The Sunday 'Report;' 06/24/2012

What The National Pamphleteers Don't Report:
The Futility of European Elections
by George Friedman,
STRATfor.com
June 19, 2012
    Europe and the financial markets watched intently June 17 as Greece held general elections. German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Francois Hollande and Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti all delayed their flights to the June 18 G-20 summit in Mexico to await the results.
    The two leading contenders in the elections were the center-right New Democracy Party (ND), which pledged to uphold Greece's commitments to austerity and honor the country's financial agreements with the European Union and the International Monetary Fund, and the Coalition of the Radical Left (SYRIZA), a group of far-left politicians who pledged to reject Greece's existing agreements, end austerity and maintain the country's position in the eurozone. A third major party, the center-left Panhellenic Socialist Movement (PASOK), shares the ND's position of maintaining Greece's bailout agreement. PASOK had been Greece's ruling party until it formed a unity government with the ND late in 2011.
    For a while it seemed these elections would be definitive. Either Greece would reject the country's agreement with its international lenders, potentially [....]
http://www.stratfor.com/weekly/futility-european-elections?utm_source=freelist-f&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20120619&utm_term=gweekly&utm_content=readmore&elq=39b6051c0578469d8a54d6eb090564f1

Actually Going After a Cartel

Blog Report,
thisainthell.us
June 21, 2012
    Washington attorney and AT regular contributor, Clarice Feldman, did a masterful job of chopping Eric Holder and his politicized DoJ into mincemeat this past weekend for its many transgressions, with the Fast & Furious outrage being foremost in her article. What follows is an elaboration not on the details of the scandal but on the political motivation behind it.
    When BATF agents first blew the whistle on what is now known as Operation Fast and Furious, the rationale offered by DoJ for such an evidently foolish operation was that it was designed to allow BATF to track and prosecute the leaders of the Mexican drug cartels. As more information surfaced from the Mexican government and the BATF’s Mexican bureau chief that none of them knew anything of this operation, many of us who were paying a bit closer attention to the case immediately smelled the first foul scent of corruption.
    The fatal flaw in DoJ’s explanation was this: [....]
http://thisainthell.us/blog/?p=30471#more-30471

70 Facts President Obama Doesn’t Want You To Know
The Economic Collapse Blog,
yolohub.com
June 8, 2012
Why is the economy going to collapse?
Have you ever been asked that question?
If so, what did you say?
    Sometimes it is difficult to communicate dozens of complicated economic and financial concepts in a package that the average person on the street can easily digest. It can be very frustrating to know that something is true but not be able to explain it clearly to someone else. Hopefully many of you out there will find the list below useful. It is a list of 70 numbers that show why we are headed for a national economic nightmare. So why does the title of the article single out Barack Obama? Well, it is because right now he is the biggest cheerleader for the economy. He is attempting to convince all of us that everything is just fine and that the economy is heading in a positive direction. Well, the truth is that everything is not fine and things are about to get a whole lot worse. Certainly others should share in the blame as well. Congress has been steering the economy in the wrong direction for decades, the “too big to fail” banks have turned Wall Street into a pyramid of risk, leverage and debt, and the Federal Reserve has more power over the financial system than anyone else does. Our economy has been in decline for quite a while now, and soon we are going to smash directly into an economic brick wall. Unfortunately, a lot of Americans are in denial about this. A lot of people out there doubt that an economic collapse is coming. Well, if you know someone that believes that the U.S. economy is going to be “just fine”, just show them the list below.
    The following are 70 facts that Barack Obama does not want you to see….
$3.59 - When Barack Obama entered the White House, the average price of a gallon of gasoline was $1.85. Today, it is$3.59.
22 - It is hard to believe, but today the [....]
http://www.yolohub.com/economy/70-facts-president-obama-doesnt-want-you-to-know

Socialist Party Of America Publishes Member List:
Includes 70 Democrat Congressmen And Congresswomen

by Sad Hill News
August 19, 2011
    Keep in mind the Progressives, Socialists, Communists, Leftists, and Marxists living and procreating in the United States [not so sure about 'United' – Sad Hill] are displeased with Obama. Not because he fundamentally transformed America – as promised – but because he hasn’t done enough.
Socialist Party Of America Publishes Member List: 70 Democrat Congressmen And Congresswomen
(Conservative Byte) This should come as a surprise to absolutely no one. The radical Marxist-progressives (communists) took control of the democrat party some time ago. They’ve only become more emboldened with the election of Barack Obama, who was raised as a communist from birth.
With their new found leader, Barack Obama, the Socialist Party of America felt secure enough to announce the names of 70 democrats in Congress that belong to their caucus.
Other than Bernie Sanders of Vermont, who openly ran as a socialist, the rest of this lot ran as “moderate democrats.” I think it’s time we put the myth of the “moderate” democrat to bed. They are all Marxists, or Marxist leaning. They all are big government totalitarians hell-bent on destroying America, the Constitution, and our way of life. One needs no other proof than the way Congress has acted since the Marxist-democrats took control four years ago, and the tyranny that has been championed since Obama was sworn in.
Democratic Socialist Of America Caucus Member List: [....]
http://sadhillnews.com/2011/08/19/socialist-party-of-america-publishes-member-list-includes-70-democrat-congressmen-and-congresswomen

My gun control

Celebrate 139 years of the NRA
by Ted Nugent
The Washington Times
May 13, 2010
    Water, water, everywhere water. Know it, embrace it, manage it or drown. Same goes for cars, trucks, chain saws, knives, crowbars, blowtorches, teakettles and guns. I will not be denied the pragmatic, functional utility of anything based on the inept, clumsy, irresponsible failure of brain-dead, uncoordinated numskulls.
    I will not drown; drink and drive; chain-saw massacre anyone; stumble; slice, burn or shoot myself, nor will I ever hold up a bank. So the best advice would be to think, improvise, adapt and overcome, man up, but by all means, leave me alone. You don’t ban electric guitars just because someone may have a lapse in logic, goodwill and decency and spontaneously break out into country and Western music. The vast majority of sensible people will use electric guitars as God intended and whip out good, sexy rock ‘n’ roll licks.
    I need my cars, trucks, chain saws, knives, crowbars, blowtorches, scalding-hot water, guitars and guns, thank you. Amazingly, I have mastered them all, and they are all wonderful ingredients for my American dream of rugged individualism, declared independence and self-sufficiency. They all serve me well, and I am not giving up any of them. Ever.
    The masses must never be [....]
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2010/may/13/my-gun-control/

45 Signs That China Is Colonizing America

by 'The American Dream,'
yolohub.com
May 24, 2012
    Just because you were once the most powerful nation on earth does not mean that you will always be the most powerful nation on earth. Every single year, hundreds of billions of dollars leaves the United States and goes to China. This enormous transfer of wealth has had a dramatic effect on both countries. In case you haven’t noticed, many of ourformerly great manufacturing cities such as Detroit are rotting away while shining new factories and skyscrapers are going up all over China. If you go into any major retail store today and start turning over products, you will find that hundreds of them have been made in China and that very few of them have been made in America. As a nation, we buy far, far more from China than they buy from us. As a result, China is absolutely swimming in cash and they have been looking for things to do with all that money. One thing that China has done is loan the U.S. government over a trillion dollars and this has given the Chinese a tremendous amount of leverage over us. China has also started to buy up businesses, real estate and natural resources all over America. This kind of “economic colonization” is similar to what China has already been doing in Africa, South America and Australia. The formula is actually very simple. We send them our money and then they use it to buy us. With each passing day China’s ownership over America grows, and it is frightening to think about where all of this could end.
    The following are 45 signs that China is colonizing America….
#1 It was recently announced that China’s Dalian Wanda Group has bought U.S. movie theater chain AMC Entertainment for a whopping2.6 billion dollars. This deal represents China’s biggest corporate takeover of a U.S. firm ever.
#2 Earlier this month, the Federal Reserve announced that it has [....]
http://www.yolohub.com/economy/45-signs-that-china-is-colonizing-america

Special Report:
George Soros: Godfather of the Left

Liberal billionaire trying to give U.S. a liberal society it can’t refuse.
by Dan Gainor, Iris Somberg,
Media Research Center
June 4, 2012
    Say the name George Soros and liberals see dollar signs – literally. The world’s 22nd richest man, according to Forbes, is now worth $20 billion. But Soros isn’t just noteworthy for the money he has – he’s notable for the money he has given away. Since launching his Open Society Foundations in 1984, Soros has donated more than $8 billion to charities around the world.
    But instead of gaining a mighty reputation for his philanthropy, or his investment prowess, Soros is reviled abroad and criticized here in his adopted country. Most everywhere Soros, his foundations or his investing have gone, trouble has followed. He’s helped foment revolutions, undermined national currencies and funded radicals around the world. Soros has been convicted of insider dealing in France and fined $3 million, fined another $2 million in his native Hungary. His “foundations have been accused of shielding spies and breaking currency laws” and his investing strategy has been targeted for harming several national currencies.
    Even his support for higher education raises huge red flags. Soros has contributed more than $400 million to colleges and universities, including money to most prominent institutions in the United States. He also helped establish Central European University which, in turn, uses its resources to promote his personal goal of an “open society.” Here in the United States, Soros money provides the foundation for liberal organizations promoting everything from gay marriage and drug legalization to anti-death penalty strategies. While his charitable giving goes to liberal organizations with close ties to the Democratic Party, his political giving goes almost entirely to Democrats.
    That’s not the story the broadcast networks have been telling [....]
http://www.mrc.org/special-reports/special-report-george-soros-godfather-left

See Through NY
Staff Report,
seethroughny.net
(Last Update:)
June 11, 2012

A Window on Your Money
    Welcome to SeeThroughNY – giving New Yorkers a clearer view of how their state and local tax dollars are spent. This site is sponsored by the Empire Center for New York State Policy, part of the non-partisan and non-profit Manhattan Institute for Policy Research.
SeeThroughNY is a web portal -- and more. Here, taxpayers can share, analyze and compare data from counties, cities, towns, villages, school districts and public authorities throughout New York. The information on this website comes from official government sources, but the Empire Center cannot guarantee data accuracy or completeness.
Click the buttons below [....]
http://seethroughny.net/

Blonde Gator

This is not the Fever Swamp (that would be liberalism)
----------------------------------------------------------------
Handy Reference Guide to Obama’s Gaffes and Goofs
1.10,000 People (A Whole Town!) Died in Kansas ~ Oops, Overstated by 9,988
2.Admits His Plan would Necessarily Cause Energy Prices to Skyrocket
3.Air Raiding Villages a la Yankee Air Pirates: Destroys Whole Afghan Villages!
4.All My Friends In Chicago Were Jewish, Most Knowledgable Prez Evah about Judaism ~ h/t almostacowboy @ NewsBusters
5.Almost All of Our Allies “Punch Above Their Weight”!
6.Another Senior Moment
7.Armed Forces are “Fighting on MY Behalf”
8.ATMs Cause Unemployment
9.Automobile Expert ~ NOT! (h/t CC)
10.Blames Hugo Chavez’s Election on (ta da) BUSH! Oops.
11.Blows off the Salute To Heroes (MOH) Inaugural Ball
12.Botched Toast ~ Babbles over “God Save The Queen”
13.Bowls like a Special Olympian
14.Bows to the Chicom President
15.Bows to the Emperor of Japan
16.Bows to the Mayor of Tampa
17.Bows to the President of Mexico
18.Bows to the Saudi King
19.Bungles Jobs Numbers (h/t Bob Keyser)
20.Burns up 9,000 gallons of Jet Fuel on Earth Day
(Blogger Note: The numbered items are links in the original article. J.C.)
[....]
http://blondephotos.org/BlondeGator/?p=2332

Are Syria's Rebels Getting Foreign Support?
by Scott Stewart,
STRATfor.com
June 21, 2012
    A video recently posted to the Internet depicting an improvised explosive device (IED) attack in Syria has garnered a great deal of attention. A Syrian militant group called the Hawks Brigade of the Levant claimed the attack, which targeted a Syrian government armored troop bus as it traveled along a road near a rebel stronghold in the Idlib governorate. According to the group, the attack depicted in the video employed a type of IED called an explosively formed penetrator (EFP). Though the video was shot from a fairly long distance away, it does appear that the IED punched a substantial and focused hole through the armored bus -- precisely the type of effect that would be expected if an EFP were employed against such a target.
    EFPs are a logical tool for militants to use against superior government forces that are heavily dependent upon armor. EFPs pose a significant threat to armored vehicles, which the Syrian military has utilized extensively, and quite effectively, in its campaign against Syrian rebel groups. Studying the IED technology employed by a militant group is an important way to determine the group's logistics situation and trajectory. It can also be a way to discern if a group is receiving outside training and logistical assistance.
Explosively Formed Penetrators
    An explosively formed penetrator, sometimes called an explosively formed projectile, is a simple device composed of a case, a liner and explosive filler. EFPs have been part of many countries' military inventories for years. The U.S. Army, for example, added the M2 Selectable Lightweight Attack Munition (aptly named the SLAM) to its inventory in 1990. Improvised EFP devices can also be constructed by non-state actors; they were widely used to target U.S. military vehicles in Iraq.
    The employment of an EFP device in the field also [....]
http://www.stratfor.com/weekly/are-syrias-rebels-getting-foreign-support?utm_source=freelist-f&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20120621&utm_term=sweekly&utm_content=readmore&elq=33830ee0434e4f56833b8b1f946712b5

EDITORIAL: Obama wants your wedding presents

Latest campaign stunt underscores how the president is out of touch
Editorial Staff,
The Washington Times,
June 22, 2012
    Liberals are trying to pound home the idea that Mitt Romney is out of touch with regular Americans. At least he’s not trying to take away their wedding presents. This week MSNBC played a selectively edited videotape of Mr. Romney seemingly showing his fascination with the process of ordering food at a Wawa restaurant in Pennsylvania. Reporter Andrea Mitchell compared the visit to George H. W. Bush’s alleged amazement with a grocery store scanner in 1992. MSNBC was called on the doctored tape, but the news organization failed to apologize. This follows closely after three journalists were fired from an NBC affiliate in Miami for editing the audio tape of George Zimmerman’s 911 call the night he shot Trayvon Martin to make it more inflammatory.
    Other media outlets are behaving more responsibly. Late Thursday, Politico suspended White House correspondent Joseph Williams for saying that Mr. Romney is only relaxed among white people. Appearing on MSNBC, Mr. Williams had said that Mr. Romney is “stiff and awkward in town hall settings” because he “can’t relate to people” who aren’t like him, but he can relax on “Fox and Friends” because “they’re white folks who are very much relaxed in their own company.” Politico said these comments “fell short of our standards for fairness and judgment in an especially unfortunate way.”
    The Pew Research Center  [....]
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2012/jun/22/obama-wants-your-wedding-presents/
 
Ford: Why We Disagree With Berkshire On Ford Vs. GM

by Saibus Research,
seekingalpha.com
June 15, 2012
    We analyzed GM versus Ford Motor Company (F) when we heard that Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A and BRK.B) bought 10 million shares. Even though it represented 0.3% of Berkshire's public equity holdings and we presume it was probably the idea of Berkshire's new portfolio managers Weschler and Combs we decided to compare General Motors (GM) versus Ford Motor Company (F). We were blown away at the interest our initial analysis report generated and have decided to expand further our analysis and evaluation on Berkshire's GM investment and Ford versus GM.
    In our follow-up article in which we analyzed, compared and evaluated Ford (F) versus General Motors (GM) we analyzed five important items of interest when investing in automakers:
Automotive industry environment factors
Debt Capital used by F and GM and by F's and GM's automotive and financial segments
Company liquidity
Pensions and other post-retirement benefits
Equity Capital Position of Ford and GM
    We concluded that Ford Motor performs better than GM on each of these metrics. In this installment in our analysis and evaluation of Ford versus GM we will examine the following items of interest here:
Finance Subsidiaries
Balance Sheet and management of business assets
Dominant shareholders of Ford and General Motors.
    Ford Motor Credit versus GM Financial: General Motors had a 40 year head start versus Ford and Chrysler in the automotive finance sector. GM founded General Motors Acceptance Corporation to enable customers to finance [....]
http://seekingalpha.com/article/661371-ford-why-we-disagree-with-berkshire-on-ford-vs-gm?source=email_investing_income&ifp=0

Durham, NH Requests Reimbursement For Obama Campaign Stop

CBS, Boston
June 22, 2012
DURHAM, NH (CBS) – President Obama is scheduled to visit New Hampshire on Monday, and the town of Durham wants help paying for it. Town Administrator Todd Selig estimates the cost of the campaign trip will be between $20,000 and $30,000 for police and fire services. In a statement, Selig says, “While pleased that the campaign has chosen Durham, a quintessential New England college community, as the backdrop for Monday’s scheduled campaign visit, community leaders do not believe that costs associated with the campaign should be borne by local taxpayers.”
    Selig says Durham [...]
http://boston.cbslocal.com/2012/06/22/durham-nh-requests-reimbursement-for-obama-campaign-stop/

Food Stamp Hall of Shame

Staff Report,
governmentgonewild.org
(Undated)
Food stamp costs in this nation are exploding.
    Even more disturbing is the opinion that the federal government is doing everything they possibly can to get more people on the government dole. A few years ago the USDA changed the name of the program to SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) in an effort to “take away the stigma of people being on the program”. Politicians today use these “freebies” to get themselves elected or re-elected. So, it is no surprise that when a vote comes up in Congress to make fundamental changes to the program that it would go down in flames.
    A couple of days ago, an amendment to a USDA bill was offered by Senator Rand Paul. This amendment would have “block granted” the money for food stamps to the states so they would have more flexibility in how they administer the program. On a vote on a “motion to table” it was trounced 65-33 (so, 65 U.S. Senators voted to effectively defeat the amendment by voting to table it). In addition to all Senate Democrats, 13 Senate Republicans voted [....]
http://governmentgonewild.org/foodstamphallofshame?utm_source=GGW&utm_campaign=e94b2b971d-Food_Stamp_HOF6_17_2012&utm_medium=email

2 Investing Mistakes To Avoid,
4 Dividend Stocks To Look Into

by 'Dividend Monk,'
seekingalpha.com
June 21, 2012
    Investing in dividend growth stocks is a pretty robust process for long-term wealth building. While individual stock selection does require a degree of economic and business understanding, the majority of it rests on common sense and psychological fortitude to keep adding capital and to appreciate down markets for what they are rather than to dread them. Because it is a suitable investment strategy for individual investors, there also tend to be a few mistakes that I've witnessed novice investors make. This article discusses two of those mistakes, and presents a number of stock picks that may be off of the radar of some investors due to perceived weakness related to these mistakes.
Not all debt is equal
    One mistake is to focus on just one debt ratio when analyzing stocks. I've seen investors dismiss strong companies based on perceived balance sheet weakness when just the opposite is true. The most common debt ratios I look at to get a quick glimpse of overall financial strength in a company are total debt/equity, total debt/income, total goodwill/equity, and the interest coverage ratio. If there's any doubt about [....]
http://seekingalpha.com/article/673681-2-investing-mistakes-to-avoid-and-4-dividend-stocks-to-look-into?source=email_investing_income&ifp=0
Until Next Sunday....