"But when I see them working at the airport every day, I'm really thankful. They are working really hard. I never imagined they could help us so much."

Arika Ota, 29, quoted above, has more nice things to say about the U.S. Military in an insightful story by the AP.

"To be honest, I didn't think much about the U.S. troops until now," said Arika, who works at an amusement center in the coastal city of Sendai. "But when I see them working at the airport every day, I'm really thankful. They are working really hard. I never imagined they could help us so much."

More people around the world are learning, hopefully, that it’s damn handy to have a lot of highly organized and disciplined young men around when such things occur. But even so, in this story and others, the fear of having our legions close by is evident in some of the quotes further down.

My favorite blogger, Ann Althouse, has a diavlog with Bob Wright up at my favorite site, bloggingheads.tv, where they speak of many things regarding the Wisconsin protest demonstrations ongoing at the Madison, Wisconsin capitol.

What's interesting to me about the whole thing is how Prof. Althouse goes on and on about the visceral displays of emotion that accompanied the "left" and how a lot of it was ugly and off-putting. Fair enough.

And her reports of threats is not only the lowest form of behavior on the part of certain people, but down-right-southern-tacky on their part. We must welcome and embrace those who disagree with us as the necessary stimulant any good mind needs.

With that said, it is quite hypocritical on her part to go on and on about the ugliness of speech and then in the next segment argue with Wright over the need to look beyond the normal boundries of constitutionally derived "speech".

As best I can determine, no one has actually threatened the professor with anything resembling illegal "speech" (she should know, she's a constitional law professor at a major university)and so why is it on the one hand repulsive to her to observe some speech and pronounce it ugly and yet argue for more free expression?

Althouse: "A man should never wear shorts in the city

Professor Althouse links to an article on men's style and the gentleman's recommendations as top 5 rules seem quite sensible to me.

I find the Professor interesting and so I must confess my admiration for her features on bloggingheads.tv, and her blog, where she always engages thoughtfully and pushes, prodding, needling for a good exchange. Her ponderous right wing apologetics aside, she has a damn fine mind.

Men in shorts should be limited to bathing trunks, in my opinion. Tennis is played just as well in comfortable slacks, the pros DO NOT wear shorts around on the golf course and basketball players are engaged in child's games.

Grow up.

Political "thugs" with important titles...

Over at Crooks and Liars, Karoli notes the resignation of another Indiana prosecutor over e-mail sent to Gov. Scott Walker of Wisconsin, suggesting, shall we say, aggressive "false flag" operations  to discredit the Teacher's Union demonstrations.

Interestingly, this coincides with Gov. Walker's comment during his conversation with the so-called "Koch brother" who was actually baiting Walker into just such embarassing statements as his "we thought of that" off-hander.

This is worth repeating

"In 1946, the US financial sector owed $3 billion of debt, or 1.35% of GDP. By 2009 this had increased to $15.6 trillion, or 109.5% of GDP."


Z.1 Statistical Release, Federal Reserve Board of Governors, December 2010

The current government debt, remember, the thing everyone says is the problem in this country, is about 46% of GDP. That's everything, in perpetuity...While financial or private capital interest, owe almost $20 TRILLION!!! That's 20 trillion, with a "T". 

And if I remember right, when the shit hit the fan and this debt became callable, IMMEDIATELY I might add, what sector of the economy went running to government (you know, that evil thing) to bail their asses out and stop the call on margins, instruments of leverage and debt obligations?

Why, the capitalist sector of the production equation. Das Kapital, the straw that stirs the drink, the ultimate risk gods who champion their right to fail as their moral justification for their "compensation", such as it is (and it ain't too damn bad).

In 1789 things like this would have ended much differently for the perpetrators of leveraged speculation and the collapse of the credit market. Perhaps Jack Ketch could make a comeback.

The reigning prince and future king

"The net worth of the United States at the end of 2008 was $75 trillion or 5.2 times GDP."








" In 1946, the total US debt-to-GDP ratio was 150%, with two-thirds of that held by the federal government. Since 1946, the federal government's debt-to-GDP ratio has since fallen by nearly half, to 54.8% of GDP in 2009. The debt-to-GDP ratio of the financial sector, by contrast, has increased from 1.35% in 1946 to 109.5% of GDP in 2009. The ratio for households has risen nearly as much, from 15.84% of GDP to 95.4% of GDP."







"In 1946, the US financial sector owed $3 billion of debt, or 1.35% of GDP. By 2009 this had increased to $15.6 trillion, or 109.5% of GDP."







Z.1 Statistical Release, Federal Reserve Board of Governors, December 2010







Well, what do you think about that?

War of 1812 - The burning of the White House

VICE ADMIRAL SIR ALEXANDER F. I. COCHRANE, R.N., to


FIRST SECRETARY OF THE ADMIRALTY JOHN W. CROKER

No. 98



Tonnant, in the Patuxent, 2nd. September 1814.



Sir,

I have the honor to acquaint you, for the information of my Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty, of the proceedings of His Majestys combined Sea and Land forces since my arrival with the Fleet within the Capes of Virginia, and

I beg leave to offer my congratulations to their Lordships upon the successful termination of an Expedition in which the whole of the Enemy's Flotilla under Commodore Barney has been captured or destroyed--his Army, tho' greatly superior in number and strongly posted with Cannon, defeated at Bladensburg-- the City of Washington taken--the Capitol with all the public buildings, Military Arsenals, Dock Yard and the rest of their Naval Establishment, together with a vast quantity of Naval and Military Stores, a Frigate of the largest Class, ready to launch, and a Sloop of War afloat, either blown up or reduced to Ashes...

Glossary for those who use words to their own ends in foreign policy

"Democratic Movement"; aka insurrection, as in when a body of people challenge present governmental authority.



"Peaceful Demonstrators"; insurrectionist, as in those actively engaged in combat over control of civic, economic and military assets in Libya.



"No-Fly Zone"; An act or acts of war by unilateral or multilateral authorities in which military and governmental facilities are attacked so as to cripple a target government's infrastructure.



"Taking the lead"; aka "showing leadership", this is when the United States is goaded into perpetuating violence in another country's territory for whatever raisson d'etre.



Like it or not, and I do not necessarily like it, the United States IS the policeman of the world. But we should not, repeat, should not, get involved in other country's internal political squabbles by killing some of their citizens.



If one country is causing trouble in the neighborhood, stealing other's things, commiting violence against you on your property and whatnot, then it's OK for the neighbors to call the police and have that troublemaker calmed down...by whatever means necessary.



But by definition, what we have in Libya, right now...is....wait for it........CIVIL WAR. I know we have a long history of getting involved in other people's civil wars all the time, but you know, I wish we would kinda stop.

The Cleverlys "Walk like an Egyptian"

Bodies

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