The Great Global Arms Bazaar – “The military industrial complex” is thriving

We all would do well to read or re-read perhaps, Anthony Sampson’s outstanding anatomical study or investigation into the international arms trade: “The Arms Bazaar”. As it gives us some perspective on how the “defence industry” has grown to become what it is now; an unwieldy Golem, that’s out of control.

Is a Weak Dollar a Strong Sign? Not So Fast!

(C4L) – Readers of George Orwell’s 1984 might recall Big Brother’s claims that “war is peace” or “freedom is slavery.” Orwell was writing a novel, but some of the commentary these days makes me think that elite economists have taken residence in Oceania’s “Ministry of Truth.”

The Dollar is Doomed

When the precious metals were smashed out of nowhere and the dollar started climbing this summer I became very worried. I didn’t question my conviction that commodities are in a bull market, or that precious metals in particular are undervalued. I felt something sinister was at work. Neither move was justified on a fundamental level. I assumed that something very bad was about to happen and the metals needed to be brought lower in advance of the bad news.
Now we have a glimpse at the ugly consequences foreseen by the Treasury Department and the Federal Reserve. In early September, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were nationalized with a financial commitment of USD$200 billion from the taxpayers. Incredibly, the loan limits at the former GSEs were raised from $417,000 to $729,750 in March when it was more than obvious these institutions needed to be reined in. Like most bailouts and bank failures, this one was announced on a weekend to limit the impact on the stock markets.

MSM: The Pentagon will receive a record $488B budget; automakers get $25B in loans; offshore drilling ban lifted.

The House passed a $630 billion-plus spending bill Wednesday that wraps together a record Pentagon budget with aid for automakers and natural disaster victims, and increased health care for veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.