February 27, 2010 by Ronald Hicks.

Politics can be silly and even the most serious exchanges of global power, such as the control of nuclear resources, can even look sillier. On the one side we have Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, an Iranian civil engineer that is repudiated to have been one of the original revolutionary students involved in the 1979 Iranian hostage crisis and on the other side we have Hillary Clinton, a mean spirited lawyer turned politician.

Other than being former First Lady of Arkansas and the former First Lady of the White House what does this Whitewater real estate wheeler dealer lawyer from Illinois have as qualifications of to be the Secretary of State of the United States? On the other hand what business does an Iranian civil engineer that is repudiated to be a former hostage taker  doing administrating nuclear power policy or maybe even nuclear weapons in Iran?

Oddly enough Mrs. Clinton is better known for her advocacy of children’s rights, such as children suing their parents. She also dislikes staying at home and baking cookies for the kids. It doesn’t sound like little Billy is likely to be caught with his hand in an empty cookie jar if Mrs. Clinton hasn’t baked any cookies. Neither is it likely that little Billy will sue Mom for getting a tummy ache from a bad batch of cookies. Well we all know that Monica Lewinsky took care of that. Speaking of real estate we see that Mrs. Clinton was quite good at that. In conclusion it doesn’t seem that there is anything here that she could bring to the table as a potential Secretary of State. She’s just a mean lawyer that doesn’t like home chores and would rather do litigation for adolescent children.

Now let’s take a look at President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the current president of Iran. According to Wikipedia he has a background in civil engineering. He was once the mayor of Tehran and was qualified at one time as a finalist for World Mayors. It also looks like during his time as mayor of Tehran that he worked on improving the traffic system in Tehran, something that you would expect from someone that has a background in civil engineering. Other than those meager qualifications to run a city, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was involved in a lot of political favoritism and cronyism once he was elected president of Iran. This simply qualifies him as an American politician. These qualifications to administer a country’s nuclear resources are lacking here. In addition he simply can’t stand the state of Israel and at one point he seems confused on the issue on whether men and women can enjoy a football game together in an Islamic society. This is definitely a slippery slope for a man that is going to be handling the nuclear resources for the state of Iran.

But if you take two blundering politicians and put them on the global stage and have them engage one another on the issues of who should have nuclear weapons and who shouldn’t it has all the appearances of a lover’s quarrel gone astray. Let’s just hope they kiss and make up.

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February 13, 2010 by Ronald Hicks.

According to a recent article published by news.com.au global bankers representing 24 of the world’s largest banks met in secret in Sydney, Australia. According to the article the reason for the meeting was secret was due to security issues. This reminds me of the secret fees that you are surprised with when you look at your monthly bank statement. When you want to contact your bank and want to talk to someone for an explanation of these surprise fees it is difficult to get in touch with anyone or get a simple answer.

It was a strange coincidence that shortly after the secret meeting in Sydney the European Union announced that a group of EU members referred to as PIIGS( Portugal, Ireland, Italy, Greece, and Spain) were have deficit troubles similar to the United States. This news brought about a nearly 300 point decline on Wall Street. I personally do not understand the intricacies of derivatives and credit swaps that drive the global economy but it is apparent that global finances are becoming more intertwined than ever before. Whatever the global bankers secretly discussed in Sydney will affect the United States financial standings right down to the individual consumer.

Much like the states in the U.S. other members in the European Union are facing deficit troubles. Besides the PIIGS group within the European Union that have received so much focus there are also Lithuania, Malta, Poland, and Romania that have exceeded deficit margins spelled out in EU membership.

When it comes to deficits the United States definitely leads the way when it comes to spending more money than it brings in. While the U.S. can deploy armies and military equipment to sovereign nations under the guise of spreading democracy, it is also a simple matter for U.S. Treasury and the Federal Reserve to conspire to print more money and spread not only democracy but also debt.

In the meantime the embedded legacy of Capitol Hill cronies write complex unintelligible legalese called legislation to advocate and legalize the burglary of the nation’s wealth. The unwitting pawns and slaves in this game of global risk are the consumers and tax payers. The auction block that the taxpayer is poised upon is a quickly melting block of ice that melts away as the value of the dollar decreases and the noose of credit is placed on our necks that is attached to a ceiling of debt that is gradually being raised. Are the politicians on Capitol Hill sincerely worried about global warming and being green or are they simply stuffing their pockets with more green?

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January 29, 2010 by Ronald Hicks.

The new decade started with a marginal historical thump. January 27, 2010 President Barack Obama delivered his first State of the Union address in the midst of an economy in tatters, burgeoning budget deficits, and wars on two fronts. On the same day Apple Computers introduced their latest regurgitation of the iPhone. It seems that Apple Computer was trying to ride the coat tails of a short lived gasp of optimism.

Steve Jobs waved about his latest amalgamation of hardware telling us it was revolutionary. It is wonderful and it is reasonably priced. Later in the day the Commander in Chief spouted euphemisms and a clever mix of phrases and buzz words proclaiming things would be wonderful and revolutionary. President Obama rehashed his ‘Yes We Can’ into high speed trains, tax cuts, and clean energy. No new spending and spending freezes clashing with another round of stimulus money as if the two could co-exist.

The President’s State of the Union mentioned change, change that we can believe in. If the federal government continues raising it’s debt ceiling and continues to print money then we will have change we can believe in, that is dimes and nickels that you will have to stack to the ceilings of y0ur foreclosed home to purchase groceries.

I guess if the iPhone can magically change into the iPad then our budget deficits can change into bigger, better deficits. It’s revolutionary and reasonably priced.

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January 24, 2010 by Ronald Hicks.

 The decade of naught has whipped past us leaving behind promiscuous golfers and  terrorists that put explosives in the underwear. No longer will be able to buy golf balls with the once illustrious name of Tiger Woods embellished upon them. It is only par for the course that we see a new era of marketing that goes to the extremes of sanity to buoy us through economic hard times. Perhaps we will need a sturdier pair of underwear as we plod the streets in search of employment.

You will be spending less time on the golf course swatting golf balls with attire and clubs that bear the name of yet to be named golfer other than Tiger Woods. When you do have enough money left over from your dwindling unemployment checks and can strut upon the golf course. You will be adorned with thrift store golf attire and have a dowdy part time caddy that has a green card handing you used golf clubs to swat at scruffy golf balls.

Just imagine 2011 with the news that underwear bomber has copped a plea and been handed a reduced sentence doing community service at your local golf course emptying the trash and preening the greens. Remember he is being tried in a civil court and will suffer a lesser fate than O.J.

So while Abdul bides his time preening the greens and you are swatting scruffy golf balls with used clubs Abdul is working on his new book about how he was brainwashed by the meanies in Yemen and really didn’t know what he was doing setting his crotch on fire in an airplane. Abdul has cleaned up his act and is rising to the cause of capitalism by peddling a book.

He has cleaned up his act and is now paying his dues to society. He has an agent and Fruit-of-the-Loom wants to promote their latest brand of men’s bikini briefs called Armorware. These sturdy underwear will withstand the rugged strides of you tramping the streets looking for work long after you have filed an extension for unemployment. Don’t worry be happy. Your shiny new all embracing Federal government will take care of you. Meanwhile the tide will turn for the better as you laugh and flip the channels on your TV so you don’t have to see that goofy terrorist guy dancing around in a grape costume trying to sell you some more underwear.

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January 8, 2010 by Ronald Hicks.

Throughout history many conquerers have marched their armies into Afghanistan in hopes of conquest and expanding their dreams for new kingdoms. Genghis Khan was one of the few that conquered Afghanistan, but at a bloody price. The rugged and hostile mountainous terrain of  Afghanistan have posed a challenge to conquering armies unfamiliar with fighting in the rugged mountains.

At one point in 330 B.C. Alexander The Great thought he could conquer the rugged mountains and tribes of Afghanistan.  He moved and estimated 30,000 troops through the Khyber Pass and split the forces at Jalalabad.  A small mobile team accompanied him into Nuristan and they were gradually worn down by the fierce battles in the mountainous terrain.  The wearied battle-fatigued soldiers were on the point of mutiny when they begged Alexander The Great to return to his home in Macedonia.

During the 1800’s on two occasions the British Empire tried its hand at conquering Afghanistan to ensure its rule over India. Their first intrusion in 1838 turned to folly after several years of British imposed rule. To maintain power the British had to bribe the unruly tribes they were trying to govern. When the money ran dry chaos ensued and then British were ran out of Afghanistan. In 1843 a local Afghan Prince gained some control in Kabul. The British became interested in resuming relations realizing this might be important step in keeping Russian and Iran out of Afghanistan. Gradually Britain’s influence waned. The Iranians attacked Herat and when Britain sent a garrison into the Khyber Pass they were denied passage by the ruling tribes.

The Soviet Union was yet another nation that tried to subdue Afghanistan into submission. After a frustrating parlay in Afghanistan from 1979 to 1989 the Soviets finally withdrew after suffering irrecoverable losses of equipment and manpower. Many soldiers were either captured or deserted. The Soviets left a wide wake of destruction to  Afghanistan’s  scarce resources such as farming land, infrastructure, and delicate environmental resources. Due to this wide swath of destruction by Soviet forces many Afghani’s fled to neighboring countries as refugees. Those that remained resorted to cultivating opium. What fragile governmental organization that existed previous to the Soviet’s invasion was sent into chaos leaving vicious criminal organizations such as the Taliban in charge.

There are a host of other problems that will ensue with Obama’s restructuring of the terror war in Afghanistan. The United States and NATO forces will have to rely on the Pashtun Tribes for a safe passage of heavy military equipment through the Khyber Pass. NATO troops and equipment will have to pass through Northern Pakistan, also known as FATA( Federally Administered Tribal Areas ). Despite the long official name for this area of Northern Pakistan is unruly and chaotic despite Pakistani forces trying to battle the constant threat of Al-Qaeda insurgency. There is open air dealing of opium and hashish along with guns. There will be many temptations as U.S. and NATO forces are passing through these areas.

One of the many sub tribes of the Pashtuns, known as the Afridi, control a small region called the Khyber Agency that pretty much runs the entire length of the Khyber Pass. Within the area controlled by the Khyber Agency the dealing of drugs and weapons is even more open. When the NATO and U.S. forces move within the pass they will subject to even more bribery to move safely through the pass.

Even the man on the street with armed with this bit of knowledge and some common sense accounting of the cost of the war will see this as nothing more than a waste of resources and U.S. manpower. The American public will be subject to paying for a grisly expensive meat grinder that the young men and women of our military will be passed through only to return to us as flag covered coffins and drug addicts.

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November 26, 2009 by Ronald Hicks.

 I have taken some time to pick through and make some sort of sense out of this latest piece of legislation. I cannot claim that I have read it all, but from the small pieces and sections that I have examined via the Thomas Library of Congress catalog I simply dislike this obese and overly complex bill. I do know that according to the some of the latest changes in the bill that Medicaid will not cover drugs for erectile dysfunction unless the erectile dysfunction drug that you are currently taking is helping you with you medical condition unrelated to erectile dysfunction. Some loony legislator patted himself on the back for this nonsense.

Drugs, they can be good for you and if you abuse them they can be bad for you. The Fed wants to manage your drugs. Sometimes we experience pain when we are being treated for certain medical conditions. Once upon a time I was being treated for a medical condition via Veteran’s Administration, by the way I am a veteran, and the it was a gruesome 48 week drug regimen and toward the end I experienced pain due to the withdrawal of the drugs. I took a day off from work and went to outpatient care. I was seen 4 hours later and described my condition. The VA was aware of my treatment and I was prescribed a large bottle of ibuprofen. I actually need something a little stronger. At the time I was I was researching H.R. 3962 and found out that the basic legislation concerning drug coverage was based on WHO( World Health Organization ) protocols. Ibuprofen was the recommended drug for the most basic health coverage. In summary this confirmed the widely known ‘aspirin for a heart attack’ theory concerning H.R. 3962. My fear is that people with terminal conditions that are in excruciating pain will be given a big bottle of ibuprofen, instead of Demerol or other drugs that will comfort them. We have already forseen Obama’s strategy regarding medical marijuana and once the Feds incorporate this into H.R. 3962 we are bound to see some unwelcome surprises.

Then there is abortion. The latest text in H.R. 3962 seems to be omitted or at best murky. None of our federal tax dollars should be spent on this period, regardless of the circumstances.

Then there is euthanasia. When the government is involved in regulating things of this nature there is the natural expansion of bureaucracies which leads to greater expenses than anticipated.  This leads to the knee jerk reactions by legislators to amend and rewrite past legislation. Controls are tightened and money is withdrawn which will naturally leads to rationing. Since legislators are more concerned with money than human life participants are regarded as expenses. Then some poor soul will be evaluated as not worthy of being treated.

 In summary there will be no erectile dysfunction of the Federal tyrants when they go about collecting the tax dollars necessary to fund this obese piece of legislation and incrementally lower the standard of living for this once former great nation.

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November 19, 2009 by Ronald Hicks.

Global economics and high energy particle physics are two esoteric subjects that most of the general public would care less to wrap there heads around. Making and spending money is similar to the experiments that scientists carry out in a huge super colliders.  As we go about our daily lives gradually accumulating digital credits to cover our expenses we quickly going about spending them and they quickly disappear into mysterious black holes before we can get a glimpse of where they went, much like tiny high energy particles.

Then as we watch the daily news we have talking heads like  Ben S. Bernanke, Federal Reserve chairman, trying to explain how billions of tax dollars have quickly disappeared into mysterious global ogre-sized multinational banks. We shake our heads as Ben reassures us there is a jobless recovery taking place and there is some type of modest growth in the previous quarter that is relatively larger than the last quarter according to statistics from a trusted source, etc. He also tells the economy has contracted yet is expanding if you look at things from different perspective, once again according to trusted sources.

Okay enough of that, let’s talk about Large Hadron Super Collider that scientists are tinkering with somewhere deep underground in Switzerland. Scientists are squirming around with ants in their pants anticipating what might emerge when minuscule particles are whirled around in giant supercooled racetracks into a head-on collision. Rest assured that billions of digital Euro credits have disappeared to build this monster, in itself a monetary black hole, with the possibility of creating a black hole or something more mysterious.

The scientists at CERN are very similar to Ben S. Bernanke and his cadre of PhDs at the Federal Reserve.  The suits at the Federal Reserve throw around the arcane esoteric jargon of economics trying to explain to us how they printed billions of dollars and it quickly disappeared into a black hole. The scientists at CERN talk about the mysterious Higgs Boson particle and how they might tear a hole in the time space continuum and something might emerge. They disregard the billions of Euro dollars that have been sucked into this monstrous black hole, besides, money is a economist’s concern. The scientists’ concerns are what might come out of this mysterious experiment, but if it is a jobless recovery that emerges they will quickly want to shut it down. Besides,Ben S. Bernanke wouldn’t want any competition from his PhD cohorts.

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November 13, 2009 by Ronald Hicks.

Special interest groups are constantly are on prowl in Washington looking to promote or initiate some sort superfluous  legislation that will further clog the judicial system and create another layer of ambiguity that will further turn the wheels of justice backwards. At one time if a person was assaulted or battered by someone else it was simply called assault and battery there was never any specifics as to whether it was a man, woman, black, white, etc. The Holy Bible simply states,‘ Thou shalt not murder’, without regard to color, status, or race.  Most of all the laws we have in the United States are derived from these ten simple principles. They were written in stone implying there was no need to amend them, but to simply abide by them.

It is ironic in today’s world we are told to be tolerant and multicultural, but consensus forces us to categorize and subcategorize people into a myriad of niches according the their color, sexual orientation, and beliefs. If we are to be truly blind and tolerate everyone for what they are then what is the need of these filters and labels to simply assure someone justice? This application of tolerance becomes intolerance when one person is not equal to the other according their color, sexual orientation, and beliefs.

In conclusion it is often true that these laws are amended until a particular special category gets the justice they believe is due to them even when it is diminished for the other groups. Eventually everyone is told what they can and can’t say to their fellow human beings. At it’s end totalitarian government rules over all and then there is no justice.

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October 22, 2009 by Ronald Hicks.

 On Monday, October 12, 2009, President Barack Obama declared federal law enforcement would no longer prosecute medical marijuana users and the vendors in California and 12 other states that have statutes that regulate the use and distribution of medical marijuana. According to the President it was a waste of Federal resources to prosecute these individuals. The administration stated that this was not explicit legalization of marijuana and prosecution could still be pursued if there was any evidence of illegal trafficking or violence associated with the distribution and procurement of the medical marijuana.

Is the President using this tactic to soften up the opponents of the national healthcare ? Would the opponents of national healthcare view this as an act of compassion and change their views on national healthcare whether or not they are in favor of medical marijuana? Perhaps some of these opponents would see medical marijuana as a viable option if they were in a position to choose an alternative therapy besides the drugs offered by large pharmaceutical companies?

Although this tactic is not an explicit legalization of marijuana it may be a maneuver by the administration to position large pharmaceutical companies so they become more involved in medical marijuana and eventually control this process and reap bountiful profits not to mention huge tax revenues for the government.

Overall it is my belief that one should be suspicious of President Barack Obama’s directive and be on the lookout for an ulterior motive as they take their next toke and celebrate the soft decriminalization of medical marijuana.

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October 15, 2009 by Ronald Hicks.

According to the First Amendment of the Constitution of the United States Congress shall be prohibited from infringing on free speech. This amendment has been tested many time over the years and recently in Harrisburg, PA. According to an article published in USA Today a fifth grade male student was called to the principal’s office and told to turn a t-shirt inside out that said, “Abortion is not healthcare”

Valerie Burch, an ACLU lawyer stated in the article, “Student-speech law has developed a lot … but one thing that is still plain and clear as day is that political speech like the T-shirt … is highly protected, even within schools.” When you dissect this sentence and look at the phrase:  “political speech like the T-shirt … is highly protected, even within schools.” This phrase implies that there are different types of free speech that have varying degrees of protection under the First Amendment. This is simply not true. When you look at the phrase: “ even within schools.” again you have an example of free speech that is restricted to particular geographical boundaries. Free speech simply has no boundaries whether it is in the courthouse square, school, church, or your local tavern. Bounded free speech is simply malarkey. Free speech is simply anywhere that is practical to stand on your own two feet and open your mouth.

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