MORE LIES ABOUT OBAMA - over U.S. STAMPS

Here we go again - a friend sent me a forwarded email about ‘Obama is issuing Muslim stamps’, so they wanted the stamps boycotted. It reads:

“ Now    President Obama has directed the  United States Postal  Service to REMEMBER  and  HONOR the EID MUSLIM holiday   season with a new  commemorative 42  Cent First Class  Holiday  Postage  Stamp.. “

The email goes on about how it is MUSLIMS that have attacked us in Lebanon, Saudi, NYC, etc. (Well, I guess that much is true.) and that we should not support anything having to do with them.

However, I can’t find, online, any special notices about these stamps in 2009, and if not, then it didn’t get issued “by Obama".  BUT GEORGE BUSH DID ISSUE THEM. That’s right, the USPS under Bush, THREE TIMES, in 2001 and 2007 and 2008, issued the Muslim stamp as part of a “Holiday Series” commemorating Christmas, Kwanzaa, and Hanukkah.

SEE THE POSTINGS --

www.usps.com/communications/newsroom/localnews/in/in_2008_1024.htm

www.usps.com/communications/newsroom/2007/sr07_041.htm

But let’s add the rest of the questionable information - the stamps are noted in USPS documents as 41 cent and not the 44 cent (42 cent pictured) claimed in the email. If they reissued them again, at 42 cents, they forgot to post the notice on their web site. Otherwise, I have to ask - did someone FAKE this issuance, because the USPS cross out the price so it can’t be printed and used that way, and in the emailed picture the price was not crossed out. (The email mentioned both 42 and 44 cents - if true, it should be ONE price)

Let’s also try to be fair about this whole ‘so-and-so issued’ thing. The USPS is a quasi-independent organization, and maybe the President can stop an issue, but the chance of that happening is near zero. Everyone is “trying to be fair” and not pointing out the bad things about each religion, only the good, and therefore will include all the main religions, and since we are “not making war against all Muslims” then of course a general holiday issue will include a Muslim stamp.

One last comment, for the person who started this crap -- if you want to fight Muslims, and the faith in general, then strap on a gun, fly your ass into the midst of them, be it Pakistan, Afghanistan, Malaysia, or any other place, and declare yourself as a fighter against all Muslims. But -- who are you going to shoot? The man on the street, the woman, the child? Who?

Wall Street -- They Make the Rules, so You Lose

[Original March 18, 2008; updates inserted into the original -- a Congressional Hearing is going on today, 11/16-17, 2009 that is supporting things I post here.]

"It is very difficult for inaccurate mark to model valuations to remain a secret," Hintz said. "And if I get my marks wrong, everything else is messed up in the firm. They may want to play games with valuations, but doing so would mean everything else was wrong too." [Brad Hintz, an analyst at Bernstein Research and former chief financial officer at Lehman.

Above is from article by Alistair Barr, MarketWatch 7:57 PM ET Sep 7, 2007]

This comment is about how banks and investment firms [Lehman, Bear Stearns and others] value their assets and debts. It is figured not just by putting the values into a spreadsheet as you and I do for household finances, letting the income from every source balance against every bill, and hoping that there is money left in the bank at the end of the week. Institutions are allowed to estimate the risk of a debt and hedge the value {like saying I loaned a friend 500 dollars, but the chance he won't pay it back is really small, so I'll put only $100 into the 'out-lays' column} so the true debt is not on the books. Now if I get paid, all is fine - and maybe I list it as "extra income"; but if I don't get paid back, the loss is suddenly FIVE TIMES what was on the books.

Another way they do this is, when they BUY a company, they will falsely overvalue it, using a procedure called "good will accounting" -- the company has $1B in buildings, products, and all other "hard assets", but they will place an extra value of 20% to 200% on the company based on "valued employees", "expected contracts", and many other guesses and will even add in "brand name recognition" [isn't the name, the company, what they are buying?].

And there lies the crutch of the problem - American [and world-wide?] companies don't have to put the real value of anything into the account ledgers, so they can make themselves look more profitable than they really are - until some one calls their bluff. [Umm, the collapse of Sept 2008, which was 'predicted' by the above quote.]

They also divide up companies to sell off the "unproductive" parts, and load them with debt from the parent company. They do this so that the parent will look healthy, but it almost assures that the new entity will fold - putting it on you to back it up through bankruptcy procedures. [See SPE's, etc -- this is how Enron and others "looked good".]

Cost of Stamps -- P.O. Losing $$ -- A Solution

[First written Oct. 2007]


I admit that I think the price of stamps going up again is outrageous.

HOWEVER - Face it - under 50 cents to send a note or card across the country is a FANTASTIC PRICE.

How often, other than junk mail, do you get wanted mail? 3 days? 4 days a week? Personally, I am down to monthly bills in the mail of: 1 credit card, electric, water, phone, 2 investment reports, cable. SEVEN items that regularly come to me; and I send out only 6 (some are being paid online) including the mortgage. [Update Nov 09 -- I send out NONE for bills because I do all online now - and nearly everything is "auto-paid" so I can never worry about being late on a payment.]

And I don't even have to go to the post office for stamps, saving gas money, because they will DELIVER them with your mail!

But there is that perception that the cost is too high, and here is how to make the increases slow, then maybe STOP for about 10 years: STOP HOME & BUSINESS DELIVERY OF 6 DAYS A WEEK.

There is NO REASONABLE ARGUMENT that I can see being made to support the current delivery/pickup system. The cost to the system - salary, benefits, gasoline, maintenance, and other factors - is going to demand that the price of stamps go to nearly a dollar by 2010. Who among you wants to pay that? So why do you think we should keep delivery people running all over every county in this huge country even if they have nothing to bring to you, or you have nothing for them to take? [[Update Jan 2010 - we have not hit $1 yet, but maybe because they are still in deficit spending mode.]]

But it is VERY reasonable to reduce delivery to 3 days a week (and in 10-20 years that will need to drop to 2 days a week or less) to each area. No, I don't mean deliver to even-numbered houses, then odd-numbered houses (except that doing it that way MAY make sense in densely populated city areas). I am talking about sectioning cities and counties into the present routes but maybe delivering to those in the south end Mo-We-Fr and the north Tu-Th-Sa so the same roads are not covered on consecutive days.

The Postal Employees Union will complain, but let me kill that argument before they can make it. The beauty of my plan is they simply stop hiring, and let attrition whittle down the workforce. So they really have no case.

[Update Nov 09 - they are supposedly letting people go already.]

Companies sending out bills may complain that they have schedules that have been made over decades and that they can't change those billing dates. Hogwash - let me kill that argument before they can make it. There is no real problem with putting in a piece of SW code that compares a billing address with a pickup/delivery date so the billing company can adjust the sending or receiving date. They also can put a box on the bill for you to check that says "accept this check but wait until the last day to charge against my bank account". Something like that can be done without the huge expense that the companies will CLAIM it will cost - reality is that programs are changed every few months, so the modifications could be done over the next couple of years as the change is debated in Congress. The BANK could offer this change too - if you can't do on-line banking, you could still tell them what day to pay each bill, but this could be MUCH more difficult.

People will say that they always send out bills only a day or so before it is due because they won't get the money in the bank until then. Not really a problem - they give you many days to send the money in, and if you must wait until the last day then either adjust your standards for when to pay what, or remember that dropping it in the box outside your house will not really affect the timing of their endorsing and charging against your account all that much.

The change MUST HAPPEN - now we just need to say WHEN.


From - http://mchugh.house.gov/pr2004/020304_PostalPanel2MA.html
ABOUT THE SPECIAL PANEL ON POSTAL REFORM AND OVERSIGHT:
 [[ This is 2004 info. These people may have change jobs now, so look up who is on the panels now ]]

The House Government Reform Committee’s Special Panel on Postal Reform and Oversight is charged with helping reform the outdated postal system, currently facing about $90 billion in liabilities and obligations and in the midst of the biggest overhaul since it became an independent government entity under the Postal Reorganization Act of 1970.
 
The panel is chaired by Rep. John M. McHugh (R-NY), and working closely with the Administration to enact postal reform. Rep. McHugh and the panel report directly to Government Reform Committee Chairman Tom Davis, making postal reform a full committee priority.
 
Other Committee members appointed to the panel are: Reps. Dan Burton (R-IN) Edward L. Schrock (R-VA), Candice Miller (R-MI), Tim Murphy (R-PA), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Danny K. Davis (D-IL), Major R. Owens (D-NY), Edolphus Towns (D-NY) Carolyn B. Maloney (D-NY), and Wm. Lacy Clay (D-MO).

Congress - stay out of the way, let Professionals do their job first on Hasan

For all those asking why Obama is telling Congress to wait - there IS such a thing as procedure. If Congress steps in too soon and starts giving immunity or in other ways interfering, then HASAN's prosecution could be hindered. (remember Ollie North?? He was GUILTY and found so, but had to be let go because Congress gave immunity)

And there BETTER be some people found guilty here, from the army promoting someone who was so bad that some said they would never refer a patient to him, to the placing of such a bad 'shrink' to the front lines of a battle when he had already made comments that such soldiers deserve to die. These IDIOTS were more than that and need to at LEAST be demoted and drummed out of the Army.

Hasan should have been removed a year ago, not allowed to complete his medical training (WE paid for it) because he reportedly was unstable, and placed under close scrutiny at the least, and since he is in the army, his comments alone were probably enough to get him put in the stockade for months or years.

I looked at one of his postings, and yea you could say it was just a '"study"; but I didn't have the context of all the other things he had said. In it, he didn't seem to support suicide bombing (the news agencies say it did) but to me it DID say that going down like Butch and Sundance, with even a small chance to live, was OK.

Lastly, our MANY agencies are supposed to be joined under "Homeland Security" -- what a joke. Under Bush we saw that this agency was just another place to put friends to pay them for 'past favors' (remember "Brownie", the horse manager? He got a slap on the back as N.O. was still under water and people were trapped in the 'Dome'). It seems that some help is still needed in the ranks. After several accounts came out about FBI CIA NSA and others not talking, we see another massive failure of AGENCIES NOT TALKING TO EACH OTHER. The Army was also supposed to be a part of this 'intelligence group', and we now see that it has failed us, maybe because of "sensitivity training" -- they didn't want to point out someone in a certain religion who was acting up. There has GOT to be action at ALL LEVELS to make this a safer country.




[[[ separately I posted this next one in response to those who blamed Obama, some saying "he knew/should have known about the guy" and did nothing --]]]

Hey - I didn't like Bush at all -- so many reasons, for starters he was in the pocket of big business, and an idiot. And Obama is not on my buddy list either.

But for ANY of you to think that EITHER of them would/should have known about Hasan -- YOU are the idiots!

The Army failed to even report his actions to superiors outside their local command. They let him finish medical training even though he was getting bad reports; they did nothing about his postings; nothing about his yelling at soldiers; nothing about his many other oddities; and finally, they PROMOTED him.

POTUS, whomever he may be at the time, would never have knowledge of a single soldiers' actions, if the immediate superiors DON'T DO THEIR JOB and report him. Even then, until he was deemed a terrorist openly, he would not have heard of him.



Posted as a "Comment" response to a USAToday article

Ft. Hood Shooting - FBI Fu*ked up Royal

There are reports today (11/10/09) that the FBI is looking at whether if (daa - YES) it screwed up an actual investigation months earlier of the shooter Nidal Hasan. It was checking up on him at least by Dec. 2008, continuing into 2009.

They had actual intercepts of phone calls from him to “radical Imam” Anwar al-Awlaki, whom actively advocates attacks on the U.S. And Hasan makes comments, even rants, that other soldiers reported to the Army, and Hasan posts things on the web (that maybe I read wrong too - tough to read "crazy"), and still the CID, FBI, NSA combined can't figure out that the guy has 'converted to terrorism'?

I tell you, it is the kind of F-up that makes you think that maybe we DO have a government that purposely looks the other way so we are attacked - for the sole reason to buy arms to support businesses.

What other reason could there be for such a mistake? stupidity? willful neglect? treason? Pick your accusation.

Part of the reporting says that Hasan was telling other doctors he was "friends" with ("quotes" because he would have shot them if they were there) that all Muslims should be released from military duty as conscientious objectors rather than fight in Muslim occupied areas. They say he even did a formal presentation about the same point. MY first question would be - should we release Christians if we are fighting in Europe? or Jews? Surely we would have to take THEIR RELIGION into account - hell, every religion would have to be taken into account for every place in the world that we go to defend ourselves, or some group (um - our last involvement in Europe was saving a lot of Muslims, fool).

As soon as he started advocating such crap, the Army should have not have just restricted his movements, but look at whether they had enough on him right then to charge him with treason. Yet FBI, CID, etc all decided he was just a little mixed up, not a threat. That he was asking "philosophical questions" of the radical Imam (whom used to preach directly to him).

[You know, I would think that, regardless of the reason, if military personnel have contact with anyone advocating the destruction of our country, there should be a REQUIREMENT to notify superiors immediately. It would not stop them, but would automatically make it a legal issue so they could be locked up. And to actively seek such contact, outside of formal intelligence gathering, maybe should be defined as treason.]

PLUS, to start with, it was Muslims that attacked us, killing people of all religions, including his precious Muslims. So why was he not screaming in the streets "oh brother Muslims, how could you kill those of your own faith? Ours is a religion of peace - how could you kill anyone not attacking your person?" Ah - the comfort of having a religion that says "I'm OK, but you're not - you are an infidel who should convert or die".

[Of course, EVERY religion at least says "I am sane and going to heaven, but you don't believe the same as me, so you will go to Hell." And some have even come up with people who claim to speak for "God" and will forgive your sins so you can feel free to think all is OK, and then can go sin again tomorrow.]

Back to this traitor, his attorneys are setting the stage for him to use an insanity defense, perhaps that his status as a "peaceful Muslim, he could not bring himself to wage war against other Muslims", as though people of all other religions were worth killing. Hey, are you Muslims going to support this? It is saying that ALL MUSLIMS ARE INSANE IF YOU SUPPORT HIS POSITION. So I must ask - ARE YOU?

MUSLIM in AMERICA -- Fearing Backlash when they should be Preaching PEACE

There are numerous reports that Muslims are afraid that, because one of their faith has committed mass-murder again, there will be protests, and even attacks against people and Mosques. Well, sorry folks, but that is to be expected.

What is wrong with Muslims; with the Imams? Why are the not out PREACHING TO THEIR PEOPLE OPENLY ABOUT PEACE INSTEAD OF VIOLENCE? If they would open madrasahs that teach peace instead of hate in all parts of the world then maybe the suicide bombers, and other killers like Hasan, would be not be so easily pulled into acts like what we saw this week at Ft. Hood, TX.

Muslims, you need to face the truth that if YOU won't teach peace, others in your faith will be free to teach hate. It is much the same in Christian "churches" that teach "white supremacy" and other forms of "we are better, we are right, and death to those who don't follow us". The madrasahs that we hear about are supported by "donations" from Saudi Arabia, and are being built in all parts of the world for the express purpose of breeding several generations of willing pawns for use in a war both to promote their version, the hate version, and to eradicate all other forms of religion. This includes other versions of the Muslim faith! [as you have Shia vs Sunni vs others].

We in Judaeo-Christian religion have gone through this in the form of the Crusades nearly a thousand years ago, plus several other incarnations, like The Inquisition, Salem Witch hunts, etc. And as pointed out, it still lingers in "white hate groups" like the Aryans and KKK, along with other fascists [note to right-wing Republicans -- the dictionary describes 'fascist' as "extreme-right-wing"; I hope you folks realize what you are becoming, and change]. But today we are focused on Muslims, because for all of your ultra-devout ways [pray 5 times/day, don't allow pictures of Mohammad, though you do seem fine with 'worshiping' of 'idols' of your other religious leaders -- hmmm, another contradiction in religion, go figure], you still do nothing about these "pawn" schools.

Maybe I am really starting to like pointing this out -- the ONLY religious teaching you need is what I follow -- the Golden Rule of "do unto others as you would have them do unto you". With that "faith", you would not cheat, steal, hit, murder, steal a wife, or any other 'crime', because if you do, it is saying that you want it to happen to you, and since none of us want that, you would not do it to others. And though I don't subscribe to it, this 'religion' would even allow a belief in God, heaven, and all the other "explanations" for why bad things happen, where Mommy goes when she dies, etc.

So do like several other faiths --

 send people out to the world to teach your faith, but let it be one of peace!

Ft. Hood Shooting on Nov. 5, 2009

FIRST -- AS SOON AS WE GET ANY INFORMATION WE CAN FROM THIS GUY ABOUT POSSIBLE TIES TO OTHERS, AND FEEL HE HAS NOTHING MORE TO TELL US, HE SHOULD BE IN FRONT OF A FIRING SQUAD.

Until then, we should try to figure out, if the government is telling us they were suspicious about him for 6 months, why had they not arrested him already, or at a minimum tossed him out of the military? As much as Hasan has to explain, the government also has a lot too, because if early news reports are right and he was elated by attacks on our military, he should have been arrested for being an "enemy sympathizer" and then investigated thoroughly for any inclinations of being more than "support by mouth" [which is simply 'free speech', but enough to get him tossed from the Army, then placed under surveillance to see if he was, or would become, part of a larger terror cell].

I just read what I think the news is using in comments "he wrote about suicide bombing", and using it to say he believed in it.

http://www.scribd.com/doc/3989813/Martyrdom-in-Islam-Versus-Suicide-Bombing

As I read it, he is against suicide, including suicide bombing. But he does point out that attacking an enemy thinking you may survive is OK -- if you die, martyr; if you don't you fought a good battle anyway.

It was difficult to read (I tried to pass over the religious crap -- had to force myself through it to try to get the complete meaning) partly because he uses convoluted [arab-style?] sentences; and kind of like many in our 'respected news people' community like George Will who like to state things in a way to prove themselves very smart because the rest of us can't figure out what they meant to say.

Anyway -- try reading it. See what you think --