Israeli Arms: A US Proxy in Mexico

The Zapatistas of Chiapas rose up in rebellion in 1994 as a reaction to the passing of NAFTA as well as decades of unaddressed grievance. The uprising which continues to demand reform (not secession) continues to wear on after twenty plus years of low-level conflict.

Pan-Turkism, Russia, China and Tibet

Pan-Turkism was actively promoted by US backed interests in Turkey during the Cold War but especially in the days following the collapse of the USSR.

Sacralist Clash and Curse: A Lament for Ukraine

The people of Eastern Ukraine are suffering. Christian churches have been ripped apart. Ethnic divisions that once didn't really matter have now become paramount. Families and in-laws are at odds.

The Stock Buyback Gimmick

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-amazon-com-buyback-idUSKCN0VJ2NC

Amazon is by no means unique in utilising this tactic. Raise money through public offering of stock, then when things slow down a bit you can buy back that stock and thus with fewer stocks available the price of each share effectively becomes worth more. You value appears to increase. Some companies like IBM will even take on debt just to buy their own stock.

Yellen Signals Economy on Shaky Ground

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-fed-idUSKCN0VJ1F2

The Federal Reserve is trying to raise rates because they're looking for some wiggle room when the economy 'officially' slips into a recession. At that point they can try and drop the rates to get things moving again. If they keep them down near zero, then they have nowhere to go. They don't want to take the US economy into negative interest rates. It's bad enough for Japan to fall into that cycle. If the US ventures into that zone then it sends a dangerous signal to the rest of the world.

The Christian Right and Free Market Orthodoxy

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-election-utx-idUSMTZSAPEC2EIWOEVW

It continues to surprise me that so many who advocate the free market continue to support Trump. With Sanders on the Democratic side, he doesn't really elaborate his policies. Both populists promote big ideas but seem unable to elaborate on the details. A few people are starting to notice. But one point that Trump does make clear is his economic stance regarding outsourcing, trade deals, tariffs and the like.

Scalia's Death and Obama's Legacy

Obama will now have the opportunity to appoint a third justice to the Supreme Court. No one saw this coming and it will change the election to be sure. Prepare for some unbelievably contentious hearings. I look forward to it.

I am also eager to see how this will affect the remaining term.

A Tool for Twits

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-twitter-results-idUSKCN0VJ2K1

It will be a wonderful thing to see Twitter collapse. It has been a disaster for society, for communication and for people's attention spans. Communication is no longer effective when reduced to little blurbs. While I'm not a prig when it comes to spelling, there's no doubt Twitter has in general contributed to its decline.

TPP, the Internet and the Establishment Agenda

There's such a profound difference in the way the TPP has unfolded in the media vs. what happened when NAFTA was being put together in the early 1990s. There was a lot of resistance to NAFTA and the unions were a little stronger then and able to get the word out, but the educational campaign is paltry compared to what's happening with the TPP. The Internet has opened up a new world in dissent and challenge to the establishment narrative. Of course there's also a lot of false information out there. That's the risk isn't it?

Sacral Orthodoxy and the Gatekeepers

It continues to amaze me that SermonAudio and other gatekeeper organisations will block those that question specific formulations of Sola Fide within the Reformation narrative, they'll all but block those who insist on a level of objectivity to the Covenant in the realm of Baptism and its efficacy. They will block those who argue the Scripture teaches some form of apostasy and who dare to pull out a myriad of texts that directly challenge the doctrine of Eternal Security...

Socialist Criticisms of Sanders

The American political spectrum is by default set to the Right. In a European context Sanders would be maybe Center-Left. Hilary Clinton would definitely be Center-Right and of course the entire Republican spectrum is more or less on the Far Right. There are some variations of course. Figures like Trump and Christie advocate some positions (or at least did) that would push them a bit more toward the center.

The New York Times, the Establishment and the Electorate

I was listening to a programme called 'Pastor's Perspective' on a local Christian radio station and the roundtable unanimously condemned the New York Times as insanely liberal and living in a fantasy world. Every aspect of its reporting is to be questioned if not outright rejected.

Dying by the Sword

In Oregon a man, a father lies dead, gunned down by Federal law enforcement agents.

I do not celebrate the actions of the Federal Government or its various arms of violence.

But at the same time I do not revere the death of this man, a fool who defied the commands of Scripture and took up arms against the state.

Petroleum Prices, the IMF and Subjugation

From the standpoint of the American hegemony another advantage of low oil prices is that not only does it bring numerous petro-state enemies to the point of ruin but it also provides an opportunity to subjugate and control weak and vacillating states.

Right-Wing Market Analysis Wanting

I turned on Rush Limbaugh the other day while in the car and he was extolling the wonders of the Free Market and its effect on the price of oil. He attributes the low price at the pump to the miracle of Fracking.