Showing posts with label Violence. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Violence. Show all posts

Tuesday, February 25, 2014

Freedom Isn't "Free"? But it should be!

Should the entire USA (and the World) rethink the knee-jerk, thunk? Let's be real! The ultra-rich (the ones who OWN the weapons plants and the munitions factories), have no qualms about continuing their GIGANTIC CON - of millions of American families - into believing that it is "patriotic", to send one's son or daughter off to die in a foreign land - because "Freedom Isn't Free"? The parents get to have (thereby), bragging rights akin to, "My Son is a Marine!", or "Go Army!", or "USAF - Aim High", and "My Daughter serves in the Navy" (usually in the form of a bumper-sticker). Yup, "Semper Fi" is indeed "eternal loyalty" - ONCE CONNED - but from inside of an aluminium box - and at a graveyard near to your ("Mom 'n Dad"). Once laid-out "proper" within said container, who's likely to complain? Besides, the grieving parents were given a very nice (brand-new), tricolor-flag, folded-down into a "Boy-Girl Scout" triangle - such that it will "look" quite "nice" inside of a framed-glass case, stood onto the fireplace mantel (as a souvenir)?

The ultra rich got RICHER (and don't care whose life is thrown away)... Freedom? Who does the paying? Wake-up Americans! Don't be duped! The only thing anyone gets for "Free" is the pro-military establishment's line of "Propaganda for Dummies" ... and THAT's the TRUTH! My generation of Vietnam vets learned the hard-way, and then dared to say, "No." to the CONNING of America! Don't get suckered into offering-up YOUR child - as a sacrificial lamb - to the financial machinery of WAR!

Anecdote: just try to get Dick Cheney to acknowledge that he and father-son Bush made HUGE SUM$ of CA$H from their Washington War-mongering while in D.C. "Mission Accomplished", indeed... all the way to the Bank!


Copyright ©2014 - Robert C. Kuhmann - All Rights Reserved.

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

At gunpoint!

A short-list of things that the government can (and will) force you to do ...at gunpoint. 
  • taxpaying
  • zoning
  • speed limits
  • vehicle inspection
  • vehicle registration
  • protest in "free speech" zones
  • building codes
  • surrender your house under eminient domain
And that's just for starters. Every single rule and regulation which has been instituted by our government is  backed-up by Local, State, Federal police and Agents. They enforce their will at the barrel-end of a gun. If you continually decline to do precisely what the Local, State, and Federal government has decreed, then you will eventually find yourself looking down the barrel of a gun.
 
Count on it. 

Monday, May 31, 2010

Thinkology of LOVE, the inevitable...

Some authors would have you believe that a good romance is the equal of a marriage of the heart and mind... (AKA "chemistry")?

A "thinkologist" however is busy at rehash, preoccupied by a "theory of everything" (on one's mind and sometimes, below one's belt).

For those of us, for whom, "thinking" is both an inevitability and a part of the daily diet... 

Picture this:

If you toss two really bright people into one room (a male, a female), and then leave them there long enough... The fundamentals of today's theory are: that they WILL mate, fall in love, and that a romance will ensue!  Alas, I've spent time in one or two rooms decorated to those precise "House Beautiful" norms. Somehow, the physical coitus never seemed to supplant or offset the, "cogito, ergo sum" (I think, therefore I am) component of the intellectual copula that was ALWAYS well underway, and first. Does such a "union" make thinkers into part-time lovers, or part-time lovers into thinkers? 

When romance reunites people who have been "thus" united, then separated, and then re-united (after a certain time), is their reunion (also), once too often?


I always try to engage my readers with a tone of sarcasm (nobody ever really believes everything I say anyway)...  Am I wrong (rhetorical)?  ;-)

This sort of amusement invites everyone to laugh at the many easy foibles of our lives and our living.  A "thinkologist" makes observations about the most rigorous, purely formulaic alternatives - as well as the unpredictable nature of LOVE.  The objective being ...to make whatever one thinks about LOVE (thereby), a joy to read (and to experience)? 

Romance is a love story told in such a way, that it appeals to men (stiffened) and it appeals to women (swollen). Love's most primitive allures engage both the naive and the jaded - from Algebraic Number Theorists, to Professional Violinists - and (likewise) all those manic enough to harbor phobias towards either endeavor.  Patience comes to the penitent...

If I'm not being funny or clever here (nor original, in a way that pulls, you the reader, "in"), then blame me - for I am the only farcical, hugely entertaining, and equally as modest author of this strangest of stories.

LOVE is a Greek Classic (and oft-times, as lyrical): "boy meets goddess"; "girl meets a god"; "boy or girl loses the other god". Along the way, the two engage in playful eros romps that out-perform the soggiest TV-soap (and) every made-for-Broadway satirical play, ever written.  Pass the hankies, to wipe my wetted eyes... 

Each of those compositions become somewhat more accursed (as entertainment) than the other (...akin to a trash-talk, romance-novel - composed for, and targeting lonely, generally rather unattractive women whom men date once, at best).  In general, men aren't into romance (no, not even the unattractive guys). 

So, as YOU read this, weep with me...

As YOU become an active THINKOLOGIST yourself...

Soon enough, there will be thunderbolts raining down from your own Mount Olympus, as the gods drink themselves into a carefree stupor on cheap sex ...and cheaper wine.

Align yourself to "thinkology".

Save CIVILIZATION as we never knew it! Lock yourself up in an empty room with someone who thinks the way you do. Do it today!  It's the cerebral version of, "getting laid".

There is a spiritual teacher who states, that "if you fight against reality, you suffer". The object is to "come into acceptance".  Small words, big concept.

Difficult at times,
Me Thinks.

P.S. My next entry will be about "missed opportunities" in life...

Saturday, January 09, 2010

Don't be where you're not!

Welcome, but not wanted.
Here, a Good person is both.
I won't be where I'm not.

Monday, December 28, 2009

INCOMPETENCE: Federal Government?

Homeland Security Secretary, Janet Napolitano conceded today that airline security failed - when it allowed a Nigerian (on a terror watch list, and allegedly armed with explosives) onto a Detroit-bound flight from Europe.

The concession was a turnaround from her declaration a day day earlier - that "the system worked."

The secretary's comment (on Sunday) was widely criticized, given that suspect Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab was foiled because his explosive mixture did not properly detonate and he was stopped in his tracks by vigilant passengers (who were forced to take the law into their own hands)...

My opinion? Janet is incompetent and she should resignm Me Thinks.

Monday, October 19, 2009

Don't lose your head (take the 5th)!

Ever notice? How certain people (you know the ones)... "go silent" because they're well-aware of their GUILT! Moreover, those same individuals (usually) don't give a rat's ass about anything (nor anyone), but themselves.

Me thinks that France had it RIGHT all those years ago. Let's roll-out a "guillotine" for use at public executions...

" Vive le pays de Napoléon Bonaparte !!! "

Wednesday, August 05, 2009

FREEDOM!

NORTH KOREA: a round of applause, for former U.S. President, William Jefferson Clinton!

As for you Kim Jung-il (dictator, tyrant, and criminal), most of the planet awaits your demise with great impatience. Should one of your sons (or son-in-law) perpetuate your legacy of crimes against humanity, he too shall become the bain of FREE peoples, everywhere.

A lengthy "burn" in HELL (your own) is assured...

Sunday, June 21, 2009

Never give up, Never give up, Never give up!

Happy Father's Day!
To all the Dads

(And other unsung heros AKA, meritorious Step-Dads)...

See [link]:
Every Day is Father's Day

WI State Governor underwrites "Me Thinks", thinking.
See [links]:

2009 Wisconsin State Fatherhood Week

Official Gubernatorial Proclamation

From the White House, about Responsible Parenthood...
See [link]:

On the 100th anniversary of Father's Day.

Every day is Father's Day - yes, it takes a MAN to be a Dad!


Monday, June 01, 2009

Loving deserving...

A loving, deserving man harbors not misogyny, nor does he teach the contempt of women.

A loving, deserving woman harbors not misandry, nor does she teach the contempt of men.

Being a RAGE wright is not a right, a rite, nor Right.
"He was a well good wright." (Christ was a fine carpenter.)

--Chaucer

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

EARTH DAY (The River of Life) in 3 parts...

Part-I

The longer we live, the more brief does this life appear.
We breath-in its varied and succeeding stages,
When a day taken from childhood does seem a year,
And all the years, like the passing of ages...

The carefree currents of our youth,
Ere in passion and in disorder,
Steal and linger like a river smoothed,
Along its verdant borders...

But as the care-worn cheek grows wan,
And sorrow's shaft flies slower, thicker...
As stars, measure life up to every man,
Why seem our courses quicker?

When joys have lost both bloom and breath,
And life itself sublimes, ...vapid.
Why, as we reach the Autumn of life, towards death,
Feel we, the tide, current, and tow more rapid?

It may be strange -- yet who would change,
Time's course to a slower speeding?
When one by one, our friends have gone,
And left our bosoms bleeding...

The heavens bestow years of fading strength,
Indemnifying fleetness,
And those of youth, the semblance of length,
Misproportion'd to their sweetness...

Part-II

Running, flowing -- never stopping;
Begun as a trickle -- joining eddies, forming a stream;
The spring follows valleys -- thru rock, mud, sand, 'n moss;
Becoming mighty, strong -- widening the course.

Gathering pebbles along the way -- tossing, turning, rolling;
Toying with them; dropping each off -- then forgetting when.
Showers fall into it, and join as one within it.
Heat evaporates it, and carries it back up into the sky.

Ever flowing, changing -- never meandering the same way.
Never regretting, having been here or there, nor where.
Once Love lived along the banks of the River of Life.
Love grew amdist the floods and flows.

There Love floated, carried by life's sweetest waters.
Love rained to awaken the seeds of Spring,
And to nourish all life and growing things.
Love grew.

This fleuve was born of storms and wind,
blown to traverse the Good Earth.
The river runs deep, like molten fires that make and shake,
Continents, and one's Worth.

Love had all that was needed for happiness and joy,
But was plagued by demons,
the triple-headed beast of:
Greed, Hate, and War.

Greed swallows-up generosity, locked inside of dungeons.
Hate severs connection and teaches peoples to fear each other.
War threatens to rain destruction upon all who oppose...
Monsterous rule.

And the people were separated, and afraid, and poor.
The threads of unity became frayed.
The fabric of care, unraveled.
As love thirsted.

And War took the young, marching them off to slaughter,
To meet the Reaper, in places far, far away.
Greed steals and seals their future...
Ended.

Their River of Life, run dry.
Families witness heart springs fallen into dust,
New sprouts fail, and tall trees die.
And the hills turn brown.

And the mothers wept and mourn, and do not know what to do.
The families too are divided.
Some have more and some had less.
All was lost.

Old wounds and present injustice kept the loved apart.
But as War shook both fists,
Threatening to unleash destruction upon the Earth...
The wise turned to each other and they say:

We are but scraps of a torn fabric, but if we tie them together,
We can bind wounds, dry tears, and weave a net to carry heavy loads."
"We must amplify love, and throw off dread,
Take back our power and spin new threads."

"A life-line, held in strong hands,
A living web of shining strands."
"Make our fingers remember how to spin.
Freedom that may ring on the rising wind."

"As we sew the threads of life, the cords of fate,
We combine our love into a river, that can overrun all hate."
"We may apply justice, burning bright like shooting stars,
We can make Peace into a river, that can overcome all War."

Part-III

And if you want to know where true power lies,
Turn and look into your brethren's eyes.
So come Mothers and Fathers,
Sons, and daughters.

Come spinners and weavers,
Tool makers, potters,
Dancers and dreamers...
Fixers, changers,

Singers and screamers...
Forget all dangers.
Come ancestors, guardians,
Gods and goddesses too,

You who teach us,
You who speak only truth, true...
You who plant, and you who reap,
You who soar and you who creep,

You who cook, and you who drum,
You who have been, and you yet to come...
You who do battle with hand and sword,
You who resist using plume and words.

All unreasonable women,
All unmanageable men.
Come Harpies, Banshees, Gorgons, and Witches;
Come courageous warriors, and furious bitches!

Break the chains that have kept us bound.
Weave a web to pull the Monster down.
In the face of truth, no lie can stand.
Weave the vision, strand by strand.

We are the water flowing, we are the seed,
We are the storm winds, here to blow away all greed.
We are the new world, we bring to birth;
All rivers rising, to reclaim...

This Good Earth.


-ooOoo-


O could I flow like thee, and make thy stream
My great example, as it is my theme!
Though deep, yet clear, though gentle, yet not dull,
Strong without rage, without o'erflowing full
--John Denham (1615-1669)

(From the poem, "Cooper's Hill", first published in AD 1642.

Monday, April 06, 2009

This one's for U! (Anonymous)...

"Verbal Abusers"

Needless to say, gender does not determine whether a person is verbally abusive. It does, however, affect the possibility and the style of abuse that may occur. Since female cultural stereotypes dictate that girls and women should be: "nice", "good", "pleasant", "polite", "passive", and "conforming" - it takes a rebellious woman to become an abusive one.

She must rebel against all of the norms. But (unlike boys or men - who are expected to use anger to hide what is considered any sign of weakness, such as: fear, hurt, disappointment or sadness) - women are supposed to express these feelings with vulnerability (and hide their anger).

A verbally abusive woman, therefore, is a bold woman who has dared to become a rebel. Societally, she becomes unattractive to "nice", "good", "pleasant", "polite" men (and other women).

How unfortunate that the rebellion tends to take an abusive path.

Women need to rebel against the limitation and oppression of the stereotypes - they need to dare express anger as anger, but the last thing they need is to become abusive. Yet, very often those women who have the fire to rebel, have also had the misfortune of having abuse and violence to rebel against. This is a formula for becoming an abuser as well. Knowing only the pattern of attack or counterattack - rebellious, abused women quickly learn the lesson of "destroy or be destroyed". Does that sound familiar?


Having rejected the role of victim - they frequently take the only other role available in all of this destructive duel: that of victimizer. Since they are often not the physically strongest opponent, the weapon of choice of abusive women is usually verbal assault, and they often become skilled "lashers" - crushers of spirits.

A son is a common target of an abusive woman. But sometimes, the anger and resentment that abused women carry in their hearts provide the fuel for directing those feelings at themselves and at their daughters. This phenomenon can easily cascade from one generation, to the next. Being female, a woman puts herself (at the the least risk) by targeting their daughters, because daughters are the most vulnerable. And as women, it is the most natural outcome of abuse, to be angry at and abuse ourselves for not being able to make others love us enough to treat us well instead of abuse us.

When the question is raised, "Are women masochistic?" ...the reply is that no one is born masochistic, but some are taught to face in that direction. The traps of the gender stereotypes teach us all (men and women) to believe that: if we are good enough and nice enough, everyone will like us and often even love us, also teaches that if we are mistreated and abused " it's " our fault because we didn't do " it " right.

Abuse by women is justified by the belief they failed the test of goodness and niceness. It is about fault, somehow, and she is blamed and, in turn, blames herself. If she were only more patient, more giving, more loving, more tolerant - she would be more desired and loved. Masochism is the natural outgrowth of this genderized legitimization of abuse. It, of course, spills over onto daughters of abused women. It is their lot.

In the end, they represent both the failure and the threat.

It is not surprising, therefore, that in some cases, the threat for a daughter is even more damning to a woman than her own perceived failures. If a daughter is prettier, smarter, marries better, is treated better (and, God forbid) - is seen as happier, as successful, or more talented - she represents everything an abused and/or abusive mother wants for herself, but feels she can never have (never had).

This daughter is, of course, envied and often seen as deserving of all of the anger and abuse that gets aimed in her direction.

If the daughter fails in her marriage(s), or if she is abused by her husband(s) - or herself, then she is, (psychologically) viewed as deserving of MORE punishment - until she changes. The cycle of women as the abused and the abuser is a very painful and tragic one, that goes on basically unnoticed and unattended in society.

Unless physical harm results - psychological battering of and by women is tolerated and often condoned. Sarcasm and ridicule are seen as a natural part of their relationships. Cutting remarks and cruel put-downs are excused, and crushed self-images and bleeding spirits do not count as punishable crimes. There is no public outcry. It's just the way life is. Pretend it doesn't hurt, pretend you don't feel, pretend you didn't see or hear it. Pretend you didn't mean it. Pretend, pretend, pretend.

The acceptance of verbal abuse depends entirely on pretense and self-deception. The corruption of lies and denial is the key to any abuse, but especially of verbal abuse. The only way out of this destructive pattern and the violence it condones, is integrity.

Liberation begins and ends with truth, with integrity. Oppression is built on lies.

To be liberated:

- Do not pretend to have the right to verbally abuse yourself or others.
- Do not pretend to be justified whenever you are abusive.
- Do not pretend that you aren't angry and hurt when you are abused.

- Do not falsely accuse others of behavior that was not abusive.
- Do not pretend that you are justified when you retaliate.

- You cannot pretend that you don't care.
- You cannot pretend that you can't help it.
- You cannot pretend that you don't see what's going on.

- You cannot pretend that you don't see what's happening.
- You cannot pretend that you are powerless.


It does matter. It is not all right to pretend. If you are to be liberated you cannot pretend.

The first step, therefore, in freeing yourself form this horrendous cycle of abuse (being abused, and then abusing) is to stop pretending. Whether you are the abused or the abuser you must stop any and all pretending. Your protection is the Truth. You must let in The Truth and acknowledge your use of pretense (as a way of escaping the harsh reality). As this is happening, you must protect yourself from using the enlightenment of "clarity" as a weapon, and abusing yourself for having been a pretender.

Liberation must be free of all violence and abuse. Judging and blaming must be transformed into self-reflection and accountability. That is of course, where the problem lies. It is easier said than done.

A woman who is used to reacting by violating either herself or others, is out of control.

She is not reflective, fair and accountable, and to make that shift she must make Herculean effort to stop herself before she reacts. And that means catching herself while her automatic reaction has taken over, and there seems to be no space or time for reflection. The only way this can occur is by a dramatic intervention within her pre-programmed system (the elimination of denial). She must place herself on "alert" and every time an assault-like reaction gets triggered. She must step in front of it and stop it, even if she's in mid-sentence.

Only a strong confrontation of herself at that point will stop the verbal abuse (only a willing reactor can be stopped). Rather than a duel, there needs to be a truce, and then the reflective persona and the reactive persona have to agree on what's fair to say and what has integrity.

For this to transpire, she must find the courage to face down the out of control reactor/abuser behavior. She must be committed to the integrity of accountability and fairness. She must marshal the discipline it will take to stop herself from automatically reacting, and finally. She must use her brains to process complex information coming from within herself and from others.

People are not masochistic by nature, but anyone can learn masochism from the stereotypic lessons along "genderized" empowerments (that girls are taught from birth).

Women who are verbally abusive of others (male or female) are first and foremost abusive to themselves. Just as women learned these lessons, however, a woman can unlearn them, and any woman who is verbally abusive to herself and to others can liberate herself from this destructive pattern. It will take courage, commitment, discipline and brains, but it is not only possible to stop this destructive pattern, it is the greatest accomplishment and most valuable gift you can ever achieve and receive.

The best part of this gift is that it is within YOUR power to attain, and it doesn't depend on others.

Needless to say, it is much easier with the loving support of others, but even if some try to sabotage your efforts, they can never stop them.

Only you can stop abusing yourself and others. It is likely that you will become "depressed" (that will have come as no surprise to this author). Psychological liberation is in your own hands. So, join a support group, get into therapy, and go for it - as if your happiness and your life depended on it.

Because, both do! Me Thinks.

Friday, March 27, 2009

Black on White...

Ever notice...
How self-important people consider themselves "experts" in just about everything that THEY choose to introduce into THEIR conversation? How their pomposity reigns, as an incessant stream of tasteless diatribe (and sometimes, while unethical or illegal inviction is imposed), as they attempt to rule? And how their listeners reject the impositions [and quickly], by dropping all of the unwelcome gifts?

Ever notice...
That whenever someone demands "frank" and "open" communication (from you) - once provided (to them), the same person tries to get YOU to stuff "Pandora" back into the "Box"?

Ever notice...
That the enchantment in our lives, is not necessarily shared by everyone?

Ever notice...
How many people are sure that they will go to "Heaven", albeit that they've yet to spend any of their due time in "Hell"?

Ever notice...
How I think you - just beside me, and how I miss you - just the same?

Ever notice...
The degree to which, "play" is very serious business, for a child?

Ever notice...
That "depression" can be the "sand" that makes the "pearl"?

Ever notice...
All who aren't busy livin', have already begun their dyin' ?

Ever notice...
It is said that the true test of maturity, is the ability to have empathy for the suffering of another?

Ever notice...
One ought to know how to give-out HOPE (by carrying dark chocolate in one's pocket)?

Ever notice...
While he (a man) thinks that she's playing "hard to get", she (a woman) thinks that he is playing hard to get rid of - because some women need a man about as much as a fish needs a bicycle. And because some men, "bite" - far more frequently than, fish?


Ever notice...
How simply "saying nothing" - can provide for an Oasis of Peace, in a Desert of Turmoil?

Ever notice...
How everyone is on their way to somewhere?

Ever notice...
H2O - it's always the same water, and there are many wells?

Ever notice...
In the pursuit of TRUTH - the Goal and the Destination, are One and the Same?

Ever notice...
The most important thing to SEARCH-for, is ANSWERS-from?

Ever notice...
There ought to be something grammatically, "Eternal" about a poem written for a woman, you know -- both, Past and Present?

Ever notice...
True "togetherness" - it's when you can sense the movements of the hand of the other (without touching), like "his and hers" hands immersed in warm water?

Ever notice...
Raindrops on Roses, are akin to Whispers and Kisses?

Ever notice...
The best Apology is to: have Even; having Forgiven?

Ever notice...
That LOVE ...is the most effective Anti-drug, Drug?

Ever notice...
When your Heart "opens", your Mind "opens up" -- when Tibetans refer to the Mind (one's thoughts), they gesture towards the Heart... ever notice?

And so it is,
Me thinks

Wednesday, February 04, 2009

Armageddon (the end of the World)!

What happens if a big asteroid hits Earth?

Well ...judging from realistic simulations (involving a sledge hammer and common laboratory frogs), we can assume it will be pretty bad. The ONE THING that is certain? You can throw-out all the visual stereotypes based-upon the images popularized by disaster-movies and television Nature programming...

When (not, "if") another mass-extinction event aligns itself on a collision-course with Mother Earth (and astrophysicists have shown that such objects tend to travel very, VERY fast), it's not going to be a mountain-sized rock likely to linger long enough to be "watched" (as though it were going to lumber slowly into a broadside with our planet). There'll be no, "Slow-Mo"...

When (not, "if") some massive object from space collides with our (mostly) water-covered home, everything and everyone in the line of FIRE will be v-a-p-o-r-i-z-e-d (virtually instantaneously)! All else won't be quite as lucky. That scenario will be a TRUE "Hell on Earth", and science can almost promise it, as a statistical certainty:


Billions of Souls, Trillions of tons - turned into plasma. One and all will go, "poof" like a puff of smoke. Don't worry, be happy - you won't feel a thing ...

Me Thinks.


P.S. In any case, I've always suspected that DEATH must be a lot like a non-memory, akin to a faded recollection from before we were born...

Sunday, July 20, 2008

Stormy Sea! See?

Find your stillness. Await the calm. Set sail after the storm has past (when there are no more waves) ~ so that the mind may see clear to the bottom of a problem.

Meditation brings peace to the mind and calm to the heart.
Me Thinks

Thursday, October 11, 2007

Choose the Battles -- Win the War

Whenever one takes action against an adversary, that choice demonstrates strength, but also (thereby) potential weakness. The truly intelligent learn to play the fool, to choose each battle, and to win the war.

Me Thinks.

Monday, October 08, 2007

World Leadership

Prior to the World Wars -- Americans were a simpler, isular and insulated people. By the close of WW-II, Americans found themselves at the center of World affairs -- both as the only surviving economic power, and as the military Superpower -- grown over-confident.

As a people we've plunged into conflicts ever since. Wielding the might of an omnipotent military threat (one that has progressively emptied the US Treasury). Have you ever stopped to ask yourself what percentage of American assets, aren't "American" anymore? America had become the Goliath of the planetary economy during those equally devastating World wars.

Al-Kaida has become the David, armed with a sling. Are westerners going to be taken down by a stone?

And so it is,
Me Thinks

Tuesday, May 01, 2007

Washing Tonne Dee Sea

Ought we not rename "Washington DC" as "Washington Wanna Be"?
How many people are now running for the replace "GW" job?

It's not because ya' wanna, that WE THE PEOPLE, would ya' !
And doncha' ever forget it!

VETO, schmeeto! Bring our weary troops home ...
Allow the Iraqi people to create their own Peace.

Me Thinks.

Thursday, October 12, 2006

Shaming & Blaming & Ridicule (of Truth)

Personal INSULTS are the "last resort" of an exhausted mind -- when confronted with undeniable Truth.

Wednesday, September 13, 2006

9/11 Economics ~ What if?

Week of 9/11, 2006 ~ five years after the events...

Let us never forget the devastating human cost of the 9/11 attacks. All too poignantly, those memories (impaled into our hearts and minds 5 years ago) were relived (and rehashed) through the medias (and in premier position) this week. There was no escaping total recall, nor the ongoing impact.

Hence, we marked the 5th anniversary of that terrible day.

While taking-on a certain distance from the human cost, the economic costs of 9/11 have also been staggering. But I've wondered, what would the world economy look like if September 11th, 2001 had never happened?

Those attacks changed our perspectives about violent death, and what was possible in the way of new "crimes against humanity". The world economy was altered in two distinct ways, Me Thinks...

First, there was significant, unthinkable, and immediate damage back in 2001. We responded with the closing of America's borders, a halt on international travel. Soon thereafter, the "CNN Effect" on consumer spending sent growth into a veritable nosedive (that ill-fated September)! That gloomy month contributed to one of the worst 3rd Quarters in years -- with U.S. gross domestic product declining 1.4 percent. In retrospect, it seems clear that the U.S. wouldn't have had an official recession that year (since there might have only been one quarter of negative GDP growth in 2001, the first).

By following that chain of events forward, the US Federal Reserve aggressively reduced interest rates to levels not seen since the 1950s and held them low for some time. As spending by businesses plummeted, housing demand was stimulated by the low interest rates, keeping the economy afloat. (Looking back, it seems likely that we might be talking less of a collapsing housing bubble today if 9/11 had never happened.)

Just as significant, has been the varied, yet intangible damage to the economy.

The attacks taught the world that the risk of becoming a victim to the ideologies of another person, group, or country was far higher than we believed. That realization has made market participants a great deal more risk averse. That increased risk aversion has driven up the prices of assets that are perceived to be safe and depressed those of assets that may be more exposed to a sharp decline if another terrorist attack occurs. In this way, intangible damage leads to visible symptoms.

Some examples...

Assets and prices? This has helped boost the price of gold and other commodities, as well as of government bonds. The yield on the 10- year U.S. Treasury, which closed at 4.77 percent on Sept. 8th 2006, is about three-quarters of a percentage point lower than in June 2001. Given that the economic-growth and inflation rates are both higher than they were back then, we might well expect interest rates today to be as much as a percentage point higher than they now are. Flight to safety because of fears of terrorism probably explains much of the difference. The avoidance of volatility is also seen in stock valuations. The price-to-earnings ratio of the Standard & Poor's 500 Index spent the first two years of this millennium ranging from 23 to 40.
Last week, that ratio was about 17. Again, it is likely that a good bit of that change is attributable to risk aversion that was heightened by 9/11. The index would have to rise 37 percent to reach the lowest P/E level in the two years before the terrorist attacks of 2001.
Middle East?

Equally significant may be the impact of the attacks on the economies of the Middle East. Many Middle East nations share a common trait -- their relative political oppression. Indeed, they rank among the least politically free countries in the world, according to the annual World Freedom survey conducted by various organizations that track the spread (or decline) of freedom throughout the world. The surveys rank countries by political and civil freedom on a scale of 1-to-7, with one being the most free and seven the least. For context, the average world rating for both measures of freedom is about 3, or "closer to free" than not.

Saudi Arabia (home to most of the September 11 hijackers), and Syria (a state-sponsor of terrorism), received a rating of 7 for both political and civil freedoms -- a distinction they share with only six other countries, including North Korea and Sudan. Is anyone surprised?

Freedom ranking of countries? According to the Index of Economic Freedom, these nations differ in economic freedom as well. Ranked on a scale from 1-to-5, with a lower score representing "greater freedom" -- half of the nations examined were freer than the world average, while half were less free. Iran, for example, received a score of 4.5, the second worst in the index -- while Jordan received 2.8, a score reflecting a freer economy than the world average of 2.98. By comparison, Hong Kong was ranked as the freest economy in the world with a score of 1.28, while the U.S. was tied for 8th at 1.84.

There is ample evidence that a "lack of freedom" undermines economic growth, and the miserable standard of living in most Muslim-dominated Middle Eastern countries can be attributed to their position in these rankings. Once again, that comes as no surprise (or shouldn't). Indeed, the International Monetary Fund recently released a careful analysis of the Arab growth deficit. Except for oil, things look very bad indeed.

Are some counties "immune" to acquiring Freedom? Compare the [above] findings with the rest of the world. The past few decades have seen an enormous spread of Freedom across the globe, from Asia to the former Soviet Union, and with Freedom has come striking improvement in economic well-being. The Middle East continues to be more or less immune (vulnerable) to these forces of Good, well being, and dare I say it... Democracy!

The decline of totalitarian regimes elsewhere in the world suggests that their existence is perilous at best.

The world's citizens prefer Freedom.

Osama bin Laden has doubtless, had a one-man, negative-effect on the spread of economic freedom. His radical agenda gave repressive regimes in the Middle East an excuse to tighten their grips on power, thwarting the spread of liberty that has brought prosperity to so many other regions of the world.

That leads to my second point.

Regardless of the damage Bin Laden inflicted on western economies with his heinous attacks on 9/11, the harm his network has done to the standard of living of the Muslims throughout the Middle East is far worse. If 9/11 had never occurred, we would all be better off ...but the biggest economic winners might have been the world's Muslims.

Is that not a bit of an irony? Me Thinks, yes.

Meanwhile, I'm really not prepared to begin reading the Qu'aran (Koran) in lieu of the Wall Street Journal and the NY Times just yet...

And so it is.

Saturday, August 26, 2006

9Lives@ShortTime2Live-Long2StayDead.Com

Often, history reminds us of just how beautiful the saga of our universal humanity can be. The distant past is an ancient story of love ...and it is alive and well (love still transforms everything it touches). Sometimes that story is not quite so pleasant. And it forces us to face cultural baggage that we’d rather leave stored away in the basement of human experience...

For example, examine these facts about: Israel & Jerusalem.

1. Israel became a state in 1312 BC (2 millennia before Islam).

2. Arab refugees from Israel began calling themselves "Palestinians" in 1967, two decades after (modern) Iraeli statehood.

3. After conquering the land in 1272 BC, Jews ruled it for a thousand years and maintained a continuous presence there for 3,300 years.

4. The only Arab rule following conquest in 633 AD lasted just 22 years.

5. For over 3,300 years, Jerusalem was the Jewish capital. It was never the capital of any Arab or Muslim entity. Even under Jordanian rule, (East) Jerusalem was not made the capital, and no Arab leader came to visit it.

6. Jerusalem is mentioned over 700 times in the Bible, but is not mentioned at all in the Qur'an (Koran).

7. King David founded Jerusalem. (Mohammed never set foot there.)

8. Jews pray facing Jerusalem; Muslims face Mecca. If they are between the two cities, Muslims pray facing Mecca (backs turned, with respect to Jerusalem).

9. In 1948, Arab leaders urged their people to leave, promising to cleanse the land of Jewish presence, and 68% of them fled (without laying eyes on an Israeli soldier).

10. Virtually the entire Jewish populations of Muslim countries has fled (as the result of violence targeted at them).

11. Some 630,000 Arabs left Israel in 1948 -- while close to a million Jews were forced to leave the Muslim countries.

12. In spite of the vast territories "at their disposal", Arab refugess were deliberately prevented from being assimilated into their host countries. Of 100 million refugees following World War II, they are the only group to have never integrated to join their co-religionists. Most of the Jewish refugees from Europe and Arab lands were settled in Israel (a country no larger than New Jersey).

13. There are 22 Muslim countries (not counting Palestine). There is only one Jewish state.

14. Arabs started all of the wars against Israel and lost (or were losing), every one of them.

15. The Fatah and Hamas constitutions still call for the destruction of Israel.

16. Israel ceded most of the West Bank and all of Gaza to the Palestinian authority, and even provided it with arms.

17. During the Jordanian occupation, Jewish holy sites were vandalized and were off limits to Jews.

18. Under Israeli rule, all Muslim and Christian holy sites are accessible to all faiths.

19. Out of 175 United Nations Security Council resolutions up to 1990, 97 were against Israel; out of 690 general assembly resolutions, 429 were against Israel.

20. The U.N. remained silent when the Jordanians destroyed 58 synagogues in the old city of Jerusalem. It remained silent while Jordan systematically desecrated the ancient Jewish cemetery on the Mount of Olives, and it remained silent when Jordan enforced "apartheid-style" laws, preventing Jews from having access to the Temple Mount and Western Wall.