Flash Editorials February 18, 2012

By Russell D. Longcore

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The Nation: Up until a week ago, the House Republican leadership insisted that if they were going to support the extension of the payroll tax “cut,” there had to be spending cuts equal to it. This week, John Boehner and his buds figured out that Obama was going to hang a tax increase around their necks in an election year. So, they folded like a house of cards. This should prove yet again that principle has no chance in the US Capitol. The Republicans know that in order for American wage-earners to keep getting this cut, the Congress will have to borrow more hundreds of billions to pay for it. Neither side will cut spending.

The Nation II: In last week’s caucuses in Maine, the Republican Party chief Charlie Webster helped Mitt Romney steal the caucus from Ron Paul. Webster refused to count votes from key precincts. Fortunately, the hue and cry on the Internet about this travesty is putting huge pressure on Party bosses to recount and try honesty. We’ll see what happens. Ron Paul may get his first state victory, but not without a knife fight. Now if someone would go back to Iowa…

International I: China has very quietly sold off hundreds of billions in US Treasury debt, and their holdings of our debt are still dropping. The crafty Chinese are getting rid of toxic assets (heard that before?) and taking US Dollars in payment. And what are they doing with those dollars? Buying gold. China financed the American bubble economy on the way up, and Washington is financing China’s rise as DC circles the drain. Learning Mandarin yet?

International II: Russia sent a message to Washington this week about war in the Middle East. They said openly that if Washington started a war, Russia was within their rights to use nuclear weapons to retaliate on behalf of their own interests. They consider Syria and Iran as their interests. How stupid can DC be?

International II: US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta openly stated that Iran is not enriching fissionable material to create nuclear weapons. He stated that Iran is only using uranium for their peaceful nuclear electric power program. So why is his boss trying so hard to go to war with Iran? Two reasons: (1) Iran wants to stop accepting only dollars as payment for oil; and (2) because the State of Israel wants war with Iran. There is not one benefit for Iran to make hostile acts against any other country. Back from 1980-1988, it was Washington-backed Iraq that started the 8-year war with Iran. When is the last time that Iran started a war with another nation? My research finds an incursion into India…in 1738.

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Business: Google’s motto is “Don’t Be Evil.” But their real motto is “Do What I Say, Not What I Do.” Google got caught violating the privacy of anyone using the Safari web browser. Seems Safari wrote code to protect visitors’ privacy and prevent data mining. But the propeller-hats at Google hacked Safari and have been selling data from Safari users. It’s unethical, immoral and if it’s not illegal, it should be. This perfectly demonstrates the arrogance of Google. If you have ever tried to make money with Google Ads, you know how impossible it can be to win. But karma is a bitch. Google pulled the algorithm.

Economy: The number of actual new unemployment claims under state programs, unadjusted, totaled 361,928 in the week ending February 11th. But last Friday night, all the news broadcasts touted lower unemployment rates. The rate of new claims weekly has been over 350,000 for A YEAR. This economy ain’t gettin’ any better, friends.

Sports: Jeremy Lin is a great story. Asian-American brainchild, led Palo Alto High School to a State title in basketball. No college athletic scholarship. Accepted at Harvard, played for four years and set Harvard scoring records as well as Ivy League records. No NBA draft. He was offered contracts by Golden State and the LA Lakers. The Warriors picked him up in 2010 and cut him in 2011. The New York Knicks picked him up. On February 4th, his last half-second rainbow won the game against the New Jersey Nets. Now he’s a star and he’s packing fans into Madison Square Garden. Never…never…never give up.

Entertainment: Have you ever had someone in your life that was an addict? You watch this amazing person self-destruct and you are powerless to stop it. Meanwhile, it tears out your heart and messes up your life. Whitney Houston landed on this earth with stunning beauty, immense singing talent and a heart filled with love. She just could not seem to love herself. I will miss her.

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© Copyright 2012, Russell D. Longcore. Permission to reprint in whole or in part is gladly granted, provided full credit is given.