Author: luken7

Cuba is now an imminent threat to the security of the United States, tehy have been added to the Axis of Evil, and this regime must be removed. What’s ironic is that they’ll be drilling about 100 miles from the Florida coast. Look for ExxonMobile to be setting up a foreign owned shell company…

Cuba’s known for cigars now, but oil could change that – USATODAY.com One day soon — possibly before the end of this year — an oil rig will maneuver into position in waters less than 100 miles from the coast of Florida. A drill will plunge into the inky sea and begin chewing its way into the ocean floor, hunting for oil. But the drilling rig won’t belong to an American company, and any petroleum it discovers won’t do a thing to curb the USA’s addiction to foreign oil. Instead, any new sub-sea gusher will belong to Cuba. That’s right: Cuba. The island nation long has been known for its aromatic cigars and sweet rums. But after years of limited oil production on lands around Havana and in neighboring Matanzas province, Cuba is poised for a significant expansion of its oil program into the waters that separate it from the United States. And thanks to U.S. law, Cuba’s drilling partners will be working closer to Florida beaches than any American company ever could. "Our studies … have shown there is a great potential, especially offshore," says Dagoberto Rodriguez, the senior Cuban diplomat in the USA. "Basically, we know that there is oil. The problem is just where it is."

This next statement by the way, conflicts with my earlier post of the proof of God by Linux issue.

The Cuban oil fields were formed more than 50 million years ago in a slow-motion collision between Earth’s tectonic plates, which entombed pulverized rocks, animals and plants. Over subsequent millennia, the resulting stew cooked into buried petroleum deposits, says Christopher Shenk, a geologist at the USGS in Denver.

But back on topic…

Before Castro’s 1959 revolution, U.S. oil companies such as Esso and Amoco carried out preliminary explorations. The following year, Cuba nationalized refineries belonging to Exxon, Texaco and Shell ( (RDSA,RDSB), and U.S. industry hasn’t been back since.

Oh…but we will return…we will return.

Look at this picture, should Iran worry about a U.S. strike? Based on the amount of US bases surrounding Iran, eventually, I think so. Whether Iran is right or wrong (they’re wrong), I can see whey they are persuing a nuclear arsenal. It provides them much more leverage and bargaining on the world stage than not have nuclear weapons. Think about it, an oil rich country with nuclear weapons. Very powerful and dangerous. And the Russians better wake up if they think that they will not someday be on Iran’s radar. Let’s not forget the proximity of the Caucasus, which Iran and Russians borderly share, as Iranian/Islamic influences spread north.

So I’m listening to public radio the other day, you know, the place where you can increase your I.Q. 5 points just by tuning in. Anyway, I’m listening to this discussion about the troops, and the “slow bleed” approach to cutting funding. And I hear this lady in the background saying that the democrats want to cut funding, stranding our troops, not supporting them. Have you ever noticed that those in Congress who’ve served in the military want to bring troops home, or limit further buildup, while those who have never worn the uniform are so quick to send in more troops as it’s their only answer? Why is it that all these military hawks usually are the ones that have never served in uniform? Probably from watching too many John Wayne movies I guess. Well, here’s a note to you, not only do soldiers die, their families are changed forever, and rarely for the better, especially the children.

Now don’t get me wrong, I consider myself a hawk, I’m a veteran, combat deployment, and I understand the importance and the reservation of committing troops. Warfare is always a last resort, when all, and I mean all options have been exhausted, and the threat to our security is imminent. When we commit to war, we have admitted that we have lost our civility and humanity, if even only temporarily. Our resolve has now been set to kill, destroy, and yes if I may say…murder, when civilians are affected. Smart bombs are not that smart.

So, back to this supporting the troops thing. Sorry for getting off track. You owe a soldier three things:

1. training – how to soldier, how to fight, how to live, 8 weeks of basic training and four weeks in an MOS won’t do it
2. resources – equipment, functional equipment, and lots of it. Also, the RIGHT equipment for the mission
3. mission – what EXACTLY they are there for, what will they be doing
4. timetable – how long will it last, of course it cannot be totally predicted, but provide one.

None of these have been provided for Iraq. Rep John Murtha is a combat veteran and has seen the horrors of war and the results of when civility breaks down. He is the LAST person that would abandon our troops. What he is say though, is that if you commit more troops, you MUST support them. That includes the four items above. Proper rotations, one year tour followed by one year “downtime” followed by one year of training. That’s the cycle for equipment, should apply to troops. Next, resources, the right equipment, not silly string to set off bombs, homemade armor for a HUMV, or other absurdities. Yes, we’re in a quagmire, but if we continue this war, then we truly need to support our troops, besides hanging ribbons, waving flags, and dumping more money at resources that are not targeted to the troops’ mission.

The president wants an additional twenty thousand plus troops. Where are they coming from? For every one combat troop, at least four support role troops are needed. And where are these combat troops coming from? New recruits, highly trained in insurgent gorilla warfare amongst warring factions? Wow, where is that military school at.

So in closing, if you truly want to support the troops, support them properly or bring them home and accept the failure, or claim that you support them as you watch the C141’s fly into Dover, Delaware bring our silent troops back home.

powered by performancing firefox

In other words, don’t mess with my money. Iran is a good revenue stream for Russia, and Russia won’t give that up, even if it means nukes closer in their back yard. And don’t forget China. They’re getting some cash from Tehran also. So they won’t like to see that interrupted. They’re no different than us in that sense. Don’t mess with our revenue stream. I think we should take a different approach with Iran. Let’s get some McDonald’s franchises there. Fatten people up and increase heart disease. Then we Can set up shop with our big pharma companies and charge top dollar for blood pressure, cholesterol, and other self inflicted illnesses. And hey, we can make money off the whole Islamic thing. I saw a jeans company that makes Islamic specific jeans, large pockets, high waist band. Let’s not go to war with them, let’s do what we do best, make people sick then sell them on a health maintenance plan. For those who don’t know me, I’m being funny.

Oh, and by the way, we’re in no condition to go to war with anyone else anyway. For those who continue to think that you can just high-tech your way to victory, to take and hold terroitory, ground forces in massess will always be needed.

United Press International – Security & Terrorism – Russia warns U.S. on Iran moves Russia’s foreign minister Wednesday warned the United States not to take military action against Iran. "The Russian foreign minister said Wednesday U.S.-led multinational foreign forces in Iraq must not conduct military operations outside the country, including against Iran," the RIA Novosti news agency reported. "The multinational force in Iraq should abide strictly by the UN Security Council’s mandate, which does not provide for any operations outside the country," Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told the Lebanese magazine Al-Watan Al-Arabi in an interview. "The escalation of the conflict and its possible spread beyond the Iraqi borders will inevitably result in catastrophic consequences and not for the Middle East alone," Lavrov said according to the report. "I believe Washington understands this."

Hmm, I for one am glad that we do not live in a pure democracy. Just think about it. In a pure democracy, 51% of the people can directly set the agenda, laws, and status of the remaining 49%. I think that the founding fathers, in setting up our country as a Constitutional republic was a very wise, and shrewed idea, in protecting the minority. Think about it, slavery could be reinstated, Jews could be cast out of the country, just by a majority vote of the people. And the numbers are there. It doesn’t need to be 51%, just the majority vote.

A Constitutional republic truly does serve it’s purpose. If it didn’t, a presidential election could be decided by as little as five of the most populous states, in being the majority of the national population. The rest of the country, mostly rural, would have no voice. Now there are times where it’s not perfect, like the 2000 residential election. Although Al Gore won the populous vote, the minority "won" the white house. That case was not exactly beneficial for the country, but the premise of a Constitutional republic where the minority can have equal footing and representation is a very wise idea.

Constitutional republic – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia A constitutional republic is a state where the head of state and other officials are elected as representatives of the people and must govern according to existing constitutional law that limits the government’s power over citizens. In a constitutional republic, executive, legislative, and judicial powers are separated into distinct branches and the will of the majority of the population is tempered by protections for minority rights so that no individual or group has absolute power. The fact that a constitution exists that limits the government’s power, makes the state constitutional. That the head(s) of state and other officials are chosen by election, rather than inheriting their positions, and that their decisions are subject to judicial review makes a state republican. Unlike a pure democracy, in a constitutional republic, citizens are not governed by the majority of the people but by the rule of law.[1] Constitutional Republics are a deliberate attempt to diminish the threat of mobocracy thereby protecting minority groups from the tyranny of the majority by placing checks on the power of the majority of the population.[2] The power of the majority of the people is checked by limiting that power to electing representatives who govern within limits of overarching constitutional law rather than the popular vote having legislative power itself. John Adams defined a constitutional republic as "a government of laws, and not of men."[3] Also, the power of government officials is checked by allowing no single individual to hold executive, legislative and judicial powers. Instead these powers are separated into distinct branches that serve as a check and balance on each other. A constitutional republic is designed so that "no person or group [can] rise to absolute power."[4] The notion of constitutional republic originates with Aristotle’s Politics and his notion of the polity. He Contrasts the polity or republican government with democracy and oligarchy in book 3, chapter 6 of the Politics.

There is now undeniable proof of the existence of God. The Vatican website, http://www.vatican.va is powered by Linux and Apache.  The debate is over.
Meet the techie "sister" behind Vatican’s Website | ScobleShow: Videoblog about geeks, technology, and developers

So the summation. The British East India Company may very well be the most successful corporation of all time and a model corporation given the charter of a corporation. At one point, it’s wealth could very well have been on par with the government itself (which is a different top as to whether a government should have "wealth"). The British East India Company, referred here as BEI had actually done and accomplished the following:

1. was granted an exclusive monopoly on trades with the East Indies
2. formed and ran it’s own military, not paramilitary or mercenary faction, a full fledged military
3. build it’s own axillary government and established rule over India…yes, a company ruled a country
4. paid no taxes on trade in and out of India
5. hired Captain Kidd to attack ships of other companies and countries
6. established cities and created economies

And all this from a public traded company. So this brings into question, and some parallels, today’s modern corporation, with examples like Haliburton and it’s subsidiaries, ExxonMobile, Monsanto and others that have overwhelming influence over politicians, unchecked control of their actions, obvious by the results. So how does this really parallel to today?

1. BEI had exclusive monopoly on trades with the East Indies, oil companies today have monopolies on contracts where 75% of the profit remains with the company
2. BEI ran it’s own military, but today’s companies have the US military at it’s disposal. Think Iraq.
3. BEI built it’s own axillary government. Make no mistake that foreign governments that were not favorable to American businesses were removed or had a rough time existing. Several South American and African countries come to mind
4. BEI paid no taxes on trade. Many "American" companies are headquartered in the Bahamas to avoid taxes, although they have very large federal and state contracts. A major IT outsourcing company does this.
5. BEI hired Captain Kidd to attack other ships. Don’t think for a minute that corporations don’t sabotage their competitors
6. BEI established cities and created economies. Today’s companies may do the same, but once they drain the resources, they are gone, leaving that place in ruins.

Now, how can this be from a publicly traded company if the majority of Americans are good people. Well, 50% of all outstanding shares in America are owned by 10% of the people. And of that 10%, 1% own literally 85% of those shares. And the role of the corporation is to make money for their shareholders, by any means. Legally or sometimes illlegally, depending on who’s money is messed with.

Also note that the flag is the official flag of the British East India Company, 1707–1801. While there is much speculation, and no official explanation of the original flag of the Continental Congress that Betsy Ross sewed, as to the meanings of the colors and design, it’s similar to the BEI flag. So, is our flag based on a corporate flag?

From Wikipedia: The British East India Company, sometimes referred to as "John Company", was one of the first joint-stock companies. It was granted an English Royal Charter by Elizabeth I on December 31, 1600, with the intention of favouring trade privileges in India. The Royal Charter effectively gave the newly created Honourable East India Company (HEIC) a 21 year monopoly on all trade in the East Indies. The Company transformed from a commercial trading venture to one that virtually ruled India as it acquired auxiliary governmental and military functions, until its dissolution in 1858.

Based in London, the company presided over the creation of the British Raj. In 1617, the Company was given trade rights by the Mughal Emperor. 100 years later, it was granted a royal dictate from the Emperor exempting the Company from the payment of custom duties in Bengal, giving it a decided commercial advantage in the Indian trade. A decisive victory by Sir Robert Clive at the Battle of Plassey
in 1757 established the British East India Company as a military as
well as a commercial power. By 1760, the French were driven out of
India, with the exception of a few trading posts on the coast, such as Pondicherry.

The Company also had interests along the routes to India from Great Britain. As early as 1620, the company attempted to lay claim to the Table Mountain region in South Africa, later it occupied and ruled St Helena. The Company also established Hong Kong and Singapore; employed Captain Kidd to combat piracy; and cultivated the production of tea in India. Other notable events in the Company’s history were that it held Napoleon captive on St Helena, and made the fortune of Elihu Yale. Its products were the basis of the Boston Tea Party in Colonial America.

Its shipyards provided the model for St Petersburg, elements of its administration survive in the Indian bureaucracy, and its corporate structure was the most successful early example of a joint stock company. However, the demands of Company officers on the treasury of Bengal contributed tragically to the province’s incapacity in the face of a famine which killed millions in 1770-1773.

Those darn Germans are at it again. Pissing off anyone who are not them 😉 I do have to say though, pretty comical looking. I can see why they’re offended. Not because of the characters, but the way they are portrayed and what message it sends. Oddly enough, major papers didn’t carry the image of this one float, only one in Denmark dared to print it. I guess sensitivity and religion have pretty much shut down the presses. BTW, I wonder if these Germans would have been upset if a float of Hitler was made a paraded down the street.

lgf: German Muslims Seething at Carnival Parade During this year’s carnival parades in Germany (originally a Roman Catholic tradition), some of the contestants in the float competition decided to depart from the standard bashing of Bush, America, and German politicians, and built a float that has the German Islamic front groups seething.
A Muslim leader criticized a float in the city of Dusseldorf that satirically suggested Islam was not peaceful. The float carried two identical cartoon-style papier-mache figures, each wearing a suicide-bomber’s belt and carrying a dagger and a pistol. The first was labelled ‘the cliche,’ the second was labelled ‘the reality.’ Both scowling figures were labelled ‘mullahs,’ a term used to describe both Shiite and Sunni clergy. The float was part of a carnival parade watched by more than half a million people in the western city of Dusseldorf. ‘This hasn’t got anything to do with humour,’ said Aiman A Mazyek, general secretary of the National Council of Muslims in Germany. ‘The message it gives me is: ‘We love our prejudices, we’ll stand up for them, even if they are flagrantly untrue.” However ‘as a born-and-bred Rhinelander, I wouldn’t get too upset about it,’ said Mazyek. ‘I’m sure most of the revellers don’t want to spread anti-Islam cynicism.’

Now this is an article that’s a year and a half old, but I’m bringing this up because it’s now becoming a trend. Apparently, more private equity firms are snapping up drug rehab centers because it’s profitable. Well, don’t expect the war on drugs to get support from these guys, it’s too good of a revenue stream.
Dutch bank acquires British rehab center – Business – International Herald Tribune ABN AMRO made an unusual jump away from finance on Tuesday with the £300 million purchase of Priory Group, a British rehabilitation center and health clinic known for nursing celebrities like the model Kate Moss back to health after drug addictions or breakdowns. With the deal, ABN AMRO will also assume some £575 million, or $1 billion, in debt, bringing the total value of Priory to about $1.5 billion. The largest Dutch bank said it planned to restructure Priory’s debt and provide financing and merger advice for the group’s ambitious growth plans. Priory said it hoped to expand its existing facilities and eventually buy similar businesses in Britain and possibly Continental Europe. With 40 facilities and 1,700 beds in Britain, Priory is the largest independent European provider of mental health, rehabilitation and special education services.

And my favorites on the list?
#8 – A female orgasm is a powerful painkiller (because of the release of endorphins), so headaches are in fact a bad excuse not to have sex. Yes!!!
#10 – Among the Mangaians of Polynesia, 18-year-old couples make love an average of three times a night, every night, until their thirties, when the weekly average drops to a mere 14. Apparently, Polynesian women never get headaches

read more | digg story