Something intriguing, and truly terrifying, happened last year from July 29th through August 2nd, and I am sure I'm not the only one who's noticed it. It's like everyone lost their friggin minds and the universe itself became hostile to life. People were quick to anger and nothing seemed to get done. Everything blew up in your face, all at once. It became a Hell on Earth, and it seemed to come out of nowhere. At least, that's how I experienced it.
You see, the two "big bad guys" of astrology, Mars and Saturn, went conjunct in the first degree of Libra. They formed a T-square with the Uranus/Jupiter conjunction on the Aries cusp in opposition and Pluto in Capricorn at the apex. Anyone paying attention should have seen it coming, and with my own natal Mars just beyond 1* Libra, and my natal Saturn at about 17* Libra, I definitely should have. But who would have thought a "silly conjunction" could lead to what transpired?
While this conjunction was happening, a friend and I were RVing our way out to New Mexico. We were on our way through Alabama on the 2nd, taking what I believed to be the more relaxed and scenic route. A severe, record-smashing heatwave was in progress, with temperatures soaring over 110*F and humidity beyond anything I thought was possible on this planet, so we had been driving at night. Each day, when the roads got too hot to drive safely, we'd pull off and either find a motel or pull into a rest area. This particular morning, we had pulled into a rest area and had fired up the generator so we could run the AC. When the generator would overheated and quit on us, which happened at a fairly regular interval, I'd wait a little while before running out to fire it back up. Meanwhile, we were kicking back and enjoying the AC, chatting about trivial things and what had been on the radio that night. I remember my friend telling me a story about something that had happened that morning which struck me funny in a bad way. I knew then that it was important, but I had no idea that it was foreshadowing the week-long living nightmare that would have us actually fearing for our lives.
She had gone to get a couple gallons of water from the restrooms. On her way up to the restrooms, a young shirtless man, American Indian, pointed her toward an old style water pump. Not thinking much of it, she went over and started pumping like crazy trying to fill the jugs. Barely anything was coming out. She gave up and went into the restroom to use the sink at this point, if memory serves. After getting the water and on her way back to the RV, an old man (I think she said he was wearing all black) was walking down the steps next to her and had said something to her. For the life of me, I can't remember what he said to her, but it struck me as a sort of admonition or judgement, whatever it was.
I had immediately remembered that Saturn and Mars were conjunct in Libra, and connected it to that - the young shirtless man represented Mars as "Warrior" (with a mean sense of humor evidently) and the old man was Saturn as "Judge". We both got a bit of a chuckle out of it, but didn't really know what to make of it.
It was only a little while later, on one of my trips out to fire up the generator, that I realized we had sprung a massive leak and gasoline was pouring out from under my friend's RV. An urgent call went in to her roadside assistance service and before we knew it, all hell seemed to be breaking loose. They had called out the fire department, police and hazmat. The entire rest area was being cleared out for fear of explosions. For people who don't like to be in the spotlight, this was becoming humiliating.
Hours were going by as we waited for a tow truck to show up, and temperatures were already soaring over 110*F in that unshaded parking lot. My friend and I were overtired and hungry, and quickly becoming severely dehydrated and sunburned. Nothing was going right. In my attempts to figure out the cause of the leak, and hopefully stop everything from pouring out of the tank, my whole upper body and most of my face had become covered with dirt, melted tar and gasoline. It felt like my skin was on fire as the gasoline burned the surface of my skin. A second call had gone in to roadside assistance...A third... "Someone should be out there in about 45 minutes," they kept saying.
The police and hazmat team had left after a little while, but "fire and rescue" stayed waiting for the tow truck to show. Their "chief", or whatever he was, continuously quizzed me, asking pointed questions as if probing for dirt and honestly looking to piss me off. This guy wanted to pick a fight with me for whatever reason. It was a miracle I didn't knock the guy's teeth down his throat, honestly - I was stressed right to (what I thought was the breaking point) and this guy was purposely, and very obviously, trying to throw me over the edge.
After about the 5th call in to her roadside assistance (it all got pretty blurry after a while), we learned that they had been waiting for an "all clear" phone call from the fire department before they could send out a tow truck. "Wow, what a mess," was all I could say. Once we were told they were waiting for this, and they were told in no uncertain terms that the fire department had been waiting for hours with us, we were finally able to get our tow.
When the tow truck had arrived, the driver insisted that it was ok for us to leave my friend's car on the tow dolly attached to her rig while he towed it. This way I could follow with my rig and my friend, who was in no shape to be driving, with severe dehydration and sun poisoning setting in, could just ride with me as we followed him to the shop. Everything seemed great until he got it on the highway and commenced driving at speeds over 65 miles per hour. I could barely keep up, hauling my rig with my undersized truck, and we could see the car violently bouncing all over the road behind him.
And that's when then the next series of disasters began. You see, the roadside assistance service called him to come out and haul the rig to a closer shop where another company would fix the gas leak. We ended up getting towed miles further, into what seemed the middle of nowhere, to the "shop" run by the towing company. But this "shop" was not a shop at all - it was a scrap yard. We found ourselves standing inside a barbed wire fence and surrounded by busted up cars and trucks, rusty and falling apart, replete with bullet holes and smashed up windshields, in the middle of Central Alabama, miles from the nearest town. The place was truly like something out of a horror film.
They asked me to pull the car off the tow dolly so they could back up the rig into the shade and start working on it - no problem...but as I put the car into gear, a loud grinding sound erupted from underneath. The car rolled back off the dolly and the driver's side wheel went sideways! The ball joint had snapped, quite obviously from the violent 70mph towing, and now nobody wanted to fix it!
At this point, trying to handle all the pressure, as I argued angrily with the people that ran the scrap yard, I found myself shaking all over and on the verge of hysteria. All I knew was someone had to fix this. We couldn't even put the car back on the tow dolly the way it was! My friend, at this point, was beginning to pass in and out of consciousness, and was becoming delirious, because of the extreme heat and dehydration combined with sun poisoning from severe sunburn. My keys had gone missing and the pets were locked up in my 5th wheel, baking in the full sun.
I found myself in the middle of a literal Hell on Earth.
I don't know who made the call, but somebody decided to cut me a bit of slack. Someone was sent out to fix the car. A small miracle. Of course, they weren't going to fix it for free - we would have to pay for parts and labor. They had no idea how that ball joint broke and assumed zero responsibility for it. Being stuck the way we were, I said no problem...I just wanted things fixed so we could get away from there ASAP. Interestingly, the timing of this small reprieve coincides with the Moon coming within a 3* orb of my natal Sun in Taurus.
But then a new disaster began. Yes, another disaster. Evidently, after arguing with the woman in the "office" (if you could call it that), she had decided to call her brother to come "beat me up". It was suddenly like a fight scene from a grade school playground - this guy comes walking over and starts pushing and shoving me. Six others come out from nowhere and begin circling. I remember the guy having some kind of long metal tool in his hands - a tire iron? I'm yelling at this guy to calm down - that I don't want to fight anyone - barely believing this is happening. He's in a fit of rage, yelling about something to do with his sister and me threatening her, and can't even hear me. My friend suddenly appeared in the middle of all this, pushing the guy back and yelling at him. Absolute chaos.
Honestly, I remember so very little, and everything was basically a blur, but no punches were ever thrown and nobody got hurt. It's like another small miracle occurred. Next thing I remember was that I was trying to help the guy who was tasked with fixing the gas leak, handing him tools again. I assume I was starting to black out because of the extreme stress, both physical and mental. A good portion of the day is nothing but a hazy fog.
Anyway, the "shop" was proving itself completely incompetent at this point, and was unable to fix the gas leak. We ended up spending the night boondocking (no water/electric/sewer) in their dirt "parking lot" and once everyone left the scrap yard for the night, we contacted the roadside assistance service and told them all of what had happened. They seemed extremely concerned and informed us to call the next day if they weren't getting it fixed right away, or if there was any more trouble whatsoever. I had some water still in my tanks and a fully charged battery, so I was finally able to get the gasoline and other filth off my skin. At this point, though, I was pretty numb all over and wasn't feeling any pain. We settled in and talked about the events of the day in utter disbelief. Needless to say, we waited all night for someone to show up looking to "disappear" our bodies in that scrap yard.
The next day we were woken at 7:30am and informed they wanted to start on fixing the leak "first thing". Hours went by as the temperature increased and nothing was touched. At noon, we gave the roadside assistance another call to let them know that nothing had been done. They replied, in a somewhat snotty tone, that they couldn't do anything about it and we'd just have to wait. I can tell you, the look on our faces must have been priceless.
About an hour later, however, the "shop" decided to send someone out to begin working on it. Less than 2 hours later, they told us it was fixed and we owed them some outrageous amount of money. They claimed to have adjusted the carburetor, replaced hoses and all other sorts of unnecessary and non-approved work. We happily payed them and left that place as fast as we could.
On our way to the highway, we pulled off to wait for the roads to cool down as it had been another scorcher with temperatures around 110*F. We couldn't afford to ruin expensive tires on hot roads, especially now. Besides that, we desperately needed a mental and emotional break before we got back on the road. The ordeal of the last two days had been rough on both of us, so we got some fast food and sat in a grassy spot under a shade tree, relaxing for a couple hours.
As the sun got lower in the sky and the roads began to cool, we made our way back to the rigs to get ready for the road...and we found another puddle of gas starting to develop.
Another call in to the roadside service - and we flat out refused to have the same people work on the leak. After some arguing and talking with supervisors, they called the place we were supposed to be towed to originally who showed up in record time to tow the rig. The story of what had happened at the last place had been told, so this shop went the extra mile to make sure we were comfortable - even going so far as to get us water and electric hookups so we could shower and run the AC...but then the waiting game began...
Hours went by...and then days...without any work being done on the leak. The one mechanic they had on duty was being called over and over to on-site truck repairs, one after another, until he could barely stand up straight. We didn't dare complain. The mechanic was friendly, plus we had water and AC now, so we felt that to complain or seem impatient would be insulting...if not to him, then to the universe itself.
Days went by as we waited patiently for him to have time. Each night we spent there, we found ourselves keeping our ears perked, listening for the people from the scrap yard looking to get revenge for our complaints. We started to feel like prisoners - like we'd never get out of Alabama without leaving my friend's RV behind.
Finally, as Venus conjuncted with Saturn on the 9th, the mechanic found a couple hours in his day to fix the leak. He told us that he felt bad we had to wait so long, and gave us a deal on labor. And that night, we were back on the road.
I'm wondering if anyone else out there had an experience last summer coinciding with that Mars and Saturn conjunction. If you did, what happened? Was it related to heat? Combustion? Anger? Broken metal or bones? Delays?
I, for one, will never underestimate the power of transits again.
2.25.2011
MSNBC Runs Story on Fed Money Printing - WOW
Who'd have thought we'd see the day when MSNBC actually runs a story on the Federal Reserve printing too much money?
I mean, wow...this story just doesn't get reported.
I believe they're wrong that these protests and revolutions in the Middle East and North Africa are simply due to higher food and commodity costs, but what do you expect? It's mainstream media. If they can't spin it, they wont report it.
That said, admission by the MSM, especially MSNBC, that the Federal Reserve is printing too much money - times are definitely changing.
Get ready for a wild 2011...
I mean, wow...this story just doesn't get reported.
I believe they're wrong that these protests and revolutions in the Middle East and North Africa are simply due to higher food and commodity costs, but what do you expect? It's mainstream media. If they can't spin it, they wont report it.
That said, admission by the MSM, especially MSNBC, that the Federal Reserve is printing too much money - times are definitely changing.
Get ready for a wild 2011...
2.24.2011
Protests, Revolution and A Whole Lot of Stupid People
Reading this article today, Middle East Chaos: What To Learn And What To Expect, I couldn't help but think of all the banter I've witnessed, and often been a part of, on the various forums as of late. There seems to have developed several distinct camps on the issue of the protests and the whole idea of revolution here in the US.
Camp 1 is the original protesters. These are the people who took to the streets, etc, early on in the game - the ones who warned of protests before there were protests, then followed through with the protests they had threatened. They don't appear to talk of revolution, nor do they publicly declare support for right or left as part of their protests. Camp 1 took to the streets simply because they were wronged by bad legislation. They don't froth at the mouth spouting rhetoric they first heard on their favorite daytime talk radio show.
Camp 2, however, is composed of those with a liberal, thieving mindset. They believe wholeheartedly that NPR, the Democratic Underground, ObamaNation, etc, are all out for the American people's best interests. It's the camp where nothing but the ideologies of liberlalist, socialist leaders are being used as rallying cries among the people. These people are not actually protesting anything resembling the real issue themselves, but somehow believe they are playing a central role in some great "revolution" by simply frothing at the mouth about how tough teachers have it and how those "republicans" are such bad people. Engaging these people in meaningful dialogue is pointless as they truly believe that our government should spend this country into extinction in order to pay the way for "the children" and "the poor". These people don't realize that our founding fathers founded a Republic, not a Democracy, and somehow never understood the difference between the two.
Camp 3 is the "conservative" mindset where such people as the co-opted "tea partiers" and the avid Glen Beckers, along with the traditional Bushites and Limbaugh listeners, are lining up to do nothing but insult the Midwest protesters and those who support them, then declare their unbridled support for the Governor of Wisconsin. Their camp seems to knowingly dismiss the most glaring issues behind the "unrest", from the Koch Brothers support to the implied, thinly veiled threat of National Guard use, pointed out at the onset of the protests by even their own neo-con talking heads. They believe their camp is somehow more intelligent, and therefore important (and more powerful), than Camp 2, and they believe any talk of revolution is simply related to the stupidity of it. Somehow, they are incapable of seeing the fascist and socialist ideologies running their own political party of choice, and they, like Camp 2, are impossible to engage in meaningful dialogue because of this.
Camps 2 and 3, in typical American fashion, believe they are the only camps who exist. It's "us versus them" and nothing more. These two camps are also, unsurprisingly, the center of the media circus surrounding the events in the Midwest.
Contrary to the previous three camps, Camp 4 is full of avid conspiracy theorists, mostly those of the more matured generation, in whose circles it's plain as day that "The Powers That Be" are trying to co-opt the "unrest" in the Midwest after successfully doing so in the Middle East and North Africa. They are at times sickeningly cynical and continuously talk of the plan to introduce martial law should any more people pick up signs and take to the streets. It's hard to argue with this camp simply because they're right on basically every single point they make. This camp, however, no matter how much they hate the current status quo and what has become of this country, somehow refuse to even entertain the idea that something good could come from this small but significant event.
The final camp, Camp 5, is composed of the younger "conspiracy theorists". They've read the books, threads and posts from those of Camp 4. They've watched shocking documentaries most of their lives dealing with the corruption and deception at the highest levels of their own government. They see clearly the idiocy and blindness of Camps 2 and 3. They see "the error in the ways" of even Camp 1. But being young and enthusiastic, full of dreams of "something better", Camp 5 is optimistic about a real change and keeps trying to steer the conversation toward the truly relevant topics of today. They are quick to jump all over the asinine rhetoric from Camps 2 and 3, and carefully attempt to debate the defeatism occasionally spouted by those in Camp 4. They support Camp 1's cause while placing it into a larger perspective, weaving a tapestry of corruption and deception that spans well beyond the thinly veiled threat and obvious "private ownership" of the Governor of Wisconsin. Camp 5 is the embodiment of a real revolution taking place in this country. Camp 5 is also the minority camp with the smallest voice.
In the article (also linked above), Giordano Bruno lays out our current situation clearly. Because he did a much better job than I can right now, I'll simply quote him here (emphasis added):
"The fact is, state governments are beyond broke, and eventually, they will have to nix spending and entitlement programs regardless of how anyone is affected, especially in the face of unchecked inflation. State employees and all people dependent on welfare are not necessarily the culprits behind financial clear-cutting either. The argument cannot be allowed to devolve into a mindless cage match over who deserves the money, because, first, there is no money, and second, this distracts from the original cause of the distress; the corporate banking elites who instigated the disaster in the first place. Already, I can see a certain subsection of the populace lashing out wildly at figureheads and opposition parties, just like in Egypt, instead of the corrupt system and the banking moguls who built it.
...
Some may welcome such bedlam as a sign of change. I don’t see it that way. Revolution without direction, without a plan, and without a clear understanding of the source of the problem, is meaningless. We can allow ourselves to be herded by our own rage into even more pronounced tyranny, or we can stay focused, collected, and act with purpose by organizing our communities with the objective of self sufficiency and self protection. We can work with state legislators to bring support to Tenth Amendment issues, giving them the strength to withstand an economic collapse and the ability to turn down DHS or FEMA’s 'help' when the time comes. We can organize intelligently, without centralized control, or we can hand over our destinies to yet another elite group of unaccountable autocrats. As impossible as it might seem, the choice really is up to us. How we act and react in the coming months will mean the difference between a free and prosperous America, or a scorch mark in the annals of history."
Which camp do you find yourself in, honestly? You know where I stand.
Camp 1 is the original protesters. These are the people who took to the streets, etc, early on in the game - the ones who warned of protests before there were protests, then followed through with the protests they had threatened. They don't appear to talk of revolution, nor do they publicly declare support for right or left as part of their protests. Camp 1 took to the streets simply because they were wronged by bad legislation. They don't froth at the mouth spouting rhetoric they first heard on their favorite daytime talk radio show.
Camp 2, however, is composed of those with a liberal, thieving mindset. They believe wholeheartedly that NPR, the Democratic Underground, ObamaNation, etc, are all out for the American people's best interests. It's the camp where nothing but the ideologies of liberlalist, socialist leaders are being used as rallying cries among the people. These people are not actually protesting anything resembling the real issue themselves, but somehow believe they are playing a central role in some great "revolution" by simply frothing at the mouth about how tough teachers have it and how those "republicans" are such bad people. Engaging these people in meaningful dialogue is pointless as they truly believe that our government should spend this country into extinction in order to pay the way for "the children" and "the poor". These people don't realize that our founding fathers founded a Republic, not a Democracy, and somehow never understood the difference between the two.
Camp 3 is the "conservative" mindset where such people as the co-opted "tea partiers" and the avid Glen Beckers, along with the traditional Bushites and Limbaugh listeners, are lining up to do nothing but insult the Midwest protesters and those who support them, then declare their unbridled support for the Governor of Wisconsin. Their camp seems to knowingly dismiss the most glaring issues behind the "unrest", from the Koch Brothers support to the implied, thinly veiled threat of National Guard use, pointed out at the onset of the protests by even their own neo-con talking heads. They believe their camp is somehow more intelligent, and therefore important (and more powerful), than Camp 2, and they believe any talk of revolution is simply related to the stupidity of it. Somehow, they are incapable of seeing the fascist and socialist ideologies running their own political party of choice, and they, like Camp 2, are impossible to engage in meaningful dialogue because of this.
Camps 2 and 3, in typical American fashion, believe they are the only camps who exist. It's "us versus them" and nothing more. These two camps are also, unsurprisingly, the center of the media circus surrounding the events in the Midwest.
Contrary to the previous three camps, Camp 4 is full of avid conspiracy theorists, mostly those of the more matured generation, in whose circles it's plain as day that "The Powers That Be" are trying to co-opt the "unrest" in the Midwest after successfully doing so in the Middle East and North Africa. They are at times sickeningly cynical and continuously talk of the plan to introduce martial law should any more people pick up signs and take to the streets. It's hard to argue with this camp simply because they're right on basically every single point they make. This camp, however, no matter how much they hate the current status quo and what has become of this country, somehow refuse to even entertain the idea that something good could come from this small but significant event.
The final camp, Camp 5, is composed of the younger "conspiracy theorists". They've read the books, threads and posts from those of Camp 4. They've watched shocking documentaries most of their lives dealing with the corruption and deception at the highest levels of their own government. They see clearly the idiocy and blindness of Camps 2 and 3. They see "the error in the ways" of even Camp 1. But being young and enthusiastic, full of dreams of "something better", Camp 5 is optimistic about a real change and keeps trying to steer the conversation toward the truly relevant topics of today. They are quick to jump all over the asinine rhetoric from Camps 2 and 3, and carefully attempt to debate the defeatism occasionally spouted by those in Camp 4. They support Camp 1's cause while placing it into a larger perspective, weaving a tapestry of corruption and deception that spans well beyond the thinly veiled threat and obvious "private ownership" of the Governor of Wisconsin. Camp 5 is the embodiment of a real revolution taking place in this country. Camp 5 is also the minority camp with the smallest voice.
In the article (also linked above), Giordano Bruno lays out our current situation clearly. Because he did a much better job than I can right now, I'll simply quote him here (emphasis added):
"The fact is, state governments are beyond broke, and eventually, they will have to nix spending and entitlement programs regardless of how anyone is affected, especially in the face of unchecked inflation. State employees and all people dependent on welfare are not necessarily the culprits behind financial clear-cutting either. The argument cannot be allowed to devolve into a mindless cage match over who deserves the money, because, first, there is no money, and second, this distracts from the original cause of the distress; the corporate banking elites who instigated the disaster in the first place. Already, I can see a certain subsection of the populace lashing out wildly at figureheads and opposition parties, just like in Egypt, instead of the corrupt system and the banking moguls who built it.
...
Some may welcome such bedlam as a sign of change. I don’t see it that way. Revolution without direction, without a plan, and without a clear understanding of the source of the problem, is meaningless. We can allow ourselves to be herded by our own rage into even more pronounced tyranny, or we can stay focused, collected, and act with purpose by organizing our communities with the objective of self sufficiency and self protection. We can work with state legislators to bring support to Tenth Amendment issues, giving them the strength to withstand an economic collapse and the ability to turn down DHS or FEMA’s 'help' when the time comes. We can organize intelligently, without centralized control, or we can hand over our destinies to yet another elite group of unaccountable autocrats. As impossible as it might seem, the choice really is up to us. How we act and react in the coming months will mean the difference between a free and prosperous America, or a scorch mark in the annals of history."
Which camp do you find yourself in, honestly? You know where I stand.
2.17.2011
Wisconsin Protests and Web Bot "HOLE Incident"
It's been developing for a few days now, but sort of "in the background". Today, however, it's grabbing the top headlines on Drudge. Firstly, let's get an idea of what's going on and how this all started.
The story goes like this: The federal government in the US is broke. Nearly every state government in the US is broke. Wisconsin finds itself at number 28 when ranked against all the other states based on state and local debt in the year 2010, ranked low to high (dollar amounts in billions). The US Debt Clock website shows, as of writing this, current debt per citizen in Wisconsin stands at $7,689.
Could it be worse? Sure could - look at California on that chart...ALL the way down on the bottom with the highest debt figure - $433.5 billion. That's roughly 11 times the amount of state and local debt, for the year 2010, as Wisconsin had. Yet the debt per citizen there is only showing as $9,815 on their State Debt Clock page, which is not significantly higher than Wisconsin's. Why? Simple - California has a much higher population. With a higher population, the debt is sort of "spread thin" amongst the people and each person's slice of the "fiscal irresponsibility pie" is that much smaller. There's a similar situation when you look to Massachusetts, which ranks at number 44 with roughly $98.7 billion of state and local debt, yet due to the lower population shows a whopping debt per citizen of $15,392 on the state's Debt Clock page.
So it's obvious at this point that the state of Wisconsin is broke, even if they're not as bad off as many others. Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker knows this and proposed a bill that would help fill in the $137 million "hole in the state budget" this year and the $3.2 billion "hole" by mid-2013, which sounds like a good idea. Put the fires out before things rage out of control like they have in other states, right? The plan he outlines in the bill would require public employees to pay around 5.5% into their pension plans, a significant increase in Wisconsin but actually about the average nationwide. Also, public employees would have their health insurance premiums increased to about 12%, which is about half the national average. That all sounds pretty damn reasonable - and smart. Yet, we see this:
So why in bloody hell are these people protesting? Are they not willing to help get their own state back on track, reigning in the irresponsible spending practices and criminal underfunding that's been taking place for years?
Now, this is where the Governor of Wisconsin overstepped. His bill aims to remove basically all the public employee rights to collective bargaining. That means unions would lose the right to negotiate on issues like working hours, training, health and safety, or overtime. The bill does allow unions the right to use collective bargaining on matters of wages/salary, but otherwise strips away the power of unions to do much of anything constructive.
That's why people in Wisconsin started protesting. The fact that the Governor then overstepped again, threatening the use of the National Guard to break up the protests, just adds fuel to the fire.
Yeah, now we're starting to see the bigger picture. Basically threatening the use of force to stop peaceful protests over controversial legislation. No wonder this is becoming front page news!
[Edit 2-18: Feel I need to address the issue of whether or not the Governor actually threatened the use of National Guard troops to "quash protesters" - his original statement on last week was ambiguous at best and was styled, in my and many others opinions, to intimate this and he has, in fact, stated even in his clarification that the National Guard troops will be used for any purposes he sees fit. Again, while never explicitly stating that he plans to impose police state measures by rolling out National Guard troops (freshly returned from active battle) as an impromptu police force, this is still a real possibility that the Governor of Wisconsin has previously hinted at.]
Now, on to the seriously freaky web bot connection, which caused me to write this post.
This is from the Shape Of Things To Come report released in January (emphasis added):
on page 3: "The reader needs to be advised that *some* texts within this report will point to specific instances of upcoming violent events without providing additional descriptors of the event, though peripheral elements not germane but pertinent may well be provided. Got that? When you see an obvious 'hole' in the text, there is a good reason for it to be there."
on page 31: "The [destruction of civil life] sub set contains repeated references to [civil unrest] and [riots], as well as [armed insurrection]. This last is cross linked extensively to the TPTW and Markets entities. Within the [destruction of civil life] sub set are the previously described (in past ALTA reports) instances of [mob action] that results in the [burning alive] of [minions] and ['power elites'] and their [families]. The HOLE incident will act as a [spark] to [spreading contagion] {ednote: from the words to-be-used by the political minions} that is indicated to [start a riot] in an [urban area (north of DC)] that will itself [spread like fire]. The data sets are showing a lot of support for the [riots] sub set through Spring and Summer, but the [mother of all riots] does not appear within our data sets until later in HOLE."
and on page 43: "The SpaceGoatFarts entity also has some hints that the aware observer should keep a wary eye out for the appearance of the [planet-terran society] in 2011. This [group of planet-terrans] will be worth watching. The effective temporal markers include the [aftermath] of some [riots (in usofa, east coast, likely Spring)] that will [unleash (big) stink (across the nation}]. Note HOLE"
Welcome to the "Budget Hole" people. Holy freaking crap, it has begun. If this is right, it looks like the National Guard will be used...and the people aren't gonna like that one bit. Time to hunker down with your pie/popcorn and order that shortwave radio you've had on your need-to-get prep list for the last two years.
The story goes like this: The federal government in the US is broke. Nearly every state government in the US is broke. Wisconsin finds itself at number 28 when ranked against all the other states based on state and local debt in the year 2010, ranked low to high (dollar amounts in billions). The US Debt Clock website shows, as of writing this, current debt per citizen in Wisconsin stands at $7,689.
Could it be worse? Sure could - look at California on that chart...ALL the way down on the bottom with the highest debt figure - $433.5 billion. That's roughly 11 times the amount of state and local debt, for the year 2010, as Wisconsin had. Yet the debt per citizen there is only showing as $9,815 on their State Debt Clock page, which is not significantly higher than Wisconsin's. Why? Simple - California has a much higher population. With a higher population, the debt is sort of "spread thin" amongst the people and each person's slice of the "fiscal irresponsibility pie" is that much smaller. There's a similar situation when you look to Massachusetts, which ranks at number 44 with roughly $98.7 billion of state and local debt, yet due to the lower population shows a whopping debt per citizen of $15,392 on the state's Debt Clock page.
So it's obvious at this point that the state of Wisconsin is broke, even if they're not as bad off as many others. Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker knows this and proposed a bill that would help fill in the $137 million "hole in the state budget" this year and the $3.2 billion "hole" by mid-2013, which sounds like a good idea. Put the fires out before things rage out of control like they have in other states, right? The plan he outlines in the bill would require public employees to pay around 5.5% into their pension plans, a significant increase in Wisconsin but actually about the average nationwide. Also, public employees would have their health insurance premiums increased to about 12%, which is about half the national average. That all sounds pretty damn reasonable - and smart. Yet, we see this:
So why in bloody hell are these people protesting? Are they not willing to help get their own state back on track, reigning in the irresponsible spending practices and criminal underfunding that's been taking place for years?
Now, this is where the Governor of Wisconsin overstepped. His bill aims to remove basically all the public employee rights to collective bargaining. That means unions would lose the right to negotiate on issues like working hours, training, health and safety, or overtime. The bill does allow unions the right to use collective bargaining on matters of wages/salary, but otherwise strips away the power of unions to do much of anything constructive.
That's why people in Wisconsin started protesting. The fact that the Governor then overstepped again, threatening the use of the National Guard to break up the protests, just adds fuel to the fire.
Yeah, now we're starting to see the bigger picture. Basically threatening the use of force to stop peaceful protests over controversial legislation. No wonder this is becoming front page news!
[Edit 2-18: Feel I need to address the issue of whether or not the Governor actually threatened the use of National Guard troops to "quash protesters" - his original statement on last week was ambiguous at best and was styled, in my and many others opinions, to intimate this and he has, in fact, stated even in his clarification that the National Guard troops will be used for any purposes he sees fit. Again, while never explicitly stating that he plans to impose police state measures by rolling out National Guard troops (freshly returned from active battle) as an impromptu police force, this is still a real possibility that the Governor of Wisconsin has previously hinted at.]
Now, on to the seriously freaky web bot connection, which caused me to write this post.
This is from the Shape Of Things To Come report released in January (emphasis added):
on page 3: "The reader needs to be advised that *some* texts within this report will point to specific instances of upcoming violent events without providing additional descriptors of the event, though peripheral elements not germane but pertinent may well be provided. Got that? When you see an obvious 'hole' in the text, there is a good reason for it to be there."
on page 31: "The [destruction of civil life] sub set contains repeated references to [civil unrest] and [riots], as well as [armed insurrection]. This last is cross linked extensively to the TPTW and Markets entities. Within the [destruction of civil life] sub set are the previously described (in past ALTA reports) instances of [mob action] that results in the [burning alive] of [minions] and ['power elites'] and their [families]. The HOLE incident will act as a [spark] to [spreading contagion] {ednote: from the words to-be-used by the political minions} that is indicated to [start a riot] in an [urban area (north of DC)] that will itself [spread like fire]. The data sets are showing a lot of support for the [riots] sub set through Spring and Summer, but the [mother of all riots] does not appear within our data sets until later in HOLE."
and on page 43: "The SpaceGoatFarts entity also has some hints that the aware observer should keep a wary eye out for the appearance of the [planet-terran society] in 2011. This [group of planet-terrans] will be worth watching. The effective temporal markers include the [aftermath] of some [riots (in usofa, east coast, likely Spring)] that will [unleash (big) stink (across the nation}]. Note HOLE"
Welcome to the "Budget Hole" people. Holy freaking crap, it has begun. If this is right, it looks like the National Guard will be used...and the people aren't gonna like that one bit. Time to hunker down with your pie/popcorn and order that shortwave radio you've had on your need-to-get prep list for the last two years.
2.16.2011
Fox News Deception - Ron Paul - They've Been Caught Red Handed This Time
I just have to post this one. Wow.. What a bunch of bastards.
Sometimes the deception is really just *that* in your face. Interesting times we live in. It's 5am and I haven't yet slept, so I'll keep it short, but wow...
Sometimes the deception is really just *that* in your face. Interesting times we live in. It's 5am and I haven't yet slept, so I'll keep it short, but wow...
2.15.2011
No Sunnis, no Shiites. We are all Anonymous?
As the global revolution continues to move forward, we in "the west" are finally being forced to face up to the fact that these aren't just "radical Islamic zealots" angry about a "sudden lack of food". They're people fed up with their governments who are putting their foot down as a citizenry, exercising their God given Duty to "throw off" what's not working for their countries and their people. The protests and revolutions taking place in North Africa and the Middle East continue to captivate my attention daily. An interesting thing, however, has happened in the last few days that I absolutely must give some attention to.
Evidently, after US security company, HBGary, made repeated attempts to infiltrate Anonymous, threatening to release the identities of people involved in this so-called "hacktivist" movement, Anonymous hacked back, releasing thousands of private emails from the company's servers. But one thing they freed from the servers was a surprise to all - the notorious Stuxnet computer worm. Now, you might remember that this incredible computer worm was responsible for basically the shutdown of the entire Iranian nuclear program. Russia, who is collaborating with Iran on the construction of a nuclear power plant, even called out NATO, demanding an investigation on this "worm". Their claim? It could have caused a "Chernobyl tragedy"!
Now, it's painfully obvious to anyone who reads up on this thing that it was developed jointly by high-level government agencies, almost certainly including the US and Israel. The New York Times reported on this only weeks ago. It's also painfully obvious that this thing is truly in a class of its own. Never before has such a magnificent "weapon of mass destruction" been created with digital 1s and 0s. And now it's in the hands of "Anonymous".
Now, I'm not gonna say that I like Anonymous. In fact, I'm sure they're a bunch of jerks in real life. What I will say, however, is that this loosely-knit group of "hacktivists" has been doing some serious work on "our behalf". From the Scientology campaigns back in early 2008 to "Operation Tunisia" and their activities involving the Egyptian protests, these people have worked hard, effectively combining the resources of many, to ensure the freedom of information world-wide. That said, they now hold in their hands the most potent and destructive computer worm ever created. Holy crap, huh?
My take is that it's just a continuation of what we see going on in the streets of now Bahrain - a literal putting down of the foot by the people of the world. The world, as a whole, is fed up with totalitarian and tyrannical control by powerful elites and secretive cabals. The world's people clearly see the growing division between themselves and their own happiness. They want change for the better and simply aren't willing to stand by letting their human dignity be trampled by "greedy bastards" any longer. People want to be free. Information wants to be free. And this is what the whole world is fighting for.
From the above linked article, this sentence:
Many in the square waved Bahraini flags and chanted: "No Sunnis, no Shiites. We are all Bahrainis."
Evidently, after US security company, HBGary, made repeated attempts to infiltrate Anonymous, threatening to release the identities of people involved in this so-called "hacktivist" movement, Anonymous hacked back, releasing thousands of private emails from the company's servers. But one thing they freed from the servers was a surprise to all - the notorious Stuxnet computer worm. Now, you might remember that this incredible computer worm was responsible for basically the shutdown of the entire Iranian nuclear program. Russia, who is collaborating with Iran on the construction of a nuclear power plant, even called out NATO, demanding an investigation on this "worm". Their claim? It could have caused a "Chernobyl tragedy"!
Now, it's painfully obvious to anyone who reads up on this thing that it was developed jointly by high-level government agencies, almost certainly including the US and Israel. The New York Times reported on this only weeks ago. It's also painfully obvious that this thing is truly in a class of its own. Never before has such a magnificent "weapon of mass destruction" been created with digital 1s and 0s. And now it's in the hands of "Anonymous".
Now, I'm not gonna say that I like Anonymous. In fact, I'm sure they're a bunch of jerks in real life. What I will say, however, is that this loosely-knit group of "hacktivists" has been doing some serious work on "our behalf". From the Scientology campaigns back in early 2008 to "Operation Tunisia" and their activities involving the Egyptian protests, these people have worked hard, effectively combining the resources of many, to ensure the freedom of information world-wide. That said, they now hold in their hands the most potent and destructive computer worm ever created. Holy crap, huh?
My take is that it's just a continuation of what we see going on in the streets of now Bahrain - a literal putting down of the foot by the people of the world. The world, as a whole, is fed up with totalitarian and tyrannical control by powerful elites and secretive cabals. The world's people clearly see the growing division between themselves and their own happiness. They want change for the better and simply aren't willing to stand by letting their human dignity be trampled by "greedy bastards" any longer. People want to be free. Information wants to be free. And this is what the whole world is fighting for.
From the above linked article, this sentence:
Many in the square waved Bahraini flags and chanted: "No Sunnis, no Shiites. We are all Bahrainis."
2.10.2011
It's All Just Happening So FAST...I Can't Keep Up!
Those of us who attempt to keep up on the crap going down in the world are finding ourselves at a serious disadvantage over the last few months. Between the "revolutions" going on overseas, the global economic crises and the increasingly painful deaths of fiat currencies, the weather anomalies and mass bird and fish kills, and the beginning of what could be one of the most important sessions of the US Congress in the last 60 years, it's all too much to keep track of.
Firstly, this "revolution meme" is certainly catching - Tunisia, Egypt, Jordan, etc, etc...even reports of solidarity protests in China... Thinking about this, spurred on by posts at abovetopsecret.com, I realized that the elitists must have had their hands in this cookie jar for a good long time. The protest and ensuing "revolution" in Tunisia was what we in the US saw as the beginning of all this, but where did that start? Sure, some well educated dude couldn't find work and, in a desperate attempt to survive, attempted to sell fruit on the side of the road...long story short, the police didn't like that and he ended up burning himself alive (self-immolation) over the whole ordeal. The protests and riots ensued shortly thereafter... But why were the people of Tunisia ready to protest in the first place? You see, obviously, the act of self-immolation by one man does not in-and-of-itself begin a revolution - it does, however, act as a rallying cry...a flash-point, if you will.
The simple, obvious answer is WikiLeaks. People were already angry.. People were already struggling to survive and being horrifically oppressed.. But the revelations by the WikiLeaks CableGate releases of the Tunisian government's seemingly endless corruption was the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back. It affirmed all their worst fears and embarrassed the people as a whole - how could they let this happen in their own country? Imagine, if you will, that WikiLeaks had released a diplomatic cable stating that, in fact, Obama was born in Kenya, not Hawaii. Do you not think that American's would take to the streets? Well, wait...maybe America's a bad example. You get my meaning though.
The oblivious puppet Assange was secretly handed the perfect documents to begin an elitist-controlled revolution that would quickly spread throughout North Africa's and the Middle East's resource-rich nations. How convenient for them.
It still didn't fully sink in for me, however, until I bothered to take a closer look at what's going on in Egypt... Today, this article from the "Land Destroyer" blog was syndicated on Infowars.com and outlined some interesting details. It turns out that the power elite have had their man of choice, ElBaradei, campaigning since Feb 2010. ElBaradei, as you know, acted as Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and has been sitting on the Board of Trustees of the US foreign policy think-tank International Crises Group for some time. Interesting enough in and of itself.
He also played an integral role in establishing the National Front for Change (another "change we can believe in", perhaps), which included the Muslim Brotherhood we've heard so much about in the mainstream media. Also included in the list of groups within this "front" is the April 6 group, who have played one of the biggest roles in organizing protests via Facebook and Twitter. Would you believe that they're supported by "Movement.org"? That group is "sponsored" by entities such as MTV, Pepsi and even Google. Yeah - the same Google that's been in the news so often for privacy invasion and other forms of "doing evil". The same MTV that teaches young girls to dress and act like whores. The same Pepsi that is literally stealing water resources in places like the Great Lakes.
So, long story short, that whole thing has been being controlled from behind the scenes by the very same people the protesters think they're fighting against. Great news, isn't it?
Next up, let's take a quick look at the ridiculous, spiralling out of control, global economic meltdown that is taking place. The part of this I want to focus on this time around, of course, ties in closely with the weather anomalies the world has experienced in the past couple years. You see, if you thought the mortgage/foreclosure crises and derivatives bubble stuff was bad, go take a look at what's happening with food now. Over the last few years, the entire world has been dipping into reserves of wheat, and with the weather acting up the way it is, the situation has become even more dire. The massive heat-wave in Russia last summer and the flooding in Australia last month are only the biggest, in your face examples of how much the weather is screwing up our food supplies.
Extreme weather events in China, Russia, Brazil, Argentina, Europe, Canada and the US are quickly hacking away at what we're able to put away as reserves each year, and we're getting close to living hand-to-mouth. Is the extreme weather part of a natural cycle? Is it because of anthropogenic global warming? Is it being caused by "weather wars"? My answer to that is a simple "yes". You name it, it's probably contributing to what's happening. At this point, I wouldn't even deny that inter-dimensional space reptiles have their hand in it. The fact is, shit's getting bad out there, and we're about to feel the effects full-on. Already, corn prices are up some 92% and wheat is up around 80%. This translates to higher prices on a broad range of foods, including meats and dairy, processed foods (which you shouldn't be eating anyway) and even "your daily bread". It will even translate to higher gas prices in many places as GMO corn is used to make that ethanol in your gasoline blends.
Add in to this the facts that pesticides (and cellphones and chemtrails and whatever else you want to name) seem to be killing off our pollinators, the increasingly acidic rain and mineral depletion in the soils are making our crops weaker and more prone to disease and parasite infections, and that increasingly hostile weather conditions, swinging from extreme heat and dry to cool and wet, or any combination thereof, are becoming ever so common, and you have a very precarious future for even those things outside the group of foods we call "staples" (wheat, corn, rice, etc).
Food prices are going up, and it's already happening fast. Here in Florida, the cold snaps in November/December sent produce prices up initially. Just as they started to level, of course, cold snaps in Mexico caused them to go up even higher than before. Green Bell peppers are currently running $1/each ON SALE! This as opposed to the wonderful sale prices you could get even last year, which wasn't much better on the "cold front", at 25 or 50 cents each.
As the prices go up across the board, everyone will be left with less money to spend on other "essentials" like big-screen 3D plasma TVs and box-sets of "Lost". Can you spell "unemployment"? Imagine the job losses we will incur as people tighten their belts, yet again, because they're struggling to put a box or two of mac and cheese on the table every week. The hardest hit in the US? My prediction on that is the so-called "big box stores". Kiss your low-paying stock-boy job goodbye as they downsize again and again over the next 12 months. We may even see some burger-flipping jobs disappear as people find they can no longer afford the "$10 Menu" (yeah, inflation's a bitch, isn't it?).
With all this stuff going on, it's no wonder I find myself overwhelmed. If you're not, you're obviously not paying attention. Keep in mind, I haven't even touched on these mass bird and fish kills that are still ongoing since late December of 2010. Yeah, they're still happening, and world-wide. Some of them are, I'm sure, just that usual background noise from overpopulation of a particular species or other natural environmental causes like red tide or outbreaks of disease. There's too many of them, though, and a good chunk can't be just written off as "normal".
And the Congress...and the Senate...and Ron Paul with his House Subcommittee for Domestic Monetary Policy and Technology...and ObamaCare...and the Patriot Act...and you freaking name it...
My head's spinning again. Let me go focus on something more mundane for a while - then maybe I'll post more later.
Firstly, this "revolution meme" is certainly catching - Tunisia, Egypt, Jordan, etc, etc...even reports of solidarity protests in China... Thinking about this, spurred on by posts at abovetopsecret.com, I realized that the elitists must have had their hands in this cookie jar for a good long time. The protest and ensuing "revolution" in Tunisia was what we in the US saw as the beginning of all this, but where did that start? Sure, some well educated dude couldn't find work and, in a desperate attempt to survive, attempted to sell fruit on the side of the road...long story short, the police didn't like that and he ended up burning himself alive (self-immolation) over the whole ordeal. The protests and riots ensued shortly thereafter... But why were the people of Tunisia ready to protest in the first place? You see, obviously, the act of self-immolation by one man does not in-and-of-itself begin a revolution - it does, however, act as a rallying cry...a flash-point, if you will.
The simple, obvious answer is WikiLeaks. People were already angry.. People were already struggling to survive and being horrifically oppressed.. But the revelations by the WikiLeaks CableGate releases of the Tunisian government's seemingly endless corruption was the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back. It affirmed all their worst fears and embarrassed the people as a whole - how could they let this happen in their own country? Imagine, if you will, that WikiLeaks had released a diplomatic cable stating that, in fact, Obama was born in Kenya, not Hawaii. Do you not think that American's would take to the streets? Well, wait...maybe America's a bad example. You get my meaning though.
The oblivious puppet Assange was secretly handed the perfect documents to begin an elitist-controlled revolution that would quickly spread throughout North Africa's and the Middle East's resource-rich nations. How convenient for them.
It still didn't fully sink in for me, however, until I bothered to take a closer look at what's going on in Egypt... Today, this article from the "Land Destroyer" blog was syndicated on Infowars.com and outlined some interesting details. It turns out that the power elite have had their man of choice, ElBaradei, campaigning since Feb 2010. ElBaradei, as you know, acted as Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and has been sitting on the Board of Trustees of the US foreign policy think-tank International Crises Group for some time. Interesting enough in and of itself.
He also played an integral role in establishing the National Front for Change (another "change we can believe in", perhaps), which included the Muslim Brotherhood we've heard so much about in the mainstream media. Also included in the list of groups within this "front" is the April 6 group, who have played one of the biggest roles in organizing protests via Facebook and Twitter. Would you believe that they're supported by "Movement.org"? That group is "sponsored" by entities such as MTV, Pepsi and even Google. Yeah - the same Google that's been in the news so often for privacy invasion and other forms of "doing evil". The same MTV that teaches young girls to dress and act like whores. The same Pepsi that is literally stealing water resources in places like the Great Lakes.
So, long story short, that whole thing has been being controlled from behind the scenes by the very same people the protesters think they're fighting against. Great news, isn't it?
Next up, let's take a quick look at the ridiculous, spiralling out of control, global economic meltdown that is taking place. The part of this I want to focus on this time around, of course, ties in closely with the weather anomalies the world has experienced in the past couple years. You see, if you thought the mortgage/foreclosure crises and derivatives bubble stuff was bad, go take a look at what's happening with food now. Over the last few years, the entire world has been dipping into reserves of wheat, and with the weather acting up the way it is, the situation has become even more dire. The massive heat-wave in Russia last summer and the flooding in Australia last month are only the biggest, in your face examples of how much the weather is screwing up our food supplies.
Extreme weather events in China, Russia, Brazil, Argentina, Europe, Canada and the US are quickly hacking away at what we're able to put away as reserves each year, and we're getting close to living hand-to-mouth. Is the extreme weather part of a natural cycle? Is it because of anthropogenic global warming? Is it being caused by "weather wars"? My answer to that is a simple "yes". You name it, it's probably contributing to what's happening. At this point, I wouldn't even deny that inter-dimensional space reptiles have their hand in it. The fact is, shit's getting bad out there, and we're about to feel the effects full-on. Already, corn prices are up some 92% and wheat is up around 80%. This translates to higher prices on a broad range of foods, including meats and dairy, processed foods (which you shouldn't be eating anyway) and even "your daily bread". It will even translate to higher gas prices in many places as GMO corn is used to make that ethanol in your gasoline blends.
Add in to this the facts that pesticides (and cellphones and chemtrails and whatever else you want to name) seem to be killing off our pollinators, the increasingly acidic rain and mineral depletion in the soils are making our crops weaker and more prone to disease and parasite infections, and that increasingly hostile weather conditions, swinging from extreme heat and dry to cool and wet, or any combination thereof, are becoming ever so common, and you have a very precarious future for even those things outside the group of foods we call "staples" (wheat, corn, rice, etc).
Food prices are going up, and it's already happening fast. Here in Florida, the cold snaps in November/December sent produce prices up initially. Just as they started to level, of course, cold snaps in Mexico caused them to go up even higher than before. Green Bell peppers are currently running $1/each ON SALE! This as opposed to the wonderful sale prices you could get even last year, which wasn't much better on the "cold front", at 25 or 50 cents each.
As the prices go up across the board, everyone will be left with less money to spend on other "essentials" like big-screen 3D plasma TVs and box-sets of "Lost". Can you spell "unemployment"? Imagine the job losses we will incur as people tighten their belts, yet again, because they're struggling to put a box or two of mac and cheese on the table every week. The hardest hit in the US? My prediction on that is the so-called "big box stores". Kiss your low-paying stock-boy job goodbye as they downsize again and again over the next 12 months. We may even see some burger-flipping jobs disappear as people find they can no longer afford the "$10 Menu" (yeah, inflation's a bitch, isn't it?).
With all this stuff going on, it's no wonder I find myself overwhelmed. If you're not, you're obviously not paying attention. Keep in mind, I haven't even touched on these mass bird and fish kills that are still ongoing since late December of 2010. Yeah, they're still happening, and world-wide. Some of them are, I'm sure, just that usual background noise from overpopulation of a particular species or other natural environmental causes like red tide or outbreaks of disease. There's too many of them, though, and a good chunk can't be just written off as "normal".
And the Congress...and the Senate...and Ron Paul with his House Subcommittee for Domestic Monetary Policy and Technology...and ObamaCare...and the Patriot Act...and you freaking name it...
My head's spinning again. Let me go focus on something more mundane for a while - then maybe I'll post more later.
2.03.2011
When Natural Ain't So Natural - GMO Taking Over
Monsanto, Dow, Bayer, Syngenta, BASF...the list goes on. These companies develop genetically modified crops, such as Monsanto's pervasive line of "Round-Up Ready" crops that includes corn, sugar beets, soybeans, and now even alfalfa. The studies done on these GMOs (Genetically Modified Organisms) should be already on the FRONT of your mind any time you're buying food.
But did you know that so-called "natural food" retailers, like Whole Foods Market, Organic Valley and Stoneyfield Farm, are selling you these GMOs? You see, though products and foods labeled "organic" are not supposed to, and generally don't, have any GMO crop ingredients in them, those labeled "natural" have no such regulation...and according to this article in the Huffington Post, two-thirds of Whole Foods' annual $9 billion in sales is from products contaminated with GMO ingredients.
Repeat: "Natural foods" are contaminated with GMO!
Currently, combined "organic" and "natural" food purchases result in sales of around $80 billion dollars annually, which is approximately 12% of all grocery store sales. Obviously, nobody wants to eat these "frankenfoods"! One manufacturer of GMO crops is even on the record, stating: "If you put a label on genetically engineered food you might as well put a skull and crossbones on it." Now we find out that they've been sneaking this crap it into what many Americans had trusted was safe!
So how much of the food out there is GMO? As of 2010, the reports are that 95% of sugar beets, 86% of corn, and 93% of soybeans, cotton and canola (rapeseed) grown in the US are GMO. Up to 80% of processed foods sold in the US contain GMO ingredients and, with the revelation that even so called "natural foods" are contaminated, that percentage may be about to go way up.
It's time that everyone learn to identify both edible and medicinal plants. Start growing non-hybrid and heirloom vegetables in your back yards. The little bit of money you will save can then be used to buy more honest, organic foods when you visit the supermarket. That's a major win all around, not only helping deprive the big business, unsustainable modern agriculture of your hard earned money, but also ensuring the food you eat is truly safe and helping preserve genetic diversity for future generations.
"Natural" isn't natural anymore, and ignoring this problem isn't going to make it go away.
But did you know that so-called "natural food" retailers, like Whole Foods Market, Organic Valley and Stoneyfield Farm, are selling you these GMOs? You see, though products and foods labeled "organic" are not supposed to, and generally don't, have any GMO crop ingredients in them, those labeled "natural" have no such regulation...and according to this article in the Huffington Post, two-thirds of Whole Foods' annual $9 billion in sales is from products contaminated with GMO ingredients.
Repeat: "Natural foods" are contaminated with GMO!
Currently, combined "organic" and "natural" food purchases result in sales of around $80 billion dollars annually, which is approximately 12% of all grocery store sales. Obviously, nobody wants to eat these "frankenfoods"! One manufacturer of GMO crops is even on the record, stating: "If you put a label on genetically engineered food you might as well put a skull and crossbones on it." Now we find out that they've been sneaking this crap it into what many Americans had trusted was safe!
So how much of the food out there is GMO? As of 2010, the reports are that 95% of sugar beets, 86% of corn, and 93% of soybeans, cotton and canola (rapeseed) grown in the US are GMO. Up to 80% of processed foods sold in the US contain GMO ingredients and, with the revelation that even so called "natural foods" are contaminated, that percentage may be about to go way up.
It's time that everyone learn to identify both edible and medicinal plants. Start growing non-hybrid and heirloom vegetables in your back yards. The little bit of money you will save can then be used to buy more honest, organic foods when you visit the supermarket. That's a major win all around, not only helping deprive the big business, unsustainable modern agriculture of your hard earned money, but also ensuring the food you eat is truly safe and helping preserve genetic diversity for future generations.
"Natural" isn't natural anymore, and ignoring this problem isn't going to make it go away.
2.02.2011
The Pursuit of Happiness
I came across an article this morning about Brazil looking to amend its constitution by guaranteeing the citizen's right to "happiness".
This got me thinking: as the global revolution is taking place, do we Americans even understand what it's all about? Do we understand what's taking place all over the world? Do we get what these people are actually fighting for?
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."
Every American should certainly know this, the second sentence of our Declaration of Independence. The rest of world certainly knows it.
And we should all generally know what it means to have rights to "Life" and "Liberty".
What has me thinking today is this portion about "the pursuit of Happiness". What exactly is the "Happiness" our founding fathers were referring to? It must be pretty important, ranking up there with both "Life" and "Liberty", right? Understanding this right, guaranteed in our Declaration of Independence, might be the key to understanding the global revolution.
Having spent some time studying philosophy, I can tell you that the often overlooked capitalization of the words "Rights", "Life", "Liberty" and "Happiness" in the Declaration of Independence is actually quite important when trying to understand the meaning. You see, when a seemingly arbitrary, normally non-capitalized word is capitalized in a certain context, it signifies that the word is being used as a proper noun, just like a person's name. It has a very defined, exact meaning that is not to be confused with the mundane, dictionary definition of the word. That, in itself, gives us a clue as to what the phrase actually means - the "pursuit of Happiness" spoken of here is the pursuit of a very specific, singular thing, and not the general "happiness" that most of us would ordinarily think.
So, if that's the case, the definition of "Happiness", with a capital "H", must be identified somewhere. The question is "where?".
John Locke, a 17th Century philosopher, had basically outlined the structure of the government which the Declaration of Independence and US Constitution established 100 years or so later. His philosophies can be easily recognized throughout both of these founding documents, and Thomas Jefferson himself stated that he considered Locke as one of the "three greatest men to have ever lived". It's generally accepted that the origin of the second sentence of the Declaration of Independence is Locke's Second Treatise of Civil Government, Chapter 2 where he states (in section 6):
"The state of nature has a law...which obliges every one...that being all equal and independent, no one ought to harm another in his life, health, liberty, or possessions..."
In this statement, however, Locke never mentioned "Happiness". He spoke of life, liberty, health and possessions. Many historians and scholars would have it that, Thomas Jefferson, in a stroke of genius, just decided to reword what Locke had written as he authored the Declaration; that the word "Happiness" is symbolic, and that he actually meant "possessions". The use of "Happiness" as a proper noun, however, tells us this must be wrong.
Looking to Locke's An Essay Concerning Human Understanding, Chapter 21, there is extensive discussion of "happiness", including the clear definition it would need to be used as a proper noun. In section 42, Locke states:
"Happiness and misery are the names of two extremes, the utmost bounds whereof we know not... But of some degrees of both we have very lively impressions; made by several instances of delight and joy on the one side, and torment and sorrow on the other..."
So Locke defined "Happiness", as one "extreme" of which we can only experience in various degrees through impressions of "delight and joy", and contrasts it to "misery" with its impressions of "torment and sorrow". Further, in section 36 of this work, Locke states:
"For, as much as whilst we are under any uneasiness, we cannot apprehend ourselves happy...pain and uneasiness being, by every one, concluded and felt to be inconsistent with happiness...that which of course determines the choice of our will to the next action will always be- the removing of pain, as long as we have any left, as the first and necessary step towards happiness."
Then in section 61:
"But as soon as any new uneasiness comes in, this happiness is disturbed, and we are set afresh on work in the pursuit of happiness."
Clearly, that exact phrase, "pursuit of happiness", is defined here as the act of removing "pain" and "uneasiness" which are contrary and therefore hinder the experience of "happiness", and this is what our Declaration of Independence states is an unalienable Right.
There is no mention of property or "possessions" here, only a very clear definition of "Happiness" being a spectrum of experience we perceive through impressions of "delight and joy", and of its pursuit being the removal of the hindrances to those perceptions.
And this is what the whole damned world is fighting for!
Right now, Tunisians, Egyptians, Yemenis, Jordanians, Algerians and Syrians are all standing up and throwing off the shackles of their repressive regimes. Even in Saudi Arabia, people are taking to the streets in protest of what they feel as a "pain" or "uneasiness". Many are pointing the finger and saying it's about food and health and property, but it's not.
It's about their right to "the pursuit of Happiness", that very same right we Americans declared was given to every man, woman and child by their Creator!
Even in Brazil, a reform in the way the government thinks and operates is underway, and they are looking to add "happiness" to their list of guaranteed rights!
The whole world is actively seeking the American Dream, and the key to the Dream is that one tiny portion of the Declaration of Independence..."the pursuit of Happiness".
The question is, then, when will Americans stand up and fight for their own right to pursue it?
This got me thinking: as the global revolution is taking place, do we Americans even understand what it's all about? Do we understand what's taking place all over the world? Do we get what these people are actually fighting for?
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."
Every American should certainly know this, the second sentence of our Declaration of Independence. The rest of world certainly knows it.
And we should all generally know what it means to have rights to "Life" and "Liberty".
What has me thinking today is this portion about "the pursuit of Happiness". What exactly is the "Happiness" our founding fathers were referring to? It must be pretty important, ranking up there with both "Life" and "Liberty", right? Understanding this right, guaranteed in our Declaration of Independence, might be the key to understanding the global revolution.
Having spent some time studying philosophy, I can tell you that the often overlooked capitalization of the words "Rights", "Life", "Liberty" and "Happiness" in the Declaration of Independence is actually quite important when trying to understand the meaning. You see, when a seemingly arbitrary, normally non-capitalized word is capitalized in a certain context, it signifies that the word is being used as a proper noun, just like a person's name. It has a very defined, exact meaning that is not to be confused with the mundane, dictionary definition of the word. That, in itself, gives us a clue as to what the phrase actually means - the "pursuit of Happiness" spoken of here is the pursuit of a very specific, singular thing, and not the general "happiness" that most of us would ordinarily think.
So, if that's the case, the definition of "Happiness", with a capital "H", must be identified somewhere. The question is "where?".
John Locke, a 17th Century philosopher, had basically outlined the structure of the government which the Declaration of Independence and US Constitution established 100 years or so later. His philosophies can be easily recognized throughout both of these founding documents, and Thomas Jefferson himself stated that he considered Locke as one of the "three greatest men to have ever lived". It's generally accepted that the origin of the second sentence of the Declaration of Independence is Locke's Second Treatise of Civil Government, Chapter 2 where he states (in section 6):
"The state of nature has a law...which obliges every one...that being all equal and independent, no one ought to harm another in his life, health, liberty, or possessions..."
In this statement, however, Locke never mentioned "Happiness". He spoke of life, liberty, health and possessions. Many historians and scholars would have it that, Thomas Jefferson, in a stroke of genius, just decided to reword what Locke had written as he authored the Declaration; that the word "Happiness" is symbolic, and that he actually meant "possessions". The use of "Happiness" as a proper noun, however, tells us this must be wrong.
Looking to Locke's An Essay Concerning Human Understanding, Chapter 21, there is extensive discussion of "happiness", including the clear definition it would need to be used as a proper noun. In section 42, Locke states:
"Happiness and misery are the names of two extremes, the utmost bounds whereof we know not... But of some degrees of both we have very lively impressions; made by several instances of delight and joy on the one side, and torment and sorrow on the other..."
So Locke defined "Happiness", as one "extreme" of which we can only experience in various degrees through impressions of "delight and joy", and contrasts it to "misery" with its impressions of "torment and sorrow". Further, in section 36 of this work, Locke states:
"For, as much as whilst we are under any uneasiness, we cannot apprehend ourselves happy...pain and uneasiness being, by every one, concluded and felt to be inconsistent with happiness...that which of course determines the choice of our will to the next action will always be- the removing of pain, as long as we have any left, as the first and necessary step towards happiness."
Then in section 61:
"But as soon as any new uneasiness comes in, this happiness is disturbed, and we are set afresh on work in the pursuit of happiness."
Clearly, that exact phrase, "pursuit of happiness", is defined here as the act of removing "pain" and "uneasiness" which are contrary and therefore hinder the experience of "happiness", and this is what our Declaration of Independence states is an unalienable Right.
There is no mention of property or "possessions" here, only a very clear definition of "Happiness" being a spectrum of experience we perceive through impressions of "delight and joy", and of its pursuit being the removal of the hindrances to those perceptions.
And this is what the whole damned world is fighting for!
Right now, Tunisians, Egyptians, Yemenis, Jordanians, Algerians and Syrians are all standing up and throwing off the shackles of their repressive regimes. Even in Saudi Arabia, people are taking to the streets in protest of what they feel as a "pain" or "uneasiness". Many are pointing the finger and saying it's about food and health and property, but it's not.
It's about their right to "the pursuit of Happiness", that very same right we Americans declared was given to every man, woman and child by their Creator!
Even in Brazil, a reform in the way the government thinks and operates is underway, and they are looking to add "happiness" to their list of guaranteed rights!
The whole world is actively seeking the American Dream, and the key to the Dream is that one tiny portion of the Declaration of Independence..."the pursuit of Happiness".
The question is, then, when will Americans stand up and fight for their own right to pursue it?
2.01.2011
Hillary and the Ambassadors - Saving Face Pro-actively!
So as not to miss an opportunity to speculate, looks like Hillary called a meeting of basically all the US ambassadors around the world. Now, it doesn't sound like much at first, but this is truly unprecedented - never before have we seen a gathering like this. These "top envoys" of "260 embassies, consulates and other posts" are currently meeting at the State Department.
The mind boggles at the implications. Why exactly are they meeting? Is it just something someone suggested they do, kinda like when unhappy employees suggest interdepartmental meetings "so we can all get on the same page"? Or is this really about something bigger? Obviously, with the global revolution starting to take hold and the threat of future WikiLeaks releases causing a banking meltdown, that's where my mind goes.
A quick look at the upcoming transits does show a powerful Venus/Pluto conjunction on February 9 in Capricorn and the US natal 1st house. As Venus rules money, and Pluto in Capricorn is all about government power structures and big business, you know exactly what I'm thinking - they're finally going to release those damn bank documents!
On the 9th, Jupiter, currently in Aries and the US natal 4th house, will be in a strong square to the US natal Venus, as well as loosely square natal Jupiter, both in Cancer and the 7th house. The Venus/Pluto conjunction will be in strong opposition to the US natal Jupiter (and loosely with the natal Venus). This sets up a strong T-square among these planets.
My quick and dirty interpretation: domestic issues concerning expansionism or inflationary pressure causes a "self vs. other" situation. Yep - gotta be those damn bank documents!
So, all eyes on the week of the 7th!
The mind boggles at the implications. Why exactly are they meeting? Is it just something someone suggested they do, kinda like when unhappy employees suggest interdepartmental meetings "so we can all get on the same page"? Or is this really about something bigger? Obviously, with the global revolution starting to take hold and the threat of future WikiLeaks releases causing a banking meltdown, that's where my mind goes.
A quick look at the upcoming transits does show a powerful Venus/Pluto conjunction on February 9 in Capricorn and the US natal 1st house. As Venus rules money, and Pluto in Capricorn is all about government power structures and big business, you know exactly what I'm thinking - they're finally going to release those damn bank documents!
On the 9th, Jupiter, currently in Aries and the US natal 4th house, will be in a strong square to the US natal Venus, as well as loosely square natal Jupiter, both in Cancer and the 7th house. The Venus/Pluto conjunction will be in strong opposition to the US natal Jupiter (and loosely with the natal Venus). This sets up a strong T-square among these planets.
My quick and dirty interpretation: domestic issues concerning expansionism or inflationary pressure causes a "self vs. other" situation. Yep - gotta be those damn bank documents!
So, all eyes on the week of the 7th!
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