Main Page Radio Show Videos Photos Archives Links
Contact - host at breadwithcircus dot com
_________________________________________________________________
September 2008
September 29th, 2008
The scheme is actually pretty simple. Please forgive my primitive graphics abilities.
The fund will buy mortgages from the banks at market value, and then re-sell them back to the banks at a discount.
The fund will then repurchase those mortgages from the banks, who will sell them back to the fund again.
The same product (perhaps an ill-advised mortgage for a half-million dollars taken out on a house in the distant
suburbs of Las Vegas) will be bought, then resold, then re-bought and re-resold in an endless spiral of profit-taking.
The taxpayer will lose on every transaction, the banks robbing the treasury each time each mortgage, or
package of mortgages is swapped.
It is amazing to observe the greatest transfer of wealth in history, from Main Street to Wall Street,
from the many to the few. What is even more amazing is that nobody seems to be stopping it.
_________________________________________________________________
September 26th, 2008
Republican Vice-Presidential Candidate Sarah Palin has been talking up her "foreign policy experience."
Palin has said that because Alaska is right next door to both Russia and Canada, her time as Governor has given her some
experience in international relations as she deals with leaders in the region. I live in Whitehorse, in the Yukon Territory,
so I am one of Palin's neighbours. To be honest, I didn't know much at all about Palin prior to her emergence on the national
stage. I did a little reserach on Palin's neighbourhood visits, and learned that although she has never had a meeting with
Governor Alexey Kuzmitsky of Kamchatka Oblast, or Governor Roman Kopin of the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug
or whoever the Governor of the Koryak Autonomous Okrug is, (trust me, Palin doesn't know either) she has met
with with my Premier, Dennis Fentie.
In fact, prior to the photo ops with various heads of state at the UN the other day, Yukon Premier Dennis Fentie
was the only foreign leader that Palin had ever had a meeting with. This link is a screen capture of Fentie's old
Wikipedia page, the new one has been altered so as not to mention a certain incident from the Premier's past.
We've forgiven him for his past transgressions, but I know that a lot of Americans tend to take the drug stuff more seriously.
The following is an article that appeared last week in my local paper, the The Yukon News
Friday, September 19, 2008
By Tristin Hopper
United States Republican vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin's only foreign trip on official duties was a 2007 trip to
Whitehorse she took as Alaskan governor. As political pundits question Palin's ability to negotiate with global leaders,
Yukon Premier Dennis Fentie still stands as the only foreign leader she has ever met.
"Governor Palin and her administration were extremely engaging and receptive to the continuing relationship that the
Yukon and the State of Alaska have," said Dennis Fentie, speaking from Beaver Creek on a community tour.
On her visit, Palin and Fentie discussed investment in the North Alaska Highway, the Chisana caribou-recovery program
and organizing a count on the Porcupine caribou herd.
"The list goes on, up to the point where we have reciprocal fishing licences between our two jurisdictions that
continue today," said Fentie.
The pair also discussed the possibility of establishing a railway linking Alaska with the southern rail network
through Yukon.
Palin has rarely ventured beyond the borders of Alaska either as a private citizen or on government duties. In 2006,
she received her first passport, which she used in early 2007 to visit Alaska National Guard troops in Germany and Kuwait.
Palin's June 2007 visit to Whitehorse to meet with Premier Dennis Fentie represented her first trip into Canada.
Fentie described her foreign policy experience as being based on "collaboration."
"Not only was it easy to get an understanding with Governor Palin, it was clear she was well-versed on the issues,
which would mean that she has the strength of character and dedication to do the homework to get an understanding of
issues," said Fentie.
"That's a prerequisite, frankly, when it comes to foreign policy with any country," he said.
The Republican presidential campaign has defended charges that Palin is unqualified for the foreign relations demands
of becoming a vice-president. "She has been commander in chief of the Alaska National Guard. Fact. On September 11 a
contingent of the guard deployed to Iraq, and her son was one of them, so I think she understands national security
challenges," said Republican presidential candidate John McCain at a recent joint appearance in Michigan.
"As for foreign policy, you know, I think that I am prepared," said Palin at the same appearance.
"I'll be ready. I have that confidence. I have that readiness. And if you want specifics with specific policy, or
countries, go ahead and you can ask me. You can even play stump the candidate, if you want to," she said.
Next week, the Alaska governor will rub shoulders with her first foreign national leaders at a cocktail party hosted
by US President George Bush for delegates attending the session opening of the United Nations General Assembly.
Foreign policy aside, a northern leader being thrust into the US national spotlight could have positive ramifications
for the northern regions of both the United States and Canada, said Fentie.
"It's all about bringing the northern perspective to the national scene and ensuring that national governments design
and make policy much more in tune with northern issues," he said.
_________________________________________________________________
September 24th, 2008
A Little Humour
...because with a new great depression about to take hold, you've gotta find a laugh occasionally.
Warning...probably not safe for reading at the office
Brainwashing doesn't take any sci-fi gadgetry or Manchurian Candidate hypnotism bullsh*t. There are
all sorts of tried-and-true techniques that anyone can use to bypass the thinking part of your brain
and flip a switch deep inside that says "OBEY."
Dear Mr. Alex:
I need to ask you to support an urgent secret business relationship with a transfer of funds of great magnitude.
I am Ministry of the Treasury of the Republic of America. My country has had crisis that has caused the need for
large transfer of funds of 800 billion USD. If you would assist me in this transfer, it would be most profitable
to you. I am working with Mr. Phil Gramm, lobbyist for UBS, who (God willing) will be my replacement as Ministry
of the Treasury in January. As a former U.S. congressional leader and the architect of the PALIN / McCain Financial
Doctrine, you may know him as the leader of the American banking deregulation movement in the 1990s. As such, you
can be assured that this transaction is 100% safe. This is a matter of great urgency. We need a blank check. We
need the funds as quickly as possible. We cannot directly transfer these funds in the names of our close friends
because we are constantly under surveillance. My family lawyer advised me that I should look for a reliable and
trustworthy person who will act as a next of kin so the funds can be transferred. Please reply with all of your
bank account, IRA and college fund account numbers and those of your children and grandchildren to
wallstreetbailout@treasury.gov so that we may transfer your commission for this transaction. After I receive that
information, I will respond with detailed information about safeguards that will be used to protect the funds.
Yours Faithfully,
Minister of Treasury Paulson
_________________________________________________________________
September 21st, 2008
Pakistan Coup Alert
Just a heads up here. The new President of Pakistan, Asif Ali Zardari (aka Mr. 10%) is about to embark on a
five day trip to the United States. As any good student of history knows, when a weak leader in a country with
a history of military takeovers goes abroad, coups happen. I give it a one in three chance that by the end of this week,
the man who rules Pakistan will be a "General-President." (or is it President-General?) Pakistan has seen this before with
the ascent of Ayub Khan, Zia ul-Haq, and Pervez Musharraf. It is likely to see it once again.
I'd hate to be Georgia right now. So many American pundits have plans for the Georgians, brilliant schemes designed to
get Georgia into a big war with the Russians. "Here's what you oughta do..." It's like listening in on bar talk - some drunk
trying to talk a 98-pound weakling into a rematch with the hulking thug who just put him on the floor. Funny thing,
they never want to prove their theory themselves.
_________________________________________________________________
September 19th, 2008
American Taxpayer: You Owe Federal Reserve Inc.
$1,000,000,000,000 Plus Interest
The privately owned Federal Reserve Bank is about to wave its magic wand and create, with just a few keystrokes, over one
trillion dollars. This money will be lent to the Bush Junta, at interest of course, in order to solve the crisis currently engulfing
US financial institutions. What is happening, in summary, is that a few CEO's have made billions of dollars on shady deals, and now a
private company called the Federal Reserve is going to own your great-grandchildren. Milton Friedman roasts in hell. One trillion
dollars divided by three hundred million Americans comes out to three thousand, three hundred, thirty three dollars, and thirty three
cents a head. That doesn't include interest. Add that to the debt each American already owes "The Fed" (note that they are fed,
while you might not be) due to bailing out Freddie Mac, Fannie Mae, AIG, Bear Sterns, as well as the payments for the Iraq war,
and the massive borrowing that is done every day so that suburbanites can buy more plastic crap, not to mention the massive cost of
servicing existing US debt. By any reasonable standard the US Government should be bankrupt. They're not because Treasury Secretary
Paulson found someone willing to lend the US what they need. As usual when it comes to making deals with mafia, you get the money,
but man it is going to cost you!
This latest bail out was inevitable. Want to know why? Watch this video and see how the latest crisis will further consolidate
the massive power of Federal Reserve Inc. I wonder who owns that company? If you're an American, given the amount of debt your
government has handed you, you can be you can be pretty confident that it owns you.
_________________________________________________________________
September 18th, 2008
Hitting the Fan
I think its time to repost this. Heads up everyone.
_________________________________________________________________
September 10th, 2008
How's Your French Danny?
I just heard a speech by Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Danny Williams. In this speech, Williams perfectly expressed
a sentiment that's been on my mind lately: Stephen Harper and his Conservatives must not be allowed to have a
majority government.
During his brief tenure as Prime Minister, Stephen Harper has stuck it to Newfoundland, breaking funding promises that
essentially screwed the Newfoundland economy out of billions of dollars. Williams has not forgiven, and he is making
sure that the people of Newfoundland and Labrador do not forget.
Danny Williams is in a position to really stick it to the Conservatives. He is probably the most popular premier of the
gang of 13. In the past, he has taken a stand and fought for the people of his province against both Ottawa and the Oil
Companies. With great approval ratings at home, and a Newfie diaspora stretching from coast to coast to coast, what
Williams says matters. I do suspect that Canadians will consider his message. However, Williams could bring his desire
to remove Harper closer to reality by taking one bold move.
It looks like the real battleground in this election is in rural Quebec, where the Bloc is fading and the Conservatives
are making in-roads. It is likely that the outcome of the election is going to swing on just a handful of Quebec ridings.
I think that Williams has the ability to reach the people of this region, if he can just make himself understood. He has
the right background. Williams is the leader of a province that has historically felt disrespected by Ottawa. He has
the reputation as a plain speaking man who will stand up for the interests of his own people. Danny has credibility, and
his voice just might resonate with the people who will decide the outcome of this election.
I suggest that Danny Williams take a trip to Quebec City and tell the people there what Stephen Harper's promises are worth.
The only thing is that he's got to do it in French. By speaking French Danny would show respect for the Quebecois. An
earnest effort to communicate with them in their language should earn their respect in return. The media would pay
attention to this. A Williams address to the people of Quebec would become one of those stories that the rest of Canada
would find both compelling and amusing, given Danny's determination to get even with Stephen, not to mention that there
would be a special appeal to hearing French spoken with a charming Newfie accent. A speech in French would be very
effective even if Danny's command of the language isn't great. He could just memorize a brief bit of text, some quality
soundbites, which he still has a few weeks to memorize.
I ask that the readers of this page try to pass this message along to Danny Williams. He could be the wild-card that tips
the balance of this election. The people of Quebec could be very receptive to what he has to say, all he has to do is march
down the St. Lawrence and tell them the truth in a way they can understand.
September 5th, 2008
Jesus for President?
The Republicans have chosen Alaska Governor Sarah Palin to be their candidate for Vice President.
There has been a lot of sound and fury in the media about the pregnancy, or potential cover-up of the pregnancy
of her daughter. I don't care about that at all, it is irrelevant to Palin's qualifications to serve as Vice President.
People should stop focusing on it because there is a much more significant issue at stake.
What we must consider is the world-view and psychological makeup of Sarah Palin. Local corruption scandals aside,
(I assume that EVERY candidate is corrupt) it doesn't bother me that Palin is into guns and oil, and against abortion;
these things are standard GOP stuff. What concerns me about Palin is her church.
If John McCain wins or steals the election, he would be the oldest President in US history. McCain's health is a real
consideration. The man has had cancer before. If he were to die while in office (this has happened to 8 of 42 presidents,
or about 20% ) Sarah Palin would be Commander-in-Chief of the most powerful military in the history of the planet.
She could press the red button.
Why is this a problem? From reading the website of her church, the Wasilla Assembly of God, it appears that Palin's
religion is one that eagerly anticipates doomsday, the battle of Armagaeddon, the rapture, and all the rest of the
death-cult fantasies that Evangelical Christianity and Radical Islam share. If Palin believes what her church professes,
we may be in some serious trouble.
Here is the "What We Believe" statement of Palin's church. It lists the "16 Fundamental Truths of the Assemblies of God."
It says "These are non-negotiable tenets of faith that all Assemblies of God churches adhere to. This list is derived
from the official Statement of Fundamental Truths." I recommend copying it before it is taken down.
Among the greatest hits from that list,
"WE BELIEVE...The Initial Physical Evidence of the Baptism in the Holy Spirit is Speaking in Tongues,
as experienced on the Day of Pentecost and referenced throughout Acts and the Epistles."
"WE BELIEVE...in The Blessed Hope. When Jesus Raptures His Church Prior to His Return to Earth (the second coming).
At this future moment in time all believers who have died will rise from their graves and will meet the Lord in the air,
and Christians who are alive will be caught up with them, to be with the Lord forever."
"WE BELIEVE...A Final Judgment Will Take Place for those who have rejected Christ. They will be judged for
their sin and consigned to eternal punishment in a punishing lake of fire."
"WE BELIEVE...and look forward to the perfect New Heavens and a New Earth that Christ is preparing for all
people, of all time, who have accepted Him. We will live and dwell with Him there forever following His millennial
reign on Earth."
To summarize, they believe in rolling around on the floor and babbling "divinely inspired" gibberish. They believe
that they will one day, perhaps soon, be beamed up to heaven just before the onset of a great world war. They believe
that this "Armagaeddon" will result in the slaughter of billions. They believe that those killed in this "judgment"
will suffer an eternity of torture at the hands of their vengeful god who, ironically, also promises an eternity in some
sort of perfect heaven, following a thousand years of Theocratic rule by someone they call "Christ".
The real question is, does Sarah Palin believe this too? If she does, then the USA could have a Commander-in-Chief who
looked forward to, and perhaps even actively sought a nuclear war. This thinking can only be labeled as psychopathic.
Put a psychopath in power and we could see a self-fulfilling prophecy, doomsday could come because Palin could bring it on.
This is truly scary. For all of his talk, I was never fully convinced that George W Bush really believed his religious dogma.
It always seemed a little too much like the ramblings of a reformed drunk trying to show everyone that he had made good.
If there's anything that Christians like, going all the way back to Saul/Paul, it's the flawed soul, born again and transformed
into goodness. It is plausible that Palin actually does buy into the religious insanity. She was raised in the church,
and spoke to the congregation there as recently as June of this year, where she made a speech describing the war in Iraq
as "a task from god."
The press corps seemed all too interested in Barack Obama's wacky church during the Democratic primary. They set the
precedent then; a candidate's religious background requires scrutiny, and asking the candidate about some of the more
eccentric beliefs of their church is not off limits. I'll close this post by suggesting a few questions that we might
want to see Sarah Palin answer before the election.
First, Does she believe in her church's "16 Fundamental Truths"?
If she does, then the following questions MUST be considered.
Does she think that people of other faiths and denominations will go to hell?
Does she speak in tongues?
Does she expect to be raptured?
Does she look forward to the battle of Armagaeddon and the other end-times scenes described in the Book of Revelation?
These are all fair questions. We have a right to know about the convictions of the person who may one day have the
nuclear trigger at her finger. Now is the time for the press to step up.
_________________________________________________________________
September 3rd, 2008
Bread With Circus is Back
My work is such that it requires me to live a bit of an unbalanced seasonal schedule. Most of the year I have lots of time
for inquiry and analysis, but the summer is different. During June, July, and August my workload literally triples. Looking at
it another way, now that September is here my workload has been reduced by two thirds, so now I have time for this blog again.
To the regular readers of this page, I hope that you have enjoyed listening to the radio programs that I had posted here
through the summer. Now that I'm back at it, I want to look at the big play of the summer, something that will reverberate
for years to come.
Georgian Aggression Against Russia an Epic Failure
As the opening ceremonies of the Olympic Games began in Beijing, Georgian President Mikhail Sakashvilli, shown here
eating his tie, decided that it would be a good idea to invade the de-facto independent, breakaway republic of South Ossetia.
The Georgians laid waste to the regional capital of Tskhinvali, killing an estimated 1500 civilians the first night of the attack.
I suppose that Sakashvilli figured that with all eyes on the Bird's Nest, (and words of encouragement from Washington) the rest
of the world would be too busy to respond. To be fair, there had been trouble brewing in the region in the previous months,
and South Ossetian irregulars had probably been responsible for provocative attacks on Georgia in the weeks leading up to
the start of the war. However, the Neo-conservatives advising Sakashvilli failed to notice something important, namely
that South Ossetia was full of Russians, and Russia is not a toothless backwater like Iraq. Their mission was not accomplished.
The Russian military took delight in reminding the world that they are not to be trifled with. Russia sent armoured columns over
the Georgian border, wiping out the Georgian forces that took part in the attack on Tskhinvali. Russia then used its air force
to bomb the crap out of much of Georgia's infrastructure.
The Russian response accomplished a few things. First, Russia pretty much said "We're back" as they stomped over the Georgians. Second, they
showed other former Soviet republics like the Ukraine what might happen to them if they get on Moscow's bad side. Third, they suggested to
Western oil companies that you shouldn't cut Moscow out of the deal when you build a pipeline in Russia's traditional "sphere of influence."
(BP's Baku-Tblisi-Ceyhan route bypasses Russia) Fourth, with a great degree of schadenfreude, they showed the world that America is
no longer able to back its petty allies and intervene in regional conflicts, given that its military is busy getting low-income kids blown up
in the effort to privatize Iraq.
Russia has now recognized the former Georgian provinces of South Ossetia and Abkhazia as independent states. Do you remember when
Western countries recognized the independence of Kosovo this spring? This was yet another massive strategic blunder by the West,
overturning decades of international law and setting a precedent that will lead to many regional wars. Let's review.
Kosovo was a breakaway region of a fractured state (Serbia) populated mostly by an ethnic group from a neighbouring country. (Albania)
Kosovo had been the target of an ethnic cleansing campaign by Serbia before a foreign force (NATO) intervened militarily to protect
the people of Kosovo, who then declared independence.
The Americans and Georgians will tell you that this is totally different from what happened this summer in South Ossetia, a breakaway
region of a fractured state (Georgia) populated mostly by an ethnic group from a neighbouring country. (Russia) South Ossetia had been
the target of an ethnic cleansing campaign by Georgia before a foreign force (Russia) intervened militarily to protect the people of
South Ossetia, who then declared independence.
You can see the tit for tat. This is where we are now. The West is threatening to cut Russia out of various trade deals, impose sanctions
and...I'm not sure what else, maybe sending Putin a stern letter expressing how very disappointed we are in him. The reality is that the
American unipolar world is over. We have a new world order, and unfortunately, it looks a little bit like the world did about
one hundred years ago, just before the outbreak of World War One. People really ought to read history. This is what you get when you
have a crusading country running around the world toppling governments in order to make the world safe for democracy.
(Ideology does not apply when dealing with Saudi Arabia) Good luck to all of us, we may need it because given the state of the
US economy, I'd bet that the next American president will decide that increasing tensions with Russia is a good strategy for keeping
people distracted. Cold War Two makes for a compelling Circus.
_________________________________________________________________