Tuesday, March 31, 2015

Racism in Indian Country

I have lived on more reservations than any one I know in Indian country.

As a BIA "brat" my Dad worked his ass off trying to better his life and the life of his family by advancing his career when job opportunities opened up in Indian Country.  We moved often.  I attended 4 high schools in 3 states.   We lived on Indian reservations every single day of my high school career.  

The biggest single act of "racial violence" came in Pine Ridge, South Dakota when my parents sent me off the reservation to get a "better" education than in the local school, Oglala Community High School.    I played football and Rushville HS in Rushville, Nebraska went up the 25 miles to Pine Ridge to play a football game.

We won.

When the game was over the coaches told us to put our helmets on inside the bus and to bend over and put our faces in our laps and not to look up or look out any window. 

The rocks started coming from all directions.   The bus was being stoned.  It was the Indians stoning the "white" off-reservation high school football team that had soundly trounced the Pine Ridge Thorpes.  

It was the single biggest act of racial violence I had ever been a part of.  As an "Indian kid" on a "white" bus it was an eye opener.   Racism works both ways.  

Wednesday, March 25, 2015

Less than the truth is called..............

Isn't it about time the Fed does a little explaining to Main Street?

How does Main Street benefit from years of printing money for the Wall Street banks?   Look around your town, your 'hood, your workplace, your family.  Look.

As a money manager when I read some report, any report from the government regarding financial or economic data my eyes glaze over.   It is full of lies.  Lots of lies.  Nothing new there.

When I read something from Wall Street I have to ask what are they trying to get me to do with my money and the investors I represent?   What do they have to gain?  

When I worked at Drexel Burnham Lambert I plowed through piles upon piles of corporate bond prospectus's.  I wanted to be the guy involved in all the private partnerships that were part and parcel of the underwritings.  I wanted to be that insider.  I wanted the kickers,  the warrants,  the preferred terms.   Not a chance.  I didn't work in Beverly Hills and I wasn't on the X-shaped trading desk.

Those sweeteners made some people very wealthy.  Good for them. 

Drexel was one of the best periods of my life, working and living in LaJolla.  There wasn't much not to like.

Wouldn't it be great if a political figure could stand up and say that an economic downturn, a small one,  would be good for this country?  That we should let financial institutions fail when they go bankrupt? That a pullback now could heal America before a massive pullback comes later?  That getting the onus of derivatives off the taxpayer and onto the risk-takers is healthy.

There is nothing wrong with failure.  Lots of failure lies ahead because of the lies that failed America.   Main Street is getting carved up and they have not a clue.  Look around.  Open your eyes.  See for yourself. 

Don't lie.  





More NON-sense..........

The Federal government, bless their hearts.  They have "tomahawk" cruise missiles and "apache", "blackhawk", "kiowa" and "lakota" helicopters.  They used the code name  "geronimo" in the attack that killed bin Laden.

And they are officially on record as objecting to the name of the Washington Redskins football team? 

Tuesday, March 24, 2015

Death, Debt, Drugs

Is it me or is the news just getting more weird per day? 

I was changing channels on our TV at our headquarters, (we never have the sound on) and saw the President with a teleprompter, LOL, on stage with the head honcho in Afghanistan.

And the prick from Afghanistan, (I turned on the sound), was thanking the United States taxpayers for their help.

Why doesn't the numb-nut-in-chief  just wire all the drug revenue from the Afghans back to the Fed and get caught up on some of this debt?

We have no common sense in this Administration or in the Fed.  None.  Zero.  Zilch.

Our monetary policy?  There is none.   The lobbyists run the show.

 

Congratulations MHS Bassers!!

Milton Fishing Team
Congratulations to Milton's Fishing Team!  They competed in the state tournament and came away with a top 15 finish  (13th place officially)   out of 68 teams!
15.03.23_fishing.jpg 

Monday, March 23, 2015

Ted Cruz and his Goldman Sachs wife

Our nation has no need for a First Lady to hail from Goldman Sachs.

Greg Smith let the cat out of the bag.   The guy should be running the SEC.

Saturday, March 21, 2015

Ojibway Leadership, White Earth Reservation, 1986

The following quote was taken from the Anishinabe,  DEE-BAH-GEE-MO-WIN in April of 1986.  (Volume 1, No. 2)
 
It was taken from the Chairmans Corner on p. 2.

"We have shown the world that we can gather strength and will do so whenever it is necessary.  We will continue our vigilance until we rid ourselves of this malignancy that pervades and persists.  With your continued support I wil gladly and joyfully lead this fight on your behelf."

Darrell "Chip" Wadena
Chairman
White Earth Reservation
Tribal Council

I don't think this scum bag ever paid to the MCT Tribe, White Earth Reservation a single penny for the judgement against him for bribery, conspiracy, theft, embezzlement and money laundering.

Truly the darkest of times for White Earth.

Open Letter to Janet Yellen

Written by a Zero Hedge reader, and a concerned citizen

Dear Chairman,

I would like one member of the FOMC to take the time to tell the American public the truth about the last seven years and monetary policy. 

That the sole aim was once again to bail out the insolvent institutions that continue to exist today, mainly Bank of America and Citigroup, all-the-while understanding that under the guise of QE, the Fed would directly/indirectly purchase the equities of these institutions to present this ongoing façade at the expense of the American people.

That monetary policy assisted directly in the destruction of the middle class and the wealth divide that has grown wider at any time in recent history.

That capitalism has been destroyed along with our capital markets directly due to monetary policy, no fundamental price discovery exists in regard to any asset class, and this, from the beginning was the motive.  A motive which would/did allow these same insolvent institutions the ability to re-package and sell toxic garbage to yield starved investors due solely to the Central Banks around the world. 

That you completely understood when implementing the policies, that these losses would be borne eventually, but disregarded this fact to allow the institutions to deleverage.  That Central Banks were cognizant of the executive bonus pool at these same institutions and as regulator, continued to bless the opaque, black box accounting practiced by all to justify the said bonus pool.  Once again at taxpayer and investor expense.

That you have been out of policy tools for some time, had no intention, and continue to have no intention of raising rates, but have been backed into a corner where the only tool left is rhetoric.  Rhetoric which is only possible due to the current flood of liquidity which the banks must have continue or we will indeed find out immediately, who in fact, is still insolvent (see above).  I would even go as far to suggest that if you aimed only in the short-term to attempt to move the credibility scale and did raise short-term rates, the curve would flatten further working towards inversion, further damaging the insolvent institutions you represent. 

That you and your associates completely understood the damage you were doing to 80% of the American population and chose to ignore this fact due to the conflict of interest that exists in representation.

That you understood from the beginning that the stress tests were for propaganda purposes only and bared no basis in fact given a  repeat of the 2008 crisis. 

I believe that this would represent a start, coupled with sending independent forensic auditor teams into every systemically important institution to allow the taxpayer to see exactly what they have been/continue to support, and what the true state of each of these institutions actually is.  The façade needs to end to begin to rebuild trust, the damage has been done, and the longer this current situation is allowed to continue, the longer the road to recovery.

A concerned citizen.

America taxpayers "paying" for not winning


Please point out to me the last "win" in the following invasions by US forces -  you see, there is no “winning”.  Only the Military Industrial Complex wins. 

DETROIT 1943 Troops Army put down Black rebellion. IRAN 1946 Nuclear threat Soviet troops told to leave north. YUGOSLAVIA 1946 Nuclear threat, naval Response to shoot-down of US plane. URUGUAY 1947 Nuclear threat Bombers deployed as show of strength. GREECE 1947-49 Command operation U.S. directs extreme-right in civil war. GERMANY 1948 Nuclear Threat Atomic-capable bombers guard Berlin Airlift. CHINA 1948-49 Troops/Marines evacuate Americans before Communist victory. PHILIPPINES 1948-54 Command operation CIA directs war against Huk Rebellion. PUERTO RICO 1950 Command operation Independence rebellion crushed in Ponce. KOREA 1951-53 (-?) Troops, naval, bombing , nuclear threats U.S./So. Korea fights China/No. Korea to stalemate; A-bomb threat in 1950, and against China in 1953. Still have bases. IRAN 1953 Command Operation CIA overthrows democracy, installs Shah. VIETNAM 1954 Nuclear threat French offered bombs to use against seige. GUATEMALA 1954 Command operation, bombing, nuclear threat CIA directs exile invasion after new gov't nationalized U.S. company lands; bombers based in Nicaragua. EGYPT 1956 Nuclear threat, troops Soviets told to keep out of Suez crisis; Marines evacuate foreigners. LEBANON l958 Troops, naval Army & Marine occupation against rebels. IRAQ 1958 Nuclear threat Iraq warned against invading Kuwait. CHINA l958 Nuclear threat China told not to move on Taiwan isles. PANAMA 1958 Troops Flag protests erupt into confrontation. VIETNAM l960-75 Troops, naval, bombing, nuclear threats Fought South Vietnam revolt & North Vietnam; one million killed in longest U.S. war; atomic bomb threats in l968 and l969. CUBA l961 Command operation CIA-directed exile invasion fails. GERMANY l961 Nuclear threat Alert during Berlin Wall crisis. LAOS 1962 Command operation Military buildup during guerrilla war. CUBA l962 Nuclear threat, naval Blockade during missile crisis; near-war with Soviet Union. IRAQ 1963 Command operation CIA organizes coup that killed president, brings Ba'ath Party to power, and Saddam Hussein back from exile to be head of the secret service. PANAMA l964 Troops Panamanians shot for urging canal's return. INDONESIA l965 Command operation Million killed in CIA-assisted army coup. DOMINICAN REPUBLIC 1965-66 Troops, bombing Army & Marines land during election campaign. GUATEMALA l966-67 Command operation Green Berets intervene against rebels. DETROIT l967 Troops Army battles African Americans, 43 killed. UNITED STATES l968 Troops After King is shot; over 21,000 soldiers in cities. CAMBODIA l969-75 Bombing, troops, naval Up to 2 million killed in decade of bombing, starvation, and political chaos. OMAN l970 Command operation U.S. directs Iranian marine invasion. LAOS l971-73 Command operation, bombing U.S. directs South Vietnamese invasion; "carpet-bombs" countryside. SOUTH DAKOTA l973 Command operation Army directs Wounded Knee siege of Lakotas. MIDEAST 1973 Nuclear threat World-wide alert during Mideast War. CHILE 1973 Command operation CIA-backed coup ousts elected marxist president. CAMBODIA l975 Troops, bombing Gassing of captured ship Mayagüez, 28 troops die when copter shot down. ANGOLA l976-92 Command operation CIA assists South African-backed rebels. IRAN l980 Troops, nuclear threat, aborted bombing Raid to rescue Embassy hostages; 8 troops die in copter-plane crash. Soviets warned not to get involved in revolution. LIBYA l981 Naval jets Two Libyan jets shot down in maneuvers. EL SALVADOR l981-92 Command operation, troops Advisors, overflights aid anti-rebel war, soldiers briefly involved in hostage clash. NICARAGUA l981-90 Command operation, naval CIA directs exile (Contra) invasions, plants harbor mines against revolution. LEBANON l982-84 Naval, bombing, troops Marines expel PLO and back Phalangists, Navy bombs and shells Muslim positions. 241 Marines killed when Shi'a rebel bombs barracks. GRENADA l983-84 Troops, bombing Invasion four years after revolution. HONDURAS l983-89 Troops Maneuvers help build bases near borders. IRAN l984 Jets Two Iranian jets shot down over Persian Gulf. LIBYA l986 Bombing, naval Air strikes to topple Qaddafi gov't. BOLIVIA 1986 Troops Army assists raids on cocaine region. IRAN l987-88 Naval, bombing US intervenes on side of Iraq in war, defending reflagged tankers and shooting down civilian jet. LIBYA 1989 Naval jets Two Libyan jets shot down. VIRGIN ISLANDS 1989 Troops St. Croix Black unrest after storm. PHILIPPINES 1989 Jets Air cover provided for government against coup. PANAMA 1989 (-?) Troops, bombing Nationalist government ousted by 27,000 soldiers, leaders arrested, 2000+ killed. LIBERIA 1990 Troops Foreigners evacuated during civil war. SAUDI ARABIA 1990-91 Troops, jets Iraq countered after invading Kuwait. 540,000 troops also stationed in Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, UAE, Israel. IRAQ 1990-91 Bombing, troops, naval Blockade of Iraqi and Jordanian ports, air strikes; 200,000+ killed in invasion of Iraq and Kuwait; large-scale destruction of Iraqi military. KUWAIT 1991 Naval, bombing, troops Kuwait royal family returned to throne. IRAQ 1991-2003 Bombing, naval No-fly zone over Kurdish north, Shiite south; constant air strikes and naval-enforced economic sanctions LOS ANGELES 1992 Troops Army, Marines deployed against anti-police uprising. SOMALIA 1992-94 Troops, naval, bombing U.S.-led United Nations occupation during civil war; raids against one Mogadishu faction. YUGOSLAVIA 1992-94 Naval NATO blockade of Serbia and Montenegro. BOSNIA 1993-? Jets, bombing No-fly zone patrolled in civil war; downed jets, bombed Serbs. HAITI 1994 Troops, naval Blockade against military government; troops restore President Aristide to office three years after coup. ZAIRE (CONGO) 1996-97 Troops Troops at Rwandan Hutu refugee camps, in area where Congo revolution begins. LIBERIA 1997 Troops Soldiers under fire during evacuation of foreigners. ALBANIA 1997 Troops Soldiers under fire during evacuation of foreigners. SUDAN 1998 Missiles Attack on pharmaceutical plant alleged to be "terrorist" nerve gas plant. AFGHANISTAN 1998 Missiles Attack on former CIA training camps used by Islamic fundamentalist groups alleged to have attacked embassies. IRAQ 1998 Bombing, Missiles Four days of intensive air strikes after weapons inspectors allege Iraqi obstructions. YUGOSLAVIA 1999 Bombing, Missiles Heavy NATO air strikes after Serbia declines to withdraw from Kosovo. NATO occupation of Kosovo. YEMEN 2000 Naval USS Cole, docked in Aden, bombed. MACEDONIA 2001 Troops NATO forces deployed to move and disarm Albanian rebels. UNITED STATES 2001 Jets, naval Reaction to hijacker attacks on New York, DC AFGHANISTAN 2001-? Troops, bombing, missiles Massive U.S. mobilization to overthrow Taliban, hunt Al Qaeda fighters, install Karzai regime, and battle Taliban insurgency. More than 30,000 U.S. troops and numerous private security contractors carry our occupation. YEMEN 2002 Missiles Predator drone missile attack on Al Qaeda, including a US citizen. PHILIPPINES 2002-? Troops, naval Training mission for Philippine military fighting Abu Sayyaf rebels evolves into combat missions in Sulu Archipelago, west of Mindanao. COLOMBIA 2003-? Troops US special forces sent to rebel zone to back up Colombian military protecting oil pipeline. IRAQ 2003-? Troops, naval, bombing, missiles Saddam regime toppled in Baghdad. More than 250,000 U.S. personnel participate in invasion. US and UK forces occupy country and battle Sunni and Shi'ite insurgencies. More than 160,000 troops and numerous private contractors carry out occupation and build large permanent bases. LIBERIA 2003 Troops Brief involvement in peacekeeping force as rebels drove out leader. HAITI 2004-05 Troops, naval Marines & Army land after right-wing rebels oust elected President Aristide, who was advised to leave by Washington. PAKISTAN 2005-? Missiles, bombing, covert operation CIA missile and air strikes and Special Forces raids on alleged Al Qaeda and Taliban refuge villages kill multiple civilians. Drone attacks also on Pakistani Mehsud network. SOMALIA 2006-? Missiles, naval, troops, command operation Special Forces advise Ethiopian invasion that topples Islamist government; AC-130 strikes, Cruise missile attacks and helicopter raids against Islamist rebels; naval blockade against "pirates" and insurgents. SYRIA 2008 Troops Special Forces in helicopter raid 5 miles from Iraq kill 8 Syrian civilians YEMEN 2009-? Missiles, command operation Cruise missile attack on Al Qaeda kills 49 civilians; Yemeni military assaults on rebels LIBYA 2011-? Bombing, missiles, command operation NATO coordinates air strikes and missile attacks against Qaddafi government during uprising by rebel army.