope Hillary is elected in order to have the occasion to carry out all the promises she is giving regarding Iraq," stated Ala Senakreh, West Bank chief of the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades terrorist group. ...

"The Iraqi resistance is succeeding," stated Hamed. "Hillary and the Democrats call for withdrawal. Her popularity shows that the resistance is winning and that the occupation is losing. We just hope that she will go until the end and change the American policy, which is based on oppressing poor and innocent people."

The Brigades, together with the Islamic Jihad terrorist group, took responsibility for every suicide bombing in Israel the past three years. The Brigades also has carried out hundreds of recent shootings and rocket attacks.

Abu Ayman, an Islamic Jihad leader in Jenin, said he is "emboldened" by Clinton's calls for an eventual withdrawal from Iraq.

"It is clear that it is the resistance operations of the mujahideen that has brought about these calls for withdrawal," boasted Abu Ayman.

Nasser Abu Aziz, the West Bank deputy commander of the Al Aqsa Brigades, declared it is "very good" there are "voices like Hillary and others who are now attacking the Iraq invasion.""

This isn't surprising as a concept, that the terrorists would vastly prefer a Dovish Left Wing president over a Hawkish Right Wing president, but I didn't think they would say it.
Take what you will from this story, but not many people will hear about it, and as such, it will have very little impact on the election. Not that it shouldn't, but it won't.
Just remember, on top of all the Neo-Bolshevism she's been bandying around in recent months, she's also the islamo-nazi terrorists choice for Leader of the Free world.

(Picture, btw, is at Reagan's Funeral)
(Note: I refrained from posting this picture, which is somewhat disturbing in nature.)

Packers casually throw Chicago a bone, forfiet game by stupidity (Refs & Pack)

Enjoy it while it lasts, Gino.
Just remember, 12 men on the field.

Army Rips off 2600 soldiers

Story: "When they came home from Iraq, 2,600 members of the Minnesota National Guard had been deployed longer than any other ground combat unit. The tour lasted 22 months and had been extended as part of President Bush's surge.
...
"It's pretty much a slap in the face," Anderson said. "I think it was a scheme to save money, personally. I think it was a leadership failure by the senior Washington leadership... once again failing the soldiers."

Anderson's orders, and the orders of 1,161 other Minnesota guard members, were written for 729 days.

Had they been written for 730 days, just one day more, the soldiers would receive those benefits to pay for school.

"Which would be allowing the soldiers an extra $500 to $800 a month," Anderson said.
...
Both Hobot and Anderson believe the Pentagon deliberately wrote orders for 729 days instead of 730. Now, six of Minnesota's members of the House of Representatives have asked the Secretary of the Army to look into it -- So have Senators Amy Klobuchar and Norm Coleman."

This is simply unacceptable. Two thousand, six hundred men volunteered to serve in the National guard, which traditionally does not provide overseas roles, are send to Iraq for almost 2 years, and they rightly are expecting just compensation. They return home, only to discover that they are offcially deemed to be 1 day short of education and pay benifits.
This situation needs to be addressed, and fixed by the Army quickly, because this is nothing short of a travesty, both to the soldiers and their

Brutal crackdown continues in Burma

Story: "Thousands of protesters are dead and the bodies of hundreds of executed monks have been dumped in the jungle, a former intelligence officer for Burma's ruling junta has revealed.

The most senior official to defect so far, Hla Win, said: "Many more people have been killed in recent days than you've heard about. The bodies can be counted in several thousand."

Mr Win, who spoke out as a Swedish diplomat predicted that the revolt has failed, said he fled when he was ordered to take part in a massacre of holy men.
...
Reports from exiles along the frontier confirmed that hundreds of monks had simply "disappeared" as 20,000 troops swarmed around Rangoon yesterday to prevent further demonstrations by religious groups and civilians.

Word reaching dissidents hiding out on the border suggested that as well as executions, some 2,000 monks are being held in the notorious Insein Prison or in university rooms which have been turned into cells.

Picture (Graphic in Nature)

There were reports that many were savagely beaten at a sports ground on the outskirts of Rangoon, where they were heard crying for help.

Others who had failed to escape disguised as civilians were locked in their bloodstained temples."

So the initial reports were indeed false, and far more blood was spilled by this dictatorship then was previously let on.

As much as I usually don't like hollywood, but Slyvester Stallone was present recently, and only further confirms the brutal nature of this government.
"The 61-year-old actor-director returned to the U.S. eight days ago from shooting "John Rambo," the fourth movie in the action series, on the Salween River separating Thailand and Myanmar, formerly known as Burma.

Stallone said he was in Thailand for six months, most of it along or on the river.

"This is a hellhole beyond your wildest dreams," Stallone said. "All the trails are mined. The only way into Burma is up the river."

This was before the crackdown last week against the largest pro-democracy protests in Myanmar in two decades. After the government increased fuel prices in August, public anger turned to mass protest against 45 years of military dictatorship. Last week, soldiers responded by opening fire with automatic weapons on unarmed demonstrators."

As they say, Power Corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutly. Thank God America has some checks and balences that keep this fragile union in the balence.