This morning there’s no end of headlines, like the Washington Post story that “Obama, Senate Republics reach agreement on ‘fiscal cliff’“. If you read down into the story a ways, something should pop out at you: This only kicks the can down the road for a couple of months – to March 1st.
The problem the astute observer will sense in this is simple: Could that set up the necessary conditions for an “Everything bad, all at once” period in March, which has been peeking out of Clif’s predictive linguistics for over a year, now? And is that what the crapstorm of spring 2013, outlined in his new “This Changing World” report will be driven by?
I won’t give away everything, but let’s just say a half-hearted can kick into spring is not exactly a news flash around here.
Key takeaway: Now that the Senate bill is done, it goes over to the House where its future is anything but certain since John Boehner, et al, are promising not to vote on it until the House (and American public) have had a chance to give it a good going-over. Rand Paul has also been critical of what’s been discussed publicly but admits a scaled-down version might pass the House.
We’re not out of the woods on this, so look for another can kick into the ‘all crap at once’ window in mid-spring.
Not that I’m along is being just ever-so-skeptical of this “good news”. Typical of sentiment emails is this from reader Rick:
“It’s such a huge relief to know we aren’t going over the “FISCAL CLIFF “! Or wait a minute, maybe we are!??? Who gives a shit? What a fantastic lie and total fabrication / distraction / mind f*ck.
In my lifetime, I have never seen a greater kabuki theater than this invention called the FC. (I cannot and will not say it again, it’s just too embarrassing). Created by the B.O. team to provide another false crisis (hey, FC is interchangeable) to capitalize (political capital only please) on.
Now we can all breathe a huge sigh of relief and party hard to celebrate the dual event of another year of plunging down the tracks without any handles on the train ala the old Jethro Tull song “old Charlie stole the handle and the train it won’t stop going…no way to slow down” from the Aqualung album. The sycophantic press is struggling to put lipstick on their favorite pig once again. (talking head male anchor name) is arguing in favor of both outcomes just in case it doesn’t go the way of the B.O. Official Press Talking Point Guide.
Whatever this odd mini-play was about, the outcome is higher taxes for those fortunate enough to have had a good year, continued or more spending on entitlements, no harvest of the sacred cows today and Times Square is full of happy revelers busy celebrating the rising water levels in the indestructible triple hulled Titanic USA. Happy New Year! “
Oh, it’s been a dandy distraction from several things: The Benghazi case (which was likely about a deal arming the MuBro’s gone bad, and since the press got wind of the administration not showing up for hearings, the development of the SecState’s concussion hospitalization two weeks later will surely be forgotten in time for 2016.
Another Fact To Forget in all this f/c talk is that the labor participation rate dropped in the past year from 64% to 63.6% which is not what you build a vibrant economy on….but the jury is always out on that one.
Want another story to be soft-sold into the American mindset? How about China becoming the number one economic power in the world as we fade into the sunset of our own making?
Somewhere behind the scenes, I can’t help believe that the Chinese, who are holding oodles of US Treasury instruments (which we sold them to float the Titanic on the Great Sea of Debt) had a lot more to do with Congress starting to move on the fiscal cliff than did the interests of American taxpayers, who anymore are a simple after-thought.
But don’t mind me…I ended 2012 looking through “business model-colored glasses” and I probably won’t take them off in 2013, either. Birthing this ant of a bill doesn’t address things like debt ceiling, restructuring away entitlements or building a national technology revolution…but reader Rick’s got it right: Just sit back and watch as the Kabuki rolls.
Of course none of this is nearly as significant as the latest round of Kardashian stories. After all, we have as a country, managed the difficult transition from steely-eyed hard-working innovators to bleary-eyed corporate couch-potato infotainment-suckers; one of the main agendas of 2012….kanye see it yet?
If not, head on over to Project Censored’s web site for a little more edjumacation on how to open your eyes a bit and engage brain.
They’ve got a fine report on the “Top Censored Stories of 2013″ and their number one pick for the year? “Signs of an emerging police state” which is what’s going on while the kabuki rolls and the audience is distracted by cliffs and celebs.
Also in that list (and while you were distracted): public places ain’t public anymore.
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Chilly New Year
If this map from the National Weather Service is a hint, something over half the nation is freezing its ass of this morning:
Hmmm…chili for breakfast….how’s that for a morning-after starter-upper? No? Well, pizza it is then…
Bird Falls
Have a report of a bird-fall up in Tennessee this past weekend. First 2013 entry for ‘strange energies from space’?
Gold Smuggling
A major gold-smuggling operation has been busted in mid-play at the Russian-Chinese border according to a report here.
Speaking of Russia
There’s something to be learned, I think, from reading the Stanislav Mishin op-ed in the Russian media Pravda.ru. Seems to me when Mishin write “Americans never give up your guns” there’s a hard-learned message in there from the more free lately Russians who have been down the socialism-communism road and already found it to be a dead end. (There’s always more demand for free lunch than there is dough to pay for ‘em…)
Russia history is chock-a-block full of dead peasants – 3-million, or so, in Stalin’s collectivization efforts alone. Ah, but they didn’t have guns, did they? See how gun control works?
A moment ago we were talking about Kabuki…and to a large extent the leaderships of Russia and the US engaged in the Cold War as financial kabuki to keep the US arms industry rolling. However, historically, the US saved Russia from domination by the Germans, and any animosity between the countries has historically existed between leadership levels, and much less so between working people. Except as programmed by the opposing propaganda teams, of course.
So when Pravda weighs in on keeping guns, yes, I’m suspicious, but I’m also mindful of history. They paid a lot to attend get that schooling.
Bad New Years
Big whoopdies in Ivory Coast last night – and then things went badly and a huge crowd stampeded. When the dust has cleared: at least 60-people dead – crushed or trampled by the crowd.
And folks wonder why we don’t go out on NY’s eve?
China Check
OK, got a dumb question to start off the New Year with: If China is, as claimed in this Xinhua piece this morning, really committed to “peaceful development” then WTF are they doing building the biggest standing army in the history of the world for?
Item #2: They have more/better coverage of Iran’s latest test-firings of missiles and torpedoes than does the western MSM. Kinda strange, I’m thinking.
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