IF the Late Juan Linz Called It Right, American Democracy May Collapse Soon

“In a merciful twist of fate, Juan Linz did not quite live to see his prophecy of the demise of American democracy borne out. Linz, the Spanish political scientist who died last week, argued that the presidential system, with its separate elections for legislature and chief executive, was inherently unstable. In a famous 1990 essay, Linz observed, “All such systems are based on dual democratic legitimacy: No democratic principle exists to resolve disputes between the executive and the legislature about which of the two actually represents the will of the people.” Presidential systems veered ultimately toward collapse everywhere they were tried, as legislators and executives vied for supremacy. There was only one notable exception: the United States of America.”

Is there a way to settle the shut-down and debt-ceiling dispute? The answer is in this especially frightening conclusion to this article:

Continue reading “Owl: Juan Linz Correct? US Democracy Dead?”

2013/10/05

Marcus Aurelius: Axis of Evil 2013 — Is Washington In Enemy Hands?

Corruption, Government, Idiocy

“A picture is worth a thousand words” and “you can't make this stuff up.” But nothing I can think of illustrates the root causes and relative potential impacts of government shutdown as well as following Mike Luckovich cartoon which just happened to appear in today's Washington Post. Elegant in its simplicity, it addresses truths that commentators like Thomas Sowell conveniently overlook. Would make one hell of a propaganda leaflet to be dropped over all major concentrations of Federal employees in the country as well as all pockets of poverty. Boehner might have problems getting elected dogcatcher, let alone getting continued as Speaker.

2013/10/04

Penguin: Saudi Arabia Definitively Behind Syrian Gas Attacks – Cancel Speech to UN General Assembly

04 Inter-State Conflict, 07 Other Atrocities, 08 Proliferation, 08 Wild Cards, 09 Terrorism, Corruption, Government, Idiocy, Officers Call, Peace Intelligence

Connecting the dots….

Saudi black op team behind Damascus chem weapons attack – diplomatic sources

The August chemical weapons attack in the Syrian capital’s suburbs was done by a Saudi Arabian black operations team, Russian diplomatic sources have told a Russian news agency.

“Based on data from a number of sources a picture can be pieced together. The criminal provocation in Eastern Ghouta was done by a black op team that the Saudi’s sent through Jordan and which acted with support of the Liwa Al-Islam group,” a source in the diplomatic circles told Interfax.

The attack and its consequences had a huge impact on the Syrian situation, another source said.

“Syrians of various political views, including some opposition fighters, are seeking to inform diplomats and members of international organizations working in Syria what they know about the crime and the forces which inspired it,” he told the agency.

Liwa Al-Islam is an Islamist armed group operating near Damascus headed by the son of a Saudi-based Salafi cleric. The group claimed responsibility for the bombing of a secret governmental meeting in Damascus in July 2012 that killed a number of top Syrian officials, including Defense Minister Dawoud Rajiha, his deputy Asef Shawkat, and Assistant Vice President Hassan Turkmani.

The allegations mirror a number of earlier reports, which pointed to Saudi Arabia as the mastermind behind the sarin gas attack, which almost led to US military action against Syrian government. Proponents of this scenario say intelligence services in Riyadh needed a false flag operation to provoke an American attack in Syria, which would tip the balance in favor of the armed opposition supported by Saudi Arabia.

Continue reading “Penguin: Saudi Arabia Definitively Behind Syrian Gas Attacks – Cancel Speech to UN General Assembly”

2013/10/042013/10/04

Jon Rapporport: Vaccine damage, hidden truth: not on the evening news

03 Economy, 07 Health, 09 Justice, 10 Security, Commerce, Corruption, Government, Idiocy, Ineptitude

Vaccine damage, hidden truth: not on the evening news

120,000 adverse effects from vaccines every year in the US? 1.2 million?

What??

Read on.

The reference here is “In the Wake of Vaccines,” by Barbara Loe Fisher, founder of the National Vaccine Information Center. Her article was published in the Sept./Oct. 2004 issue of Mothering Magazine.

Gathering information from several sources, Fisher makes a reasonable estimate of vaccine damage—actual figures are not available or carefully tracked or vetted. In other words, the system for reporting adverse effects is broken.

Continue reading “Jon Rapporport: Vaccine damage, hidden truth: not on the evening news”

2013/10/032013/10/03

Marcus Aurelius: Shots Fired at Capital (Secret Service versus Capitol Police, Unarmed Woman in Car Killed)

07 Other Atrocities, 11 Society, Corruption, Cultural Intelligence, Government, Idiocy, Ineptitude, Officers Call

The end of the beginning, the beginning of the end for these corrupt treasonous individuals in Congress and at the White House?

Shots fired at Capitol

A car chase that began when a driver tried to breach a White House security barrier ended near the U.S. Capitol, with a confrontation that included shots fired and one Capitol Police officer injured.

See our latest photos here.

Continue reading “Marcus Aurelius: Shots Fired at Capital (Secret Service versus Capitol Police, Unarmed Woman in Car Killed)”

2013/10/032013/10/03

Mini-Me: 2 Million, Not 800,000, Involuntarily Furloughed

Corruption, Government, Idiocy, Ineptitude

Huh?

800,000 is the number of federal employees involuntarily furloughted.

The total number is much, much worse.

Over 800,000 contractors, perhaps as many as 1.2 million, were subjected to various forms of involuntary leave, furlough, and outright firing. The best companies are offering some work-arounds, such as posting hours to the last authorized pay period to be paid now and worked off later in overtime, but most companies are simply folding.

Meanwhile, money continues via various channels for a number of programs and systems that are questionable, at best, in comparison to what is being done to our human capital.

Department	Employees	% Out	Furloughed	Stay Home	Must Work
NASA	18,134	0.97	17,590	NASA TV	Space Station
EPA	16,205	0.94	15,233	Pesticide	Superfund
Commerce	46,420	0.87	40,385	Census	Weather
Labor	16,304	0.82	13,369	Statisticians	Inspectors
Interior	72,562	0.81	58,775	Park Visit Ctrs	Fish Hatcheries
Treasury	112,461	0.8	89,969	Wine Permits	Money printers
Energy	13,814	0.69	9,532	Researchers	Nuclear
HHS	78,198	0.52	40,663	Inspectors	Lab Animals
Defense	800,000	0.5	400,000	Environment	Recruiters
Transportation	55,468	0.33	18,304	Auto Recalls	Air Traffic
Social Security	62,343	0.29	18,079	Actuaries	Claims
Justine	114,486	0.15	17,173	Pardons	DEA
DHS	231,117	0.14	32,356	Trainers	Secret Service
VA	332,025	0.04	13,281	PAOs	Nurses
	1,969,537		784,710

Continue reading “Mini-Me: 2 Million, Not 800,000, Involuntarily Furloughed”

2013/10/022013/10/02

Berto Jongman: NSA Whistleblower Thomas Drake Addresses European Parliament on the American Surveillance State + NSA Role in Global Assassination Program

03 Economy, 07 Other Atrocities, 09 Justice, 10 Security, 11 Society, Corruption, Cultural Intelligence, Idiocy, IO Deeds of War, IO Impotency, Military, Officers Call

NSA Whistleblower Thomas Drake Addresses European Parliament on the American Surveillance State

by Government Accountability Project on September 30, 2013 ( The Whistleblogger / 2013 )

Earlier today, former National Security Agency (NSA) Senior Executive Thomas Drake addressed a special Civil Liberties Committee (LIBE) created by the European Parliament to investigate spying efforts by the United States and EU countries. Addressing specially-appointed Members of the European Parliament (MEPs), Drake spoke as a former NSA crypto-linguist who witnessed what he describes as a “persistent surveillance state” that was “born during the first few critical weeks and months following 9/11.”

TomD

Drake's testimony can be read and viewed here

Drake, a whistleblower, was the subject of a federal criminal leak investigation and faced a potential 35 years under a 10-felony count indictment, including five counts under the Espionage Act. In 2011, the federal government dropped all charges against Drake.

Continue reading “Berto Jongman: NSA Whistleblower Thomas Drake Addresses European Parliament on the American Surveillance State + NSA Role in Global Assassination Program”