THE VILLAGE: by M. NIGHT ASHCROFT

The Village, a NEW movie by M Night Shyamalan, is: THE MOVIE FOR OUR
TIME!

ON THE SURFACE, IT IS MOVIE ABOUT FEAR! AND, OF MONSTERS!

But, it is really a movie about the uses of fear and monsters.

Sound like anybody we know?

Shyamalan is not a big user of computer assisted graphics, not a lot
of CGI in his movies.

But, they are all scary as HELL! He has a Sixth Sense for scaring
people the old fashion way.

Why?

Well, probably because fear is not what you see, but what you think
you see, or what you think you MIGHT see.

Shyamalan uses the old "peep-a-boo" monster scenes like the old
masters of black and white horror movies of the 1950's and 60's.

But even the old silence classics, Nosferatu and The Phantom, could
scare the wits out of people, with just that slowing turning door
knob; even more frightening than a thousand bloody CGI de-capitations
today; Yawn.

IN THE MOVIE, FEAR OF "MONSTERS" IS USED AS A MEANS FOR SOCIAL AND
POLITCIAL CONTROL.

NOT UNLIKE THE WAY THE CURRENT PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN IS BEING RUN BY
DUBYA & CO.

The "Osama Monster" is brought out "on cue" whenever the Kerry Camp
seem to be getting an advantage.

"They are going to hit us!" "They are going to hit us hard!"

BUT WHAT IF IT'S TRUE?

WHAT IF THEY DO HIT US?

WILL FEAR ACCOMPLISH ANYTHING?

FEAR OF SOMETHING IS OFTEN WORSE THAN THE THING ITSELF!

(I know there is little "market" rational discussion here. But if
someone doesn't like it? Well, I think the current phrase is: Just
Shove it!)

FEAR IS, AND HAS BEEN, USED AS AN INSTURMENT OF SOCIAL AND POLITICAL
CONTROL. BUT, THE FEAR ITSELF IS USELESS AND EVEN HARMFUL.

What needs to be done is to SOLVE THE PROBLEMS IN THE MIDDLE EAST!

Dubya & Co either don't see this. Or don't want to see it.

TO TACKLE THE CRISIS HEADON. TO GIVE SOME "TOUGH LOVE" TO SHARON AND
THE LIKUDNICS FOR THEIR OWN AND OUR EVENTUAL GOOD.

TO BRING THE ISLAMISTS INTO THE CONVERSTION, AND NEGOTIATION WITH
THEM ABOUT THEIR "GRIEVANCES" REAL OR IMAGINED;

AND NOT ONLY "TRY TO KILL THEM."

OR, TO DECLARE SOME LUNATIC "WAR ON EVIL." What is that, really?

What is a war on evil? How stupid do you have to be to understand
that. Do you have to do a card carrying Republican?

Anyway. It sounds like something the Wahington Military-Industrial
Complex would love!

KERRY'S FIRST JOB HAS PRESIDENT SHOULD BE TO SOLVE THE MIDDLE EAST
CRISIS. NOT JUST KEEP BOMBING IT!

SMART BOMBING IS REALLY NEVER TOO SMART, AS WE ARE DISCOVERING
EVERYDAY NOW IN IRAQ.

Is it too late for Dubya to be a "peacemaker" and not his
beloved "war president?"

WELL, IF DUBYA WAS A PEACEMAKER, JUST MAYBE, ASHCROFT AND RIDGE
COULD SIMPLY PUT THE "OSAMA SUIT" BACK IN THE ATTIC OF OUR COLLECTIVE
PSYCHE;

AND GET ON WITH SERVING THE REAL NEEDS OF AMERICAN PEOPLE.


POSTSCIRPT: See the movie in the link. And, think about the above
while you do!

http://thevillage.movies.go.com/

WHAT WILL BUBBA DO?

Will ignorant white males decide the election this year?

Well maybe, I've make AN argument that they will. But, there is
another way of looking at it.

Perhaps, just perhaps, Bubba is not as "dumb" as I make him out to be?

Perhaps;

ALL VOTERS, BUBBAS, SOUTHERNERS, CONSERVATIVES, RELIGIOUS TYPES,
ETC., WILL JUST ASK A FEW SIMPLE AND BASIC QUESTIONS:

DO I WANT FOUR MORE YEARS OF BUSH & CO.?

HAVE THE LAST FOUR YEARS BEEN "GOOD" FOR ME?

IS THE NATION GOING IN THE "RIGHT DIRECTION?"

ARE THE VARIOUS "WARS" OF DUBYA & CO. "GOING WELL?"

Remember, unpopular wars have ended many a presidency!

Just being a "war president" is not enough. Any war has to be
popular, and justifiable in the public mind.

Proof? Truman in Korea and Johnson in VietNam. Wars are a two edged
sword for any president. Most wars are "a problem" for the
president. Look at Lincoln. His own general ran against him in 1864!

The notion that wars are good for presidential re-election is really
only a Roosevelt Era phenomenon! Not really a valid precendent; more
of an EXCEPTION really! If you look at the totality of history.

Should Dubya be held "responsible" for 911, the same way that Carter
was held to account for the "hostage crisis" in Iran? After all,
there is this notion of "whose watch" did the troubles happen on.

Has Dubya handled the public finances properly. What do I think
about the Clinton surplus becoming the Dubya Deficits?

Is Wall Street's "free trade" working for me?

Has the president ever "lied" to me? After all, Clinton lied, and
Gore paid the ultimate price, really. That, Along with
the "Lieberman Mistake!"

Is the "negative advertising" against the opponent "fair" or just
grasping at straws, or an attempt to divert the public from the real
issues.

And, last:

IS THE CURRENT PRESIDENT DOING HIS JOB WELL, OR IS IT TIME FOR A
CHANGE?

My hunch is that these basic and fundamental questions will trump any
wedge issues, like gays, or abortion rights, or flag burning.
Tampering with the Constitution is the last refuge of desperate
politicans. The Constitution is just fine the way it is; no changes
are needed at this time.

MAYBE, BUBBA WILL COME TO THE PROPER DECISION, BY JUST KEEPING IT
REAL REAL SIMPLE AND TO THE POINT.

Dubya's only hope is that the economy and the wars "go very well"
from now until the election. (Sad to say, it's not likely)

If "the wheels come off" the war or the economy?

NONE OF THESE VERY SIMPLE QUESTIONS WILL BE ANSWERED IN BUSH'S FAVOR,
NO MATTER HOW MUCH MONEY IS SPEND BY EITHER SIDE. Sorry, even money
has it's limits!

IN A SENSE, DUBYA & CO HAVE THE "BURDEN OF PROOF" HERE.

DUBYA MUST PROVE THAT HE IS WORTHY OF FOUR MORE YEARS;

MR. KERRY DOES NOT HAVE TO PROVE "THE NEGATIVE." NAMELY THAT DUBYA
IS UNWORTHY OF RE-ELECTION.

.....THINK ABOUT IT.


Postsript: This could "explain" the odd data in the currrent
polling.

Perhaps, Dubya has an early "presumption of innocence," but also "the
burden of proof" ultimately?

Or, put other way:

TELL ME WHY I SHOULD VOTE FOR YOU, MR. PRESIDENT.

DON'T TELL ME WHY I SHOULD NOT VOTE FOR MR. KERRY.

MR PRESIDENT, THE BURDEN OF PROOF IS YOURS!

FLIP-FLOP PLOT FLOPS!

How much money has Dubya & Co spent to "define" Kerry as a "flip-
flopper?"

TENS OF MILLIONS REALLY!

But why? Consider:

Kerry is often accused of being the most consistent LIBERAL in the
Senate behind only "the evil one," Ted Kennedy!

BUT HOW CAN YOU BE CONSISTENT, AND YET BE A FLIP-FLOPPER? IT DOESN'T
MAKE ANY SENSE!

Well, Mr. Safire to the rescue: In today's NYT Safire exposes the
shocking truth about Mr Kerry!

According to Safire, Kerry is a terminal flip-flopper because;

Kerry is opposed to the death penalty; EXCEPT FOR TERRORISTS!

Kerry is pro-choice, but BELIEVES THAT LIFE STARTS AT CONCEPTION!

Kerry is against gay marriage; but OPPOSES A CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT!

Hmmmm.......is THIS the best that $80 Million can buy?

ALL OF SAFIRE'S ALLEGED "FLIP-FLOPS" ARE REALLY JUST NUANCED
POSITIONS ON COMPLEX TOPICS! THINK ABOUT IT!

KERRY'S SUPPOSED FLIP FLOPS ARE REALLY A SIGN OF "INTELLIGENT LIFE"
WHICH HAS BEEN TOTALLY LACKING WITH DUBYA & CHUM'S "GOOD vs. EVIL"
WORLD VIEW!

I mean, even Stephen Hawking, the "smartest man in the world"
recently "flip-flopped" on his theory of BLACK HOLES!

NUANCED THINKING IS REALLY A SIGN OF INTELLIGENCE!

IT'S DUBYA AND HIS "FLAT-EARTH" CROWD, WITH THEIR PATHOLOGICAL
RELIGIOSITY THAT ARE THE DANGEROUS ONES!

Need more?

Look at today's USAToday:

On page 15A under "The Forum" heading, Jonah Goldberg of National
Review goes into a confused word salad of anti-Kerry mumbo-jumbo that
ends by saying Democrats are calling Dubya & Co. "fascists!"

Not, I might add, unlike yesterday's WSJ that that called
Dubya "incurious and witless!"

AT THIS POINT, MR. KERRY MIGHT BE HOPEING THAT THE REPUBLICAN
APOLOGISTS: "JUST KEEP ON TALKING!" Ya think?

LET'S HOPE DUBYA & CO. CAN GET THEIR STORY STAIGHT BEFORE THE
REPUBLICAN CONVENTION IN SEPTEMBER!

Because;

THIS FLIP-FLOP PLOT JUST ISN'T WORKING!

YOU GO GIRL!

What kind of first lady will Heinz Kerry be?

Well, my hunch is that she could be in the same class as Eleanor
Roosevelt.

Mrs. Kerry has her own opinions on matters;

And she wouldn't be cast in the conservative "Stepford Wives" mold of
some recent Republican first ladies, like the current first lady,
Laura Bush.

Mrs. Roosevelt was a free spirit. She often went off on her own
tangent politically. But she was never the "co-president," like Hillary Clinton.

Barbara Bush was great as our nation's slightly
eccentric "Grandmother."

And, Nancy was a Hollywood "Barbie Doll" with no opinions of her own,
until Ronnie died.

My advise to Heinz Kerry would be: You Go Girl!

WE NEED ALL OF THE GOOD IDEAS WE CAN GET AFTER FOUR YEARS OF DUBYA

WHAT'S YOUR MAJOR? OUTSOURCING MANAGEMENT!

News that the University of Michigan and other key business schools
are GOING TO BANGALORE is interesting.

Apparently, business schools now want to give their grads a preview
of the supposed "new environment" they will be working in.

NAMELY, MANAGING REMOTE WORKFORCES IN LOW WAGE COUNTRIES!

So, forget I.T.

OUTSOURCING MANAGEMENT COULD BE THE NEW "HOT MAJOR" FOR BUSINESS
GRADS!

Of course the entire problem with this new "Globalism" is that it is
UNTESTED LONGER TERM.

We simply do not know the long term consequences of this rampant
global capital, so beloved by Wall Street, the Fed and the Republican
Party.

GLOBALISM IS ONLY BEING TESTED AT THE MIRCO-LEVEL, OR AT THE "FIRM
LEVEL." SO FAR.

IT'S GREAT TO LAY OFF YOUR HIGH WAGE WORKERS, (ie. THE "OTHER GUYS"
CUSTOMERS).

AND HIRE CHEAP WAGE SLAVES OVERSEAS. BUT WHO PROTECTS YOU "HOME
MARKET?" WHAT ABOUT THE RESULTING TRADE DEFICITS?

EXACTLY HOW DOES THIS TURN OUT LONG TERM?

Well, like the stock market bubble of the 1990's, NO ONE IN A
POSITION OF AUTHORITY REALLY CARES!

I KNOW, IT'S AMAZING TO SAY. BUT, IT'S TRUE.

The "G-Man" only tells us that things will "correct,"
and "equilibrium will be restored," but he nevers says how, or when,
or what the consequences for DOMESTIC AMERICAN CAPITAL will be.

GLOBAL CAPITAL HAS NO COUNTRY.

UNDER GLOBALISM, GLOBAL CAPITAL DOESN'T CARE ABOUT TRADE DEFICITS OF
DOMESTIC MARKETS.

GLOBAL CAPITAL HAS NO DOMESTIC MARKET TO PROTECT. IT JUST DOESN'T
CARE.

AGAIN, NO ONE HAS LEVELED WITH US ABOUT THE LONG TERM MACRO
CONSEQUENCES OF GLOBALISM AND GLOBAL CAPITAL.

When the subject is raised, the response seems to be:

SHUT UP AND MAKE YOUR QUARTERLY NUMBERS! DON'T SWEAT THE LONG TERM
STUFF! THAT'S NOT IN YOUR JOB DESCRIPTION!

SMART vs. STUPID!

The nation is polarized! We hear this all the time.

There are the "red states" and the "blue states."

There are liberals (evil) and conservatives (good).

There are the rich and the poor.

Capital and Labor. Union and Non-union, (but mostly non-union
outside the public sector).

The nation is polarized!

But I suggest another measure of polarization that is even more
accurate.

THE POLARIZATION BETWEEN THE SMART AND THE STUPID!

Consider:

When David Brooks started at the NYT recently, one of his first
columns was about the "lack" of conservatives in our nation's
universities; especially in PhD programs and tenured teaching
positions.

WHY ARE CONSERVATIVES SO ABSENT FROM THE INTELLECTUAL LIFE OF THE
NATION?

Well, the implication of Brooks, et al, is DISCRIMINATION IN FAVOR OF
LIBERALS AT UNIVERSITIES!

But there is another more logical explanation.

Perhaps, being conservative is an anti-intellectual trait, and NOT
really a true political philosophy?

Perhaps "conservatism" is more an "appetite," than a valid debateable
doctrine?

Conservatives tend NOT to want to agrue on an intellectual level,
they prefer distraction and "wedge issues" or just changing the
subject.

The best example of this type of conservative is Wm. Buckley, who has
been unable to utter an understandable sentence since the Goldwater
Daze.

Conservatives are "me" people. Liberals tend to think in terms
of "we."

And, since government is really more about the "we" than the "me."
The liberals tend to have the better intellectual arguments about
government which is really an argument about the "we."

Even as conservatives, who are essentially creatures of personal
appetites and private greed, try to argue positions like; "greed is good," and other twaddle that has not been valid since the Stone Age; if then!

Conservatives tend to think that "government is bad." And, when they
are in office they PROVE IT by giving us BAD GOVERNMENT!

ELECTING CONSERVATIVES TO GOVERNMENT OFFICE IS LIKE HIRING A
BABYSITTER WHO TELLS YOU STRAIGHT AWAY THAT SHE--"HATES KIDS!"

CONSERVATIVES, WHO ABHOR GOVERNMENT FOR THE "WE," AND WHO PREFER TO
PURSUE PERSONAL GREED AND PRIVATE APPETITIES SHOULD HAVE LITTLE OR NO
CONTROL OF THE INSTITUTIONS OF GOVERNMENT.

It's like letting a "hi-jacker" fly the plane!

No wonder Dubya has been such a spectacular failure as president!

THE NEW NEW DEAL

With the Democratic Convention in Boston, the Era of Greed could be
over. The Great Greenspan Bubble Economy of the last 20 years could
be coming to an end.

Consider:

Today's Wall Street Journal was a veritable ODE TO GLOOM!

The Japanese are pulling back from financing the US Deficits. China
isn't buying bonds either. The Dollar is weakening for macro, alas
not micro or market reasons.

And, sooner or later, "sooner or later" will kick in on
the dollar and the deficits.

And, probably a lot sooner than many people think

UAL is apparently going to default on their pension plan and force
their retirees onto government pensions! And, AMR is hitting some
turbulance again.

German workers are now desperately trying to "compete" with Chinese
Coolie Labor it seems. Good Luck.

The rich are "optimistic" but can't seem to think of anything they
want and need to buy! And, the poor are getting poorer, per usual.

MY HUNCH IS THAT WE ARE ENTERING A RE-ADJUSTMENT PERIOD WHERE THE
BALANCE BETWEEN CAPITAL AND LABOR WILL BE RESTORED.

SOME SERIOUS RE-DISTRIBUTION IS IN ORDER. THE WORLD ACCORDING TO
GREENSPAN WHERE CAPITAL IS ALL THAT MATTERS, AND LABOR IS MERELY
TOLERATED, IS OVER.

THESE THINGS HAPPEN OCCASSIONALLY; PERHAPS EVERY 50 0R 60 YEARS.

DON'T PANIC! IT'S QUITE "NORMAL" REALLY. AND, NECESSARY IF "THE
SYSTEM" IS TO SURVIVE AND RE-BALANCE. OR AS THE "G-MAN" MIGHT
SAY: "ACHIEVE EQUALIBRIUM."

SO PERHAPS, LET'S CALL THE COMING JOHN KERRY YEARS......

"THE NEW NEW DEAL?"



Postscript: Long Long overdue. But nature abhors a Disequilibrium!
So cheer up over at the WSJ! Trust me, it's all to the longer term
good.

Maybe even, I here predict, WSJ WILL ENDORSE KERRY FOR PRESIDENT!
Hey, stranger things have and will happen......so stay tuned.

911 REPORT: PIE IN THE SKY?

The real issue in the 911 dilemma is: How do you stop a suicidal
lunatic?

I FRANKLY DON'T THINK YOU CAN.

The entire WTC disaster was a worst case scenario on every level.

Consider:

Why did the WTC collapse right down into the sub-basement level!

I, and most others, probably would have thought that there
were "redundancies;" and other fail-safe measures built into all of
these tall buildings. Apparently not. Don't tell me that that
didn't surprise you too.

Who could have foresaw that the buildings would completely collapse
in so dramtic a fashion?

Few people; and probably not even those who planned the attack!

In other words, WTC was a disaster on steroids!

How would we have felt if the buildings had not totally collapsed, or
if someone could have been tried for "the crime;" as occurred in the
Oklahoma City case?

Perhaps a little less violated? Perhaps a little more rational?
Would it have been more of a "crime scene" and less an "act of war?"

Who knows..........

Here's the problem:

In this modern age of weaponry, (developed mainly by the US and USSR
during the Cold War), armies are obsolete! One person can do more
damage than all of Hitler's Armies, and in far less time.

Additionally, most of these WMD technologies, (BLTs to Mr Buchanan)
were developed in the 1940's, OR EARILER! None of this is new.

CLEARLY WE ARE IN AN AGE WERE COOPERATION AMONG GOVERNMENTS IS
ESSENTIAL. TO SURVIVE THE 21ST CENTURY HUMANITY IS GOING TO NEED
CONFLICT RESOLUTION SKILLS LIKE NEVER BEFORE.

To get along with the Islamic Nations IT IS ESSENTIAL THAT THE US AND
ISRAEL RE-DOUBLE THEIR EFFORTS TO FIND A WAY OUT OF THE CURRENT
PALESTINIAN TROUBLES.

The US relationship with Israel reminds me of a parent whose kid is
throwing a tantrum in a public place. What to do? Spank the kid, or
just hope he shuts up and quits embarassing you!

THE FUN AND GAMES ON THE WEST BANK AND IN GAZA HAVE GOT TO STOP! AND
ASAP! BECAUSE NOTHING LESS THAN THE FUTURE OF MANKIND IN THIS
CENTURY COULD BE AT STAKE.

Alarmist? Perhaps. But I don't think so.

THE NEW KERRY PRESIDENCY MUST MAKE SOLVING THE MIDDLE EAST CRISIS JOB
ONE FROM DAY ONE! AND PRESIDENT KERRY SIMPLY MUST TELL THE "GREATER
ISRAEL" CROWD TO COOL IT FOR THE TIME BEING. SOMETHING CAN AND WILL
BE WORKED OUT AT A LATER DATE, ONCE TEMPERS HAVE COOLED AND THE OLD
LEADERSHIP HAS DIED OFF OR RETIRED.

And, why not Bush? He's way too far gone now. Dubya is too
geopolitically damaged in ways that make him incredible to ALL
PARTIES.

ONCE WE GET INTO CONFLICT RESOLUTION THAT DOESN'T INVOLVE THE OLD
TESTAMENT OR THE "SECOND COMING" WE WILL BE SURPRISED AT HOW FAST
PEACE AND STABILITY CAN BE RESTORED IN THE MIDDLE EAST!

And, who knows Americans might even be able to survive without an
American Gustapo! Or, the proposed new US Secret Police!

PEACE IS POSSIBLE INDEED PROBABLE. EVEN WITH "EVIL" ARABS AND
MUSLIMS.

JUST IMAGINE IT............RATIONALLY

WAR IS THE LAST REFUGE OF FANATICS AND FOOLS.

And, in truth, it always has been.

Or put another way. I'm an optimist! Even more so than Dubya, Ridge
and Wolfie.



Postscript: An this news that the American Right-Wing Fanatics may be
planning an attack on the Democratic Convention is just OUTRAGEOUS!

But it tells you who we are really dealing with here. And, perhaps where the REAL PROBLEM lies? Ya think?

NADER: METHOD OR MADDNESS?

News that Nader is accepting Republican help to get on the ballot inmany States is shocking to many.But there may be a method to his maddness!Nader may be trying to RADICALIZE the American People in ways thathave not been possible in recent times.I consider Nader to be a revolutionary.

Plain and Simple.Nader wants the Plutocrats to continue looting the economy foranother four years;Until there is literally nothing left to steal.

Then and only then,to Naderite thinking, will the people be ready to "re-claim" theireconomy and their country.In this regard, a wishy-washy Kerry Presidency that preserves thestatus quo is Nader's worse nightmare.

NADER KNOWS THAT A SECOND TERM FOR DUBYA AND THE PLUTOCRATS WILL BE ADISASTER OF THE FIRST MAGNITUDE IN THE US.NADER KNOWS THAT ONLY WHEN THE DUBYA'S BUBBAS HAVE HAD THEIR FILL OFTALK RADIO HATE SPEECH;AND WHEN THE BUBBA PENSIONS AND JOBS AND HEALTH CARE ARE ALL GONE;WILL "RATIONAL" THINKING PREVAIL.

But, Nader's Hidden Agenda is a very Risky Business.And, it could cause much needless suffering for Ordinary People toachieve it's ends.It's sort of like the Likudnics pandering to the US Religious Right.

The Lukud wants a "Greater Israel," but the US Religious Right wantto "convert the Jews" during the supposed "Second Coming," ( Or TheFirst Coming! Depending on which "Testament" you believe in.)

GEOPOLITICS MAKES STRANGE BEDFELLOWS, INDEED. And, a lotof "unexplainable" Mumbo-Jumbo to boot!BUT, EVERYONE SHOULD BE AWARE OF MR NADER'S "HIDDEN AGENDA," WHICH ISNOW BECOMING ALL TOO OBVIOUS;NAMELY, TO BRING THE US ECONOMY AND SOCIETY TO IT'S KNEES, WITH "FOURMORE DISASTEROUS YEARS" OF BUSH-CHENEY.

Know this....there is a method behind Mr Nader's seeming "Maddness."But, it is a Very Dangerous Game to be playing in these Degenerateand Dangerous Times.

SHORT TAKES.....

DUBYA: THE SAUDI CANDIDATE?

Krugman's column in the NYT today is daring! Krugman goes, point by
point, to show that Dubya's actions are playing into the hands of
Osama & Co in ways that are both strange and mysterious!

The implication is that Dubya is similar to the Manchurian Candidate
in the movie!

In a country less free than the US, Krugman would likely be arrested
for printing such "treason." But wait, Dubya only has his first term
under his belt. Just imagine what could happen during a SECOND TERM! Stay tuned.....Mr Krugman.

THE TUCKED IN THING?

Should you tuck in your thing, or just let it all hang out?

This fashion dilemma is tackled on the front page of the NYT today.
It seems that wearing shirts with tails untucked is all the rage
now. But, is this related to the AMERICAN OBESITY PROBLEM?

Remember, these days, even the fashion conscieous young tend to be
obese!

So, wearing shirts with tails untuck is not just for the flabby
middled aged types anymore. Indeed, the photos in today's NYT to
support the trend, seem to show guys who, perhaps, are trying
to "hide something." Ya think?

My suggestion is that if you have a truly flat stomach, and you're
not trying to "hide something." You should tuck in your shirt at the
start, but wear your pants a bit too loose, thereby allowing the
shirt to "untuck" itself naturally!!

This will split the difference, and give you the highly
desireable "half tucked" athletic look--with no danger of being
accidently mistaken for a Middle Aged Fatty! Get it?

Anyway; my hopes regarding the new fad for the fashionable boyish
look is currently limited to finding those older narrow ties from the
60's and 70's. They're great fashion statements. Really!

And they look so much better than the current wide "bibs" now on
offer in the stores.

Modern "wide ties" make even thin people look fat! Or worse,
ridiculous!

I'm attempting to bring back the narrow tie as a fashion statement.

Please help............

Hollywood types and Fashionistas take note:

My prediction for the next big thing? THE RETURN OF KNICKERS!

And, as always, remember, you heard it here first!


GREEN AND LEAFY, OR?

It was reported this weekend that women who eat "greens" like lettuce
and spinach have "better memories." Apparently the researchers asked
a bunch of women what they have been eating for the last ten years,
and then gave them some simple congintive tests.

Surprise, the greens eaters scored better!

BUT JUST MAYBE, THE PEOPLE WHO ATE THEIR VEGGIES WERE SMARTER TO
BEGIN WITH? AFTER ALL A BALANCED DIET THAT INCLUDES VEGGIES IS NOT
NEWS, ANYONE WHO READS OR IS OTHERWISE "WIDE AWAKE" KNOWS THIS.

Perhaps this "study" is just another case of
scientifically "discovering" that poor people "have less money!"


to be continued.................

THE ERA OF DEAD MONEY?

Some pundits are proclaiming that the ERA OF DEAD MONEY is upon us.
If so, Consider:
Could this be the 1970's Revisited?
Well, if it is, you can forget about the OLD MoMo Plays, and the "new highs" list!

IT'S TIME TO LOOK AT THE NEW LOWS LIST:
The way to invest, 1970's style, is by "playing" the NEW LOWS LIST!
Because, in a punk market, the FLOAT SOMETIMES COUNTS FOR MORE THAN THE FUNDAMENTALS.
THE NEW LOWS LIST BECOMES THE PLACE TO TROLL FOR "BARGAINS." 

Of course it's possible that there will be "sector plays" from time to time.  But still, in this still over-valued market, even fundamentals can be dicy; ie selling on the news, etc.


YET, BUYING LOW AND SELLING HIGH IS SUPPOSEDLY THE NAME OF THE GAME.  RIGHT?
But how do you tell an "unjust" new low, from a stock that's heading for Chapter 11? 
Well, I guess, that's why the money managers get the big bucks. 
How could you tell if Cisco, once $80, but now at, say $50, is a "bargain?"  Good Question!  (Actually Cisco is no where near $50, but you could have bought it for that "on the way down!")
Perhaps it's best to avoid the fads and high multiples, say over 30,  with this approach.

JUST GIVE ME P&G AT A 52 WEEK LOW!  I'LL BUY IT!
ANOTHER WAY TO PLAY OUR NEW ERA OF DEAD MONEY IS TO "INTERACT" WITH YOUR CAPITAL:
THAT IS TO BUY AND SELL SOMETHING OTHER THAN STOCKS AND PAPER ASSETS.
Like say Real Estate?  VERY 70'S!
Collectibles?  Hmmmm......for fun maybe, but to make REAL money?  I don't think so.

THE SELF EMPLOYMENT ROUTE:
IT IS POSSIBLE TO START A BUSINESS AND "INTERACT" WITH YOUR CAPITAL EVERY DAY.....THAT'S REALLY WHAT "SMALL BUSINESS" IS ALL ABOUT.
Small Business people really CREATE THEIR OWN JOB!  That is EXACTLY how it feels when you have a business.  But, beware!  Once you "create" your job it can become a demanding mistress! 
True, you can come in a little late, and leave a little early on a hit and miss basis, but more likely you will be WORKING LONGER HOURS!

ANY SELF EMPLOYED PERSON WILL TELL YOU THAT THEIR "HOURS" ARE FROM WHEN THEY SIT UP IN BED IN THE MORNING, UNTIL WHEN THEY LAY BACK DOWN AT NIGHT!
And, even to do that sometimes requires "taking the phone off the hook!!"
Still, there is something satisfying about being in control--24.7.
And, Self employed people sometimes get their kicks differently than wage slaves. 

For example, buying a new piece of equipment for the business can be as exciting to a business owner, as buying a new car is to a salaried person!  I know, it's sick!  But True!
And, "retailing" is a different mind set.  You ask not: How much does this cost?  But rather: How much can I sell it for!

Retailing at the "flea market" level is not much different than selling at the WalMart level, really.  It's just the order of magnitude that's different.  The fundamental mind-set is basically the same.

Selling "services" is essentially the same thing. 
What's the difference between a prostitute and a lawyer?  NOT MUCH! 

A service is a service is a service.

Except, of course, that prostitutes get more "respect" than lawyers these days! 
  
 

IT'S RUDE, CRUDE AND EVEN LEWD!

It's Crude! It's Rude! And, it's even Lewd!

Listening to Dubya's Kooky Kampaign ads, you would have to wonder;

NOT, WHY MR. KERRY SHOULD BE PRESIDENT!

BUT RATHER, WHY JOHN KERRY HASN'T BEEN ARRESTED YET!!

(But hang on, it's still early)

Consider. According to Dubya:

Mr Kerry "wants" US soldiers to go into battle without flack jackets!

MY GOD!

Mr. Kerry "refuses" to fund US troops in the field! And,
he's "against children!" and "against job creation!"

Even worst of all, Mr. Kerry is a "Pessimist!" Unlike Dubya and
Reagan, I suppose!

IF YOU BELIEVE DUBYA'S AD BUYS, MR KERRY SHOULD BE HIDING OUT IN SOME
FOREIGN COUNTRY, NOT RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT.

KERRY'S AD'S HAVE BEEN ALL ABOUT JOBS AND THE ECONOMY, HEALTH CARE
AND PENSIONS, AND RESTORING RESPECT FOR AMERICA THROUGH ALLIANCES AND
PARTNERSHIPS.

THE POINT IS THAT DUBYA'S ADS SEEM TARGETED AT "TRUE BELIEVERS" AND
OTHER MORONS WHO ARE INTO DUBYA'S VERSION OF TALK RADIO HATE SPEECH.

BUT, MODERATE AND SWING VOTERS FROM THE SUBURBS MAY BE TOTALLY TURNED
OFF BY THESE EXTREME REPUBLICAN ADS.

I mean has Kerry ever said that Dubya speaks like English is his
second language? Or, that Bush can't string two sentences together
that make sense?

Or, that Bush's pronouncments have a simplistic naievete that is
sometimes shocking to persons of normal intelligence.

And, that most of the world consider Dubya to be a simpleton at best,
and out right stupid at worst? The code word for this problem, in
the major media, is "incurious."

You see, in most "foreign countries," people elect their "best and
brightest" to lead the nation.

Alas, persons of below average intellectual achievement generally
don't run governments overseas! Only in America!

NOW IF KERRY OR ANY OTHER DEMOCRAT MADE THESE CLAIMS IN THE MAJOR
MEDIA THEY WOULD BE ACCUSED OF "HATE SPEECH" OR BEING "BUSH HATERS!"

BUT DUBYA'S "INCURIOUSNESS" IS THE REAL REASON THAT WE ARE IN SUCH A
MESS NOW! IN IRAQ AND THE MIDDLE EAST. WITH THE ECONOMY, JOBS AND
THE TWIN DEFICITS. AND WITH ANTI-AMERICANISM RAMPANT GLOBALLY.

Alas, Dubya is just the kind of person that smart people, in the US
and elsewhere, love to hate. That's really it, in a nutshell, isn't
it? Even though EVERYONE is afraid to say it openly.

INDEED, THE BEST REASON TO VOTE FOR KERRY-EDWARDS IS THE "RESPECT
ISSUE!"

WE SIMPLY MUST PUT SOME "BRAINS" BACK AT THE TOP OF THE AMERICAN
GOVERNMENT;

IF FOR NO OTHER REASON THAN TO ELIMINATE THE GLOBAL FEAR THAT
THE "REAL PRESIDENT"----IS THE VERY SCARY MR CHENEY!

OR, WOLFIE! OR, RUMMY! OR, EVEN CONDI! OR, YOU KNOW WHO!

We've been through TOTAL HELL in this country for the last four
years. And, for THAT Mr Bush expects a second bite at the apple!

Yet, I can not think of a greater disaster that could befall the US
than the re-election of Dubya & Co for four more years.

I seriously question whether the country could survive; economically,
geopolitically, and otherwise; at least in its current incarnation.

SO THIS ELECTION IS ABOUT RESTORING RESPECT AND PUTTING SOME "BRAINS"
BACK IN THE OVAL OFFICE, MORE THAN ANYTHING ELSE.

DUBYA'S ODD AND KOOKY KAMPAIGN SO FAR HAS BEEN AN INSULT TO THE
INTELLIGENCE OF EVERY THINKING AMERICAN; CONSERVATIVE, LIBERAL OR
MODERATE.

I believe there are, at least, A FEW "Thinking Americans" left out
there. We can only hope..............

WHY DOESN'T JOHNNIE READ? HE'S WORKING ON HIS NOVEL!

If you've been following our national discourse lately, the issue of
why Americans don't "read" anymore has been the hot topic.

Everyone seems to have an opinion on this.....who reads and who
doesn't and why....and what it "means" to read.

In the NYT today, there is even more ominous news. Not only don't
most people read anymore, but now even more of them are WRITING!

Apparently, many people are just cutting out the middle man; and
starting on their "first novels" straight away!

My view is that "first novels" should be left mostly unpublished; or
buried deep, near the cross roads, at midnight! That way the reading
public would only have to wade through "second novels," after the
author has, sort of, "got the hang of it."

But, is it really true that people don't read anymore.

I don't think so. Perhaps they are just reading differently now.

For example, a lot of people spend all day staring into a computer
monitor at work.

Now, that's really a form of reading, don't ya think?

Of course, some people are "just looking at the pictures!" AND, WE
KNOW WHO YOU ARE!

Also, the popularity of E-MAIL is surely a form of reading. Prior to
the advent of E-mail most people NEVER WROTE LETTERS AT ALL!

THEY JUST PICKED UP THE PHONE AND CALLED.....almost all communication
was verbal pre-Internet, unless you were trying to create a "paper
trail." (eg. Lawyers, Insurance Companies, etc.)

And, how many times have you wished you could just pick up the phone
and call someone, INSTEAD OF USING THAT DAMN E-MAIL!

SENDING E-MAIL IS KINDA LIKE PRAYING. YOU HOPE SOMEONE IS LISTENING,
BUT YOU CAN NEVER BE SURE.....

Have you ever trying to "phone" E-Bay? Or, even the Beloved Portal,
Yahoo! The Internet can be a FIREWALL AGAINST MEANINGFUL
COMMUNICATION, as well as a means of communicating.

Sometimes the Internet reminds me of an Electronic Yellow Pages, very
impersonal and detached really.

The popularity of BLOGGING is getting a lot of media attention
lately.

And, the NEW SPELLING that the Interent has spawned has got to be
considered a literary phnomenon of some kind. Where else can you
find things like: "Grls! Grls! Grls!" except on the 'Net?

Internet spelling reminds me of those letters written back in the
1600's! It was OK, back then, to make up your own spelling, just so
long as the other person could some how figure what you were trying
to say! NO RULES!

KINDA LIKE THE INTERNET TODAY.

ARE PEOPLE READING LESS NOW? WHO KNOWS?

BUT THE INTERNET HAS TAKEN DOWN THE BARBED WIRE;

ALL OF THE "GATE KEEPERS" ARE GONE NOW. Maybe that's why the
publishers of writing and music are so pissed off?

WE ARE LIVING IN A "FREE RANGE STATE" WHEN IT COMES TO WRITING AND
READING NOW.

NEW WRITING. NEW READING. NEW SPELLING. IT'S ALL DIFFERENT NOW.
IT'S ALL NEW.


Postscript: Krugman in the NYT was particularly good today. Will
Grandma Millie be "unleashed" against the Republicans this
November? Stay tuned.................

CHEAP vs. EXPENSIVE

When VP Edwards dusts off his TWO AMERICAS speech, he might want to
add an economics section.

Because there are really TWO AMERICAN ECONOMIES;

THE CHEAP MANUFACTURED GOODS ECONOMY;

AND, THE EXPENSIVE DOMESTIC SERVICES ECONOMY!

Basically, if it can be MADE IN CHINA, it will be made in China,
cheaply and with fairly good quality.

Thanks mostly to computerized manufacturing, more than to quality
labor.

BUT, SERVICES IN AMERICA ARE INFLATING WILDLY!

But, Greenspan doesn't seem to see this part of the US economy.

He keeps looking at all those BOATS FORM CHINA TO SUPPORT
HIS "PRODUCTIVITY MIRACLE." And to inflate Wall Street.

VIRTUALLY EVERYTHING THAT MUST BE DONE "LOCALLY," IN THE US, IS
EXPENSIVE--AND GOING UP FAST.

Medical and Dental Care, Insurance of ALL KINDS, including Health
Care, Housing, and most other "domestic economy assets," like Stocks,
Transportation Costs, Car upkeep, and other Repairs and Maintinance,
Food and Food Serivices, and Taxes and Fees, of course, etc. etc.

SO, THE REPORTED INFLATION NUMBER IS REALLY A "BLEND" OF THE CHEAPER
GOODS ECONOMY, AND THE MORE EXPENSIVE SERVICE ECONOMY!

DOLLAR STORES ARE WONDERFUL FOR THE POOR. BUT ALAS, WHAT IF THEY
HAVE TO GO TO THE DENTIST! OR HAVE A CAR REPAIRED!

BASICALLY, IN AMERICA TODAY EVERYONE HAS CHEAP GOODS GALORE;

WHAT SOME PEOPLE CAN'T AFFORD IS THE SERVICES! Like Insurance and
Taxes, health care, et al.

SO, THERE ARE TWO OTHER AMERICA'S, MR EDWARDS.

ONE CHEAP AND ONE COSTLY.

ONE INFLATIONARY AND ONE DEFLATIONARY.

DOES GREENSPAN EVEN CARE ABOUT THIS DANGEROUS ECONOMIC DICOTOMY?

AND OMINOUSLY, IS HE BUYING THE "BLENDED NUMBER" SCENARIO AT OUR
PERIL?

Well, maybe we will be OK, until the Chinese can deliver a pizza to
the US from Hong Kong in 15 minutes are less!

Ya suppose?

BIG vs. SMALL

There seems to be "a whole lot of stupid goin' on" lately about the
economy and the election situation.

Consider:

Dubya & Co seem to think the election (if they don't cancel it!) will
be decided on fairly SMALL ISSUES.

FOR THE SMALL MINDED BUBBA VOTE SMALL ISSUES ARE PERFECT!

So the Bush ads are all about wedge issues like abortion, gays and
Laci Peterson! Laci meets Willie Horton is the name of the game for
Dubya and we all know how, unchallenged, that can turn out.

WILL BUBBA BITE ON THE SMALL ISSUES? Perhaps. IF NO ONE MAKES THE
DIFFERENCES IMPORTANT ENOUGH.

But the Kerry Kamp wants the election to turn on BIG ISSUES.

WAR, JOBS AND ECONOMY, PENSIONS AND HEALTH CARE. AND RESPECT IN THE
WORLD FOR AMERICA.

IT WOULD BEHOOVE THE KERRY KAMP TO QUICKLY DRAW THE DIFFERENCES
BETWEEN THEIR BIGGER WORLD VIEW AND DUBYA'S SMALLER WORLD VIEW. AND
DO IT AGGRESSIVELY AND OPENLY, SO EVERYONE SEES THE POINT. DON'T DO
IT TANGENTIALLY, JUST TO "BE POLITE" IS WHAT I MEAN.

KERRY SIMPLY MUST ATTACK BUSH HEAD TO HEAD. THE WAY BUSH IS
ATTACKING KERRY.

(This election is really a re-make of the Skopes "Monkey" Trial. With Kerry as Darrow, and Dubya as Wm Jennings Bryan.)

BASICALLY SMALL MINDS LIKE SMALL ISSUES. AND BIGGER MINDS TEND TOWARD
THE BIG ISSUES.

THE TRICK IS GOING TO BE MAKING THIS DIFFERENCT APPARENT WITH
INSULTING THE BUBBA VOTERS.

Anything that sounds like it's prefaced by: "Listen, Stupid..." will
offend the Bubba Vote.

KERRY HAS TO CONVINCE THE BUBBA CROWD THAT THERE IS MORE TO LIFE IN
AMERICA THAN GOING TO CHURCH ON SUNDAY. AND THAT SHOULD NOT BE HARD
TO DO. BUT SO FAR KERRY & CO. HAVE BEEN CONTENT TO TALK OVER THE
HEADS OF DUBYA AND HOPE THAT BUBBA WILL "GET IT."

Just tell Bubba straight away that this election is not about Laci
Perterson, it's about the pensions and jobs and health care of
millions of ordinary people. And, it should be done without making
Bubba look stupid and without forcing Bubba to be pro-black, pro-gay
etc........in other words, seperate religious issues
from big picture secular issues; and tell Bubba why this is important.

KERRY SHOULD DO AN AD BUY ON: THE BIG vs SMALL ISSUES, BECAUSE I
REALLY DON'T THINK BUBBA SEES IT THIS WAY.

AT LEAST NOT YET......

SO LET'S TELL BUBBA JUST WHAT HE HAS TO LOSE IN NOVEMBER IN AS LOW-
BROW A STYLE AS IS POSSIBLE PERHAPS USING "REAL PEOPLE."

Sort of a Democratic response to Laci Peterson and Willie Horton. Ya
think? It's doable............

THE COMING KERRY-EDWARDS LANDSLIDE EXPLAINED!!

Given the utter disaster that the Bush Administration is becoming,
you have to wonder why Kerry & Co. aren't surging in the polls.

I mean does Bubba really want four more years of THIS!

Of course, among the enlightened and the rational Kerry is the hands
down choice, if for no other reason than to stop the decline of the
US in the eyes of the international community.

THE ONLY HOPE FOR DUBYA SEEMS TO BE THAT BUBBA CAN BE "BLINDED" BY
SOCIAL ISSUES, (aka wedge issues), OR "VALUES," FROM NOW UNTIL
NOVEMBER.

Yet, even on so-called values Dubya is VERY vulnerable.

Consider:

What values are we talking about?

Lying to the people so that thousands of innocents are now dead in
Iraq!

The Corporate Greed and Looting of Denny and Kenny Boy, and other
FOBs--Friends of Bush!

The capitulation to the worst aspects of GLOBAL CAPITALISM; with
DRASTIC job losses and benefit declines for the US working class.
(But, we're "so happy" for the cute little Chinese middle class who
are now driving up oil prices!)

Or, the trashing of govenment finances in an ill-concieved and
stupid "strave the beast" campaign. And, the 401k FRAUD that
eliminated defined benefit pensions for absurd public speculation in
the markets; that is nearly always DOOMED TO FAIL!

The kow-towing to BIG PHARMA so that now Americans have to go
to Canada to afford their prescriptions! (At least Canada has the
moxie to NEGOTIATE PRICES with the drug companies.)

Additionally, nearly every pro-Kerry argument is given negative spin
by the major US media.

And it's funny how any exhuberant critique of Bush is quickly deemed:
HATE SPEECH by the Bush Camp! Oh please,...this from the Rush Ditto
Heads yet! Such sensitive ears talk-show conservatives have!

Now we hear, Edwards "didn't help" Kerry, because he is a trial
lawyer.

But, try to make a campaign stem-winder for Dubya to deliver to Bubba
that says that injured people shouldn't be fairly compensated by
wealthy corporations.

I mean did the trial lawyers trash Enron? NO! But, they may be in
the fray now trying to get common folks their money back.

The truth is that these million dollar verdicts are VERY RARE. And
are subject to being reduced by the trial judges, or on appeal.

SELDOM IS THE HEADLINE NUMBER EVER PAID. VERY SELDOM.

That said, some legislative action could be passed just to avoid any
possible UNJUST ENRICHMENT that could damage the general economy, or
threatens the very existance of a company.

Rarely, some ignorant juries do go overboard, but, you may not know,
there is, and always has been, a remedy available to "remit" jury
excesses--EVEN AT THE TRIAL COURT LEVEL. Most people don't know this
little tid-bit of legalese.

FINALLY, MY TOTALLY UNSCIENTIFIC READ ON "THE BUBBA MIND SET,"
DERIVED FROM CONVERSATIONS OVERHEARD IN COFFEE SHOPS, AND AT FAST
FOOD JOINTS IS THAT BUBBA FEELS SORT OF LIKE THIS:

BUBBA IS STILL HAPPILY SPOUTING THE SAME OLD RUSH LIMBAUGH LINE AS
MUCH AS EVER.

AND, BUBBA STILL SUPPORTS THE FLAG, AND THE TROOPS, AND THE PRESIDENT
AS COMMANDER IN CHIEF.

BUT THEN, THE BUBBAS WILL PAUSE FOR A WHILE, AND MUTTER, ALMOST UNDER
THEIR BREATH: "THINGS AIN'T GOING TOO GOOD NOW."

A FEW WILL CRITICIZED DUBYA OPENLY; BUT YOU CAN SEE A
CERTAIN "UNEASE" ABOUT DUBYA WITH THE BUBBA CROWD. BUT NO ONE WANTS TO BE THE FIRST TO "COME OUT" AND SAY IT!

PERHAPS ONE "BRAVE BUBBA" WILL SAY: "BUSH AIN'T DONE GOOD."

THEN, THE OTHERS WILL MUMBLE: "YEA THINGS AIN'T LOOKIN' TOO GOOD IN
IRAQ."

AND WITH THE ECONOMY? "WELL IT'S THEM DAMN CHINESE THAT'S RUININ'
THINGS! TAKEN ALL THE GOOD JOBS!"

My Hunch, unscientific as it is, is that Bubba SECRETLY FEELS that:

"BUSH AIN'T DONE GOOD." (The Bubba "kiss of death" for a Politician!)

And, I think Bubba will express that viewpoint; WITHOUT FANFARE OR
MUCH LOUD TALKING---at the ballot boxes in November.

THERE IS A "SECRET KERRY VOTE," THAT, FOR WHATEVER REASON, CAN NOT BE
EXPRESSED OPENLY AMONG THE BUBBA CROWD;

BUT THAT WILL SURFACE ONLY DAYS BEFORE THE NOVEMBER ELECTION.

SO, LET ME BE THE FIRST TO PREDICT A "KERRY-EDWARDS LANDSLIDE" IN
NOVEMBER!!



Postscript: And, as always, remember you heard it here first!

CIA TAKE THE FALL!

Who actually thought that Saddam had WMD? NOT ME!

And, I don't even have access to the classified material!

How so?

Well, remember the "inspectors," and how much trouble they were
having finding anything at all? Remember, those car chase scenes?

And, remember Colin's photos of drop-dead-sure WMD sites?

OK. If we knew EXACTLY where all this stuff supposedly was and even
had pictures of it; WHY DIDN'T WE BOMB IT! ASAP.

And, if the inspectors were privy to the same "US Intelligence," WHY
COULDN'T THEY FIND ANYTHING! EVER! FOR YEARS!

FRANKLY, I KNEW ALL ALONG THAT THE WHOLE AFFAIR WAS A FAKE; AND I
JUST ASSUMED THAT EVERYONE ELSE KNEW, BUT THAT IT WAS OK TO DO THAT
KIND OF THING TO COOK UP A "CAUSUS BELLI!"

BOY AM I SURPRISED! YOU MEAN THE TRUTH ACTUALLY COUNTS! SINCE WHEN?

NOW COMES THE INVESTIGATION!

And, surprise, surprise the stuff I, and almost everyone else WITH AN
OUNCE OF BRAINS "knew," suddenly becomes BIG NEWS!

OH, PLEASSSSSE! GIVE ME A BREAK!

DIDN'T EVERYONE KNOW THAT COLIN WAS BLOWING GAS AT THE UN? I DID.

DIDN'T EVERYONE KNOW THAT THE WMD CASE WAS "COOKED" LIKE A WALL
STREET ANNUAL REPORT!! I DID.

DIDN'T EVERYONE REALLY KNOW THAT THE WHOLE THING WAS A SET UP TO GET
RID OF SADDAM? I DID.

Now, all of a sudden, we've got to cross the t's and dot the i's ON
THIS WAR.

BUT, IF SADDAM "HAD SOMETHING," WHY COULDN'T TRIXY-BLIXY FIND IT?

FRANKLY, I BLAME THE UN AND TRIXY-BLIXY FOR THIS WAR!

REMEMBER TRIXY-BLIXY'S AMAZING ABILITY TO TALK OUT OF BOTH SIDES OF
HIS MOUTH DEPENDING ON WHICH GROUP HE WAS TALKING TO;

One point of view for the Arab and Euro press;

And another view for the American media!

TRIXY-BLIXY WAS AN EVEN BIGGER LIAR THAT COLIN!

Everyone with any sophistication at all knew that THE FIX WAS IN on
Saddam and the war!

But now that things are going HAY-WIRE; the Kongress, et al, are
looking for an escape hatch to save their collective bacon!

SORRY GUYS, IF I KNEW ALL ABOUT "THE FIX." WHY DIDN'T YOU?

EVERYONE PRETTY MUCH KNEW THE TRUTH WAS BEING STREACHED,....SO, DON'T
ACT SO DAMN SURPRISED!

WORSE YET, THE REMOVAL OF SADDAM HAS PLAYED RIGHT INTO OSAMA'S
HANDS! THAT WAS OSAMA'S GAME PLAN ALL ALONG!

AND, FOR THIS DUBYA, CHENEY AND WOLFIE EXPECT TO GET A SECOND TERM!!

Oh Please.......,

And alas Gentle Reader, this debacle is really only the "tip of the
iceburg"----IN DUBYA'S CATASTROPHIC PRESIDENCY! Dubya and CO should
loose the presidency for MULTIPLE REASONS!

AND THE NUMBER GROWS EVERYDAY IT SEEMS.

Now, the CIA takes the fall? Very noble....indeed!




Postscript: Maybe we should check into those jobs numbers from the
Labor Department? Are we being "fooled again?" Sure feels like it here on Main Street!

ELECTION TERRORISM? DOES OSAMA SUPPORT BUSH!

Will Osama attack the US before the elections?

Well, who knows, Osama is one crazy dude! But my hunch is that Osama will do whatever is necessary to get Dubya re-elected!

Dubya is a Christian fundamentalist and Osama is an Islamist fundamentalist. THIS IS THE FIGHT THAT OSAMA WANTS!

CHRISTIANS AND JEWS vs. MUSLIMS!

The worst thing that could happen to Osama & Co. is the election of Kerry. Kerry & Co are SECULARISTS! They will be honest brokers between the various religionists. Christian. Muslim. and Jew.

Osama and Dubya and Ashcroft etal are men "of the book." Religion is central to their lives; they admit this freely. Without religion to guide them, who knows what they would do? Something "bad" maybe. Start drinking again...who knows?

THIS IS THE BEAUTY OF KERRY'S SECULAR POSITION. KERRY BELIEVES IN THE SEPERATION OF CHURCH/MOSQUE AND STATE. SOMETHING WE DON'T HEAR A LOT FROM DUBYA & CO.

My hunch is that Osama WILL NOT ATTACK the US before the election if he believes it will elect Kerry. After all, Kerry is a whole new ball game for Osama. Osama is "back to square one" with a secularist government in Washington.

Osama wants Dubya re-elected.

Like I said, Osama is one crazy dude!

MY LIFE: 30% OFF!

With the death of Reagan, and the Clinton book hype, I started
thinking about what these two "SUCCESSFUL" presidents REALLY did for
America and Americans.

And, my conclusion is: ALMOST NOTHING!

It is truly amazing how with eight years each in the White House so
little of lasting consequence was accomplished.

Indeed, a cynic might say of the purpose of government in Washington
is the collect taxes, take bribes, and distribute the money to
cronies!

NOT THE STUFF OF EXCITING HISTORY! ALAS, NO WASHINGTONS OR LINCOLNS
IN OUR GENERATION IT SEEMS. SO FAR......

Consider:

With Reagan, the so-called "big events" were the firing of the air
traffic controlers; telling Gorby to tear down his wall; a big
defense spending splurge; and the end of the "cold war," which was
already about 40 years obsolete!

Surely, during the Reagan years, the Soviets were NEVER a serious
threat to Europe. No one out side of the military-industrial complex
was really expecting a massive invasion of Europe; that old notion
was remote probably since the late 1950's.

Why then was the cold war prolonged unnecessarily?

Well, because it provided the stability of a bi-polar world.

And, of course, EVERYONE wanted an "excuse" to keep Germany in chains
UNTIL WE WERE REALLY, REALLY SURE----THEY WOULDN'T "DO IT AGAIN!"
RIGHT?

THE NEED TO HOBBLE GERMANY FOR A GENERATION, AND THE NEED FOR THE
STABILITY OF A BI-POLAR GEOPOLITICS, WERE THE REAL REASONS FOR THE
COLD WAR.

NOT THE "INVASTION OF EUROPE" OR "GLOBAL COMMUNISM." THOSE WERE JUST
THE EXCUSES FOR PUBLIC CONSUMPTION.

Alas, by the time of Reagan, the cold war was ready to die of old
age; many people had really forgotten what it was all about by then.

IS THIS TOO SIMPLISTIC A VIEW THAT NEEDS MORE NUANCE?

Perhaps but I don't really think so. Sometimes the simple answers are
the best ones.

Need more proof? Well, look at the mess we are in NOW!

With an unstable uni/multi-polar geopolitics the is boiling with
nationalism and racism and medievel religious fundamentalism! And
with NGO terror groups abounding. Enter the Age of Osama!

AHH,... FOR THE GOOD OLE DAYS OF THE COLD WAR! TOO BAD REAGAN "WON!"

With Clinton, it was Family Leave (wow), NAFTA, and ending welfare
entitlements. Then, of course, Monica, The Dress, The Perjury, The
Impeachment and Ken Starr.

NOT MUCH THERE ARE HISTORICAL INTEREST.

BUT THE NEW KERRY ADMINISTRATION COULD BENEFIT FROM THIS PERIOD OF
HISTORICAL INACTIVITY.

AMERICANS ARE LOSING THEIR JOBS TO CHEAP LABOR!

AMERICANS ARE LOSING THEIR HEALTH CARE COVERAGE, IN A WORLD WHERE
NEARLY EVERYONE HAS SOME COVERAGE!

FREE TRADE HAS CAUSED MASSIVE STRUCTURAL DEFICITS AND ANOMALIES, THAT
BENEFIT ONLY "GLOBAL CAPITAL" TO THE DISADVANTAGE OF "AMERICAN
CAPITAL!"

A NEW AND SUSTAINABLE ECONOMICS FOR THE 21ST CENTURY IS NECESSARY, IF
WE ARE TO AVOID THE COMING DEFICIT CATASTROPHE! NOTHING SHORT OF
A "NEW KEYNES" IS CALLED FOR!

MR KERRY'S LIFE STORY COULD BE THE MOST INTERESTING ONE SINCE FDR!

BECAUSE UNLIKE THE SLEEPING REAGAN AND THE PLAYFUL CLINTON AND THE
INCOMPETENT BUSHES I & II:

DOING NOTHING WILL NOT BE AN OPTION FOR THE KERRY ADMINISTRATION.

BUBBAS IN BAGHDAD.

Dubya & Co are facing a DIFFERENT SITUATION in 2004 than in 2000!

Consider:

Back in 2000, Dubya was running against Monica and "the dress"
remember? And, of course, the Democrats' "Whimp Ticket."

So, the Republicans could hardly wait for the military absentee
ballots in Florida to be counted to put Dubya over the top.

That was then; this is now.

This time, I doubt that Dubya will be able to count on
the "conservative" military vote.

While the military industrial complex has waxed fat during the last
four years; the grunts and foot soldiers and other cannon fodder are
getting a tad disgusted! To put it mildly.

This notion of a global war without a draft is just unworkable.

AND IF DUBYA IS RE-ELECTED; HE WILL NEED A DRAFT TO COMPLETE HIS "WAR
ON TERROR." ASAP.

THE CURRENT MILITARY STAFFING ARRANGEMENTS ARE A DISASTER.

AND, IF DUBYA & CO ARE DEPENDING ON THE SOUTHERN "MILITARY VOTE" IN
THIS COMING ELECTION, THEY COULD BE VERY SORELY DISAPPOINTED!


BUBBA'S LONG HOT SUMMER IN BAGHDAD, COULD LEAD TO A WINTER OF
REPUBLICAN DISCONTENT IN THE COMING ELECTIONS!

NO MOJO. A NEW PARADIGM LOOMS

The markets are rowing with one oar these days.

And, sooner or later people are going to lose interest.

Consider:

WHERE'S THE NEW MOJO GOING TO COME FROM:

Corporations spend the "special currency" that Mr G gives them in
the form of ever higher stock prices.

And, Individuals spend their ever higher real estate equity in the
form of home equity loans or refis with some cash out.

BUT THAT'S ALL OVER NOW.

THE ERA OF EVER LOWER RATES HAS ENDED. NEED PROOF? LOOK AT GOLD AND
OIL. THE DAYS OF HYPER-LIQUIDITY ARE DONE. THE BOND MARKET IS
COMING WITH THE MOP AND BUCKET!

And, to put frosting on the cake, Dubya's tax cuts for the idle rich
have ballooned the deficit to the point where a weaker dollar will
balloon the trade deficit which is now ominously "structural."

ALAS, THERE IS NO CHOICE NOW BUT TO RETURN TO THE OLD DAYS OF
INVESTING FOR YIELD! THE 20 YEAR GREENSPAN BULL MARKET IS OVER.

WE HAVE BEEN IGNORING YIELDS FOR YEARS--BUT AT OUR PERIL--BECAUSE
YIELD IS THE BACKBONE OF REAL INVESTING.

Why invest if you get nothing in return?

There simply must be a return on investments OTHER THAN the
lottery ticket of speculation and the popular bigger fool theory.

IT MAY BE TIME TO PUT THE FOOL BACK IN THE CLOSET FOR A
WHILE...............because this is going to be a slow and grinding
decline; under current conditions stocks have nowhere to go but
down.

ALL THE CARDS HAVE BEEN DEALT. ALL THE BETS ARE MADE. AND, IT'S
TIME FOR EVERYONE TO SHOW THEIR CARDS.

ON THE STREET IT COULD BE TIME TO: READ 'EM AND WEEP.

BECAUSE;

THERE IS GOING TO BE A NEW PARADIGM SOON FOR THOSE WHO STILL HAVE A
PAIR OF DIMES TO INVEST!!

A RETURN TO HISTORICALLY "NORMAL YIELDS" LOOMS! CALL IT THE
COMING "MOP JOB!"

Stay tuned............because this return to normal levels of liquidity could get real sloppy.

GO LEFT YOUNG MAN OR 50-50-50

Call it EDWARDS THE INEVITABLE!

The dowdy Mr. Kerry did himself a favor by picking the dynamic Mr.
Edwards for VP.

If Gore had done so in 2000, he'd be seeking is second term these
days.

Exactly what Gore saw in Lieberman is still a mystery to me and many
others. After all, what did Gore gain by having a New England
Liberal Jew on the ticket! Nothing.......where's
that "demographic?"

Did Leiberman help in the south? No way. The only quality that
Lieberman had that Gore needed was SHMARMINESS! Lieberman was the
only person in high office who was shmarmier than Gore!

LIEBERMAN LOST THE ELECTION FOR GORE! BUT IN FAIRNESS, GORE HELPED!

Kudos to Kerry for his selflessness in picking are candidate that
might "up stage" him on occassion! It is a sign of confidence and
maturity. No need for a fake Barbie and Ken pairing here!

KERRY-EDWARDS is a ticket with balance. Youth and Age. Gravitas and
Optimism. Experience and Quickness. Edwards is the perfect foil for
the very strange and scary Mr Cheney.

And, Kerry should be able to best the always scatter-brained
President in any debate because, alas, Dubya won't be running against
Monica this time!

The Clinton Era seems like some long ago Golden Age of Innocence,
when we really didn't have much to worry about!

Furthermore, Michael Moore has an interesting theory for this
election. It's the 50-50-50 theory.

Here, Moore notes that only 50% of the people vote and they are split
50-50! BUT WHAT ABOUT THE OTHER 50%! WHO DON'T VOTE!

THE POOR AND LOWER WORKING CLASSES AND OTHERS THAT DON'T QUITE FIT
THE "SOCCER MOM" "NASCAR DAD" DEMOGRAPHIC STEREOTYPE HAVE BEEN
COMPLETELY LEFT OUT OF THE POLLS!

WHAT IF THESE PEOPLE VOTE! WHAT IF THESE PEOPLE ARE MAD AS HELL AT
DUBYA FOR "STEALING" THE ELECTION OF 2000, AND THEN TRASHING THE
COUNTRY FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE RICH?

...........Which is a VALID opinion among many.

SO, WHEN WE TALK ABOUT THE 50-50 ELECTORATE REMEMBER THAT 50% OF THE
PEOPLE ARE NOT EVEN BEING COUNTED, AND THEY COULD BE A BIG FACTOR,
THIS TIME! VERY BIG. JUST WATCH.

IF KERRY-EDWARDS WANTS TO ENERGIZE THIS GROUP THEY ARE GOING TO HAVE
TO "GO LEFT YOUNG MAN," AND PERHAPS LET THE OLDER MR KERRY "HOLD THE
CENTER."

Another factor that is being totally ignored is the "real thinking"
of the Bubba southern vote. These Bubbas may have been angry about
Monica; but with the extra duties in Iraq that they have been
receiving under Mr Bush; perhaps Bubba has a few other things on his
mind these days? Like where the Pentagon Likudnics are going to send
him next!

Finally, there is the PATRIOT GAMES that many in the south play.

Everyone wants to "support the president" and "the troops" who are in
harms way. Fine. Patriotism is wonderful as far as it goes. But
partriotism, like optimism, has to be based on some modicum of
reality, otherwise it's just foolishness.

THE REAL QUESTION IN THIS ELECTION IS NOT: WILL IRAQ "SETTLE DOWN" IN
TIME. OR WILL JOBS "COME BACK" IN TIME;

THE REAL QUESTION FOR BUBBA IS:

DO I REALLY WANT OR NEED FOUR MORE YEARS LIKE THE LAST FOUR YEARS!

I DON'T THINK SO.

SPIDIE! SPIDIE! SPIDIE-III?

It's already the 4th of July in our SEQUEL SUMMER!

And so far there's; Harry Potter III, SpiderMan II, Bourne Identity
II....etc etc.

SpiderMan II opens with Peter Parker (photographer) feeling like a
income investor on Wall Street this spring! NO RESPECT!

Worse yet, like a Wall Street bond trader, Peter feels that he is
loosing his "amazing powers!"

No longer can he shoot several miles of "web" from his wrists, as he
shows jaded New Yorkers what a "real swinger" looks like.

No longer can he climb buildings with his bare hands!

Still, he has retained the apparent ability to avoid CONCUSSIONS and
resulting cognitive problems! Because, he repeatedly crashes through
brick walls using only his head as a battering ram!

The real test of Parker's cognitive deficits would be if Pete voted
for Bush in the last election cycle just because he thought Dubya
was: "likeable."

Worse yet, Peter "can't get" the "girl of his dreams," even though
she's practically throwing herself at him! Wassupwitdat?

Hmmm...perhaps its well,...you know, shhhhh..., the "spider
genitalia?"

Anyway.

In the movie, a "mad scientist" steals the secret of "cold fusion"
(probably from BYU!), and after a bad "accident" becomes a monster.
OK so far?

As a result of this now out-of-control fussion reaction, (which has
created a "mini-sun" complete with its own gravitational field!);

The monster "comes to his senses," and sacrifices himself to stop the
mini-sun, by DUMPING IT IN THE EAST RIVER IN NEW YORK!

I knew pollution was out of control in New York; but damn! Now it
can even stop sub-atomic reations!

At the very end of the movie, Pete's rich friend, who still blames
Pete for his father's death, finds the SECRET GREEN GOBBIE CLOSET at
his dad's mansion!

But nothing developes from this extra scene!

Except of course the obvious set up for Spidie III!

Hint Hint.

OK now that I've RUINED SpiderMan II for you?

WHY DON'T YOU GO SEE MICHAEL MOORE'S FAHRENHEIT 911 INSTEAD!






http://www.fahrenheit911.com/

REVENGE OF THE FUDGE FACTORS?

Well, he who lives by the fudge factor often dies by the fudge factor!

Perhaps the JOBS MIRACLE was just a seasonal phenomenon after all?

The GOODS PRODUCING sector was down big this month. And, the job
growth was all concentrated in Services like, health care, social
services, consulting, and, of course, the ever popular "temps."

But somehow the current "jobs boom" never did pass the smell test.

It smacked of ASSET REFLATION THANKS TO MR GREENSPAN right from the
start.

BECAUSE, IF YOU GET A LOT OF ASSET REFLATION, SOONER OR LATER, YOU'RE
GOING TO GET A LITTLE BIT OF JOB GROWTH.

And, that's bascially what we got..................OK?

I don't know if Mr Kozlowski hired another Cabana Boy this year or
not. But the jobs story is likely yesterday's news for the rest of
this year.

With higher interest rates, and the end of refis as we have known
them; JUST TRADING REAL ESTATE ISN'T GOING TO BE PROFITABLE ANYMORE.
Most real estate is price above rental yields anyway.

And, with the end of 45 year low interest rates, and this spring's
worst bond crash in 25 years; THE MOMO GAME AT THE NAZZ MAY ALSO BE
ENDING.

AFTER ALL, IF YOU GET ONLY .01% AT THE BANK, WHY NOT "PLAY STOCKS?"

AND IF YOU ARE GOING TO BE "FORCED" TO PLAY IN THE MARKETS, YOU MIGHT
AS WELL PLAY THE BIG MOMO STOCKS, RIGHT?

THAT'S OVER NOW. OR AT LEAST IT'S ENDING FAST.......AS RATES
CONTINUE UP.

Can Greenspan back off on the rate hikes? Well, no....THE PRICE OF
OIL AND OTHER COMMODITIES WILL "KEEP HIM HONEST" FROM NOW ON. THE
PUNCH BOWL IS SPILLING ON THE FLOOR NOW....AND THE BOND MARKET IS
COMING WITH "THE MOP!"

Of course, the thing that everyone is missing, or are too afraid to
mention in polite company is that unmentionable word:

Voldamort?

NO! STAGFLATION!

IT'S COMING AND PERHAPS BEFORE THE END OF THIS YEAR!

Dubya and Co had better find some more fudge factors before the
election! But I seriously doubt it will help.

Because at this point a lot of people must feel there are lies, damn
lies, and Republicans! This, gentle reader, is what happens when you run the economy, AS IF, only the rich matter. Understand?



Clink link to read it for yourself:

http://stats.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.nr0.htm

GREENSPAN QUEERS THE MARKETS!

So, is this what happens when the ERA OF LOW RATES is over?

Well, lets hope not!

The extent to which the entire BULL MARKET was based on GREENSPAN'S
EVER LOWER RATES will be tested MIGHTILY in the coming weeks.

We know that this is JUST THE BEGINNING of the interest rate hike
cycle. How do we know? WELL, OIL PRICES MAINLY!

NOT JOBS!

THE JOBS ARGUMENT IS REALLY ONLY FOR PUBLIC CONSUMPTION; IT HAS
NOTHING TO DO WITH REAL MONETARY POLICY GREENSPAN STYLE.

The sad fact is that the US economy is MASSIVELY INFLATIONARY AT
NEARLY EVERY LEVEL!

LOOK AT HEALTH CARE! AND HOME PRICES! AND ENERGY! AND FOOD! AND
LOCAL TAX BILLS! (Got your's yet? Ouch!).

AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST, STOCK PRICES! They're part of the economy
too, you know.

But stock prices are the one thing that Mr G "likes" to inflate!

Even though it's intellectually dishonest to consider one asset class
as different from the others; AS WE ARE NOW FINDING OUT!

GREENSPAN'S LOVE OF THE "PUNCH BOWL," AND ASSET INFLATION HAS FINALLY
QUEERED THE MARKETS.

But what's really amazing to me is that it took so long to happen!

DUMBING VICTORY DOWN IN IRAQ!

One of the things that has not been clearly discussed about Iraq is that it was a totally SOCIALIST ECONOMY under Saddam.

Saddam subsidized everything.

Gasoline was 5 cents a gallon, and still is! Thanks to the US
taxpayers "occupation subsidy!"

The point is that the new government in Iraq must not only get Iraqis
to accept Iraq without the Bathhists and Saddam.

THEY MUST ALSO GET THE IRAQI PUBLIC TO ACCEPT THE RIGORS OF A MARKET
ECONOMY!

NO MORE EASY GOVERNMENT JOBS! NO MORE CHEAP FOOD! OR CHEAP GAS!
AND FREE RENT! AND CHEAP ELECTRICITY!

As much of a monster as Saddam was according to Wolfie, Chalabi, et
al;

THE IRAQI PEOPLE WERE USED TO THE SOCIALIST FREEIES THAT THE
SADDAMISTS PROVIDED. BECAUSE SADDAM WAS ALWAYS A SOCIALIST FIRST,
AND AN ISLAMIST SECOND. Unlike the new ISLAMIST INSURGENTS!

MY HUNCH IS THAT WE ARE GOING TO SEE THE "RE-BATHHIFICATION" OF IRAQ
WITH THE NEW GOVERNMENT. THAT MEANS THE SUNNIS WILL REGAIN SOME
CONTROL, LIKELY THERE WILL BE SOME ACCOMEDATION REACHED WITH THE
KURDS AND THE SHIA FOR "HOME RULE" IN THE PROVINCES OUTSIDE OF
BAGHDAD.

ACTUALLY WITH THE POTENTIAL OIL WEALTH OF IRAQ, THINGS COULD SETTLE
DOWN QUICKLY. IF.... IF, THE VARIOUS FACTIONS OPT FOR A WEAK
FEDERALISM AND AGREE ON HOW TO SHARE THE OIL MONEY.

THERE IS REALLY NO REASON FOR AN OIL RICH SOCIALIST NATION TO LAPSE
INTO CIVIL WAR. THERE SHOULD BE PLENTY FOR EVERYONE; ESPECIALLY NOW
THAT THE OLD ELITES HAVE BEEN PURGED.

Indeed, about 90% of the world's nations would likely be "better off"
if their indigenous greedy elites where eliminated; and the entire
process could start from "square one" again. As in Iraq today!

Iraqis will likely have NATIONAL HEALTH CARE before Americans.

And, that 5 cent gas would be a real winner anywhere!

THE BAD NEWS?

WELL, IT'S NOT LIKELY THAT THE IRAQI PEOPLE WILL AGREE WITH DUBYA AND
THE NEOCONS THAT SHARON IS A "MAN OF PEACE."

OR, THAT THE ARAB AND IRAQI STREET WILL STOP SUPPORTING A VIABLE
PALESTINIAN STATE;

SORRY WOLFIE......!

BUT, WASN'T THAT THE ENTIRE REASON WE WENT INTO IRAQ IN THE FIRST
PLACE? NAMELY, TO HELP SHARON DO WHATEVER IT IS HE THINKS HE'S DOING
ON THE WEST BANK AND GAZA......

Or was it all about "women's rights?" lol.

Well, about 900 Americans have died so the Iraqi people can now be
DEMOCRATICALLY---ANTI-ISRAEL, ANTI-SHARON, ANTI-LIKUD.

WE SEEM TO BE DUMBING VICTORY DOWN IN IRAQ EVERYDAY!

AMERICANS BASICALLY TRASHED THE PLACE AND THEN BUGGED OUT.

BUT, WHAT DO YOU EXPECT FROM DUBYA AND THE NEOCONS!

It's been four long years of "exceeding ever lowered expectations."

BUT IRAQ REALLY TAKES IT TO A NEW LEVEL.

Dubya and the neocons have always had a problem with "what comes
next." But increasingly the answer to that question is becoming
clear.

What comes next is: THE KERRY ADMINISTRATION.