Corruption or Coincidence?

Any discussion of President Bush or his administration is sure to become a heated debate among conservatives and liberals. It is difficult to have an apolitical position, but when faced with the turmoil of the last 7-8 years I am reminded of a quote from The Godfather.

Don Corleone:

I never wanted this for you. I worked my whole life, I don’t apologize, to take care of my family. And I refused to be a fool dancing on the string held by all those big shots. I don’t apologize, that’s my life.

If you look at the main players and countries involved in the events of the last 8 years or so a distinct pattern emerges.

Principal players:
George H.W. Bush-Former oilman and Former President.
George W. Bush-Former oilman and Former President.
Dick Cheney-Former Haliburton CEO and Current vice president.
House of Saud-Control largest oil reserves in the world.
Osama Bin Laden-Saudi expatriate, leader of Al Qaeda, 9/11.
Bin Laden Family-wealthy Saudi family with business ties the the Bush family.

Principal Countries:
U.S. -formerly number one consumer of petroleum.
Saudi Arabia-Largest oil reserves in the world, 18 of the 9/11 hijackers were Saudis.
Iran-2nd largest oil reserves in the world.
Iraq-3rd largest oil reserves in the world, U.S. led regime change removed Saddam Hussein from power.

Miscellaneous-Oil prices at all-time high, war with Iraq continues, murmurs of war with Iran

I don't necessarily think there is a nefarious conspiracy being perpetrated. When you look at just the details it becomes difficult for those who lean towards the liberal perspective to not say "wait a minute here." Its not that it doesn't add up, its that it all does seem to add up to something. The question is whether this is corruption or coincidence. Is our collective milkshake being drank?

Kudos to Lloyd Doggett for Voting NO on FISA

I received the following email from Congressman Lloyd, the house rep. for Texas' 25th congressional district. Keep up the good work Congressman.

June 25, 2008

Dear Cooper:

Thank you for expressing your concerns about amending the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). I agree. Last week, I voted against the alleged "compromise," which I believe grants the Administration most of what they wanted including effective immunity for telecommunication companies that helped in conducting unauthorized surveillance.

While some of my colleagues point to some of the improvements that were made in this FISA legislation - such as a provision reaffirming that FISA is the exclusive means by which foreign intelligence surveillance may be conducted in the United States -- such improvements are nothing that cannot be undone by a Presidential signing statement and they certainly do not balance out the negative aspects of the bill.

Over my opposition, this measure was approved by a vote of 293 to 129.

I will continue my efforts in Congress to protect our freedoms. Please keep me advised of any federal matters on which I may be of assistance.

Sincerely,
Lloyd Doggett

Dodd and Feingold to Filibuster Telecom Immunity

Thank god, but what cellular carrier will be willing to have the two senators as customers after this. I wonder if countrywide will be providing Senator Dodd with free coffee from Starbucks, which would of course be delivered by specially trained barristas riding segues. Look out beltway boys here they come. The rest of the Senate is out shopping for new pj's as we speak.

Top 10 Concept Albums

1. Pink Floyd-Dark Side of the Moon
This album should be considered high art. It captures the insanity of modern living so well and set the standard by which all concept albums are measured. There is not a moment of weakness in the entire album. Us and Them is about as moving and dead on as any song. Most recognizable album cover in history.
2. Tool-Lateralus
Hand's down Tool's most accomplished album. The theme of the album deals with spirituality and transcending our earthly shackles. The title track is amazing as are most of the other songs. Probably the coolest album art work ever.
3. Pink Floyd-The Wall
Roger Waters' lyrical masterpiece. The double album is Waters at his darkest and most self-indulgent. Hey You and Comfortably Numb are the highlights of this brilliantly executed album. Another great album cover.
4. David Bowie-The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust
The album that launched Bowie and glam. The album was Bowie at his best. The live cuts of this album give them a bit more of a rock/metal feel. The title track is the best song on the album.
5. Rush-2112
My favorite song on the album is A Passage to Bangkok.
6. NIN-Year Zero
Reznor captures the paranoia and the angst of the post 9/11 landscape. Year Zero could be considered the Ziggy Stardust of the 21st century. Reznor certainly borrows aspects of Bowie's album and updates them for the new millennium. Me I'm Not and The Great Destroyer are anthems for the new age revolution. The Warning is another standout track that is reminiscent of Ziggy Stardust.
7. King Crimson-Court of the Crimson King
Epitaph and Court of the Crimson King are epic and incredible. Eat your heart out Jethro Tull.
8. Queensryche-Operation: Mindcrime
Always present in any discussion of the best concept albums of all time.
9. A Perfect Circle-Thirteenth Step
A pun on 12 step programs this is a complete album. The Package has a sexy baseline and tribal rhythms that make it the standout track.
10. Metallica-...And Justice For All
The last real Metallica album hinted at where the band could have gone if they hadn't wanted to broaden their appeal. What a shame because ...And Justice for All and One sound like classical music at times. Harvester of Sorrow is one hell of a scorching metal track. If only they had stayed on this evolutionary path they could have been the greatest.

Speculation Driving Up Value of Civil Liberties

Are our civil liberties worth more today than they were eight years ago? The price of nearly every commodity in the marketplace has risen sharply over this same time span, ie. oil and food. Civil Rights are traded on the Standard and Poor Index.

Over the past eight years our supply civil liberties have been eroding. The Patriot Act and other legislation and non-legislative steps the Bush administration has taken to "protect" us from another group of "ists" has lowered the supply of available civil liberties. With Friday's passage of the FISA upgrade, that supply is even lower no thanks to the Lame-o-crats.

Many are speculating that these measures will heavily increase the value of remaining civil rights. Civil rights are a finite resource and are being done away with faster than we can replenish the supply. Have we reached "peak civil rights"?

If so, we are in luck because this should cause the value of our remaining rights to rise exponentially if I am capable enough to understand complex economic jargon like supply and demand. I wonder how well what's left of my privacy will trade on Monday. A big thanks to Democrats for helping the value of my remaining civil liberties skyrocket.

Obama Credibility Slipping

With his refusal of public financing and support for the FISA fiasco Barack Obama is rapidly losing credibility with this observer. Change we can believe in?

I felt so strongly about this issue that I called several congressmen and left voicemails urging them not to vote for this nasty piece of legislation. I called Obama, Pelosi, and my local house rep Lloyd Doggett. A lot of good it did since they had already caved to political fear mongering before the bill was even voted on.

No bid deal, just another bloody footprint on the Constitution.

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Abolish the Two-Party System Part II

Just in case you thought I was some fringe nut job the cowardly Democratic controlled congress goes and destroys any credibility they may have had. This article from Wired discusses how they agreed to expand domestic spying and give telecoms immunity. Thanks once again to the do-nothing Democratic congress. Grow a spine! Both parties are ruining this great nation.

Abolish the Two-Party System

Republicans=Fascists Democrats=Communists/Socialists Both =Authoritarian

Government has become so ineffectual, corrupt, and insulated from actual America that we need to dump our current two-party system. The political spectrum is far too complex to reduce all voters into two parties as well. Its like being to root for the Yankees or Boston even if you are a Cubs fan.

The two parties have monopolized politics in America by making themselves the only game in town. The parties are an entrenched bureaucracy that keeps many candidates like Ron Paul and Ralph Nader on the sidelines. In many states, third-party candidates can't even get on the ballot. Texas, for example makes it almost impossible to get on the ballot as a third-party candidate.

Neither party is truly the party of liberty, freedom, and justice. Both parties serve collectivist and monied interests. Dems want to control your pocketbook and Republicans want to control your personal life ex. gay marriage and the war on drugs. Both parties think they can make better decisions for individuals than the individuals themselves. They would both like the government to control you, but they can't agree on exactly how that control should be carried out.

Kudos to Ron Paul for attempting to truly change government. More people need to realize that the two-party system is broken and needs to be scrapped. If we slip into another great depression it is likely that at least one of the current parties will be demoted, and lets be honest its more likely that the Dems will flounder. Hopefully people are ready for a real change before the U.S. collapses on itself.

Until then I am forced to try and decide the lesser of two evils between McSame and Obamanible snowman.

Lakers Guaranteed to Win Tonight

I'm going to go out on a limb here and guarantee that the Lakers will win tonight's game. All the recent former NBA ref drama has convinced me that my long held belief that referees decide the majority of NBA contests. The NBA knows they can make a lot more ad revenue from a game 7 than if the series were to end tonight. Any takers?

Speculating on Speculators

Everyday it seems a new scapegoat for rising gas prices gets bandied about the blogosphere. The latest being oil futures speculators, who are charged with creating artificial demand due to hedging themselves against inflation.

I have hear a number of arguments and there seems to be no clear solution. Speculators are an integral part of the trading community and do provide some necessary functions. Indeed, anyone who makes an investment is speculating whether the price of said investment will rise or fall.

However, it doesn't make sense that supply and demand alone can account for a 400% increase in gas prices since 2000-2001. While China and India's economies are booming it seems highly unlikely that prices would spike to such a degree so rapidly. One would assume that prices would certainly be on the rise, but the pace would not be so rapid as we have recently witnessed. Increases of 50-80 cents in a matter of months do not seem like they could realistically be tied to increased demand.

Ethanol has taken a lot of the blame for rising food costs, but many farmers receive subsidies to not grow. Increased demand for corn should mean that more farmers would enter the corn market to take advantage of the higher price they can get for corn thereby increasing supply and lowering the cost.

Many have argued that we should ramp up domestic production to increase supply. Not only is this a short-sighted supply side approach, but why would domestic corps. sell their oil cheaper than what they could receive on the open world market.

Its interesting that this issue has reached such a point that the Saudis are concerned enough about this situation to increase production.

Great Depression II

Due to recent instability in the U.S. economy some are saying that we could be on the verge of slipping into the precipice of another "great depression." It does seem that the Fed has been pretty ineffectual in its attempts to manage inflation by lowering interest rates and many have said that they may actually have to raise them. The rapidly declining dollar combined with skyrocketing commodities and the housing market are going to wreak havoc on the U.S. economy for some time to come.

Is it time to start stockpiling canned goods, water, and other commodities or is this just part of the natural business cycle? I can't imagine the dollar going anywhere but down until the inauguration of the next president. Either way its quite disconcerting for someone like myself who will be attempting to enter the workforce in a year.

What would happen if we slipped into another great depression?

Primary Colors

The race for the Democratic nomination has been one of the strangest and most contentious in the history of the U.S. From all reports, it appears that it will soon be coming to a close (thank god). Kudos to Hilllary for conducting a great campaign aside from the relentless attacks of the recent months.

I find it ironic that the Obama and Clinton's narratives have nearly completely reversed since super tuesday. Clinton has taken Obama's spot as the underdog and seemingly picked up support, albeit in places such as West Virginia, Kentucky, and Puerto Rico. With all due respect to Hillary, Obama is a better candidate and will match up much better against McSame in the general election, despite the current round of polling showing Clinton fairing better against McSame.